New program to restore 120 miles of coral reefs off Big Island of Hawai’i
Arizona State University (ASU) will lead the Ākoʻakoʻa initiative, drawing on a funding pool of $25 million to research, conserve and restore degraded corals.
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Iceland outlaws conversion therapy in unanimous vote
The Icelandic parliament has unanimously passed a comprehensive conversion therapy ban, prohibiting the practice on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
Wind and solar generate more power than coal in the U.S. over five months for the first time ever
“From a coal perspective, it has been a disaster,” said Andy Blumenfeld, an analyst who tracks the industry at McCloskey by OPIS. “The decline is happening faster than anyone anticipated.”
New York protects “the birds & the bees” with nation-leading pesticides legislation
The Birds and Bees Protection Act bans the neonic pesticides uses that provide no economic benefits to users or are replaceable with safer, effective alternatives.
Seth Marnin makes history as U.S.’s first out trans male judge
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has appointed the state’s first out transgender judge and the nation’s first trans man ever to serve on a judicial bench.
Yale, University of New Haven partnership celebrates first degrees awarded to inmates
In 2021, Yale partnered with UNH to give student-inmates a path to two and four year college degrees. The program is now part of a consortium that includes 15 schools and prison systems across the country.
Switzerland amends law to legally recognize that sex without consent is rape
The amendment follows similar rulings in Denmark and Spain, where the law was recently changed to define rape as sexual assault without explicit consent.
California expands Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide universal access to free books for young children
With this expansion, all California children under 5 will be eligible to receive a free book in the mail every month, as the program scales over the next several years.
World-first space solar demonstration beams power from orbit to Earth
A Caltech team is celebrating the world’s first space-based wireless power transmission, and the first time detectable levels of power have been beamed down to Earth.
U.S. issues 20-year ban on drilling bear Indigenous cultural site in New Mexico
Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the surrounding landscape contain irreplaceable cultural sites where Pueblo and Tribal Nations continue to honor their ancestral customs.