Sam Bentley

Some of the best good news from February you may have missed! #fyp #foryou #goodnews #sustainableliving #conservation #newstiktok

You can cook food using the sun with this solar oven! #fyp #foryou #goodnews #sustainableliving #Sustainability #offgrid #french

This new high-speed rail network is like a metro system for Europe, and it could connect 39 cities by 2040. It’s called Starline, a proposal by 21st Europe, to convert Europe’s rail network into one seamless system, simplifying things like ticketing systems and cross-border security, to make travelling across Europe less of a hassle. Designed like a metro, it would run at speeds of 300 to 400 km/h making journeys like Helsinki to Berlin possible in just over five hours, without the need for flights or multiple train changes. It includes 39 new stations, with connecting hubs in major cities like Paris, Berlin, and Milan, with routes going as far as Istanbul and Kyiv. On the trains there would be quiet zones for focus, open areas for work and conversation, and family-friendly sections too. Starline would also carry time-sensitive cargo, like fresh produce and medical supplies, reducing the need for short-haul freight flights and overburdened road networks. Would you want something like this in Europe? Let me know down below! #goodnews #Sustainability #travel #metro #sustainabletravel #train

No, this isn’t a Valentine’s Day gift, it’s a wind turbine that has NO Blades. They have been created by Spanish startup, Vortex Bladeless and they can convert wind energy coming from any direction. Essentially the base is connected to the ground whilst the cylindrical mast is able to live its best life and oscillates freely perpendicular to the wind direction which generates electricity, utilising something called vortex shedding. The technology, which is still in development, isn't as efficient as traditional wind turbines, but as there are no blades, they are safer for wildlife such as birds, they're lower maintenance and create virtually no noise pollution, meaning they could be good in urban areas and protected areas. Do you know someone who’d be a fan of this idea? #goodnews #sustainableliving #renewables #ecofriendly #Sustainability #cleanenergy

This is how trees can call the police if they’re in danger of being chopped down! Tree are cut down illegally all the time. In fact, up to 90% of rainforest logging is illegal. So the Rainforest Connection created a system to help protect forests, by putting phones in the tops of trees with solars panels and a powerful microphone, that can listen constantly for any sound of illegal logging or other things that could threaten the forest. The very moment a chainsaw is used in the forest, the sound is picked up by the phones, and an alert is sent to local partners who can intervene immediately and halt the logging. The entire process happens in a matter of minutes! The devices cost very little too and have no negative ecological impact on the forest, and can detect chainsaw noises up to 1km in the distance. The devices have been used to help protect a variety of precious wildlife, such as Gibbons in Indonesia, and have helped local people fight deforestation. Would you like to see this solution being used around the world? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and share this video to help spread the word! #goodnews #Sustainability #conservation #saveourplanet #forest #rainforest

Who would you want to go on a coastal walk with this summer? The UK is building the world’s longest coastal path that goes around the whole of England! It’s called the King Charles III England Coast Path, and it will stretch around 2,700 miles, giving people access to some of the best landscapes in the country. The continuous walking route will pass through places like Durdle Door, with its iconic rock archway along the Jurassic Coast where the scientific study of dinosaurs originated. It’ll pass through adorable little fishing villages across Cornwall in the South West, like Mousehole and Port Isaac. And you can even step away from the coast, and follow the Hadrian’s Wall footpath along the Northern tip, which used to represent the boundary of the Roman Empire’s presence in the British Isles! I actually did a section along the east coast, called the North Norfolk Coastal Path and saw so many incredible birds, so I 100% recommend that section! All the major sections around the coast path are finished and ready to be walked, but it’s still technically under development until they finish linking them all together by the end of the year. Scotland and Wales are also constructing their own trails which will join onto it! Share this video with someone you want to do this with! #goodnews #sustainableliving #coast #england #travel #walking

Would you love to see these in your city? In Andalucia, summer temperatures can reach over 40°C (104°F), which is especially dangerous for elderly residents and vulnerable groups who struggle with extreme heat. So 300 local women got together to tackle the problem, and spent three years crocheting a massive shade canopy! It stretches 60 meters long and covers 500 square meters, made entirely from yarn. Not only is it a stunning alternative to plastic canopies, but it’s also drawn more visitors to the town, turning a local craft into a tourist attraction. Along the way, it brought the community closer together, with women of all ages working side by side to create something meaningful. And it’s even catching on, with other towns creating their own versions too! #goodnews #greendesign #crochet #sustainableliving #Sustainability #spain

This ancient material provides free air conditioning without electricity! And people are using it in a number of cool ways. Terracotta has been used across the world from Spain to China for thousands of years, and now modern architects are turning back to it, to help fight the massive energy use and cost of air conditioning. For example, terracotta roof tiles create cool pockets of air and tiny holes in the material help to circulate that air around the building. Terracotta facades act as heat barriers, keeping buildings warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Bricks and floor tiles made of terracotta work in much the same way, And CoolAnt in India have even made a terracotta air conditioner that uses no electricity, which is made of hollow cones that are soaked with water, which then evaporates, cooling down the warm air that the cones draw in. Another great thing about terracotta is that it’s plentiful around the world, allowing loads of different communities to access it. At the end of its life, it’s easily broken down and returned to the earth or repurposed, making it a really sustainable material! So is it time we turn back to using this material more? Let me know your thoughts! #goodnews #sustainableliving #ecofriendly #terracotta #india #sustainabledesign

This Italian fisherman did something incredible to protect the ocean from destructive fishing! Meet Paolo Fanciulli, a 60-year-old fisherman who's been fighting against illegal trawling Trawling is a type of fishing that drags heavy nets across the seafloor, massively reducing fish populations and destroying marine habitats So how did Paolo fight back? He teamed up with local sculptors and created huge marble artworks which he then dropped into the Mediterranean Sea. These heavy sculptures created an underwater museum that would rip trawling nets as they pass by and help scare off illegal fishers. And the best thing about it is, it's working! Seagrass beds, an essential habitat and carbon store, are growing back, and the area is attracting more marine life like lobsters, turtles, and even dolphins! Thanks to Paolo and the hard work of local sculptors, there are now 80 statues standing guard over the ocean floor, and he wants to add more! Trawler fishing is illegal in Italy because of the damage it does to marine ecosystems, but it's hard to enforce and is often done at night. So sometimes, creative solutions like this and creative humans like Paolo are the best way to fight back and make positive change for our oceans. Would you like to see more of this happening? #goodnews #conservation #ocean #environment #italy #fishing

This Indian entrepreneur created sneakers out of trash! Ashay Bhave was on a mission to fight plastic pollution and improve people’s lives. So he invented a sustainable sneaker that is made from at least 12 recycled bottles, and 10 plastic bags. Thrown away plastic bags are gathered from streets, stacked, and compressed to make a canvas-like material. The rubber sole is made from old shoe soles and tires, and even the shoe box is embedded with basil seeds, so it can be planted in soil to help grow basil The materials are not the only ethical part about these shoes either. Thaely are addressing the exploitative working conditions of many Indian workers as well, making sure their employees receive fair pay, housing support, and regular breaks. Most garment factory workers often have to work 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week, and India has some of the highest levels of plastic waste in the world. So it’s great to see a young entrepreneur tackling both of these problems at once! Would you wear these shoes? Let me know your thoughts! #goodnews #india #Sustainability #upcycling #plasticpollution #reuse

Some of the best good news from March you may have missed! #fyp #foryou #goodnews #sustainableliving #conservation #newstiktok

This toy is made from the most littered item on the planet. Cigarette butts! Every year, 6.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered, releasing harmful chemicals and microplastics into local environments. So two Indian brothers, Naman and Vipul, came up with an idea. They started Code Effort, and started collecting and recycling the cigarette waste, turning it into useful products like toys, paper, and decor. After being collected, the paper and the fiber is separated. The fibre is then broken down and washed in a biodegradable solution that remove the toxic elements. The fibres are then spin-dried and softened to become a wool-like material, which is then hand-knitted into toys or pillows by local women. To ensure the products are safe, every batch goes through certified lab tests to meet global standards before being turned into new products. So far, they’ve recycled 2 billion butts. And since a single cigarette butt can contaminate over 500ml of water, this has helped prevent over 1 billion litres of water from being polluted. They’ve created over 100 jobs for local women and set up bins that prevent litter in the first place too. What do you think of this idea, would you use a product made from cigarette butts? Let me know in the comments! #goodnews #india #innovation #sustainableliving #wastefree #waste

We need more people like this in the world! This is Curtis Shuck, a former oil worker, who poured his life savings into fighting one of America’s biggest invisible threats. Abandoned oil wells. Abandoned oil wells across the U.S. leak toxic gas into the air, and chemicals into the ground and water. It’s estimated that over 3 million of them have been left by oil companies, who refused to pay to plug them, when the wells were no longer profitable, and rural communities have been left to suffer both the financial and health costs. So Curtis started the Well Done Foundation to plug these abandoned wells, prioritising the worst offenders that are leaking the most dangerous gases first. Since 2019, Well Done has prevented 500,000 tons of CO2 equivalent from leaking into the air—that’s like cutting the annual emissions of 100,000 people! Curtis’s work is vital, especially for low-income communities and communities of color who are most affected by these emissions. Do you think we need more heroes like Curtis? #goodnews #conservation #pollution #pollute #usa #saveourplanet

#ad We're pretty good at playing spot the difference, but not every animal is. Animals like hermit crabs mistakenly use plastic waste as their shells, where they can get trapped, struggle to grow, and some sadly don’t survive. So to raise awareness about the impact of plastic pollution, I’ve partnered with @@JoinZuzu a little crab who is on a mission to save his home from plastic and do his part to end plastic waste, showing how small actions can spark big change. Like how I share solutions that help create a cleaner planet, Zuzu is taking action in his own way, and you can watch his short film all about his journey at the link in my bio. If it moves you, consider signing the petition to advocate for stronger environmental policies. By pushing for stronger policies and reducing our own plastic use, we can help create a cleaner planet for future generations! #JoinZuzu #PlasticPollution #SCJPartner #Pollution #Crab #marinelife

This tower captures clean water from thin air, helping provide remote communities with 100 litres of water every day! It’s called the Warka Water, inspired by the Warka tree that’s native to Ethiopia. The tower collects moisture from the air and brings it back down to the people. The structure is made from bamboo with an inner mesh that harvests and collects droplets of water by condensation. These droplets then trickle down the mesh down a big funnel and into a reservoir that holds the water, which is kept in the shade by a canopy that helps prevent the water from evaporating. So far, the Warka Water has been implemented in Ethiopia, Haiti, Brazil and many more places! And an amazing part of the project is that it’s an open source concept, meaning its design is publicly accessible, so local communities can be trained how to create it and repeat it as much as they like. For example in Ethiopia, their estimated cost per tower was only around $1000. Around 1 in 4 people don’t have access to safe drinking water, so solutions like this are really important to help transform millions of lives for good. #goodnews #sustainableliving #water #conservation #Sustainability #cleanwater

#ad Every beach needs a BEACH SIEVE! These look amazing! They filter trash from the sand, catching plastic, bottle caps, and more, while useful items like shells are put back where they belong. Developed in Brazil, the sieve helps to clean up beaches and inspire others to do the same. But while cleanup solutions like this exist, plastic production is still out of control. That’s why I’ve partnered with Zuzu, a hermit crab on a mission to fight plastic pollution. He’s set up a petition calling for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a policy that holds companies accountable for plastic waste. Signing this petition helps push for real change. Tap the link in my bio to sign, and follow @JoinZuzu for more solutions. #JoinZuzu #PlasticPollution #SCJPartner #Pollution #BeachCleanup #Sustainability

This Woolly Mouse could bring us one step closer to bringing Woolly Mammoths back! Colossal Biosciences, a company using genetic engineering to revive extinct species, extracted DNA from ancient mammoth remains and identified key genes for thick fur, cold resistance, and fat metabolism. They then applied these genetic changes to mice, and it worked! The mice developed denser fur, and other cold-adapted traits, and their coat color even altered, proving that mammoth DNA can be reactivated. This breakthrough is a major step toward Colossal’s goal of using similar genetic techniques on Asian elephants, the mammoth’s closest living relatives, to bring back a cold-adapted hybrid species. And it’s not just mammoths, they're also working on reviving the Tasmanian tiger and the dodo, while using this technology to help protect endangered species too. What do you think of this? Let me know your thoughts in the comments #conservation #wildlife #mammoth #deextinction #science #animals

#ad Have you heard the phrase ‘regenerative agriculture’ before and wondered what it actually means? To put it simply, it's farming in harmony with nature, rather than at the expense of nature. That means using practices that over time aim to protect soil health, improve biodiversity and make farms more resilient. For example, instead of monocultures, adding a diverse mix of crops which gradually aim to help boost crop performance. And introducing habitats to help wild bee populations and soil biodiversity to thrive in the long run! @McCain UK just launched a new AR game called Farms The Future which is all about this! It’s a super easy way to learn more about it, plus they’re giving away a bunch of cool prizes in it too. The link is in my bio if you want to check it out! #friesofthefuture #regenfries #tastegoodfeelgood