The school route to healthier eating

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

The artistic flair inspiring greener European cities

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

Gang feuds and violence may call for an olive branch

The gangster lifestyles of young people in Europe and elsewhere can be altered through dialogue and education, according to researchers. By  Andrew Dunne On 28 October 2003, Barcelona became the backdrop for a tragic incident that would reverberate across the Spanish port city and beyond. Leaving his school that Tuesday afternoon, 15-year-old Ronny Tapias was … Read more

Under the skin: bullying’s hidden health effects

Intimidation at school is a widespread and worrying phenomenon being examined through psychology and genomics. By  Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro The coastal Finnish town of Rauma became the site of the country’s first-ever school shooting in January 1989, when a 14-year-old boy killed two classmates using his father’s pistol. The shooter claimed to be a victim … Read more

The health powers of birdsong, breezes and bushes

Nature is being harnessed in the EU to improve the wellbeing of city dwellers, including people suffering from loneliness. By  Ali Jones It was researching the health benefits of urban community gardens in Denver in the US state of Colorado that set Professor Jill Litt on a path to sow nature’s feel-good factor in cities … Read more