Dumpster dive | October 22, 2023

• Thanks to one of my favorite podcasts, "My Favorite Murder," I learned that body farms are research facilities "where decomposition of humans and other animals can be studied in a variety of settings." Creepy and weird, but especially helpful in the advancement of forensic anthropology and forensic science. If you're feeling brave, you can take a virtual tour of one. (Warning: dead bodies ahead.) [National Geographic]

• Coca-Cola, recently inducted into the GIC Hall of Shame, sent a cease-and-desist letter to an indigenous woman in Colombia for using the word "coca" in her Coca-Pola beer. She didn't back down and sent her own cease-and-desist letter right back to Coca-Cola. [NPR]

• Speaking of beverages, here's a hysterical example of how one person's trash is another person's treasure. Author/film-maker Oobah Butler struck liquid gold when he turned bottles of Amazon drivers' pee into a #1 bestseller on Amazon. You can stream the documentary on Channel4. [Vice]

• Over the next decade, the US plans to phase out single-use plastics from public lands, including national parks and wildlife refugees. Good news for sure, but ten years to implement some common sense changes seems painfully slow. [Reuters]

• I cringe when I hear people say "the youth will save the planet" (climate responsibility lies with ALL of us, regardless of age), but the youth are making a name for themselves, and I applaud the effort: Six young people take 32 countries to court over climate change. [CNN]

• Seven things you didn't know are illegal to throw away: Batteries, car batteries, electronics, paints, gasoline, fluorescent light bulbs, and thermometers. Check with your local municipal waste facility for guidance on proper disposal. [Tom's Guide]

• Related, LifeHacker offers guidance for recycling old phone chargers and cords.

Photo by the blowup on Unsplash