We don’t want to return to normal – we want better

There is, of course, an upside to this virus and the disruption it brings to our lives.

Reports from China indicate that within a few days of their extreme “lock-down” the skies cleared and people blinked under an unfamiliar blue sky. In Venice rivers are running clean as the discharge of industrial pollution stopped and tourist ships stopped emptying their waste into the local waterways.

The slowdown in the economy will challenge our concept of normal. Employers who for years have resisted calls to allow people to work from home have suddenly found ways to make that work, thus significantly reducing transport emissions across the country.

Read the story from the EcoPortal’s Living Lightly by Graham Parton - “We don’t want to return to normal – we want better.”

Ice skaters take to Amsterdam's canals during Europe's big freeze

The freezing conditions gripping Europe have produced one unexpected upside: parts of Amsterdam’s canals have frozen over, allowing locals to ice skate on the waterways.

Europe's "big freeze" has it benefits, for some.

For the first time in about six years, part of the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht canals froze hard enough to support the weight of dozens of sightseers, locals and ice skaters.

Footage from the canals shows people on skates criss-crossing the ice while others stroll along enjoying the novelty of walking on what is normally flowing water.

Read the story from The Guardian - “Ice skaters take to Amsterdam's canals during Europe's big freeze.”