Keeping food fresh without refrigeration is near impossible in the hot climate of sub-Saharan Africa. But it's hard to power fridges in a region where almost 600 million people live off the grid(电网).

That's where Brazil's Youmma comes in. The company has developed a pay as you go(预付费的) solar powered fridge that is being bought by small business owners. The fridges help to reduce food waste, store medicine safely, and allow shops to keep products fresh for longer, says Andre Morriesen, research and development manager at Nidec Global Appliance, which owns Youmma.

The cooling system of the small 100 -liter fridge has been designed for off grid use, and it consumes a quarter of the energy of a regular fridge, according to Nidec. That means it can be powered by a smaller solar panel and a smaller battery, reducing costs. The battery can keep the fridge running for a day and a half without sunlight.

Customers pay for the fridge in daily installments(分期付款) via cell phones, through M-Kopa, a Kenyan solar energy company. New M-Kopa customers pay a $ 100 deposit. Daily payments range from $1 to $ 1.50 for a package that includes solar lighting and covers the installation(安装) of a rooftop solar panel. M-Kopa says it costs more than a conventional fridge, but the package includes lighting as well as continued access to free off- the grid energy.

Pay- as your go"is useful for rural households or businesses with an uneven cash flow, such as income based on harvesting seasons", says' Teresa Le, a climate change and energy specialist for the UN Development Program.

However, even when paired with pay as you go systems like M-Kopa's, solar fridges are still costly for the average person and that's why they mostly appeal to small businesses, says Le. Of about 2, 000 fridges sold since Youmma launched it in 2019, around 80% were to small businesses.

Kioko Mwange runs a small shop in the village of Kithungo, eastern Kenya. Since signing up for the Youmma fridge he has increased his sales. "It helps me preserve milk for up to 10 days," says Mwange." I have seen an increase in customers. "Morriesen believes the fridge can be a "life changing product "for rural families and "bring freedom to women" who often spend hours each day walking to food markets.

An Irish designer is hoping to save her island's bees by creating special hives (蜂箱) grown from mushrooms. In the world Top20 for the James Dyson Award, the hive, called Econooc, has been designed specifically by Niamh Damery to save the Irish black bee, as well as getting more people involved in environmental protection. Decreasing bee populations in Ireland are the result of habitat loss or pesticide (杀虫剂)use as is common elsewhere.

Econooc simulates(模仿) the hollow (洞) of a tree where black bees tend to build their hives in order to shelter themselves, their food, and their young from the rain. A landing pad through which owners can watch bee activity in and out of the hive is made from recycled plastic, while the belts that tie it to the tree are old car seat belts, making it almost totally recycled.

Damery also worked to create a calendar, which will be included in every hive and each month educates the owner on the different plants growing in that period that require Irish black bees for pollination (授粉), as well as what exactly is happening inside the hive during that season.

In addition, once the month is finished, the owner can tear the calendar's bottom part off, which is filled with wildflower seeds, and place it under an inch of soil in their garden to further aid in the efforts to save black bees and other Irish pollinators.

Damery was inspired by her father and grandfather, who both kept bees. She said: "I hope Econooc will encourage more people to think about nature and solutions we can find to ensure the survival of bees in the future. "

Fifteen-year-old Sansa has been writing for eight years and has been working on a book for the past four. Feeling stuck and unable to write, she started searching for writing groups in Los Angeles, looking for guidance. When she found WriteGirl, she was inspired.

Keren Taylor started WriteGirl in 2001 as a way to help teen girls who did not have access to creative writing programs. "Teen girls are incredibly vulnerable(脆弱的) and invisible," Taylor said. "They really need to be lifted up and inspired."

At WriteGirl, 400 women writers volunteer to mentor(指导) 700 teenagers a year. Every girl who has gone through the mentorship program has gone to college and several have pursued careers as professional writers. Through the program, girls dive into poetry, fiction, songwriting, play and so on, learning techniques from professional women writers. This leads to well-rounded training and sets WriteGirl apart from other organizations.

A typical exercise at WriteGirl is mic and rant, a 30-second session before writing for each girl. As a vehicle for teens to get their ideas out, it empowers girls to explore anything meaningful to them. "Not the flowery language, or rather, complicated expressions that sound skillful, but more of the natural, this is what I'm thinking and what I'm feeling." Taylor said.

Sansa's mentor Danyella Wilder is attracted by the long-term nature of mentoring at WriteGirl. Wilder wishes she had a program like this herself when she was 15. "To just have an organization where people are spending their time just to tell you, ‘Hey, good job,' or ‘That was amazing.' You're at the age where you need to hear that."