【推荐1】Concrete has served as the foundation stone of the construction industry for hundreds of years. However, the process of producing concrete is one of the most environmentally unfriendly processes in the world. In the process, not only is carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) released into the air by the energy used to heat the limestone, but the limestone itself also gives out a huge amount of the element.

Luckily, a number of start-ups throughout the world are using creative thinking to make the construction industry a whole lot more friendly for the planet.

A Canadian company called CarbonCure, has found a way to inject (注入) concrete with carbon dioxide itself. Not only does this trap the carbon dioxide into the concrete, keeping it from running away into the atmosphere, but it also creates a super strong material called calcium carbonate, which reduces the total amount of concrete that needs to be used.

California-based Brimstone, is creating carbon-negative concrete by doing away with limestone entirely and instead using silicate rock, a material that does not release carbon dioxide when heated. Instead, the process produces magnesium (镁) , which absorbs carbon dioxide, as the basis for their concrete.

Additionally, researchers at Australia’s RMIT University have recently released a study showing that adding coffee grounds instead of sand to concrete could make it much stronger, reducing both the amount of sand used, as well as the amount of concrete that would need to be used in the final product.

The biggest barrier at this point is convincing members of the industry that the new types of concrete are safe to be used, according to Stacy Smedley, director at a nonprofit focused on decarbonizing construction.

Hopefully these new solutions to the environmental problems of concrete will soon be widely adopted. Given the significant part the construction industry has in releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, great improvements can be made when more environmentally-friendly materials are used.

【推荐2】We all feel anxious from time to time. For many, these uncertain times are a contributor to stress and concern. Anxiety is a normal reaction to a stressful situation, but if feelings of anxiety last a long time or keep returning, you might be experiencing an anxiety disorder.

Dave Smithson from Anxiety UK explains that there are three different aspects of anxiety: physical (how you feel), psychological (what you think), and behavioral (what you do). ” Physical symptoms include an increased heart rate or muscle tension, breathing heavily or dizziness. Psychological symptoms include feelings that you might lose control, faint or think people are looking at you and noticing your anxiety. Behavioral aspects include avoiding the situation that makes you feel anxious. “Those who are usually outgoing may become withdrawn, or those who are reserved may become erratic,” he says. “Everyone’s different, and anxiety can be caused by a range of things.”

Stephen Buckley, from mental health charity Mind, says talking to someone you trust can be helpful. If this isn’t possible, you could call a confidential helpline such as Mind’s Infoline, or those run by Anxiety UK and Samaritans.

Learning to relax through breathing exercises and other techniques can help manage anxiety. “Keeping a record of what started the anxiety and what helps it to pass, such as slowing your breathing or getting outdoors for a walk, can help you understand and spot patterns early on,” Stephen says. Relaxation techniques can include exercises to release tension in your body by relaxing your muscles. Drawing calming circles on paper with coloured pencils or pens is a way to distract you from worrying thoughts.

Other recommendations from Mind include connecting with other people. “This is a vital way of maintaining wellbeing” Stephen adds. “Have regular chats with friends and family over the phone. Talking to people in the same boat can be reassuring. Many people find it helpful to share ideas about how to stay well, connect with others and feel less alone.”

【推荐3】This week I watched an international news program and saw what looked like most of the planet—the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia—painted in bright oranges and reds. Fahrenheit (华氏温度的) temperatures in three-digit numbers seemed to burn all over on the world map.

Heat records have burst around the globe. This very weekend, crops are burning, roads are bending and seas are rising, while lakes recede, or even disappear. Ice sheets melt in rising heat, and wildfires attack forests. People are dying in this heat. Lives of all kinds are threatened, in cities, fields, seas, deserts and forests. Wildlife, farm animals, insects and human beings are in pain.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says there is more deadly heat in our future because of climate change caused by our species on this planet. Even with advances in wind, solar and other alternative energy sources, and international promises and agreements, the world still derives about 80% of its energy from fossil fuels, like oil, gas and coal, which release the carbon dioxide that’s warmed the climate to the current temperatures of this hot summer. The WMO’s chief, Petteri Taalas, said this week, “In the future these kinds of heatwaves are going to be normal.”

The most alarming word in his forecast might be: “normal.” I’m of a generation that thought of summer as a sunny time for children. I think of long days spent outdoors without worry, playing games or just wandering. John Updike wrote in his poem, “June”:

The sun is rich

And gladly pays

In golden hours,

Silver days,

And long green weeks

That never end.

School’s out. The time

Is ours to spend.

There’s Little League,

Hopscotch, the creek,

And, after supper,

Hide-and-seek.

The live-long light

Is like a dream...

But now that bright, “live-long light,” of which Updike wrote, might look threatening in a summer like this.

The extremely hot weeks that we see this year cause one to wonder if our failures to care for the planet given to us will make our children look forward to summer, or fear another season of heat.