Cangzhou – October 28, 2026 -- Photographers and video creators worldwide can enter the 2026 Nandagang International Wetland Photo Contest for free until November 28, 2026, with a US$1,500 Grand Prize on offer. The contest is part of Global Wetland Week, a campaign launched by the Cangzhou International Communication Center.

Düsseldorf – October 28, 2026 -- Infrared heaters deliver warmth at the push of a button and are easy to install, but running them for long periods can drive up electricity costs, according to energy provider Grünwelt Energie.

Infrared heaters work best as a supplementary heat source

Infrared heaters warm rooms with direct thermal radiation. Grünwelt Energie says they are strongest as an add-on heater, for example in a bathroom or guest room. The devices are relatively cheap to buy, usually need no regular maintenance and stir up little dust.

Washington – October 28, 2026 -- Microplastics turned up in the blood of 27 of 28 people tested in a new report, a 96% detection rate across participants in Canada and the United States.

The report, titled Microplastics in Me: Finding Plastics in Human Blood, comes from Plastic Pollution Coalition, Plastic People, and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. It is the first to publicly identify a group of individuals who have microplastics in their bodies.

St. Ulrich bei Steyr – October 27, 2026 -- Austrian company Al's World GmbH makes shoe insoles from felted alpaca wool, offering a natural alternative to purely synthetic materials in places where heat and moisture build up.

SINGAPORE – October 27, 2026 -- Trip.com has added a feature called My Travel Impact to its app. It pulls a traveller's more sustainable hotel, flight and rail choices into a single dashboard. The launch follows Trip.com Group's 2026 Sustainable Travel Consumer Report, which found that 56.8% of travellers now intentionally choose more sustainable options and 75.4% say sustainability matters when they make travel decisions.

My Travel Impact covers hotels, flights and rail

The dashboard draws on three parts of a journey:

Cologne – October 27, 2026 -- Interior insulation can raise the wall surface temperature in winter by around five degrees Celsius, cutting the risk of condensation and mold in older buildings without touching the facade.

San Antonio – October 21, 2026 -- Thirteen beluga whales from a closed marine park in Canada have now arrived at U.S. aquariums, completing two transports in what the rescue partners call one of the largest and most complex marine mammal rescues ever attempted.

The whales belong to a group of 30 belugas at a Canadian park that could no longer support their long-term care. Several accredited aquariums, including SeaWorld, were invited earlier this year to help build a rescue plan.

Fairbanks – October 19, 2026 -- Researchers in the US and Canada are studying whether detecting and putting out remote Arctic fires faster could keep permafrost carbon in the ground. Woodwell Climate Research Center, the University of Victoria's Polis Institute for Ecological Governance and the nonprofit Alaska Venture Fund are now partnering on a multimillion-dollar initiative called North Fire to study these interventions and raise public awareness of them.

Danbury – – October 19, 2026 -- Connecticut homeowners weighing a heating and cooling upgrade can use one heat pump for both jobs, and modern models are built to cope with cold weather. That is the takeaway from a HelloNation article featuring Darryl Johnson, an HVAC expert at Service Stars in Danbury.

Danbury's seasons put heavy demands on HVAC systems

Danbury winters often bring freezing conditions, while summers add heat and humidity. Many homeowners are looking for ways to improve energy efficiency without giving up year-round comfort.

Annapolis – October 15, 2026 -- Maryland residents can now register interest, with no deposit required, in plug-in solar systems that PowerStead Energy is developing to generate electricity at home without a rooftop construction project.

PowerStead plans a guided setup process

The company wants getting started with solar to feel like setting up a useful home product. Its planned process covers equipment selection, placement guidance, site and outlet screening, mounting instructions, help with required utility notification, and support after setup.