News

Biodiversity-crucial UK insects at risk of extinction

A new report by Buglife has found that half of the UK’s rarest species are at risk of global extinction. 

The report brings together knowledge on 20 invertebrate species endemic to the UK - endemic species being those found only in Britain and which are, therefore, fundamental to our biodiversity.

Mark Rylance stars in Spirit of Place

Spirit of Place, written and directed by Jack Cooper Stimpson, is a meditation on identity and follows two young protagonists as they spend time in and around inner-city wetlands. Through chance encounters and curious discoveries they begin to learn about themselves and their relationship with the natural world.

Golfing event in China bans single use plastic bottles

The 2023 Volvo China Open golf tournament held at the Shenzhen Hidden Grace Golf Club went ahead for the first time in its 27 year history without selling any single-use plastic bottles of water.  

Around 17 Bluewater water dispensing stations were installed across the venue to provide complementary drinking water to players, tens of thousands of fans and staff. Harnessing Bluewater’s SuperiorOsmosisTM technology, the stations served purified water free of known contaminants, including toxic metals and chemicals.

South Devon College launches sustainability qualifications

South Devon College is offering of three new sustainability qualifications: Access to Higher Education: Global Studies and Sustainability Diploma, a Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Global Change, Social Responsibility and Sustainability, and a Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner apprenticeship

Access to HE is a one-year full time programme, starting in September, and it will give students a route into university level study.

Magic mushrooms to combat air pollution

Futuristic fungi-filled wall tiles could devour harmful hydrocarbon air pollution caused by traffic emissions and burning fossil fuels.

That’s the vision Brunel Design student Thomas Sault is close to achieving with these honeycomb tiles made from mushroom mycelium.

Hydrocarbons in the air can cause cancer as well as skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and even skin cancer.

£400,000 grant for Marine Biological Association

Dedicated to promoting research into our oceans and the life it supports, the Marine Biological Association provides unparalleled insight into the health of our seas that continues to shape national and international policy on how to combat climate change.

The funding will enable safe new labs to be built for the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey team with essential safety equipment, allow crucial research to continue and ultimately increase the MBA’s capacity for research and academic output.

Film: The Oil Machine

The Oil Machine reveals the hidden infrastructure of oil from the offshore rigs and the buried pipelines to its flow through the stock markets of London. As the North Sea industry struggles to meet the need to cut carbon emissions, oil workers see their livelihoods under threat, and investors seek to protect their assets. Meanwhile a younger generation of climate activists are catalysed by the signs of impending chaos, and the very real threat of global sea level rises.

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