💚 Safer & More Sustainable Batteries 💧🔋
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Hey fellow impactful ninja ?
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Stay impactful,
Happy Friday 👋
Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:
- How ‘water batteries’ could be a safer and more sustainable alternative to traditional batteries 💧🔋
- The new cancer vaccine that can help dogs and humans 🐶
- How a newly passed law could help us get greener buildings 📜
- And more… 💚
Are you reading today’s newsletter on your phone or on your laptop?
Either way, your device is powered by a battery. And you might have heard about the issues of our traditional batteries, from environmental concerns to sudden explosions…
What if I told you that adding water—of all things—could make our batteries more sustainable and reduce their risks of explosions?!
💧🔋 How Water Batteries Could Revolutionize Our Energy Future
1️⃣ The big picture: Scientists have developed a groundbreaking ‘water battery’ that promises a safer, more sustainable alternative to traditional batteries. This innovative technology, spearheaded by researchers at RMIT University, utilizes water and salts to store energy, significantly reducing the risk of explosions and fires associated with lithium-ion batteries. The development of these recyclable batteries marks a significant step forward in creating environmentally friendly energy storage solutions.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: The introduction of water batteries addresses major concerns surrounding the safety and environmental impact of current battery technologies. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which can overheat and pose fire hazards, water batteries offer a much safer option for energy storage. Additionally, their recyclability aligns with global efforts to reduce electronic waste and move towards a more sustainable, circular economy. This innovation could lead to safer consumer electronics, renewable energy storage, and even electric vehicles.
3️⃣ What’s next: While water batteries are not yet ready to replace lithium-ion batteries in all applications, ongoing research aims to enhance their capacity and efficiency. The potential for these batteries to be cheaper, safer, and fully recyclable opens up new possibilities for their use in a wide range of devices and systems. As the technology matures, it could play a crucial role in the transition to renewable energy sources, contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future.
📢 Three More Good News
🐶 How this new cancer vaccine can help dogs and humans:
- A research team at Yale has treated more than 300 cancerous dogs with a new vaccine and are seeing positive results.
- This vaccine helped shrink most of the dog’s tumors and has also increased their 12-month survival rate. Additionally, because cancer in dogs and humans are similar, it’s possible this new treatment may be effective in human cancer patients and deepen our general understanding of these diseases.
- This vaccine is currently being reviewed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and still requires further research and clinical testing.
🌊 The four-year coral reef restoration that could lead to full recovery:
- It has recently been shown that damaged coral reefs can be restored within four years by replacing and transplanting the corals.
- This process of restoring damaged reefs and cultivating healthier corals can provide safer habitats for ocean organisms and help protect coastlines from erosion.
- This new research further highlights the importance of coral restoration to eventually create more diverse corals and protect marine life around the world.
📜 The EU Parliament passes a law for greener buildings:
- The EU Parliament approved a new law that requires countries to improve energy efficiency in buildings to cut carbon emissions.
- Most of the members backed the decision, agreeing on the importance of cutting energy use in buildings, which account for 40% of the EU’s energy consumption.
- The EU’s 27 member states will have to follow this ‘law for greener buildings’ for non-residential buildings, like offices or hospitals, and will be able to use EU funds to make them more energy-efficient.
🧼 How to Make Hygiene More Equitable and Accessible
Did you know that providing basic hygiene needs is one of the best ways to improve the health and well-being of those who are struggling?
🎥 We’ve just launched a new podcast episode with Meghan Freebeck from Simply the Basics.
💚 Simply the Basics provide essential hygiene products to those unable to afford them and are recognized as the first large-scale Hygiene Bank in the nation.
📢 Even More Good News Headlines From This Week
🪻 The green walls that can strip pollution from the air
🪙 How researchers have found a way to recover gold from electronic waste
🚱 A new electrochemical approach to removing harmful pollution from water
♻️ How Aldi debuts tracking system for flexible plastic recycling
🌳 How Pakistan defies global trends and expands mangrove ecosystems
🪨💧 The court rulings in US states that protect groundwater
🤝 Three Important Awareness Events For This Week
📁 March 16, Freedom of Information Day:
- This day promotes and celebrates the public’s right to know and access information.
- It also commemorates the birthday of James Madison, an early advocate for openness and transparency in government.
👮 March 15, International Day Against Police Brutality:
- Founded by the Canadian non-profit Collective Opposed to Police Brutality in 1997, this day has become an international movement.
- This global show of solidarity draws attention to the use of excessive force and calls for reforms in the policing system.
👟 March 15, Shoe the World Day:
- Without shoes, too many kids are left vulnerable to soil-transmitted diseases and parasites, are less likely to attend school, and lack protection while playing outside.
- This day recognizes the importance of footwear and the need that millions of people have for shoes.
Related: You can discover all the 117 most important awareness events (for the month, days, weeks) in our awareness calendar for March 2024!
📜 This Week in History
🏫👩🏻🤝👩🏻 March 15, 2019: Over 1.5 million students globally joined climate change protests for the movement “Fridays for Future”, started by Swedish environmental advocate Greta Thunberg. The youth-led movement inspired millions of all ages to take immediate action and raise awareness for climate change.
🤵🏾🎶 March 17, 1919: American musician Nat King Cole was born. Despite facing racism and discrimination throughout his life, he became one of the most popular jazz artists of his time. He later broke racial barriers by hosting his own television variety show, “The Nat King Cole Show”, making him the first African American to do so.
💭 Quote of the Week
“All we have to do is to wake up and change.”
― Greta Thunberg; Swedish environmental activist, founder of Fridays for Future, awareness raiser for Asperger, and author of No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society! Have a great weekend!
Stay impactful 💚
