California approves $2.9 billion in funding for zero-emission transportation infrastructure
The funds will be used for the installation of more EV chargers, zero-emission trucks, school and transit buses, and hydrogen refueling technology.
States & provinces
Five U.S. states are repaving roads with unrecyclable plastic waste
Pilot programs are ongoing in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, and Hawai’i are already seeing promising results.
No rhinos poached in India’s state of Assam in 2022 for first time in 45 years
As many as 191 rhinos were poached in Assam between 2000 and 2021. In 2013 and 2014, 27 rhino deaths each were reported. In 2020 and 2021, two rhinos each were killed.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs extends protections to LGBTQ+ state employees and contractors
The executive order goes beyond existing laws banning employment discrimination to include factors such as sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, culture, creed, social origin, and political affiliation.
New York opens its first legal recreational cannabis dispensary
The lower Manhattan store is the first of 36 recently licensed dispensaries to open, with an additional 139 licenses yet to be issued and 900 applicants still awaiting word.
Oregon governor pardons over 45,000 marijuana convictions
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has announced today that she has issued pardons to everyone caught possessing up to an ounce of marijuana prior to its legalization in 2016.
Colorado voters pass historic psychedelic decriminalization act
The measure creates a regulatory framework for psychedelic clinics to operate in the state and completely decriminalizes personal use and possession of several natural hallucinogenic plants.
Marriage equality is now legal in all of Mexico after the final states approve it
In a 23 to 12 vote (with two abstentions), Tamaulipas became the 32nd state to legalize same-sex marriage, after the state of Guerrero did so just the day before.
California becomes first U.S. state to ban plastic produce bags
Governor Newsom signed a new bill into law that will ban single-use plastic produce bags starting in 2025. The law requires that all such bags be replaced by recycled paper bags or compostable ones.
Vast marine protected area in the Pacific Ocean has led to significant rebound in tuna stocks
A huge marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean, almost four times the size of California, has led to the recovery of tuna and other migratory fish around its borders, according to a new study published in the journal Science.