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☆ Exclusive: Trinidad and Tobago nears awards for onshore oil and gas exploration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 29 (Reuters) - The Trinidad and Tobago government accepted bid recommendations for six of eight onshore oil and gas exploration blocks, people close to the matter said on Sunday, setting the stage for awards to be disclosed as soon as this week. The Caribbean nation has pushed to expand exploration to counter declines in its oil and gas production. Trinidad and Tobago's A&V Oil and Gas Ltd was recommended for the St. Mary’s block, which had received four bids, the most of any offer. A&V bested Canadian energy firm, Touchstone Exploration Inc (TXP.TO), which bid as Primera Oil and Gas Limited, the people said. The Aripero Block will go to Nabi Construction (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd, while the Buenos Aires block is to be awarded to Trinity Exploration & Production Plc.

☆ Private jets get a bad rap. Jetex is trying to make them greener
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Rym Bendimerad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Because they often travel shorter distances than commercial jets, private jets are generally less efficient, and their emissions per passenger are much higher. According to data from European non-profit Transport and Environment, private jets can be five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes, and 50 times more polluting than trains. Yet the private aviation sector has seen considerable growth in recent years. EVTOL aircraft have a more limited range than private jets, and would be used for short flights around and between cities – which, in the future, could be an eco-friendlier option for the many celebrities who’ve been criticized for traveling short distances in their private jets. “We are seeing some really exciting innovations coming from private aviation,” said Dr. Kearns.

☆ Mystery as Venice's famed Grand Canal turns a fluorescent green, leaving Italian police and locals stumped
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A patch of water turned bright green in Venice's canal on Sunday. The city councilman blamed environmental activists, but none have so far claimed responsibility. Images on social media show a bright patch of green in the canal along an embankment lined with restaurants. City councilman Andrea Pegoraro pointed to environmental activists as the potential culprits in the wake of recent protests on Italian cultural sites. The green liquid that spread through the water near the arched Rialto Bridge.

☆ Trevi Fountain: Climate activists dump charcoal in Rome monument
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —Climate change activists turned the blue water of the Trevi Fountain in central Rome black with diluted charcoal on Sunday. Luisa Regimenti, councilor for personnel, urban security, local police and local authorities in the Lazio region, which includes Rome, condemned the act. In a written statement she said that it was the “umpteenth demonstrative act of eco-vandals” that hit “a symbol of Rome universally known in the world.”Climate activists from the group Last Generation stand inside the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It will cost time, effort and water.”Last Generation activists at the Trevi Fountain, Rome. “Charcoal in the water of the Trevi Fountain,” they tweeted Sunday.

☆ Gen Z Fast Fashion, Live Shopping, Clothes Addiction Destroying Planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The Gen Z paradoxGen Z's economic power is growing faster than other generations, according to Bank of America. In the US, fashion is the preferred category for entertainment spending among Gen Z, outranking dining out, video games, and music. A 2021 McKinsey survey found that 42% of American Gen Zers said they didn't even know what makes clothes sustainable. In addition to pushing people to buy more clothes, the buy-now, think-later model of live shopping also encourages people to buy clothes that are worse for the planet. To solve that problem, she founded Viviene New York in 2022, a Gen Z-led marketing agency that helps sustainable brands connect with Gen Z audiences through social media.

☆ Dubai could become home to the world's largest ocean restoration project
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Dubai Reefs bills itself as the world’s largest ocean restoration project; if built it would consist of 77 square miles of artificial reef that will create a home for more than one billion corals and 100 million mangrove trees. Plans for the project were announced this week by URB, a Dubai-based developer of sustainable cities, whose previous designs include an indoor cycling super highway in Dubai and sustainable cities in Egypt and South Africa. URBAlongside the artificial reefs, URB has designed floating residential, hospitality, retail facilities and various eco-lodges, which it says would make the site a tourism destination. At the center the project would be a marine institute, dedicated to ocean research and protecting Dubai’s coastal environment. “Dubai Reefs aims to become a blueprint for marine conservation, ecotourism and ocean living,” said Bagherian.

☆ Corporations are 'greenwashing' you. An expert explains how big companies mislead us into thinking they're making better choices for the environment when they could be making things far worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Tom Lyon | The Conversation | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

For example, a company may tout the $5 million in its renewable energy investments for the year. Lyon: Greenwashing is any communication that leads the listener to adopt an overly favorable impression of a company's greenness. You may get a company that says: Look at this, we invested US$5 million in renewable energy last year. Instead they're coming from a voluntary offset that's offered by some free-standing producer that's not included in a cap. You can look at the whole movement toward renewable energy and companies that produce solar or wind energy.

☆ I got laid off from Twitter in November, but now I'm making six figures as a food influencer. Here's how.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This is an as-told-to story based on a conversation with Priyanka Naik, the food blogger behind the brand Chef Priyanka. All the while, I was building my brand: Chef Priyanka. Eventually, I started getting recognition from various food media sites. Twitter gave me flexibilityOne of the reasons I stayed so long at Twitter was because of the reach and flexibility it gave me to grow Chef Priyanka. And in some ways, it was the nudge I needed to turn Chef Priyanka into a full-time gig.

☆ How to explore Greece's lesser-known islands like a local
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | Morgan Awyong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

But now it wants tourists to get to know lesser-known locations across its thousands of sprawling islands. Currently, Germany and the U.K. represent Greece's largest inbound tourism markets by revenue, followed by the United States, France and Italy. An eco-paradise surrounded by 24 islets, Lipsi forms part of the Dodecanese island collection in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Alonissos, SporadesDivers' delight Alonissos, part of the Sporades group of islands, is a diver's paradise and the site of Greece's first underwater museum. Alonissos, part of the Sporades archipelago in the northwest Aegean Sea, is known for its diving spots, including Greece's first underwater museum, the "Parthenon of the Wrecks."

☆ More than 25% of biodiversity is under our feet — but we're destroying it. A biotech startup that's raised $56 million has a plan to help save our soil.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Amanda Paule | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The women-led biotech startup Trace Genomics is working to reverse human-caused soil erosion. Soil-data companies such as the Iowa startup Trace Genomics are trying to help farmers reverse that trend. Prasanna Kankanala, Trace Genomics' director of research and development, visits a client's farm. The opportunity to help fight crop diseases led Parameswaran and Diane Wu, her cofounder, to start Trace Genomics in 2015. Where a chemical test might run him $20, Trace's test could run him $200.

Its Very Large Telescope is perched at 8,645 feet atop an explosive-flattened mountaintop, where the atmosphere is relatively stable and incredibly dry. is building a new telescope, the Extremely Large Telescope, which will be used for, among other purposes, hunting for exoplanets that might support life. On my way back to the residencia, I stopped and looked up at the billowing arch of the Milky Way. The Atacama, for all its emptiness, is not a void. The desert, in its dryness, keeps the dead and opens the sky.

☆ China's yuan is emerging as a strong challenger to the dollar's dominance. Here are 5 countries that recently turned to the yuan instead of the USD for trade.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China's yuan is gaining increasing usage globally, pointing to the de-dollarization of transactions worldwide — graduallyChina's yuan slid on Monday. Future Publishing/Getty ImagesThe US dollar has been the world's reserve currency since the second world war, playing an outsized role in the world's trade. Amid these dire tidings, the Chinese yuan is seizing the opportunity and is mounting a challenge to the dollar's dominance. Of course, it does create a desire on the part of China, of Russia, of Iran to find an alternative," Yelled said. Read further for five countries that have recently turned to the yuan for trade and other transactions — either to skirt sanctions or as an alternative to the greenback.

“Difficult years await us but if we don’t reach zero emissions immediately they will be terrible.”Photos showed activists, wearing orange vests, standing waist deep in the fountain. They unfolded orange banners bearing the words in Italian: “Our future is as black as this water” as crowds of onlookers snapped pictures. It is believed to be the same group of climate activists that led protests at other Italian historical sites including the Barcaccia fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps in central Rome, where they poured black liquid into the fountain on April 1. Similar protests saw activists glue themselves to Italian art masterpieces in locations like the Vatican museums and Uffizi galleries in Florence. ‘Iconic’ work of artLocated in the famed Piazza Navona square in Rome, the Fiumi Fountain was designed by Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1651.

☆ The trendiest thing that adds value to your home – and livens up your summer BBQ: a pizza oven
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pizza ovens tend to add more value to a home than they cost, with pricier models reaching $11,000. According to the report , having a pizza oven in your listing description can score you extra dough at selling time. Courtesy of the WatanabesThe desire for pizza, and pizza ovens at home, is only growing. Why pizza oven popularity is panning outKristi Jenkins, a Seattle-area broker for The Agency, showed her clients a $3.4 million home in Fall City, Washington — a 30-minute drive east of Seattle — with a large outdoor living space equipped with a Forno Bravo pizza oven. Douglas Elliman RealtyBianculli's pizza oven is a part of his kitchen and is connected to one of six fireplaces in the house.

☆ A History of British Coronations Past and Present, in Photos
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Luhnow | Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Anointing is a key part of the ceremony: holy oil is administered to symbolize God’s descent on the monarch. Here is George V in 1911. Charles is putting a more eco-friendly twist on this by using olive oil instead of the intestinal wax of sperm whales or from the glands of civets. Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

☆ Early Asos and Boohoo investor leads $10 million round in discount fashion marketplace startup Secret Sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK-based fashion marketplace startup Secret Sales has raised a $10 million Series B round. Clothing marketplace startup Secret Sales has raised $10 million in a round led by an early backer of fashion giants Asos and Boohoo despite a cooldown in investor interest in the sector. Some fast fashion retailers are under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority for supposedly greenwashing how eco-friendly their fashion lines and manufacturing efforts have been. This allows brands to connect to Secret Sales in under two weeks, while legacy outlets take up to eight weeks, Griffin added. Secret Sales' "model is not just a small niche of a market, it's a vast market, and it scales potentially globally," said Iain McDonald, founder of Belerion Capital Group.

19 of our favorite Amazon Pet Day dealsAmazon#1 Yaheetech Cat Tree - $66 $51 (with coupon)Wow, that's a lot of cat tree for your money. In our testing for the best dog beds, this was easily our favorite calming bed. Amazon#6 AirTag Breakaway Cat Collar - $12.99 $7.98If you fancy picking up some AirTags from the deal below, these affordable collars are a decent match as they have a disc slot for Apple's tracking device. ), be sure to head on over to our best cat collar guide. We named it the best dog harness because it's suitable for dogs that walk nicely on leash as well as vigorous pullers.

☆ The Conflict Over Vandalizing Art as a Way to Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Farah Nayeri | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This article is part of our special report on the Art for Tomorrow conference that was held in Florence, Italy. Seldom in the history of art have so many masterpieces been vandalized in so little time. “What is worth more, art or life?” shouted one protester, Phoebe Plummer, 21, as visitors gasped and called for security. Videos of the attacks were seen by millions of people around the world, including, no doubt, the leaders. Yet the attacks also upset many members of the public concerned about art damage, and led the directors of top world museums to issue a stern statement, raising the question of whether art actually is an effective vehicle for protest.

☆ I make almost $5,000 a month renting out clothes online I hardly wear. It only takes a few hours a day — here's how I got started.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Lola Christina Alao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I'm a size 14 and most of the clothes were in a size 8 or a size 10. It's become one of my most popular items. I started with a portfolio of around 20 items from my closet that I was happy to rent out. I'd love to wear them myself, but as a full-time mom, I don't do enough to wear these types of clothes. On Hurr, I rent items out for four days, and on By Rotation, I rent them out for three days.

☆ 'Eco-friendly' King Charles to reuse historic garments for coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] A view of the Coronation Gauntlet glove, which forms part of the Coronation Vestments and will be worn by Britain's King Charles during his coronation at Westminster Abbey, displayed in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, London, Britain April 26, 2023. Victoria Jones/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles, who has spent a lifetime campaigning for sustainability and against a throwaway economy, will wear clothing previously worn by his predecessors, including his mother and grandfather, for his coronation next week. Among the vestments to reappear will be the coronation glove made for his grandfather, George VI. "We've got this wonderful, sustainable, eco-friendly king who's reusing something rather than having a new glove," said Deborah Moore, the chief executive of Dents which made the glove with gold embroidery for George VI's 1937 coronation. Over this he will wear the Imperial Mantle, made of cloth of gold and originally produced for the coronation of George IV in 1821.

☆ Celebs like Aubrey Plaza and Emma Roberts are getting slammed for Big Milk ad campaigns: 'I thought we left the cow milk propaganda in the 90s'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Actor Aubrey Plaza took heat after starring in a campaign that mocked plant-based milk with the fake brand "Wood Milk." Social media users have been quick to call out Plaza, as well as others like Emma Roberts, for recent collaborations with Big Milk. "Is Wood Milk real? "Only real milk is real." Only dairy milk is real milk.

☆ Eleanor Catton on ‘Birnam Wood’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On this week’s podcast, Catton tells the host Gilbert Cruz how that early success affected her writing life (not much) as well as her life outside of writing (her marriage made local headlines, for one thing). She also discusses her aims for the new book and grapples with the slippery nature of New Zealand’s national identity. “You very often hear New Zealanders defining their country in the negative rather than in the positive,” she says. … I think that that’s solidified over time into this kind of very odd sense of supremacy, actually. So if you’re a reader who prefers to be taken by surprise, you may want to finish “Birnam Wood” before you finish this episode.

☆ Yasmeen Lari, ‘starchitect’ turned social engineer, wins one of architecture’s most coveted prizes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Yasmeen Lari, widely recognised as Pakistan’s first female architect, has become the first woman since Zaha Hadid to win the prestigious Royal Gold Medal, awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Lari created the Zero Carbon Cultural Centre in 2011. The Pakistan State Oil Head Office in Karachi (shown here in 1984) was designed by Lari. RIBA President Simon Allford said, “Lari’s mission during her ‘second’ career has empowered the people of Pakistan through architecture, engaging users in design and production. “It’s about seeing how you can help build communities.”Top image: Yasmeen Lari at the Zero Carbon Women Center on Bamboo Stilts in Pakistan, 2011.

Exxon has held eight exploration and production contracts in Colombia, including the fracking pilot. All either have been or are being ended, suspended or liquidated, Colombia's National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH) told Reuters. The proposed bill would ban development of non-conventional energy projects including fracking. "We will continue to have constructive dialogue with the Colombian government on a comprehensive assessment of our unconventional investments," Exxon spokesperson Michelle Gray told Reuters. Exxon said it continuously evaluates and prioritize investments, including those in Colombia.

☆ Meta just suffered a major Facebook ad glitch that has advertisers asking about refunds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesOver the weekend, Alex Gorlick experienced what he called the worst Facebook glitch he's seen in the decade he's worked in digital advertising. A spokesperson for Facebook parent Meta acknowledged there was an ad glitch but declined to provide details or an explanation as to why it happened. Additionally, the Facebook ad bug impacted companies running ads tied to Earth Day. Hott noted that Facebook experienced a major ad glitch a day before Black Friday in 2020 as well as another similar bug earlier that summer. The main issue for advertisers will be whether they get refunds from Meta because of the glitch, industry experts said.

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