Fighting rush hours: education establishments in Amsterdam will have different class timetables
The local authorities have reached and agreement that is expected to reduce crowding on roads and public transport
Stopping floating garbage before it gets to the ocean – the smart way
The Municipality of Aarhus (Denmark) has managed to collect over 100,000 items of waste from the city’s stream flowing into the sea over the past 20 months. This was made possible thanks to a unique robot arm device, which collects the flotsam and then deposits it in containers.
The device, called SeaProtectorOne, has done such a good job that the local authorities would like to rent it until February 2027. That application, designed by All in On Green, has the potential to solve the plastic pollution caused by river-based cities in Europe.
The robot consists of a tower mounted on land, from which extends a collecting barrier equipped with a conveyor belt and a filter unit. The barrier automatically follows the water level so that the filter unit constantly filters the water for foreign objects.
This happens in an area from the water surface and 30 centimetres below it. Experience shows that most waste floats at this depth.
SeaProtectorOne has integrated sensors that detect when the robot needs to be emptied of waste. When emptying, the filter unit is raised, and all the waste is deposited into a waste bin via a conveyor belt.
The robot is also equipped with thermal cameras that detect whether sailors, surfers or swimmers are approaching. In such cases, the robot barrier goes up and creates free passage. It can be powered either by built-in solar cells or by connecting it to the main grid.
Each year, plastic waste equivalent to the weight of 57,000 blue whales is thrown into the world's oceans. At least 90% of that plastic waste, floating around the oceans, ends up in the sea via river systems, according to the Environmental Science journal.
“In the sea, waste is quickly dispersed and difficult to collect. Whereas the current in a river makes it possible to systematically filter waste in a limited area without disturbing fish and birds,” points out Peter Grønkjær, professor of marine biology at Aarhus University.
The local authorities have reached and agreement that is expected to reduce crowding on roads and public transport
The government’s new Living Islands Policy wants to reinvigorate offshore communities
The five islands have a combined area of more than 700 square metres
The government’s new Living Islands Policy wants to reinvigorate offshore communities
It will show all open-air sports facilities in the city, plus 12 running routes
The Baltic country prepares to respond to rising air traffic and to futureproof the sector
Almost three-quarters of civil servants have decided that going to the office is a thing of the past
Locally designed, a prototype will be created next year so that the residents of the city can have their say as well
The special offer popularizing railway journeys among the 18-30 age group will be available until 15 September
The special offer popularizing railway journeys among the 18-30 age group will be available until 15 September
In fact, in the UNESCO-protected old town priority will be given to long-term tenants
The camera and goggles system helps patients to receive emergency specialised care, while they are still en route to the hospital
The practical art objects are competing for one of the 2023 New European Bauhaus Prizes
Cast your vote before 24 May and do your part in promoting the NEB values
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
A talk with the first man to circumnavigate the globe with a solar plane, on whether sustainability can also be profitable
An interview with the president of the European Federation of Journalists
A talk with the head of Mission Zero Academy on the benefits for municipalities if they go the zero waste way