China

The sludge that remains after sewage is treated is being turned into electricity in China. Officials at China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development have presented plans for using the solid waste to produce methane, which will be burned to generate power. What remains after the process can then be used as fertilizer. Researchers estimate that sludge-to-energy plants could cut 700,000 tons of emissions per year, a figure comparable to one-third of the emissions produced each day by all the cars on U.S. roads.

Georgia

Images of an enormous tulip tree—along with its entire root system—moving by boat along the coast of the Black Sea are spreading fast across social media in Georgia. The tree, which was uprooted in the western Ajaria region, is being relocated to a new park set up under the direction of the country’s former prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili. While some online commenters find the situation amusing, others are criticizing the scheme — describing it as “idiocy.”

Russia

The oldest reactor at Russia’s Kola Nuclear Power Plant is getting an upgrade that will extend its lifespan to 60 years. The reactor, which went into operation in 1973, was originally designed to run for only three decades, but a 700-million-ruble enhancement will allow it to operate until 2033. Some physicists have expressed concern about the decision, arguing that the reactor technology is outdated and no longer meets international safety standards.

Finland

Street dust season has begun in the far north of Europe, with temperatures rising high enough to melt ice and snow from roads. Over the next few weeks, a cocktail of chemicals will rinse the Helsinki streets free of the dangerous gravel and asphalt dust that builds up over the winter — a process that costs about $2.2 million annually. In the meantime, cyclists and joggers are being urged to avoid major roads and wear face masks.

Tanzania

A variety of salt-tolerant rice identified after the 2011 Japanese tsunami could benefit millions of farmers across Africa, according to Tanzanian researchers. The strain, named SATO1, can boost yields by several hundred percent in salty soil as compared to traditional varieties. Tanzania’s Food and Agriculture Organisation projects there will be four times as many people to feed in Africa by the end of the century, making increases in food production an extremely important topic of research.

Vanuatu

A restroom in the archipelago of Vanuatu is billing itself as the “Best Public Toilet in the South Pacific.” After stallholders in the village of Paunangisu, on the island of Efate, became frustrated that tourist buses weren’t stopping at their market, they landed on the idea of building a top-quality restroom to bring in the crowds. It’s complete with five stalls — two male, two female, and one disabled—and there’s a small fee to use it, but the money will go toward maintenance, water storage, and education for the village. “It’s the place to GO when you need to GO!,” the toilet’s official website declares.