School’s out, scream and shout! The year is winding down for many students and teachers across the country, and some educators are having fun with those last few days of school by taking part in a social media trend: “dress like a student day.” In one recent viral video, middle school teachers hilariously parodied the fashion choices (and personalities) of their students. We’re sure everyone in the building had a good laugh after a year of hard work — here’s hoping all have a safe and relaxing summer.
You’ll probably find more differences than similarities when comparing European work culture to that in America, but U.S. employers are increasingly borrowing one thing from some EU countries: “summer Fridays.” The concept refers to reduced hours during the warmer months — some companies will even shorten to a four-day workweek between Memorial Day and Labor Day, while others opt for half-day Fridays. In addition to allowing workers an early start to the weekend, summer benefits can help employers with retention, especially in this age of rampant burnout. In May, the Society for Human Resource Management released a report finding that nearly half of surveyed U.S. employees felt burned out at work and “emotionally drained,” and more than half felt “used up” at the end of the workday. Offering summer perks can fight burnout and, as a result, boost productivity. Summer Fridays and similar benefits can be particularly useful tools for small businesses with tighter budgets. “Since it’s harder for small businesses to offer better pay and benefits to boost morale than big businesses due to their tighter margins, summer hours can be a way to offer employees a perk at low cost,” writes Associated Press business reporter Mae Anderson.
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Environment
Part of Lake Ontario Is Now the Country’s 16th Marine Sanctuary
NOAA
The federal government is looking to celebrate and preserve a corner of America’s Great Lakes, designating a 1,722-square-mile stretch of eastern Lake Ontario as a marine sanctuary. The New York sanctuary will be the 16th in the country and third in the Great Lakes, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “It means a lot for the recognition of this place,” Ellen Brody, Great Lakes regional coordinator of the NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, told WXXI News. “It will become a place that people want to visit. It will have tourism impacts; it will have economic development impacts.” In addition to boosting research and tourism in the area, the sanctuary designation furthers the nation’s goal of protecting, conserving, or restoring at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. It also provides an opportunity for people to learn more about the history of Lake Ontario as a trade and transportation route, which ties in to 41 known shipwrecks (and 19 suspected others) located in the sanctuary. Watch a video exploring the water.
Tech
Indian Innovators Turn to Terra Cotta for Cooling Air Amid Record Heat
India is facing record-high temperatures as an early summer heat wave continues to sweep the country, but thankfully there are innovators in the South Asian region thinking up some cooling solutions. One architect, Monish Siripurapu, is drawing inspiration from terra cotta pots, or “matka,” which have been used for centuries as a way to keep water cold. “The water in the mud pot is naturally cool because when it evaporates, it sucks the heat from the pot. But what if I reversed that process? It struck me that we could cool the air around the terra cotta in the same way,” he explained to the BBC. Siripurapu’s resulting design is a beehive-like structure of stacked terra cotta cones. Recycled water is pumped over the clay, eventually evaporating and cooling the surrounding air. So far, his New Delhi-based studio has installed around three dozen terra cotta beehives in buildings across India, including schools and airports. And Siripurapu is just one of many tapping into terra cotta as a tool to fight extreme heat — read about more of the ways it’s being used.
Global Good
🏴 Ambulances in an area of England rolled out sign language services for the deaf and hard of hearing.
🇨🇳 The world’s largest solar farm is now online in northwestern China.
🇳🇴 A farmer in Norway discovered a Viking-era sword on his property.
🇨🇦 Canada’s first free grocery store will open this summer for clients of a Saskatchewan food bank.
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Inspiring Story
Generational love
Two-year-old TJ picked up on how his mom and uncle care for their grandfather with Parkinson’s disease — and started pitching in himself. “I think it says a lot about TJ. He’s very compassionate at a young age,” mom Taryn Watson said. Watch TJ help his great-grandpa.
Earlier this week, working pups — like this service and guide dog, Moxie — descended upon the nation’s capital to educate lawmakers on two bipartisan animal welfare bills: The Working Dog Health and Welfare Act and The PETSAFE Act. The event, hosted by American Humane, was dubbed “Canines on Capitol Hill.” See more photos.
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Quote of the Day
“The kindest people do not just exist — they choose to soften where circumstance has tried to harden them, they choose to believe in goodness, because they have seen firsthand why compassion is so necessary.”
