Luxembourg will become the world's first country to make all of its public transportation free

Luxembourg will become the world's first country to make all of its public transportation free from next summer. The newly re-elected prime minister Xavier Bettel and the coalition government have announced that they will lift all fares on trains, trams and buses. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the worst traffic congestion in the world.
But the country already offers free transportation to everyone under the age of 20. Secondary school students have also been able to ride free shuttles between school and home. Luxembourg currently has the highest number of cars for its population in the European Union, 66.2% per capita or 662 vehicles per 1000 people.
Luxembourg has increasingly shown a progressive attitude to transport. This summer, the government brought in free transport for every child and young person under the age of 20. Secondary school students can use free shuttles between their institution and their home. Commuters need only pay €2 (£1.78) for up to two hours of travel, which in a country of just 999 sq miles (2,590 sq km) covers almost all journeys.
via Guardian.

Apple Lays New Paths To Clean Energy Goal More Supplier Commitments And $2.5 Billion in Environmental Initiatives.

“Every time one of our suppliers joins us in our efforts to address climate change, we move closer to a better future for the next generation, We’ve made it a priority to hold our suppliers accountable to the same environmental standards we observe and hope that our collaboration will show others what is possible. While we are proud of our announcement today, we won’t stop driving change within our industry to support the clean energy transition happening globally.” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives.

Apple® today announced it has nearly doubled the number of suppliers that have committed to run their Apple production on 100 percent clean energy, bringing the total number to 44. Because of this partnership between Apple and its suppliers, Apple will exceed its goal of bringing 4 gigawatts of renewable energy into its supply chain by 2020, with over an additional gigawatt projected within that time frame. This comes one year after Apple announced that all of its global facilities are powered by 100  percent renewable energy.

Apple reduced its comprehensive carbon footprint for the third year in a row in 2018, in large part due to the company’s Supplier Clean Energy Program. Manufacturing makes up 74 percent of Apple’s carbon footprint, so the program helps its suppliers increase energy efficiency and transition to renewable energy sources. Just last year, Apple and its suppliers participated in clean energy generation that roughly equaled the electricity needed to power over 600,000 homes in the US.

Apple has further expanded its supplier education and support initiatives, including through its Clean Energy Portal, an online platform to help suppliers identify renewable energy sources globally. Over 100 suppliers have already registered to participate in the site. It also launched a first-of-its-kind fund with 10 of its suppliers last year to help finance renewable energy projects in China. Read the 2018 Progress Report

The company also announced major progress to address environmental solutions by allocating all $2.5 billion in green bonds it previously announced, the largest of any US corporation. Through its now-completed $2.5 billion Green Bond allocations, the company has contributed to 40 environmental initiatives around the world. That includes projects Apple has created to cover its entire electricity load — as of January 2019, approximately 66 percent of the renewable energy Apple uses comes from such endeavors.

The list of newly committed suppliers includes: Advanced International Multitech, Arkema, AT&S, Bemis Associates, Biel Crystal (HK) Manufactory Ltd., BOE, Catcher Technology, Compal Electronics, Corning Incorporated, COSMO, DSM Engineering Plastics, ECCO Leather, Fastway Creation, Finisar, Goertek, Golden Arrow, H.B. Fuller, Hon Hai Precision, Ibiden, Jabil, LEALEA Enterprise, Lens Technology, Lishen, Luxshare-ICT, Mega Precision, Nidec, Pegatron, Primax Group, Qorvo, Quadrant, Quanta Computer, RRD, RyPax, SanHuan, SDK, Solvay, STMicroelectronics, Sunway Communication, Sunwoda Electronics, Taiyo Ink Mfg. Co., tesa SE, TSMC, Wistron and Yuto.

For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom)