Sweden is now using crows to pick up litter
Forget everything you thought you knew about litter, waste management, and birds. Sweden is shaking things up by using crows to clean up discarded cigarette ends. Have you ever looked at a murder of crows and thought – they look like a suitable clean-up crew? Wondered if your local...
Current in Offbeat
The curious hair-filled implements helping with oil spills in Peru
The Peruvian government has declared an environmental emergency after 6,000 barrels of crude oil spilled off the coast of Lima. Citizens are now helping beach clean-up efforts in an ingenious, albeit strange way. If you weren’t already donating hair to help oil clean-up initiatives, you need to get with the...
Thred’s ultimate guide to conscious gift giving this Christmas
To navigate the winter period of overconsumption, here are a few gift ideas that will be sure to please your loved ones whilst being kinder to the planet. Nowadays, December is filled with flash-sale emails and expansive wish lists. So much time and money is spent on annual Christmas adverts and...
Alternative gift giving ideas in the climate change era
In an age of mass consumerism and climate change, it’s about time we look at the actual costs of gift giving. Here’s a real look at the environmental price tag of consumerism and some ideas to make gift-giving eco-friendly this holiday season. In preparation for the holidays, companies and advertisers...
Brazilian gamers can now get a Covid-19 vaccine in GTA
In an effort to encourage young people to get vaccinated, Ogilvy Brazil has created a vaccine inside GTA V that gives players an extra health bar. They just need to prove they’ve had the shot in real life to get the in-game rewards. In true Metaverse, Decentraland fashion, gamers...
The ‘genetic code’ of Covid-19 is being sold as ambient tracks
Forget your Spotify wrapped, the real soundtrack of your life over the last year (at least) has been Covid-19. You can hear exactly what that sounds like by picking up NFTs of ambient tracks mixed by music producers, apparently. If, like many, you found solace and escapism from the many...
World’s first ‘living robots’ can now technically reproduce
It’s but a matter of time until humanity is completely redundant… well not really, but this is definitely big. Living robots can now technically reproduce. If you’re expecting some kind of kinky rendition of Transformers, take your dirty mind and head elsewhere. There’s nothing arousing about this, though it is amazing. In 2020, while most of us were resigned to a life of solitude, a cohort of US scientists were busy...
Squid Game crypto currency scam shows the pitfalls of investing
A digital token based on the hit Netflix show Squid Game has lost 99.9% of its value overnight in a move experts are calling a ‘scam’. It is an example of the potential dangers of digital investment, which continues to grow in popularity with Gen Z. I’m sure that you’ve watched the hit Netflix series Squid Game by now, a fictional drama that sees 600 financially desperate people compete against...
Sperm plastic and hair textiles: a step too far?
Are we really so desperate in our fight against the climate crisis that eco-friendly materials made from fish semen and the human body are being presented as viable solutions? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for finding sustainable alternatives to products we know are detrimentally impacting our environment on a regular basis, but when reading up on some of the latest advances in the field of eco-friendly materials this...
London tests ‘chill-out carriages’ to combat work anxiety
New ‘chill-out carriages’ have been introduced on twelve DLR trains in east London, offering spaces for commuters to calm down during intense periods of work related stress. Nearly two years into the pandemic, many workplaces have slowly re-introduced staff to regular commuting and office hours. As our tubes and motorways fill up once more with the congested stress of hurried employees, work anxiety and stress has steadily risen alongside...
