Amazon pledges to be carbon neutral by 2040
“We’re done being in the middle of the herd on this issue—we’ve decided to use our size and scale to make a difference,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO.
North & Central America
This archive covers progress stories from North and Central America, spanning the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the nations of Central America. Readers will find reporting on health, environment, community resilience, and policy advances across the region.
New Jersey becomes first state in the U.S. to provide universal access to arts education
Universal access means all public schools provide some form of arts education and every student has the opportunity to participate in arts education programs as part of the regular school day.
California plans to end ‘lunch shaming’ with a new bill that guarantees meals for all students
SB 265 will require that all public school students have a “state reimbursable” meal provided by the school “even if their parent or guardian has unpaid meal fees.”
McDonald’s tests plant-based burger in Canada
McDonald’s and Beyond Meat have teamed up to bring a new plant-based burger to North America. Announced in September, McDonald’s is conducting a 12-week test of their new plant-based burger called the P.L.T.
NASA astronauts successfully complete first ever all-woman spacewalk
Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed the first spacewalk with an all-women team. Since cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to do a spacewalk in 1984, women have participated in 42 spacewalks.
Washington state launches statewide standing order for Naloxone
Naloxone (or Narcan) is a medication that can save lives by reversing the effects of an opioid overdose. Now anyone in Washington state who needs naloxone can get it at a pharmacy.
California passes a law that allows college athletes to get paid
Gov. Gavin Newsom passed SB 206, also known as the Fair Pay to Play Act, that allows college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.
Costa Rica produces 98.84% of its power from renewables in 2019
According to the National Centre for Energy Control, the Central American country has maintained the trend of keeping the annual share of the renewable generation above 98% since 2015.
Mattel launches groundbreaking gender fluid, customizable doll line
Mattel’s research has concluded that today’s kids generally don’t want what toys they are expected to play with to be dictated by their gender.
Guatemala to ban plastic bags, straws, cups beginning 2021
The measure gives merchants two years to phase out bags, straws, plates, cups and containers made from plastic or plastic foam, and replace them with compostable items.