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Conservation

Danish city put out vending machines for people to return their coffee cups and get paid

Only one year later, and the results speak for themselves.

reusable coffee cup, coffee near me, reducing coffee waste
Reusable/Instagram

Would you use this?

Over 1 billion people worldwide drink coffee every day. That's about 12.6% of the world's population. And of course, there are a bajillion different ways people conjure up their cup of joe, but many opt for swinging by their local café. Problem is, those single-use cups, as we know, create a ton of waste.

Many heavy hitter coffee companies like Starbucks and McDonald’s have made attempts to tackle this issue by incentivizing customers to use reusable cups in exchange for a discount, but one city has a different approach…and it seems to be making a big impact.

One year ago, Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, launched a three-year, first-of-its-kind trial project, where customers can return their reusable coffee cups to automated deposit machines placed throughout town and in return they'll receive a €70-cent rebate back to their debit card.

Once those to-go cups are returned, they’re transported to the TOMRA cleaning/recycling facility, and, barring any damage, will be sent back to participating cafés. According to Euro News, 45 different businesses signed up for the innovative program.

"All of us, we want to have some kind of impact on the amount of trash that's lying around and especially us coffee shops,” said Joe Hougaard, a manager for one of the participating shops.

This scheme is similar to methods introduced by other European countries like Romania, Denmark, and Belgium, which involve deposit systems for returning plastic or glass bottles and cans in exchange for a small refund. However, those machines are only located within supermarkets. The Aarhus system, however, is open air, meaning the machines are located on main shopping streets with a lot of through traffic.

As reported by Daniela De Lorenzo, the project wasn’t an overnight success. Over the initial few weeks after the launch, the return rate was only around 25 per cent, and unfortunately a return rate of 82 per cent would be needed in order for the reusable cups to actually be a better alternative.


However, things turned around in September 2024, when the city held a week-long festival and the reusable cups were exclusively offered. “Many more citizens were exposed to them and around 100,000 cups were returned, an amount which would have filled 1,200 trash bins,” she wrote.

This became a catalyst for change, one that Simon Smedegaard Rossau, project manager for circular packaging at Aarhus Municipality, signaled a noticeable “shift in behavior.”

“We see people going with bags full of cups, which means they recycle in bulk, like for cans and bottles. Now we can see the return rate is 88 per cent, which means a cup is reused 44 times.”

We are only in year one of a three year trial period, but if things continue like this, there are plans to extend the program to plates, pizza boxes and more throughout the city. All of which could be promising for other cities looking for more sustainable systems.

As Tove Andersen, TOMRA CEO, said in a press release, "Aarhus shows the way to one more sustainable future, and we hope that many more cities will be inspired to do the same.”

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Dad's heartfelt lunch message shows how simple, everyday acts can change lives

You can make a huge difference by using O Organics.

via Meg Sullivan (used with permission) and Canva/Photos

A volunteer hands out food in a food bank and Meg Sullivan shares her dad's kind gesture.

When we consider people who have had a positive impact on the world, we often think of those who have made grand gestures to improve the lives of others, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Greta Thunberg, or Mahatma Gandhi. Unfortunately, that type of effort is out of reach for the average person.

However, O Organics would like to remind everyone that they can positively impact the world through small, consistent acts of kindness that add up over time. Much like how a small creek can create a valley over the years, we can change lives through small, consistent acts of kindness.

O Organics is dedicated to the well-being of all by nourishing people everywhere with delicious organic foods grown by producers who meet USDA-certified organic farming standards.

Upworthy's Instagram page recently posted a touching example of everyday kindness. Meg Sullivan shared how her father, Tom, peeled oranges for her lunch just about every day from kindergarten through high school. But on the final day of her senior year of high school, he sent his 17-year-old daughter unpeeled oranges with a touching note about how she’d have to start peeling them for herself.



“It’s Time Baby Girl,” he wrote on a wikiHow printout on how to peel an orange with a drawing of himself crying. For the father, this daily ritual was about more than just making lunch; it was about showing that he cared by going the extra mile. “I could have put money on her lunch account,” Tom told Today.com. “But it’s one of those little things I thought was important, that she knows somebody’s taking the time to take care of her.”

The small, daily gesture taught Megan an essential lesson in kindness.

The post reminded people how their fathers’ small acts of kindness meant so much to them. “My dad peeled my oranges until I graduated high school, too. Now, I peel my daughter’s oranges and will for the next 7 plus years,” Katie wrote in the comments. “Love this. My dad peeled mine, too. When I moved out, he gave me an orange peeler gadget,” Mary added.

o organics, albertson's giving backO Organics has a wide array of foods and flavors covering almost everything on your shopping list.via Albertson's

Did you know that every time you go to the supermarket, you can also change the world through small gestures? O Organics not only allows you to feed your family delicious and nutritious organic food, but each purchase also gives back to help people and communities facing food insecurity.

Through contributions from customers like you, O Organics donates up to 28 million meals annually. The company’s contribution is essential when, according to the USDA, 47.4 million Americans live in food-insecure households.

O Organics has a wide array of foods and flavors covering almost everything on your shopping list. “Over the years, we have made organic foods more accessible by expanding O Organics to every aisle across our stores, making it possible for health and budget-conscious families to incorporate organic food into every meal,” Jennifer Saenz, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer at Albertsons, one of many stores where you can find O Organics products, said in a statement.

O Organics now offers over 1500 items, from dairy products such as eggs and milk to packaged meats and breakfast staples such as cereal bars, granola and oatmeal. You can also enjoy affordable organic produce with O Organics’ fresh salads and fruit.

Everybody wants to make the world a better place. With O Organics, you can feed your family healthy, organic food every time you go to the market while paying it forward by contributing to the company’s efforts to end food insecurity nationwide. That’s a small, daily gesture that can amount to incredible change.

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Education

Job recruiter is surprised when candidate put 671-day streak for Japanese Duolingo on his resume

Clever idea? Or just resume fluff?

@bllshfrv/Reddit, Wikipedia

Nearly two years of learning a language…something's had to have stuck.

In the age of algorithms and keywords and incredibly steep competition, people have to be more strategic and creative than ever to secure a good job. Especially when it comes to drafting a resume that stands out amongst hundreds of others.

Recently, one job recruiter was so impressed by one job seeker’s clever idea of listing their 671-day Duolingo streak—alongside a fluency in English and limited American Sign Language —under the "languages" section in their resume that he decided to share it online.

According to Newsweek, the job recruiter, named Bilal Ashrafov, was pleasantly surprised, and had even considered including something similar on his own resume, “but wasn't sure if it would come across as professional.”

“Seeing someone take that first step made me reflect on its relevance,” he said, noting that “a long-standing Duolingo streak can demonstrate dedication and continuous learning,” even if the popular app only requires a minute of practice a day.

After sharing the resume onto Reddit, others seemed to agree, and commended the potential employee for their innovative approach.

Someone sent a resume with their Duolingo streak under ‘Languages’
byu/bllshrfv induolingo

"Imagine explaining that in an interview—'I'm not just consistent, I'm Duolingo consistent!'" one viewer quipped.

Another commented, "If I was hiring, I would definitely interview this person."

Still another said, "It got noticed, didn't it? Sounds like not too bad of an idea."

Considering that there are a few ways folks can keep their Duolingo streak intact without truly getting proficient in a language, like continuing to purchase streak freezes, this idea might never take on as the new resume must-have. But, on a much broader scale, this story highlights the need to bring a bit of ourselves to our resumes. As the concept of portfolio careers, or a career that includes multiple income streams, rather than a single job title, becomes more and more mainstream, we’ve seen people find great success in listing what they uniquely bring to the table, professional or otherwise.

When it comes to adding resume items that pop, and offer a true reflection for who you really are, think about including:

Soft skills:

These are personal qualities that describe how you work and interact with others, such as conflict resolution or time management, and they are not only gaining importance across the workforce, but are highly transferable across different types of work.

Personal projects:

Whether you got paid for these isn’t paramount here. If you led a community initiative your passionate about, or even have a long-standing blog about something that interests you, this could be included.

Technical skills beyond the job description:

Do you have a proficiency in certain programs, like coding languages, data visualization, project management, etc? Even if a job doesn’t specifically ask for these skills, they could be helpful additions.

Creative or unique hobbies:

You never know what interesting conversations your oddball pastime might inspire, if anything else. So don’t be embarrassed if you’re a wiz a Photoshopping old-timey puppy portraits or engage in recreating Scandinavian folk tunes with GarageBand.

Community involvement:

This can be your volunteering roles, and mentorship programs you might have participated in, or even charities you have close ties to.

Academic achievements:

Include relevant published research papers or presentations, and awards or honors you received during your studies, or any significant contributions you might have made to a research project

These are just a few suggestions to get you started. Include a few, or perhaps your own impressive Duolingo streak, or something else. Just remember, sometimes it pays to think outside the box.

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Parenting

Mom shares 4-part secret to making her home "the house" for her son and his friends.

Con: They eat all your food. Pro: You'll learn to know and trust the people they spend their time with.

hi.im.amywhite/Instagram

I grew up in "the house." In high school, my home was the designated place where my friends gathered, sometimes in big groups, sometimes just my small core squad. My three best friends spent the night there almost every Friday and/or Saturday night for four years straight. We devoured Totino's frozen pizzas by the dozens, inhaled soda, and laid waste to any snacks or leftovers that were brave enough to exist somewhere in the kitchen. Not only that, but my house was pretty small — four teenage boys took up a lot of space in the living room (the whole thing) and made a lot of noise playing video games deep into the night. It must have driven my parents and older brothers crazy. It's a wonder anyone put up with it.

Or, so I thought when I was younger. When I became a parent myself, I started to understand a little more why my mom and dad were so willing to host and feed me and all my friends every single weekend. Why the outrageous grocery bill and constant chaos in the house was probably a small price to pay.

One mom has perfectly encapsulated why turning her home into "the house" for her son and his friends was so valuable and exactly how she did it.


Giphy

Amy White shared a reel on Instagram showing her college-aged son hanging in her dining room with a group of friends playing cards. The text overlay reads "What makes your kids high school friends want to come over, play cards & spend the night on their College Christmas Break". I think most parents can agree that we want our kids to keep coming home as long as possible! So how exactly did White pull this off?

Her explanation in the caption was spot-on.

First, White says that you have to start early. Become "the hang out house" in high school or even earlier. Then you have a better chance of holding onto the mantle into your kid's college years.

Next, be ready to stock the house with snacks and drinks, and don't make a fuss when your kid's friends have at it. "The kids knew we had food," she writes, "BUT they also knew I didn't care what they had. They knew they could eat anything in my pantry and fridge."

Third, and this is a big one, don't mistake being the "cool house" for being "the house." Some parents choose to allow their underage kids and friends to drink alcohol under their supervision, but you don't have to bend your morals and the law to lure the squad over to your place. Pizza and Coke is plenty to keep most teens happy. "We were not the house that served alcohol or even allowed the kids to bring alcohol to our house. And Guess What?? The kids still came and wanted to hang at our house!"

Fourth, always say Yes (as often as possible, anyway) when your kids want to have friends over. "They know my answer is 99% of the time YES," White writes. "You have to have your kids take the leadership of offering your home and if your home was 'open' to their friends in high school, they know it will be 'open' to their friends in college."

As a bonus tip, White pleas with parents not to worry about the mess having friends over makes. "I love a clean house and organization, BUT I would much rather have a crazy messy house for the kids where memories are made than a quiet house with nothing going on just to keep my house 'clean.'"

White writes, "It's worth being 'the house', so let go of control & get to know your kids friends." Commenters agreed.

White's video went viral to the tune of 8.5 million views and hundreds of comments. Parents shared their own experiences of what it's like being the default hang out house.

"Our house was the high school hangout for my son and friends... every weekend... I loved it!! Miss it now that they are all college graduates and have moved away. I love seeing them when they do come home for the holidays"

"A wise man once said don't be the house with the alcohol. Be the house with the food."


Teenagers will ravage your kitchenMichael Richards Eating GIFGiphy

"Amy 1000% agree!!! My house is full of teenagers on the weekends and I love every bit of it. Even though I wake up to a kitchen that looked much different from when I left it"

"we never allowed alcohol, drugs, bad language, always respectful, and guess what, our house was always the house where the kids hung out. First my daughter, then my son. Through grade school, high school, then when my kids went out of state for college their college friends would come spend a couple weeks during the summer. I always thought of it this way, I loved knowing my kids friends and, who knows, maybe some of those kids, especially during the younger years, just maybe those kids just needed an adult to care. Anyway, it was always fun to have them here!"

"It used to crack me up when my daughter would bring over a bunch of her friends (girls and boys) in high school and instead of hanging out in the family room they all wanted to crowd into either the kitchen with me or our tiny office and happily share all the gossip with me."

Experts say that knowing your kids' friends, and their parents, can have huge benefits. Not only will it bring you the peace of mind of knowing where your kid is and who they're with when they get to those crucial high school years, it has been shown to tangibly improve kids ability to create positive relationships and problem-solve collaboratively. Plus, it can actually be really fun! Kids and teens are the funniest, silliest, most interesting people on the planet. Having a house full of them is messy and loud, but it's always a good time.

Just "Don’t feel bad if your house isn’t the chosen house," one commenter reminds us. "Just be happy your kid has a good group of friends and be thankful they have somewhere safe to hang out."

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Pop Culture

Two brothers Irish jigify Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' and somehow make it even better.

The infamous Drake diss gets the Riverdance treatment

gardinerbrothers/TikTok

You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard of Kendrick Lamar and, specifically, the hit song "Not Like Us." Not only was the track the biggest song of the summer of 2024, it also won Lamar a ridiculous five Grammy awards (Song of the Year, Best Rap song, Best Rap Performance, Best Music Video, and even Record of the Year). It was also the lethal dagger in one of the biggest rap beefs in recent history, as the song is a "diss track" that ruthlessly eviscerates rival rapper Drake. Finally, Lamar performed the song in the front of the entire world at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, cementing its place in the cultural zeitgeist. You can't really have a discussion about pop culture and goings on in 2025 without mentioning the rap.

Just when you thought there was nothing more that could possibly be said about the song, the famous Gardiner Brothers — world-champion Irish dancers and TikTok mega stars — decided to drop a little Riverdance-remix.

It started as a joke. The brothers posted a video on TikTok mashing up Kendrick Lamar's moves at the Super Bowl with a few of their own. It playfully poked fun at the light and airy music they often dance to, contrasting Lamar's now famous beat with their own heavy-on-the-fiddle jig tunes.

Then a commenter challenged them to dance to "Not Like Us" for real, and the boys did not disappoint.

@gardinerbrothers

Replying to @Codename:estibestie Just missing the flares 😅 👖 #kendricklamar #notlikeus

Viewers were obsessed with the unique mash up of styles. The footwork on display in the video is hypnotizing, with the clicks and clacks perfectly complimenting the beat of the song and Lamar's lyrics.

"Yeesss McKendrick Lamar," a commenter joked.

"Kendrick O'Lamar," said another.

"Brilliant! Kendrik bringing the whole world together."

"Someone has to send these boys some bootcut flares," one user joked, referencing Lamar's attention-grabbing jeans worn during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Others wished the Brothers could have been included in the Super Bowl performance. It would have made an amazing addition! Just imagine how much more confused America's grandparents would have been if Lamar's politically charged performance, suddenly and without warning, cut to an Irish jig.

Michael and Matthew Gardiner are Irish-American brothers from Denver with millions of followers on social media. These days, they live in Galway, Ireland where they choreograph dances, tour the world, and compete in competitive dance competitions in-between filming content. And yes, they have both performed in Riverdance.

Giphy

TikTok and Instagram reels have helped bring so much exposure to artists, particularly ones that work in a visual medium like dance. It has allowed artists who, before, never would have been able to make money with their craft to build an audience and even, in some cases, earn a living. Some people argue that TikTok is having a negative effect on dance, in the sense that routines are designed for the algorithm and for as much distribution as possible versus from a place of pure creativity. But what's really amazing is that the exposure extends far beyond just modern and street dances. Who would have thought that two guys who specialize in Irish stepdancing could have videos with tens of millions of views?!

"Our vision was just to show how modern, athletic, and versatile Irish dancing can be," Matthew told Dance Spirit. "We also drew inspiration from places like Riverdance, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and other dancers online that are in a different genre, like hip hop. We just wanted to keep pushing the boundaries of Irish dance—hold on to the tradition from the past, but innovate it for the future and see where we can take it.

It says a lot about the beauty and skill of Irish dancing that it can be so flexibly applied across music genres, and to such viral appeal. But it also says a lot about the talent of Kendrick Lamar and how people from all walks of life can appreciate his lyricism and artistry. In other words, Kendrick Lamar and Irish dancing is a surprisingly perfect pairing.

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Mom shares the major reason why people can't afford to have children and how to change it

via Canva/Photos

A couple realizes that can't afford having a child.

Since 2014, the U.S. birthrate has declined by about 2% a year. In 2023, just 3.59 million babies were born, the lowest number since 1979, when the overall US population was about 120 million lower. The precipitous drop in the American birthrate could lead to significant problems with the social safety net because there won't be enough young workers to pay into social security to take care of retired people.

In 2023, the fertility rate was 1.6 births per woman, significantly lower than the 2.1 births per woman necessary to sustain the population. There are many reasons why people aren't having as many children as they did in the past. A big one is that modern American life provides people with so many different lifestyle options that people believe they can live a fulfilled life without children. Others are also concerned about bringing a child into the world, given the state of the environment.

Cost is a significant factor among those who want to have children but are putting it off until their financial situation improves. Thirty-six percent of childless people under 50 say they cannot afford a child. A big reason for the cost is childcare, which has increased 36% over the past decade.

@sheisapaigeturner

People are choosing to have no kids or fewer kids because they simply cannot afford them. The cost of childcare has gone up exponentially over the last 10 to 20 years. On average in the state of Massachusetts it’s about $20,000 a year per child. These rates are unsustainable for most families, which is why more and more people choosing not to have children. Affordable childcare would not only benefit families and children, but it would benefit our economy and society as a whole ##childcare##daycare##daycarelife##childcarecrisis##millennialmom##momsoftiktok##newparents##workingmom

Paige Connell, known as @sheisapaigeturner on TikTok, is a working mom of four who, after seeing what it costs for childcare in Massachusetts, took to TikTok to call for change. “How do you afford kids here? Because nobody knows how anybody is paying for this," Connell shared. “For an infant, for five days a week with 10 hours of care is $664 a week. That is just shy of $35,000 a year for one child, and the price does not drop that much when they hit pre-K,” noting that it costs $521 a week for a child in pre-K, about $28,000 a year.

Things get worse when parents have multiple children to go to daycare, which could run up to $60,000 yearly. Who has an extra $60,000 lying around to pay for childcare? “That is unsustainable for most families. And yes, the cost goes down slightly as they get older, but that doesn't account for that rate sheet, [which is] the annual increase every single September," Conell continues.

childcare, daycare costs, inflationA teacher taking care of children at a daycare.via Canva/Photos

Things get even more dire as the costs of mortgages and other necessities have risen astronomically over the past few years. "The older generations have zero idea how serious younger people are when they say we can't afford kids," TwinDadTim wrote in the comments. "Yup. My husband and I are both professionals who make good money, and we just had our first (and likely only) child. Daycare, diapers, and formula together cost as much as our mortgage," J.TT added.

Connell believes that the only way to solve this is for the government to subsidize childcare costs, as they do in many other developed countries. Americans spend the highest percentage of their incomes on daycare compared to other developed nations. “If we had affordable childcare, it would not only benefit families and children it would benefit the economy. It would benefit businesses and it would benefit us as a greater society. The economy would be better for it,” Connell concludes her video. “This is not just a parent problem, right? But like people constantly are looking at adults who are married or of birthing years and saying, ‘Why aren't you having kids? And we’re looking around saying, ‘How could we possibly have kids when we can't even afford to buy a house?’”

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Humor

Woman gets call from upset teacher over cousin to sneaking in grandson's bedroom at night

Cousin Vicky just can't seem to stay out of the kids' bedrooms at night.

Photo credit: Canva

Woman gets upset call over cousin sneaking into grandchild's bedrooms

Every caregiver welcomes positive phone calls from teachers or school administrators. It gives you and the child a boost for the day, and sometimes it can be the thing that turns your day around. But every phone call can't be about a good deed that a child has done, some school communications are the kind that are needed to get to the bottom of something or express a concern.

These more serious calls can be uncomfortable for everyone involved as well as scary due to not knowing how the other party will react. Dawn Marie is a grandmother that helps take care of her grandchildren, so the children have their own bedrooms and clothes at her house. Recently, Dawn was a recipient to one of the more uncomfortable phone calls schools sometimes have to make, but this wasn't about her grandson's behavior.

The phone call was much more concerning that she was prepared to handle. Turns out her grandson has been complaining to his teachers that his cousin Vicky comes into his room and hides under his bed late at night. Doing what any teacher would, she asked the small child if he informed an adult to which the child responded that he has told his grandmother about it several times and she won't stop Vicky. Clearly, this is not a situation to be taken lightly based on the information the child is giving to his teachers which is why they reached out to Dawn for clarification.

Tv Land Running GIF by Teachers on TV LandGiphy

The grandmother was shocked by her grandchild's confession but not because they boy's story was untrue. Dawn admits in a video uploaded to TikTok that her grandson was absolutely telling the truth. Vicky does come into his bedroom at night but she also goes into the bedroom of his sibling as well and she had no intention of stopping it for a very unexpected reason.

"He also told them that he has expressed to me that he was afraid of her and I just say, 'she's not doing anything to you.' So they asked my grandson if Vicky was a dog, a cat, or an animal of some sort and he said 'no, Vicky is my cousin.' He also said that there are times that I do go into his room and I go under his bed to get Vicky and I put her in the kitchen and I make her stay there all night," the woman says before continuing. "Y'all I gotta stop playing around with my grandkids because I have jokingly said that Vicky was their cousin and he really took that to heart because Vicky happens to be..."

@dawnlewinsky5 ‼️I tell my kids their cousin Vicky does more in the house then all of them combined. She is welcomed and should be treated with respect‼️#fyp #foryoupage #joke #storytime #family #story #school #momlife #kidsoftiktok #contentcreator #influencer ♬ original sound - Dawn Marie

The woman's camera cuts to a Verslife robot vacuum on a charging port. Dawn then explains that Vicky, the robot vacuum is on a timer to clean the floors from 1 AM to 2 AM so she can work while everyone is asleep and nothing is on the floor. This makes it easier for Dawn to wake up in the morning to mop the floors but her grandson didn't explain that pertinent bit of information to his teachers. Likely because in his eyes, Vicky was in fact his cousin due the the joke his grandmother made. People thought the innocent mistake was quite hilarious.

"They was about to call CPS on you over Vicky," one person laughs.

"As a teacher I would had been dying laughing finding out it was a vacuum cleaner," someone writes.

Clean Up Animation GIF by NickelodeonGiphy

"I hollered when you revealed Vicky," another giggles.

"Them ppl was gonna be coming to take u down, and I’m thinking Vicky was a ghost," someone else shares.

One person asked the question on everyone's mind, "please explain how you explain that to the school cuz that was funny," before Dawn answers, "I let them finish and then I simply said but Vicky is my robot vacuum. She does more than he does around here and we laughed."

Let this be a hilarious lesson to parents and caregivers with young children, when giving your robot vacuum human names, be sure you inform the child that when they tell others about it to include that it is indeed a robot. That certainly could've ended with a knock at the door from child protective services, thankfully it only ended in a belly laugh for everyone involved.

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