Science Says Plastic Bag Bans Really Do Work
by Joseph Winters, Grist
When you outlaw or discourage the sale of plastic bags, fewer of them end up as litter on beaches. That’s the intuitive finding of a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, which involved an analysis of policies to restrict plastic bag use across the United States. The study authors found that, in places with plastic bag bans or taxes, volunteers at shoreline cleanups collected 25 to 47 percent fewer plastic bags as a total fraction of items collected, compared to places with no plastic bag policies. The study adds weight to less formal analyses of plastic bag bans conducted by advocacy organizations and could inform negotiations later this summer over the United Nations’ global plastics treaty.
Denver Broke National Records In Reducing Unsheltered Homelessness, City Claims
by Kyle Harris, Denverite
When Mayor Mike Johnston declared a homeless state of emergency on his first full day in office, the city center was full of encampments. People struggled to survive, many suffering mental health crises in full view of the public. Business owners were frustrated that their doorways were blocked, and shoppers and diners had seemed to disappear. Concerns about crime reached a fever pitch. Johnston pledged to end unsheltered homelessness by 2027, shutting down encampments and moving people into shelters and supportive housing. Now, two years later, Johnston’s administration claims the city has “recorded the largest multi-year reduction in unsheltered homelessness in American history.”
Colombia Reports 33% Drop In Deforestation In Early 2025, With Major Progress In Amazon Parks
by Steven Grattan, AP
Colombia saw a 33% drop in deforestation in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, the environment ministry said Thursday, citing stronger community coordination and a crackdown on environmental crime. Speaking at a press conference, Environment Minister Lena Estrada Añokazi said deforestation fell from 40,219 hectares in early 2024 to 27,000 hectares this year. The government identified 18 active deforestation hot spots, including 13 in the Amazon and others in regions like Catatumbo, Arauca and the Pacific north. “In the Amazon’s national parks, deforestation dropped by 54% … which is a very good result,” Estrada said.
Largest Floating Solar Farm In Europe Begins Operations
by Paige Bennett, EcoWatch
A new solar farm is operational as of June 20 in Perthes, France and is currently the largest floating solar farm in Europe. “On an area of former gravel pits, Q Energy is realising Europe’s largest floating solar power plant to date with 74.3 MW. And many more will follow,” Q Energy said on its website. The floating solar site, called Les Îlots Blandin, took over the location of a former 127-hectare gravel extraction pit that shut down in 2020. Q Energy and Velto Renewables identified the former industrial site as a promising location for floating solar technology and spent several years of planning before construction began in September 2023.
He Was Buried In A Mushroom Casket. Soon He’ll Be Part Of The Soil
by Elissaveta Brandon, Fast Company
When Marsya Ancker-Robert was younger, her father used to tell that her that he wanted to be buried naked, under a tree in the woods. The idea horrified Ancker-Robert, but when her father passed away earlier this June, the first call she made was to a Dutch company called Loop Biotech. Since 2020, Loop Biotech has been making biodegradable caskets out of mycelium, the root-like structure of mushrooms, and hemp. Unlike traditional wooden caskets, which are often treated with chemicals that leech into the soil, the company’s offerings are made of natural materials that enrich the soil as they biodegrade—a process that only takes 45 days after burial.
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