Nordic countries are often said to be some of the happiest in the world — and they may be some of the most sustainable places to visit too.

If you're not sure what it means to travel sustainably, the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index may be able to help.

Now in its ninth year, it ranks places across the world based on things like destination management and environmental performance.

One hundred destinations were included in the 2024 index, with Helsinki in first place.

More than 50% of the Finnish capital's electricity is renewable, more than 30% of its buses are electric, and 49% of its waste is recycled.

Helsinki has also set a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, and there are lots of green spaces around the city — almost 10,000 hectares per 100,000 people, according to Condé Nast Traveler.

Helsinki has previously ranked well in the GDS index, coming in fourth place in 2023, although this is the first time it's taken the top spot.

"Being named the world's most sustainable travel destination is proof of the long-term work that has been done in Helsinki," Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen said.

The other cities in the GDS' top five for 2024 are also in Nordic countries, with Gothenburg in second place. The city, which is in the west of Sweden, ranked first in 2023.

Copenhagen, Denmark, ranked third, Norway's Bergen came in fourth, and another Danish city, Arthus, was in fifth place.

Most of the top 20 cities were in Europe, too, with the exception of Singapore in seventh place, Sydney, Australia, in 10th place, and Goyang, South Korea, in 16th place.




Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Finnish Capital Ranked Most Sustainable in Travel

Different students learn better in different ways, and it's important to find a way to study that works best for you. Here are some things that you can try to help you study better.

Make a plan
Decide when, where and for how long you are going to study. If you decide what you need to get done every time you study, then it will be easier to achieve your goals. Also, if you do smaller amounts of work regularly, you won't have the stress of needing to cram everything just before an important exam.

Test yourself on what you've learned
After you read something, you should test yourself on it. And instead of just doing it once, do it often. Try to test yourself days and weeks after you first learn something to make sure you really remember it. You can also work with a friend to test each other.

Take a break
Research has shown that taking breaks can help you work or study better. A study by the company DeskTime found that the most productive people work for about 52 minutes at a time, then take a 17-minute break in between. So when making your study plan, don't forget to include breaks in it.

Stay healthy
Getting exercise and sleeping well can actually help you study. Research has found that regular exercise can improve both memory and thinking skills, while sleeping helps the brain save new information.

Easy Ways to Study More Effectively

From Two Sales to Bestseller: UK Author Goes Viral
When English author Vicky Ball sold two of her books at an event in December, she was delighted.

She shared the news on X, and said she was pleased because at some previous events she had not sold any books at all.

But she's now sold many more copies than that, after her post went viral and was seen millions of times by people around the world.

Her first novel, called Powerless, quickly climbed up Amazon's bestseller lists in the teen and young adult categories.

Ball, who is 48, told The Guardian that it was "amazing" to hear from people around the world who had bought her books.

Her second novel — Abandoned — has also been doing well on Amazon, and has gotten good reviews from customers.

Like so many authors, Ball had to fit in her writing around her work and family life.

She wrote her first book during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. She was working as a teacher at that time, so she spent weekends writing with her laptop on her knees.

Now Ball works at a university, and she's also studying writing in her free time.

She also said she's gotten lots of support from other writers on social media.

Asked by The Guardian if she had advice for other authors she said: "Just write!"

She said she begins writing before she has planned all of her story. "It's like a journey," she said. "You never know where it's going to go."

From Two Sales to Bestseller: UK Author Goes Viral

Pizza is one of the world's most popular fast foods. It's believed that over 5 billion pizzas are sold around the world every year. In the US alone, people buy about 3 billion pizzas each year, which is about 46 slices per person!

But it wasn't always as popular as it is today — in fact, it used to be looked down on, even by Italians!

The modern pizza we know today started in Naples, Italy, in the 18th century. Poor people in the city needed cheap food that was easy to eat as they looked for work. Street vendors sold them pizzas with simple toppings like garlic and tomatoes.

For a long time, pizza was looked down on as food for the poor, and visitors to Naples thought it was dirty and unappealing.

But this changed in 1889, when Queen Margherita of Italy tried pizza and loved it. The pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil was named after her, and pizza started to become a national dish in Italy.

Pizza became a favorite in the US after Italian immigrants brought it with them. It became especially popular in cities like New York, and new styles like Chicago deep dish and Hawaiian were invented.

And it became even more popular with the invention of frozen pizza, which let people make their own pizzas at home.

Today, pizza is enjoyed around the world, with many different toppings and styles. But its basic form hasn't changed very much from all those years ago.



From Poverty to Popularity: The History of Pizza

You may sometimes notice people at airports wearing a green lanyard with sunflowers on it. This is usually worn by people who have a hidden disability — disabilities that can't always be seen from the outside, such as learning difficulties or autism.

But soon, you might start noticing the Sunflower lanyard somewhere new: Lego pieces.

The toy company announced on December 3 — International Day of Persons with Disabilities — that it has partnered with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, the UK company that first created the lanyards in 2016.

Lego is releasing three sets featuring the lanyard: one for its Duplo toys, which are for kids under the age of 8; an airport set for older children; and a set with over 3,000 pieces for adults. The sets will go on sale between January and June 2025.

People will also be able to add the Sunflower lanyard when customizing their own Lego pieces at official Lego stores in parts of Europe and North America.

The Lego Group said it's proud to have created what it calls "the world's first toys to feature the official Sunflower lanyard," and hopes the sets will promote inclusion for people of different ages and with different disabilities.

On Lego's website, Martin Moxness, an adult Sunflower lanyard user, said seeing the lanyard on Lego pieces will help normalize hidden disabilities.

"As a child, this would have been life-changing and would have made me feel seen and accepted," he added.

According to the World Health Organization, one in six people around the world lives with some form of disability, many of them hidden. Disability inclusion is an important part of achieving health for all, it said.

Over 280 airports around the world now recognize the Sunflower lanyard, Hidden Disabilities said.

Lego Announces New Toys with 'Hidden Disability' Lanyards

Saudi Arabia scored a big win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally named as the 2034 men's soccer World Cup host on December 11.

For the last year, there hasn't been too much doubt that Saudi Arabia would be confirmed as host, as the only other contender — Australia — had withdrawn from the contest to host the World Cup.

Awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia has been seen as controversial by some soccer observers.

That's mostly because of the country's human rights record. Some have said that Saudi Arabia is using sports to divert attention from social or environmental problems, something that's known as sportswashing.

Saudi Arabia has denied this is the case.

The World Cup may be a number of years away but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered about the tournament, from where games will be played to how workers' rights will be protected.

Saudi Arabia aims to host all 104 games, though there has been speculation that some games could be played in neighboring or nearby countries.

Currently, 15 stadiums have been proposed, although eight are still on paper. They include a 92,000-seat venue planned in Riyadh and another near the capital that's set to be on top of a 200-meter cliff.

The timing may also be an issue. The tournament may have to be moved from the traditional period of June and July to the cooler months of November and December.

This also happened for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, although it wasn't a move that was popular among European soccer clubs, who had their domestic seasons interrupted.

The question of workers' rights was also discussed before and during the competition in Qatar. Saudi Arabia has promised to reform and enforce labor laws, and fully respect migrant workers, but some human rights groups are skeptical.

In the meantime, there are still World Cups in 2026 and 2030 to think about!