Odds are your air-conditioning unit has been working pretty hard lately. That can translate to a hefty electric bill, but there are ways to help your AC run more efficiently. Three experts recently interviewed by the Associated Press recommended raising the temperature by a few degrees when you’re leaving the house for an extended period. It’s a happy medium between letting it run cold all day with no one home (which is unnecessary) and constantly turning it off and on again (which can reduce efficiency and increase both mold risk and wear and tear). Learn more about the strategy, including how much you may be able to save.
California’s New Food Expiration Label Law Aims to Reduce Food Waste
FangXiaNuo—iStock/Getty Images Plus
With grocery costs in constant flux, there are plenty of tips and tricks out there to help us all save money on food. And now, a California law that took effect last week is making it easier to reduce unnecessary food waste with a new labeling system that could be a win for both the planet and residents’ wallets.
The law nixes “sell by” labels, which, much to the confusion of many shoppers, are not actually indicative of when something may go bad but rather for businesses to keep track of product rotation. Instead, all food products in the Golden State will now have “use by” and “best if used by” labels. The former indicates the date by which a food product is no longer safe to eat, while “best if used by” is the date by which a product is at its peak freshness or quality. “Freeze by” and “best if frozen by” are also acceptable under the new law.
The key is that the labels are unambiguous, so people aren’t throwing food and money out the window unnecessarily. “Before this, there was no standardization, so you really couldn’t trust what the terms meant because one company might mean one thing, and another company might mean a different thing with the exact same words,” Nick Lapis, the director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste, which co-sponsored the bill, told NPR.
Lapis noted that about one-fifth of food waste stems from confusion about expiration dates. So whether you’re in California or not, he advised another simple way to gauge if something is still good to eat: “Smell it.”
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Inside the International Plan to Save One of the World’s Rarest Birds From Extinction
Chester Zoo
The Javan green magpie, with its vibrant lime-hued feathers and distinctive call, is a striking sight. Yet, scientists who scoured 12 mountains on the Indonesian island of Java failed to spot a single one. With less than 250 of the birds believed to exist worldwide, the species is on the brink of extinction, so conservationists have hatched an emergency action plan to hopefully boost its population.
“This is a bird that most people have never heard of, and that’s part of the problem. The Javan green magpie is running out of time — and running out of places to hide,” Andrew Owen, head of birds at England’s Chester Zoo and co-author of the plan, said in a press release.
In late 2025, bird specialists from Chester Zoo were among 48 international experts who traveled to Java to develop the scheme, which will be implemented over the next decade. Action steps include tackling bird trapping, habitat loss, and the illegal online songbird trade as well as bolstering an ongoing conservation breeding program. The plan also spotlights the bird’s cultural significance in Indonesia.
While continued breeding is vital to the critically endangered species’ survival, Owens acknowledged that it can’t be the sole solution. “Thisnew action plan is about giving the species a future in the wild,” he said. “That’s what drives us.”
Health
How Florida YMCAs Are Helping Kids With Autism Stay Safe in the Water
Oleg Breslavtsev—Moment/Getty Images
Kids with autism are 160 times more likely than other children to die from drowning, according to a 2017 study. To change that statistic, the YMCA of South Florida launched Swim Buddies, a program that provides subsidized, one-on-one swim lessons for children with disabilities.
Unlike traditional group lessons, Swim Buddies customizes instruction to each child’s specific needs, teaching core survival skills like floating, blowing bubbles, and going under water and coming back up. “We come at everything with a whole-person approach instead of just a physical approach. We do the physical, the emotional, the social,” Garland Jones, a recreational therapist who oversees the special needs program, told NPR.
Augusto Sandino, whose son participates in Swim Buddies, added that the financial support aspect goes a long way: “People who don’t have kids on the spectrum don’t take in mind that we’re paying a lot already for stuff like behavioral therapy, speech, occupational therapy. ... So every little bit helps.”
In Other News
Kelsey Pfendler made history as the fastest person to row solo from California to Hawaii (read more)
Gus the T. rex is headed to auction next week with a staggering starting bid of $19 million (read more)
Scientists made an artificial cell that can feed, grow, and replicate, shedding light on the origins of life (read more)
A “once-in-a-generation” expedition will go deep in the North Atlantic to explore two historic shipwrecks (read more)
Australia’s lovably rebellious seal, Neil, has such a fan club that officials issued a statement on his behalf (read more)
Inspiring Story
When life gives you nectarines
After a contract dispute prohibited California farmer Cesar Mora from selling his bounty of nectarines, he decided to give the fresh produce away for free — more than 100,000 pounds worth. “It does make a grower feel good, being able to share my fruit with people and see their immediate reaction that they love it,” Mora said. See pics of the free fruit bonanza.
Photo of the Day
Dario Belingheri—Velo/Getty Images
The 113th edition of the Tour de France started in Barcelona over the weekend. The second of the 21 stages saw a very heartwarming conclusion, as defending champ Tadej Pogačar gifted the victory to his teammate Isaac Del Toro so that the young rider could claim his first Tour de France stage victory. “He is a champion, a great man, a great friend. He deserves the victory, I have no words,” Pogačar said of his protégé at the finish line. Watch the moment.
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