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Rare-earth elements spark resource war
Dave G. Houser Natural ResourcesRare-earth elements (REE) — also known as rare-earth minerals or rare-earth metals — are a group of 17 chemical elements of the periodic table. Although most of them are not terribly rare, they are highly strategic substances and vital components in most of the technology we employ every day. What is rare are deposits of these minerals in high enough concentrations to be feasibly and economically extracted. Presently, about 90% of the global supply of rare-earth elements comes from just one country: China.
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What’s next for e-bikes? An inflatable, portable form of transportation
Dave G. Houser Transportation Technology & AutomotiveBrilliant minds in the transportation industry worldwide are pulling out all the stops in an effort to design and develop improved personal mobility devices and systems. The trend towards communal sidewalk-based personal mobility systems such as shared e-bikes and scooters piqued the interest of engineering students at the University of Tokyo — and they took the idea and ran with it. Looking at possible ways to improve the world of urban sidewalk mobility, the students developed a working prototype for an inflatable e-bike/scooter. You read that correctly — a blow-up e-bike.
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5 ways facility condition assessment software can improve your building
Ajwad Gebara Facilities & GroundsAs maintenance needs increase with a building’s age, building managers across the globe are surrounded by some difficult questions. While the facilities team may work on expecting the unexpected, other departments might not be as proactive. Building managers want to put an end to these worries. But how can they do that? your facilities-related challenges can be solved with a state-of-the-art facility condition assessment (FCA) solution. This software enables you to manage your single and multisite building assessments.
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As humans search for higher agricultural yields, their waste may flush…
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalIt's a subject none of us care to discuss even though it's part of our daily lives: human waste. This basic product of human existence has, for thousands of years, been little more than waste to be managed or done away with. Nevertheless, human waste, like its bovine counterpart, may be exceedingly valuable for sustainable agricultural purposes. So say researchers from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan.
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Fewer beach cleanups and more awe for World Oceans Day 2020
Sheilamary Koch and Ayla Reguero Koch EducationWorld Oceans Day is on for 2020! Although there are fewer beach cleanups and more virtual events scheduled than usual, you can still join forces with people around the globe to celebrate our amazing oceans on June 8 — and keep the momentum going year-round. For this article, I teamed up with my 15-year-old daughter Ayla who’s become an ocean expert and advocate over the past couple years. Her experience speaks to how life-changing, engaging and fun environmental education can be.
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Public restrooms are reopening but may cause more challenges than can be…
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsAs the world awakens from its COVID-19-forced economic slumber, one vital and essential service offering remains largely at large. Across the U.S., from California and Iowa to Florida, there is a confusing topic of conversation: To open restrooms, leave them closed, and how to clean them among the clatter of how best to reopen businesses across the country. The chaos of the typical American public restroom could change forever, Fast Company reports.
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Do you live in a top mosquito city? Here’s how to keep the bloodsuckers…
Terri Williams Waste Management & EnvironmentalThree major events typically occur during the month of May: Mother's Day, Memorial Day, and the beginning of mosquito season. And the last event is never a cause for celebration. There are roughly 176 mosquito species in the U.S., and almost 3,000 worldwide, but all of the females share the desire to bite and sting. And now, a new report by Orkin reveals the top 15 mosquito cities of 2020.
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How local, urban farming could help alleviate international food supply…
Scott E. Rupp Food & BeverageGlobalization has meant a lot of things: More opportunities for economic advancement, an easier way for pandemics to spread (as we've seen with COVID-19), and the rise in internationally supported food production and consumption in recent decades. Regarding food stocks, cultivation has become more efficient, and diets have diversified. People are eating food that their parents never experienced nor knew previously existed. But this edible bounty is leading to a situation where the majority of the world's population lives in countries now dependent on — partially — imported food.
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Be careful issuing bonuses to nonexempt workers who keep working during…
D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementEmployers who are working hard to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic are looking for innovative ways to reward and recognize employees who are going "the extra mile" and continuing to work despite the invisible threat of the virus to their safety. Employers who choose to use special bonuses or other lump sum payments need to be aware that bonus payments should be included in the calculations for determining how much overtime is due to nonexempt employees.
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Deforestation, human activity may be more responsible for viruses’…
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalDeforestation across the globe is negatively impacting the world's population and leading to the spread of disease, including coronaviruses. According to a new Stanford study, as large swaths of dense forestland are cleared for farming or other human use, viruses that jump from animals to people, like COVID-19, will likely become more common. Published in Landscape Ecology, the study suggests that deforestation puts people at higher risk of interactions with wild primates — and the viruses they carry — meaning the emergence and spread of infectious animal-to-human diseases.
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