At just 8 years old, Xóchitl has designed and constructed a solar-powered device to heat water, using only recycled materials, Cultura Colectiva reports. 

For many, this device may seem totally unnecessary. But, in Xóchitl's community, where resources are scarce, "people don't have the money to buy heaters, so they chop down trees to get firewood [to heat the water]," says Xóchitl. Her device not only functions to provide hot water to low-income families in her community, it also saves trees! Xóchitl's family helped her set the device up on their roof and have been using it to heat water to bathe. 

Xóchitl says she always bathes quickly though, "so [the hot water] will last for my little brother." If this is what Xóchitl is doing at 8-years-old, we can only imagine what the future holds. Chiapas is home to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilán, Bonampak, Chinkultic and Toniná. It is also home to one of the largest indigenous populations in the country with twelve federally recognized ethnicities. 

Much of the state's history is centered on the subjugation of these peoples with occasional rebellions. The last of these rebellions was the 1994 Zapatista uprising, which succeeded in obtaining new rights for indigenous people.

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As soon as her birthday came around, however, Lee gave Renee a call. The two of them had their first date at a roller skating party, and they’ve been together ever since! Thinking back on their decades of being in love, Lee knew he had to do something special. Finally, it hit him: He’d plant acres-worth of her favorite flower. “I put a lot of thought into it and she always liked sunflowers,” Lee said. “And I thought this is the year to plant sunflowers so I planted her 80 acres of sunflowers.” With the help of their son, Lee has secretly been planting the fields with these beautiful flowers since May. Now, just a week away from their August 10 anniversary, about 1.2 million sunflowers are in bloom, just for Renee. 

“It made me feel very special,” Renee said. “It couldn’t have been a more perfect anniversary gift than a field of sunflowers.” Although the flowers were planted for Renee, their beauty is drawing in visitors from all around Kansas. As lovely as this whole experience has been, Lee doesn’t expect to do it again next year. Though, he does encourage others to try this lovely gift-idea out. You can watch the video below:

 

“Oh it’s been fun, but I think one time is enough for us,” Lee said. “It’s somebody else’s turn next year.”
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A Chevron fuel spill was discovered near Willard Bay on Monday afternoon and crews spent the better part of Monday and Tuesday working to repair the broken 8-inch pipeline that caused the spill and the fuel that had spread through the area. Cleanup crews say a beaver dam helped stop the fuel from reaching Willard Bay, but a pair of beavers were covered in the fuel and sent to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Ogden for cleanup and recovery. 

Employees at the center spent six hours bathing the two beavers, washing them twice with Dawn dish detergent. The pair were put on medication to help recover. 

The beavers were reported doing a little better on Wednesday. One of the two is still lethargic, nauseated and didn’t have much of an appetite. The second has started moving around and has started eating a bit. Rehabilitators say they’re taking the recovery one day at a time and hoping to prevent further damage, including neurological damage. 

“They can absorb the substance through their skin. They face things like liver issues, it burns their eyes, respiratory issues, digestive issues, so whenever you get that it’s a little bit frightening,” said Dalyn Erickson with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. 

The beavers are just under a year old, and crews are hoping they’ll eventually be nursed back to health and returned to the wild. VIDEO
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Over 30,000 swift bricks—essentially a normal building brick with a hollow inside—have been sold in the country, and more than 10,000 homes have been built with swift bricks incorporated into the design. It’s bizarre the impact humanity can have on animal life. It wasn’t the sprawling British civilization that caused a 58% decline in the small migratory birds called swifts, but rather the renovation of old buildings. In improving the energy efficiency of buildings to slow energy consumption and therefore climate change, British construction ended up sealing up all the small holes in the walls which these swifts used as nesting sites. 

Now though, companies are making swift bricks which are bricks with a hole in the middle for the birds to nest in. One doesn’t need to put more than 3-4 in every wall to transform their housing project into a swift-friendly estate. 

Nevertheless, some companies, like Manthorpe Building Products’ factory in Derbyshire, have already produced 20,000 swift bricks. Ibstock, another firm, has sold 7,000. The bricks came about through brainstorming from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 

“The great advantage of swift bricks and boxes is that they can work just as well in inner city areas with very little green space as anywhere else,” Dr. Guy Anderson, the RSPB’s migratory birds program manager, told The Guardian. “Swifts can travel pretty long distances to find their insect food – all they need is a nest site.” 

Swifts are amazing animals that spend 10 months of the year airborne. They do everything on the wing. To drink, they skim over rivers and lakes with their mouths open. They prey only on flying insects. To sleep, they close one eye and turn off one half of their brain. They fly all the way down to Africa before returning to the UK to nest. 

At the moment there is a petition in the UK Parliament to make swift bricks mandatory for all UK buildings, something which the government feels by default is the kind of thing that should be left up to local government councils; however it did garner 104,000 signatures. 

The swift bricks are similar to the “bee bricks” which were another idea of how British housing could make room for nature, and which were ruled as mandatory by Brighton and Hove council.
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Raymond Nelson, who is the student support specialist at a school in South Carolina, has formed a "Gentlemen's Club" for fifth graders. Every Wednesday. 

Nelson teaches them basic life lessons and helps them dress for success, reported CBS News. Nelson is keen to be a father figure to the at-risk kids in the community. Nelson, who's a teacher at Memminger Elementary in Downtown Charleston, says the club's motto is: "Look good, feel good, do good." 

Nelson believes a good part of your confidence comes from wearing good clothes and knowing how to present yourself and act around other people. Close to 60 students turn up at Memminger Elementary School every Wednesday. 

He is keen to teach kids similar invaluable life skills that will stand them in good stead in the future. "I was thinking maybe if I have the boys dress for success," Nelson told WCSC-TV. 

"When was the last time you saw someone fighting in a tuxedo?" They also get life lessons like cleaning their neighborhood and watering plants.

  He is aware that many of them don't have the support they need, at home. Nelson said that he wants to guide them. 

"I know a lot of them struggle because a lot of them don't have men at home, so I just want them to grow up and think of the things that I teach them," said Nelson. "They like the reaction of walking up to classrooms and say, 'Oh, you look so nice and handsome,' they just love it." 

Nelson himself benefitted from one such group, where he had joined at the request of his mother. "It helped me to be a better man and I could spread the knowledge to the young boys," he said.

 

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"Gentleman's club is not just teaching you how to be a gentleman. Love who you are and accept yourself for who you are and not let anybody get in the way of that," says one student. Another said, "It teaches you to respect others and treat them how you want to be treated." 
The club was first started by school principal Mark Adams. It's our responsibility to prepare them for the next level," said Adams. 
Nelson also collects donated jackets, vests, and ties at school for the kids who don't have their own. He adds that half the journey is just someone showing belief in them. "A lot of my students perform well when they know someone cares about them," said Nelson. 
The student support specialist believes showing respect to others and knowing how to conduct yourself is what drives home your personality and paves way for your success. Some of the topics Nelson teaches them include showing them how to shake hands, make eye contact, open doors, and address their elders. 
Pictures from one session show them suited up and dining inside what looks like a classroom. They are served a gourmet three-course meal twice a year. 
At the core of his lessons are their responses to women, including their sisters, mothers, and their teachers. 
He said many of the boys are at that young age where they believe rumors that girls have 'cooties.' He wants to help them to understand and be more respectful towards women. 
The Gentleman's Club has become a success in the local community and now Charleston County School District officials are trying to replicate the success at other local schools and planning to introduce Gentleman's programs in their schools.  Source