Opinion:
¶ “Is It Better To Neglect Your Garden?” • When she’s not leading garden-based learning at the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University, Ashley Louise Miller Helmholdt likes to garden and has several gardens of her own. “I have a little plot that’s just wild,” she says. “I have a native plant and pollinator garden. So I have a little bit of everything.” [BBC]
Dandilions and buttercups (Kate Cullen, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Arran Seabed Restoration Action Championed By Sir David Attenborough” • Recreational divers Don MacNeish and Howard Wood took action after seeing the seabed off the Isle of Arran being destroyed. The pair spent years convincing the Scottish government to create Scotland’s first “no take zone” in Lamlash Bay which halted all forms of fishing. [BBC]
¶ “Vinfast EV Taxis Now In Manila” • Vietnamese transportation company Green & Smart Mobility has just debuted its fleet of VinFast VF e34 taxis in the Philippines. The country is the fourth in Southeast Asia to receive the electric taxis after Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia. GSM was founded by VinFast CEO Pham Nhat Vuong, a Vietnamese billionaire. [CleanTechnica]
VF e34 GSM taxi (Photo from VinFast)
¶ “EVs Take 33.7% Share Of The UK – The BYD Dolphin Surf Arrives!” • May saw plugin EVs take 33.7% share of the UK auto market, up from 25.7% year-on-year. Battery EVs grew in volume by 26% YOY, while plugin hybrids grew 51%. Overall auto volume was up a bit year-on-year, at 150,070 units. Volkswagen was the leading battery EV brand in May. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New private sector coalition to support COP30 Brazil” • The Global Renewables Alliance has launched a Brazilian renewable energy mobilisation committee to support the presidency of COP30. Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President, said, “[In] Brazil we know how viable renewables are, and above all, the economic logic of renewables …” [reNews]
Elbia Gannoum (Image via LinkedIn)
¶ “AMEA Power Signs MOU With Kyuden International For Renewable Energy And Green Hydrogen” • AMEA Power and Kyuden International Corporation have partnered on renewable energy and green hydrogen projects that will contribute to decarbonisation, resilience, and inclusive economic growth in key markets. [Middle East Construction News]
¶ “Solar Surpasses Nuclear For First Time, Contributes 10% Of Global Power In April” • Solar power generated 10% of global electricity in April 2025, its highest-ever monthly share and for the first time it overtook nuclear energy, according to Ember’s Electricity Data Explorer. Solar power has also passed windpower for the first time on record. [ET EnergyWorld]
Solar power (Nuno Marques, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Sonnedix, Renfe Ink Major Solar PPA” • Renewables company Sonnedix signed a solar PPA with Spanish national rail network operator Renfe. Under the deal, Renfe will purchase 420 GWh of renewable energy per year to power its commercial operations. The annual energy will be enough to power 112,000 homes and avoid 155,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. [reNews]
US:
¶ “US Wind Clears Last Hurdle For Maryland Project” • US Wind has received an air quality permit for its Maryland offshore wind project, clearing the way for construction to begin. The project had received the go-ahead from the federal government last December, but was awaiting the final required permit from the state of Maryland. [reNews]
Offshore wind turbines (EDF image)
¶ “EV Charging Stakeholders Play The Long Game As US Market Sags” • The outlook for EV sales has dampened the spirits of electrification advocates, but stakeholders in the EV charging industry are still betting that time is running out for gasmobiles. EV charging apps are getting a user-friendly makeover from three leading stakeholders. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Westinghouse Pursues $75 Billion US Nuclear Expansion By 2030, FT Reports” • Westinghouse Electric Company is in talks with US officials and industry partners about deploying ten large nuclear reactors, according to the Financial Times. The reported talks follow President Donald Trump’s May 23 executive orders directing the NRC to reduce regulations. [KCCI]
Byron nuclear plant (Ben Jacobson, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Tesla Moves To Block City Of Austin From Releasing Robotaxi Information” • Tesla is a publicly held company that intends to begin a robotaxi service on public roads in Austin, on June 10. Even though the public is an unwitting (possibly unwilling) party in the experiments, Tesla is fighting fiercely to keep any and all information about them private. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Three States Driving America’s Solar Boom” • In addition to California, some unexpected states have come out on top for green energy production in the US in recent years. Texas and Florida join the Golden State as the top wind and solar energy producers in the US, having invested heavily in increasing their renewable energy capacity. [OilPrice.com]
Have a downright upbeat day.
geoharvey 