Leo Collis

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Leo Collis

After January's devastating Los Angeles wildfires, Californians are rebuilding their homes, livelihoods, and lives. However, that's going to become increasingly difficult in the area, as The Washington Post revealed. Using state fire maps drawn up by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Post determined that 1 in 8 Californians live in areas susceptible to the kind of damage brought by January's blazes.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Leo Collis

When extreme weather hits, your priorities include protecting your family and your home. To do those things, having access to power is useful. Unfortunately, storms, wildfires, and heat waves can knock out the electrical grid. That's why backup home energy storage is so important, especially as extreme weather events become longer, stronger, and more common because of rising global temperatures. However, generators are cumbersome and polluting.

2 weeks ago | thecooldown.com | Leo Collis

In an effort to avoid fast fashion — poorly made clothes from major retailers such as H&M and Shein that aim to keep up with the latest trends — many consumers have turned to thrift stores. However, these items have now infiltrated the secondhand market. One Redditor shared that their local thrift store now has a specific "Zara" rack for clothing from the popular Spanish brand.

2 weeks ago | thecooldown.com | Leo Collis

The ocean floor remains one of the last unexplored areas of the planet. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only 26.1% of the global sea floor had been mapped with high-resolution technology by 2024. However, that doesn't mean trash hasn't found a way to reach the depths. A study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin and shared by ScienceDirect found 139 pieces of litter in Puerto Rican waters at depths ranging from 250 meters to 6,300 meters.

2 weeks ago | thecooldown.com | Leo Collis

A Ukrainian couple was so disappointed by piles of plastic on what should have been a pristine beach that they decided to take matters into their own hands. Pragmatika detailed that Julia Bialetska and Yevhen Tomilin were in Bali, Indonesia, when they came across the disturbing sight, and it encouraged them to investigate options for biodegradable alternatives for plastic. From there, S.