Supermarket chain Ekoplaza has piloted a ?world first? plastic-free supermarket aisle in Amsterdam, prompting calls from campaigners for retailers to roll them out in more places. Goods within the aisle will carry the Plastic Free Mark, a label introduced by A Plastic Planet to help shoppers easily identify products that are completely free of plastic packaging. Plastic-free aisles are seen as an innovative way of testing the compostable biomaterials that offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic packaging. www.inkl.com/glance/news/netherlands-opens-world-s-first-plastic-free-supermarket-aisle-as-uk-urged-to-follow-example?

Germany has surprised neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free. The proposal will be tested by the end of this year in five cities across western Germany, including former capital Bonn and industrial cities Essen and Mannheim. Countries that fail to keep to EU limits could face legal action at the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest tribunal, which can levy fines on member states. www.inkl.com/newsletters/morning-edition/news/germany-eyes-free-public-transport-to-banish-air-pollution?

The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) will be the first to use a blockchain-based system to record who owns shares of listed companies, and to keep track of transactions and settlements when people buy and sell shares. The ASX?s blockchain will greatly simplify this process. Instead of having to reconcile trades against a centralised database, the verification of ownership and settling of accounts can be done directly between participants (as is done with Bitcoin trades). This is much simpler, faster and more secure. A startup, Digital Asset Holdings, will supply the technology. www.asx.com.au/documents/asx-news/ASX-Selects-DLT-to-Replace-CHESS-Media-Release-7December2017.pdf?

To get puppies used to grass for toileting Potty Plant delivers small pieces of lawn to your home each week. You buy the base in the first week and the lawn goes in it. It's said to be the only in-home toilet training system for puppies and dogs delivered to your door - perfect if you live in an apartment. https://pottyplant.com.au/

Safe driving requires good judgement and sharp concentration. You also need to react quickly to changing situations on the road. Drug driving puts everyone on the road at risk. NSW research shows that the presence of?illegal drugs is?now involved in more fatal crashes than drink driving. Mobile Drug Testing (MDT) has been introduced to operate alongside Random Breath Testing (RBT) for alcohol by police in NSW. MDT detects drivers who have recently used three common illegal drugs: ecstasy, cannabis and speed (including ice). A test for cocaine is being planned soon because of concerns about its increasing use. The roadside tests involve a saliva test. If the initial saliva test indicates positive, then the driver must undertake a second saliva swab at a mobile drug bus or police station.  

Rather than selling your solar power to the grid cheap and buying it back at a higher price, Redflow ZCell batteries let you store your own solar energy for when you need it. It gives you greater energy independence and keeps your lights on when grid power blacks out. Australia is the ideal place for energy storage in the home or business, with high energy costs, widespread solar panel deployment and rapidly disappearing government solar feed-in tariffs, and this tech was developed in Australia. www.redflow.com