Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment. By Jack McGovan In the Italian town of Nepi last year, a school covered floorspace in sheets and asked children to draw how they would change the urban layout. Elsewhere in the town, a care centre … Read more
Offering nutritious meals to students can improve diets and counter obesity across Europe. By Ali Jones When the lunch bell rings at the Sancta Maria primary school in the Belgian city of Leuven, standard packed meals aren’t on the menu for dozens of hungry children. Instead, the pupils receive freshly prepared, hot organic vegetarian fare … Read more
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements. By Jessica Berthereau In France’s southwestern Gironde department, where half the area is covered by forests, authorities in 2022 built a secondary school with wood from local pine trees. The Pian-Médoc school, located between the city … Read more
Arts and culture can bring imagination and momentum to projects for putting urban neighbourhoods more in tune with nature. By Jack McGovan In the Dutch capital Amsterdam, a thoroughfare called the Stadhouderskade is being reclaimed by residents. They’re turning the car-clogged artery into a two-kilometre-long haven for nature and people. Students of art, engineering, mathematics, … Read more
EU researchers have identified new ways that certain substances can interfere with people’s hormone system and brain development. By Gareth Willmer Professor Joëlle Rüegg is breaking new ground in a quest to learn more about how everyday chemicals can impair brain development in people, including infants, by interfering with their hormones. An expert in environmental … Read more
A new generation of commercial electric vehicles is emerging to reduce air pollution and congestion in urban areas. By Karen McHugh At the end of January 2024, keen-eyed residents of the Belgian capital Brussels may have noticed something different about the familiar national postal service: it began delivering some mail in an electric vehicle with … Read more