"The federal government scheme will require retailers to offer free electricity to households for at least three hours in the middle of the day, when there is often more electricity generated than is being used, leading to very cheap or even negative wholesale prices."

💬 By carefully pruning a sugi (Cryptomeria japonica / Japanese Redwood) you get a living tree that is both a work of art, and a source of wood.

📰 https://www.openculture.com/2026/06/how-japan-invented-daisugi-the-ancient-method-of-growing-lumber-without-cutting-down-trees.html

📺 https://youtu.be/DYah8EGxEYk

🗒 "We tour the neighborhood of Dunbar Springs, where Brad has been transforming the hot asphalt streets into a native food oasis over the last 30 years."

"Efforts like Kew’s and others mean that an archive of 145 million plant, animal, and fungi samples is now freely available to anyone with an internet connection worldwide who might want to access them for any reason."

cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/solarpunk/p/2152492/ev-popularity-in-china-accounts-for-262000-fewer-deaths-from-air-pollution

The results were a 23.8% reduction in PM2.5, and a 30% reduction in carbon monoxide, resulting in some 320,000 fewer deaths from air pollution.

The results were a 23.8% reduction in PM2.5, and a 30% reduction in carbon monoxide, resulting in some 320,000 fewer deaths from air pollution.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/solarpunk/p/2152486/global-solar-power-growth-reaches-historic-turning-point

Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026 found that global solar power growth reached record levels in 2025, helping renewable energy overtake coal in the world’s electricity mix for the first time in more than 100 years.

Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026 found that global solar power growth reached record levels in 2025, helping renewable energy overtake coal in the world’s electricity mix for the first time in more than 100 years.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/solarpunk/p/2152476/mushrooms-used-to-clean-e-coli-from-rivers-and-immediately-implemented-in-england

"The application was ever so simple: a bag of woodchips impregnated with turkey tail spores left at the bottom of the river. The mycelia, or filament system of the mushroom, filtered out 80% of the E. coli, 83% of the phosphorous, and 35% of the nitrogen."

"The application was ever so simple: a bag of woodchips impregnated with turkey tail spores left at the bottom of the river. The mycelia, or filament system of the mushroom, filtered out 80% of the E. coli, 83% of the phosphorous, and 35% of the nitrogen."

🗒 "Scientists have developed a reusable liquid molecule that captures sunlight, stores it inside chemical bonds, and releases it later as heat when needed. The process begins when the molecule absorbs sunlight. The molecule then changes shape and stores energy inside its structure."

🗒 "New drilling technology has unlocked geothermal energy in Europe at a scale that could displace 42% of the continent’s electricity from coal and gas at competitive prices."

🗒 "A new law has been passed in Scotland which means that every new house built in the country will have to have a swift brick in them."

Here is a PDF talking about swift bricks installation instructions, and suppliers.

🗒 "New research shows coral reef fisheries worldwide could boost sustainable yields by nearly 50 percent if fish populations recover, potentially providing up to 162 million additional meals annually."

🗒 "The authors found annual degradation rates of 0.52–0.61%, roughly half the average reported in prior studies, which also had limitations of smaller sample sizes (the largest other survey of this kind was with 4,200 installations) and shorter study durations averaging between 2 and 7 years."

🗒"Soon, 11 water bodies across the area were revived in one of the country’s driest places. Dry basins became functioning reservoirs once again.

Groundwater levels began to respond. Wells that once ran dry during peak summer retained water longer."

If you want both a smart AND privacy focused home, you still have an option. Home Assistant is a FOSS (Free Open Source Software) that creates home automation that you stay in control of.

There are many builds and price points for a set up, which mostly depends on how much work you are willing to take on yourself.

• 🔗 Website
• 📺️ Youtube
• 🔗 Mastodon

🗒 "The sound of falling droplets effectively shook the seeds out of a dormant state, stimulating them to germinate at a faster rate compared with seeds that were not exposed to the same sound vibrations."

Plant-It is a FOSS Android app that pulls plant info from The Flora Codex (a FOSS plant data-set for apps).

Plant-it is a gardening companion app. Useful for keeping track of plant care, receiving notifications about when to water plants, uploading plant images, and more.

🗒 “The combination of good uniformity, high power capability, and strong low‑temperature performance makes these cells attractive for stationary storage, grid services, and shorter‑range or commercial vehicles where potential lower cost and resource availability matter more than maximum driving range,”

gre