Glimmer - The Sustainability Network -

Good News Environmental Stories for 2023

by Neil Kitching 06/06/202307/06/2023

Sometimes we need to hear good news to cheer us up, be optimistic and to keep fighting for the better future that we deserve. So, UK geographer and energy specialist, Neil Kitching brings us seven positive and uplifting stories from around the globe.

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

Coming back from the brink

by Gemma Hignett 23/05/202323/05/2023

With over 40,000 species threatened with extinction, how can we work together and teach our children to protect our precious biodiversity?

Eco-action Environmental Well-being

What’s the buzz about native bees?

by Michelle Daugaard 16/05/202316/05/2023

Life would be very dull without bees. World Bee Day, on May 20, is a day to celebrate all things bee-related. Let’s see what we can do to protect our precious native bees.

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

Healthy plants, healthy planet, healthy life

by Michelle Daugaard 09/05/202309/05/2023

How can we protect not just our own plants but plants everywhere? International Day of Plant Health is the perfect day to take steps in protecting plant health. Because healthy plants make a healthy planet.

Social Sustainability Technology Well-being

The retention problem: Women are going into tech but are also being driven out

by The Conversation 02/05/202301/05/2023

Why are women who are employed by the tech industry quitting in such high volumes?
The second in our two part series on girls in ICT looks at the toxic tech culture and asks how women in tech could be better supported to halt the exodus.

Social Sustainability Technology Well-being

Fear Less

by Charlotte Herron 25/04/202323/04/2023

What’s it like being a girl in tech? With International Girls in ICT Day on April 27, males are still far outnumbering females in the industry. IT student, Charlotte Herron, gives her take on what it’s like being a woman in STEM.

Eco-action Environmental Mental health Sustainability Well-being

Connecting our kids with nature

by Gemma Hignett 18/04/202317/04/2023

Mother Earth Day, 22nd April, is a perfect reason to connect with nature and teach our children to love the precious planet we live on. Why not try some of these fun gardening activities with your kids?

humanitarian Social Sustainability Well-being

Children have a basic understanding of poverty – a more equal society means talking to them about it

by The Conversation 11/04/202311/04/2023

When looking at the consequences of poverty, we also need to ask what children themselves—the “kids who have” and the “kids who have not”—understand about the unequal world around them. Talking to our children helps empower them for a better, more equal future.

Environmental humanitarian Social Sustainability

At chocolate time, we’ve discovered what the brands that score best on child labour and the environment have in common

by The Conversation 04/04/202304/04/2023

What distinguishes a company that makes “good” chocolate (chocolate untainted by child labour, modern slavery, deforestation and the overuse of agrichemicals) from one that merely makes chocolate?

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

Let’s talk trash

by Michelle Daugaard 28/03/202304/04/2023

We have a waste problem. Each year, Australians generate around 76 million tonnes of waste and spend over $17 billion to deal with it. How can we—is it even possible to—eliminate our waste?

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

Peru is tackling water scarcity with nature-based solutions, leading the way in Latin America

by Mongabay 21/03/202321/03/2023

“You can lack everything, except water”. Water scarcity is an increasingly serious problem in much of the world. Innovation is key. So, Moyobamba in Peru is using nature-based solutions in a bid to save its water sources.

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

Climate Change Education: the key to advancing climate action

by Talita Pinotti 14/03/202314/03/2023

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 calls for urgent climate action to combat climate change. Climate action usually focuses on different mitigation — renewable energy sources, sustainable use of land, sustainable transport and adaptation — protecting coastal wetlands, decentralizing energy distribution, promoting sustainable agroforestry measures. However, when we talk about climate action, we often ignore one of the most important tools for climate action: Climate Change Education.

humanitarian Mental health Social Sustainability Technology Well-being

How tech companies are failing women workers and social media users – and what to do about it

by The Conversation 08/03/202308/03/2023

“DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, the theme for this year’s UN International Women’s Day on March 8, highlights the digital gender gap and its impact on economic and social inequalities.
Read here how big tech companies are failing women on both sides of the screen: their employees and the users of their services.

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

The historic COP15 outcome is an imperfect game-changer for saving nature. Here’s why Australia did us proud

by The Conversation 28/02/202328/02/2023

Biodiversity has never been so high on the agenda of political and business leaders worldwide. We now have a new global commitment to “halt and reverse” the extinction crisis with some tangible targets. But time is of the essence.

humanitarian Mental health Social Sustainability Well-being

We CAN make a difference

by Michelle Daugaard 21/02/202321/02/2023

With so much inequality and suffering in our world, and in our own country, it’s understandable that we are left feeling overwhelmed and powerless to make a difference. But even our small actions can have a big impact.

Eco-action Environmental Mental health Sustainability Well-being

Green streets: why protecting urban parks and bush is vital as our cities grow and become denser

by The Conversation 14/02/202323/02/2023

With our lives increasingly lived in urban environments, it’s vital for our personal wellbeing—and the planet’s—that city planners find ways to foster a connection with nature.

Eco-action Environmental humanitarian Social Sustainability

Second-hand markets are on the up (and even Zara has jumped on the bandwagon)

by The Conversation 07/02/202327/04/2023

Fast fashion is entering a market—the second-hand market. Concern about social and environmental impact of the fast-fashion industry saw the global second-hand market grow by 24% in 2022.

Social Sustainability Well-being

‘keep 4giving’—it’s good for living

by Jen George 31/01/202301/02/2023

Experts have found that forgiveness is key to living a good life. The theme for 2023 i4give week, ‘keep 4giving’, recognises the ongoing need to forgive every day.

Eco-action Environmental humanitarian Sustainability

Vulnerable communities need international support to weather the ongoing storms

by Andre Poyser 24/01/202327/04/2023

Extreme weather events affecting communities across the Caribbean are destined to become more commonplace as the impacts of climate change intensify.

Eco-action Environmental Social Sustainability

Australians pay $163 a month on average to store all the stuff we buy – how can we stop overconsuming?

by The Conversation 17/01/202317/01/2023

Many of us are drowning in “stuff”. To find space for all our possessions, we are paying off-site storage companies. Australians spend an average of A$163 per month on self-storage, one recent survey found.

Eco-action Environmental humanitarian Social Sustainability

Indigenous land rights are crucial to protecting tropical forests

by Mongabay 10/01/202310/01/2023

A new study shows that the world’s healthiest tropical forests are located in protected Indigenous areas. Therefore, strengthening Indigenous peoples’ land rights is critical to reaching global conservation and climate goals.

Mental health Social Sustainability Technology Well-being

Social media use and poor wellbeing feed into each other in a vicious cycle. Here are 3 ways to avoid getting stuck

by The Conversation 03/01/202324/01/2023

We often hear about the negative impacts of social media on our wellbeing, but we don’t usually think of it the other way round – whereby how we feel may impact how we use social media.

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

Valuing our native forests

by Michelle Daugaard 27/12/202208/12/2022

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to measuring the benefits of native forests. Protecting them not only makes economic sense but is also critical in climate change mitigation.

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

Coral reefs are rich in biodiversity. Now scientists have a plan to save them.

by Mongabay 20/12/202216/12/2022

Coral reefs cover less than 3% of the ocean but contain a quarter of all marine life. Fifty of the world’s leading scientists recently laid out a roadmap to save these rich biodiverse ecosystems.

humanitarian Social Sustainability Well-being

Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All

by Michelle Daugaard 13/12/202213/12/2022

With Human Rights Day recognised on Dec 10, it’s a good reminder that everyone everywhere has the right to be treated equally, respectfully, and with dignity.

humanitarian Social Sustainability Well-being

COVID deepened inequalities in HIV treatment: what we learnt in Nigeria

by The Conversation 06/12/202205/12/2022

The 2022 World AIDS Day theme is “Equalize”. The reason for this focus is that HIV reflects economic and social inequity. Emergency preparedness needs to include mapping out which populations are most likely to need care.

Eco-action Environmental Sustainability

‘Tis the season to be sustainable

by Michelle Daugaard 29/11/202229/11/2022

The countdown is on. Stores are decked with Christmas decorations and have been spruiking their wares since October. But now, with less than a month to go, the question everyone is asking: have you started your Christmas shopping?

humanitarian Social Sustainability Well-being

UNiTE to End Violence against Women and Girls

by Michelle Daugaard 22/11/202224/11/2022

This Friday, Nov 25, marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women which will launch the UNiTE campaign—raising awareness and real action to end all forms of violence against women and girls around the world.

Environmental Social Sustainability Well-being

Early exposure to infections doesn’t protect against allergies, but getting into nature might

by The Conversation 16/11/202214/11/2022

Over the past few decades, allergies and asthma have become common childhood diseases. Spending time outdoors is likely to expose children to more diverse microbes and provide greater protection from allergic diseases.

Glimmer – The Sustainability Network

Glimmer – The Sustainability Network

Good News Environmental Stories for 2023

Good News Environmental Stories for 2023

Coming back from the brink

What’s the buzz about native bees?

Healthy plants, healthy planet, healthy life

Connecting our kids with nature

Let’s talk trash

Peru is tackling water scarcity with nature-based solutions, leading the way in Latin America

Climate Change Education: the key to advancing climate action

The historic COP15 outcome is an imperfect game-changer for saving nature. Here’s why Australia did us proud

Green streets: why protecting urban parks and bush is vital as our cities grow and become denser

Vulnerable communities need international support to weather the ongoing storms

Valuing our native forests

Coral reefs are rich in biodiversity. Now scientists have a plan to save them.

‘Tis the season to be sustainable

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