From scientific discoveries to activist wins, here are the latest news stories that showcase the people who are taking on climate change and nature loss.

☀️ Solar is becoming more equitable

Rooftop solar in the US is slowly becoming more affordable across all income levels, with the median income of a household that has panels installed now at $115k, down from $141k in 2010. This is slow but steady progress, helped along by government policies that are making it easier for lower-income households to install rooftop solar, and the option to lease the panels, eliminating the upfront cost.

🕊️ How birdsong boosts our wellbeing

When more species of birds are present, the soundscapes we hear are more varied, and we reap more of the benefits of basking in birdsong. Researchers discovered this recently when testing whether vineyards with higher numbers of different birds, and thus richer soundscapes, impacted visitors’ experience. It turns out that the more birds in the chorus, the more visitors enjoyed their tour, with people listing benefits like feeling more positive, mindful, and connected to nature.

“Our study presents a strong, albeit selfish, argument for protecting natural soundscapes.” 

🎮 Making video games greener

Video game consoles consume a lot of energy – in the US, they generate as much greenhouse gases as five million cars. Games companies are making efforts to change this, including making consoles more efficient as well as lowering the quality of graphics when the game is paused or idle – though these modes have been turned off by a small percentage of irritated gamers. It’s the indie game developers who are taking things to another level, like creating a game that runs on a solar-powered web server to demonstrate the possibilities of carbon-free gaming.