From Ikea to Gap, firms aim to use scarce water more wisely →
With population growth and climate change making water a scarcer resource, companies say using water wisely is key to remaining profitable. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreSeoul's over-65s disco 'like medicine' for seniors →
A daytime disco for over-65s in the Korean capital Seoul is giving seniors a new lease of life. The event is the first of its kind organised by the local government and aims to tackle loneliness and dementia in the rapidly ageing country. BBC NEWS
Read MoreFrom drones to social media, big data helps confront more complex disasters in Asia →
Technological innovations — from unique digital identities for drought-hit farmers to use of data from drones and social media — can better predict increasingly complex disasters in the Asia-Pacific region and limit their impact on vulnerable people, the United Nations said in a report on Thursday. REUTERS
Read MoreAs students map the weather, an Indian village bests its water woes →
A weather station monitored by students - part of a range of water-smart innovations - has turned around a parched village. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreThe future of food: Why farming is moving indoors →
A car park opposite the infamous New York City housing estate where rapper Jay-Z grew up seems an unlikely place for an agricultural revolution. BBC NEWS
Read MorePigs' emotions could be read by new farming technology →
Farmers could soon get a better understanding of how pigs are feeling thanks to artificial intelligence. The technology, which is in its early stages, scans the animals' faces to try and identify whether an animal is stressed or happy. BBC NEWS
Read MoreDaily ‘polypill’ cuts risk of heart disease by up to 40% →
A polypill combining four cheap cardiovascular medicines substantially reduces the risk of serious heart disease, the concept’s first large clinical trial has shown. THE FINANCIAL TIMES
Read MoreThis search engine plants trees! →
The search engine uses 80% of its profits from search ad revenue to fund reforestation projects in the world’s most threatened biodiversity hotspots, helping the environment and empowering local communities at the same time. ATLAS OF THE FUTURE
Read MoreAre bioplastics better for the environment or a waste of time? →
There has been massive pushback against the use of plastics over the past few years, including single-use plastic bans in cities all over the world. Industrial entrepreneurs have responded to these mounting concerns with a new product that seems like the perfect solution– bioplastic. It looks and feels like plastic, but its made from plants, so it’s good for the environment, right? INHABITAT
Read MoreBringing up baby: New Zealand speaker makes parliament more parent-friendly →
As New Zealand lawmakers vigorously debated fuel prices in parliament this week, speaker Trevor Mallard called for order while feeding baby Tūtānekai his bottle. REUTERS
Read MoreCollective transformation in the Amazon →
In the small Afro-Indigenous community of Cabelo Seco in Brazil, an arts-as-transformation project is addressing the survival and transformation of both the community and our planet’s most precious and vital natural habitat. ATLAS OF THE FUTURE
Read MoreMore deals, less conflict? Cross-border water planning key, report warns →
As global water supplies run low, agreements on how to share water across borders are crucial - but few are in place yet, researchers say. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreU.S. airport in San Francisco bans small plastic water bottles in bid for zero waste →
A ban on the sale of plastic water bottles went into effect at San Francisco International Airport in California on Tuesday, in line with the city's efforts to reduce single use plastics often identified as a contributor to climate change. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreThe NHS could save millions by targeting vitamin D deficiency →
Adding vitamin D to wheat flour would prevent 10 million new cases of vitamin D deficiency in England and Wales and save the NHS £65m over the next 90 years. HEALTH EUROPA
Read MoreFlat-packed cities: wooden skyscrapers sprout over concrete concerns →
With concrete a major source of climate-changing emissions, cities around the world are looking at high-rise wooden buildings instead. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read More'Historic step': Mexico judge approves recreational cocaine use →
In the first ruling of its kind, a judge in Mexico has granted two people the right to use cocaine recreationally, the organisation behind the cases said on Tuesday, calling it a "historic step". AL-JAZEERA
Read MoreDoes the future of farming exist beneath city streets? →
In a disused air raid shelter under London one company is growing salad crops, but what are the benefits, and drawbacks of vertical farming? BBC NEWS
Read MoreFemale paleontologists don beards to get level playing field →
Less than one in four members of professional societies for paleontologists are women, according to the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MorePark life boosts morale as much as Christmas, survey shows →
Trees in cities are already credited with cooling and cleaning the air, along with absorbing planet-warming gases - but a team or researchers from the University of Vermont, in the United States, found they also cause happiness. PLACE
Read MoreVillage in UK opens for military veterans →
More than 40 former service personnel are preparing to move into a “veterans' village”. The £8m facility at Wilton Hill, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, is thought to be the first of its type in the country, helping veterans who may otherwise be homeless. BBC NEWS
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