After more than 15 years in the world of politics, Rulli felt it was time for a change, but she wasn’t sure of her next steps. But she did know what it was like to have a busy schedule, and to miss important events such as a her parents’ anniversary of her brother’s birthday.

“That’s not okay, and why is that so hard?” she recalls thinking. “Hallmark for sure has to have this figured out, right?” But after some research, she realized no major greeting card company had found a solution, so she decided to take it upon herself.

“I never imagined myself being a business owner or an entrepreneur, but if there is a problem that needs a solution, why not give it a shot,” she says. Rulli’s company, The Thought, offers a large selection of greeting cards. From adoption congratulations to “Just Because”, there is something for every occasion. Through this, her company, The Thought, was born. Shoppers can find distinctive cards, (stamp included) in her online store. They can also select from an array of add-ons, such as handwritten notes, cash, or gift cards. The best part, however, is their free reminder service that allows customers to create an account and set important dates they want to remember. “Tell us what you want to remember or who you want to remember, and we’ll make sure you never forget it,” she says.

One of The Thought’s core values is “determined about authenticity”. After her career in politics, she has come to deeply appreciate sincerity, and wants people to be unafraid to be themselves.

“Even if I disagree with a person on absolutely everything under the sun, I always want to say, That’s still OK. You do you,” she says. “I think we’re all better off as families and communities when we’re considerate of all of our differences, and we still show up as ourselves, instead of something other than that.”

Burnout just means the state of being extremely tired or ill, either physically or mentally, because you have worked too hard. The effects of academic burnout can be life-changing. In a culture and environment that encourages us to “reach our fullest potential” and “always try our hardest”, burnout is almost inevitable. Watching myself or others get burned out is like watching a car crash in slow motion. You know it’s going to happen, but you don’t know how—or if—you can stop it.

The premise of academic burnout is simple—you’ve studied or worked so hard that your brain decides to give up. At that point, it is not just begging you to take a break—it is forcing you to. There is no clear-cut way to avoid it. To say “don’t work as hard” or “take breaks” is overly simplistic. It quite often produces the opposite to the intended effect and the person in question often ends up working even harder to prove them wrong.

Academic burnout often goes hand-in-hand with perfectionism and people’s attempts to stop the person from working are merely seen as a challenge to work harder. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to avoid burnout—and perhaps that’s what makes it such a complicated issue. What works for one person is not guaranteed to work for another.

Listening to generic, overused advice feels like listening to the same song over and over—there comes a point when you stop hearing it. From being so (unfortunately) experienced with burnout—I have acquired some strategies over the years. I hope I never have to deal with academic, or any other type of burnout, again.

An Irish designer is growing unique mushroom hives (蜂箱) in order to protect her island’s local black bees. For years, Ireland imported a large group of bees from places with tropical climates and warmer weather. Bees find it challenging to survive in Irish climate but other generic factors like loss of habitat and increase in the usage of pesticides have also led to a decline in the bee population. Further, the imported new species mated (交配) with local bees to produce their young that stormed the hives of the black bees and still could not get adjusted to the weather.

Econooc is a type of hive designed by Niamh Damery, an Irish designer, to save Ireland’s native black bees. This hive is among the world’s finest 20 and has been considered for the James Dyson Design Award for Sustainability. The designer not only aims to protect the bees but also intends to have people participate in its conservation.

The mushroom hives are cultivated from mycelium pores (由菌丝孔培育而成) with by-products like straw or wood shavings used as substrate (底座). Mycelium, situated underground, provides support to the fruiting body. These mushrooms are coming out as a probable design tool. GNN reported that mushrooms could be used to build things like canoes, bricks, and coffins. To create the beehive, mycelium and the substrate concoction (混合物) is stuffed into a mold (模具) in the shape of the actual hive. It is then heated in the oven to secure the shape.

Econooc copies a hive and is placed in the hollow of a local tree. This is the natural habitat of the black Irish bees, where they build their shelter, store food and protect their young ones. Recycled plastic is used to make a landing pad so that owners can watch the activities of the bees. The hive is secured on the tree with the help of old car seatbelts to fasten it. Every aspect of the project is based on sustainability.