Hacker News with Generative AI: Sustainability

Paris Votes for 500 More Car Free Streets (theenergymix.com)
As Paris votes to make another 500 streets car-free, the first residents are moving into a newly-built town outside Cambridge, UK, where the bicycle, not the car, is king.
Paris, Urban Planning, Transportation, Sustainability, Public Policy
20 points by Sontho 21 hours ago | 7 comments
An e-bike that charges off USB-C (theverge.com)
A fast three hours means the Ampler Nova is no April fool.
E-Bikes, Technology, Sustainability, Gadgets
23 points by thunderbong 3 days ago | 15 comments
Aptera's First Solar Road Trip. 300 Miles, One Charge (aptera.us)
Aptera just completed its first-ever solar-supported road trip—driving over 300 miles on a single charge and proving that a solar EV isn’t just a concept for the future, but a real-world solution ready for the present.
Electric Vehicles, Solar Power, Sustainability
45 points by geox 4 days ago | 54 comments
Living Car-Free in Arizona, on Purpose and Happily (nytimes.com)
One community near Phoenix is taking a “completely different” approach to development.
Lifestyle, Arizona, Urban Planning, Sustainability
23 points by lxm 7 days ago | 2 comments
Renegade Colorado Farmer Pushes Deeper into Unconventional Agriculture (agweb.com)
Who plants at least 12 different crops a season, slashes nitrogen applications by over half, aims to seed 3”-row grain in 2025, grows rice in bone-dry conditions, and steadily uncovers unique market demand? Roy the renegade.
Agriculture, Innovation, Sustainability
5 points by rmason 7 days ago | 1 comments
Ethiopia nature-based project to give 50% of proceeds to locals (qcintel.com)
A German-backed carbon credit marketplace has launched a project in Ethiopia that aims to earn carbon and biodiversity credits...
Ethiopia, Carbon Credits, Sustainability, Climate Change, Conservation
5 points by doener 8 days ago | 0 comments
Toyota's 'Circular Factory' Idea Could Be a Great Alternative to Junk Yards (thedrive.com)
With one junked car at a time, Toyota looks to reduce, reuse, and recycle its way into another profit stream while keeping trash out of well, actual streams.
Sustainability, Automotive Industry, Recycling, Manufacturing, Business
22 points by zfg 9 days ago | 5 comments
Microbes can capture carbon and degrade plastic – why aren't we using them more? (nature.com)
Microorganisms have shaped Earth for almost four billion years.
Microbiology, Environmental Science, Sustainability, Bioremediation, Pollution
8 points by GavCo 10 days ago | 2 comments
Please stop planting only corn (virtualize.sh)
If you’ve ever watched a nature documentary (one of those where David Attenborough quietly whispers the doom of an entire species) you know monocultures are bad.
Agriculture, Environmentalism, Sustainability
12 points by plam503711 10 days ago | 0 comments
Post Apocalyptic Computing (thomashunter.name)
In a world increasingly dominated by planned obsolescence and disposable technology, the idea of a general-purpose computing machine designed to last a century feels both radical and necessary.
Computing, Technology, Sustainability, Future
27 points by tlhunter 10 days ago | 12 comments
Global chocolate supply is limited by low pollination and high temperatures (nature.com)
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) provides livelihoods for 5 million smallholder farmers, but the factors limiting cocoa yield are poorly understood.
Agriculture, Climate Change, Sustainability, Cocoa, Food Production
16 points by PaulHoule 11 days ago | 0 comments
The Safest Path to Stable Climate Is Designing New Plants (palladiummag.com)
<h3>The Amazon Was Created By a Lost Civilization of Gardeners</h3>
Climate Change, Agriculture, Sustainability, Botany
3 points by surprisetalk 11 days ago | 0 comments
The Compressed Book Edition (lowtechmagazine.com)
To address these issues, and to keep practicing what we preach, Low-tech Magazine has now made a “compressed edition” of the chronological book series.
Publications, Book Publishing, Low-Tech, Sustainability
45 points by skowalak 11 days ago | 7 comments
Coca-Cola's new hydrogen-powered vending machine doesn't need a power outlet (theverge.com)
Coca-Cola is installing what the company claims to be the world’s first hydrogen-powered vending machines at the World Expo 2025, which will open to the public in Osaka, Japan, on April 13th, 2025.
Coca-Cola, Vending Machines, Hydrogen Power, Sustainability, Technology
27 points by jonbaer 13 days ago | 7 comments
Scientists break down plastic using a simple, inexpensive catalyst and air (phys.org)
Harnessing moisture from air, Northwestern University chemists have developed a simple new method for breaking down plastic waste.
Chemistry, Sustainability, Environmental Science, Plastic Waste
186 points by PaulHoule 13 days ago | 109 comments
Electric Grid Mapping (github.com/open-energy-transition)
A curated list of resources in the field of electric grid mapping to improve global open data coverage, harmonization and quality for a sustainable energy transition.
Electric Grid, Open Data, Energy Transition, Sustainability
4 points by protontypes 14 days ago | 0 comments
Honda's F1 engine technologies that enable >50% thermal efficiency (global.honda)
Rather than being unrestricted, the development of power units for Formula 1 racing is governed by regulations. In 2014, the F1 adopted regulations that restricted fuel flow to a maximum of 100 kg/h to reflect the global spread of increasing environmental awareness. This meant that development had to focus on how to generate the most energy from a limited supply of fuel. In other words, it created an even greater need to pursue combustion efficiency.
Formula 1, Automotive Technology, Sustainability, Engineering
65 points by ylk1 15 days ago | 22 comments
Email signatures are harming the planet and could cost people their lives (techxplore.com)
The use of information technology (IT) has significant environmental and social impacts, including human mortality from climate change. One striking example is the carbon emissions and impacts associated with digital communication.
Environment, Technology, Climate Change, Sustainability
6 points by huzeifad 15 days ago | 6 comments
Global population datasets underrepresent rural population (nature.com)
Numerous initiatives towards sustainable development rely on global gridded population data. Such data have been calibrated primarily for urban environments, but their accuracy in the rural domain remains largely unexplored.
Population Data, Rural Areas, Sustainability, Science
216 points by croes 17 days ago | 98 comments
EuroStack (euro-stackletter.eu)
The EuroStack initiative is calling on leading organisations to take action. By becoming a supporter, your organisation joins a growing coalition committed to accelerating a European digital stack, strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, and shaping a future where technology drives sustainable growth.
Digital Stacks, Technology, Europe, Sustainability, Business
5 points by TechTechTech 17 days ago | 0 comments
A User Has Been Powering His Home with Laptop Batteries Since 2016 (wecb.fm)
In a world where sustainability and innovation are constantly intertwined, one energy enthusiast has discovered an unexpected way to turn tech waste into an endless power source.
Sustainability, Renewable Energy, DIY Projects, Technology
4 points by rmason 17 days ago | 1 comments
The optimum nitrogen fertilizer rate for maize in the US Midwest is increasing (nature.com)
Fertilizing maize at an optimum nitrogen rate is imperative to maximize productivity and sustainability.
Agriculture, Maize, Fertilizer, Sustainability
20 points by PaulHoule 17 days ago | 0 comments
Next generation LEDs are cheap and sustainable (liu.se)
Cost, technical performance and environmental impact – these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society. This has been demonstrated by researchers at Linköping University in a study published in Nature Sustainability.
LEDs, Sustainability, Technology, Research, Environment
172 points by geox 18 days ago | 152 comments
Boston Metal shows industrial reactor that uses electricity to make steel (technologyreview.com)
Green-steel startup Boston Metal just showed that it has all the ingredients needed to make steel without emitting gobs of greenhouse gases. The company successfully ran its largest reactor yet to make steel, producing over a ton of metal, MIT Technology Review can exclusively report.
Sustainability, Steel, Manufacturing, Green Technology
10 points by animal_spirits 18 days ago | 2 comments
Why Europe is going 'car-free' (msn.com)
ROME — European cities are dramatically scaling back their relationship with the car.
Europe, Transportation, Cities, Sustainability, Policy
13 points by Teever 18 days ago | 14 comments
For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower (reasonstobecheerful.world)
In the long run, e-bikes are cheaper than motorbikes. With financing help from start-ups like Guajira, many immigrant workers are making the switch.
Latin America, Transportation, E-Bikes, Sustainability, Economics
104 points by PaulHoule 19 days ago | 119 comments
Want to ride an e-bike? No batteries needed • France 24 English [video] (youtube.com)
E-bikes, France, Sustainability, Green Technology, Transportation
4 points by alamortsubite 19 days ago | 2 comments
Some Geniuses Are Swapping 200-Mile Battery Packs into BMW I3s (theautopian.com)
BMW sold over 250,000 i3s between 2013 and 2022, and with those cars having carbon fiber bodies and aluminum frames that don’t rust; plastic and carbon fiber panels that don’t dent; and interiors that hold up to abuse, there are naturally many i3s still on the road, looking good.
Electric Vehicles, BMW, DIY, Sustainability
39 points by JojoFatsani 20 days ago | 12 comments
Why do transit agencies keep falling for the hydrogen bus myth? (cleantechnica.com)
In recent months I’ve assembled a long, long list of hydrogen bus trials that ended up with the transit agencies realizing what should have been obvious before they started: hydrogen buses are a lot more expensive and battery electric buses are much cheaper and more reliable.
Transportation, Sustainability, Electric Vehicles, Hydrogen, Public Transportation
280 points by guerby 20 days ago | 482 comments
Battery breakthrough as 99.99% of lithium extracted from old cells (the-independent.com)
Scientists have discovered a way to recycle nearly 100 per cent of the materials within lithium-ion batteries.
Battery Technology, Recycling, Sustainability
8 points by tambourine_man 21 days ago | 0 comments