Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at [email protected].
Circle of life
California recently became the first US state to restrict the use of all blood-thinning rat poisons. These rodenticides don’t just affect rats, but also animals that prey on them, such as mountain lions and owls, notes the LA Times in a story that caught the attention of RTBC contributing editor and California resident Michaela Haas.
Michaela says:
This is super important. Most people still don’t realize how harmful rat poison is.
Right as rain
In mid-September, Storm Boris brought record-breaking rains to Vienna. But the city, as the BBC reports in a story shared by Executive Editor Will Doig this week, was well-prepared.
Will says:
After major flooding in decades past, Vienna started putting in flood mitigation infrastructure that’s now paying dividends in an era of heavier rainfall. These efforts were tested this month when a huge storm brought record rainfall to the city, which emerged largely unscathed. Lots of adaptable lessons in here that other cities could emulate.
What else we’re reading
🚲 Where Cargo Bikes Are Freeing Cities From Polluting Vans — shared by RTBC founder David Byrne from Bloomberg
🌳 American Chestnut Trees Discovered in the Midcoast — shared by Editorial Director Rebecca Worby from the Midcoast Villager
🎨 ‘It’s the first time I’ve woven in 27 years’: Peruvian women revive arts lost to trauma of forced sterilisations — shared by Michaela Haas from The Guardian
In other news…
We’re gearing up for our upcoming variety show, Amazing Humans Doing Amazing Things, which will take place next Tuesday in New York City in celebration of RTBC’s five-year anniversary. We’ll be sharing some peeks behind the curtain, so stay tuned.
