The University of Victoria’s Faculty of Law will soon launch Canada’s first joint common law and Indigenous law program, as long as it secures final quality assurance approval from the provincial government.

Up to 25 students will begin the four-year program in September, which will combine a common law education with Aboriginal legal principles. Graduates are awarded degrees in both Canadian Common Law (Juris Doctor) and Indigenous Legal Orders (Juris Indigenarum Doctor).

Popular British supermarket chain Iceland Foods is planning on eliminating all plastic from its own-brand products by 2023, according to a recent announcement by managing director Richard Walker.

“A truckload [of plastic] is entering our oceans every minute, causing untold damage to our marine environment and ultimately humanity – since we all depend on the oceans for our survival,” wrote Walker in a letter to customers. “The onus is on retailers, as leading contributors to plastic packaging pollution and waste, to take a stand and deliver meaningful change.”

The largest pension fund in the U.S., the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), is studying how the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be integrated into its $357 billion (U.S.) investment portfolio. CalPERS has long been seen as a trendsetter on environmental, social and governance issues.

In late 2015, the United Nations adopted the SDGs, a set of aspirations for the world to realize by 2030. This set of goals, targets and indicators is intended to frame global efforts to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all.

The U.K. government announced plans in January to plant a new “Northern Forest” that would stretch across northern England from Liverpool to Hull.

The project aims to plant 50 million new trees over the next 25 years, helping to reforest one of the least wooded portions of Europe. Only eight per cent of northern England comprises woodlands, compared to 15 per cent in Wales and 18 per cent in Scotland. The U.K. average of 10 per cent woodlands pales in comparison to other European countries, such as Germany’s 33 per cent.

From transportation to electricity generation, technological advancements are shifting the ways we shop, work, live and move around. One remarkable statistic released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance last month showed prices for lithium-ion battery packs dropping 24 per cent in 2016 alone – a vital tool for both the electric transportation and energy storage sectors more broadly.