A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
Straws. When you buy a drink in a restaurant or pub, or order take-out food, you’re often given a straw. It seems small and insignificant – but it’s not. They are only used once and then they become garbage – and they persist in the environment for a long time. If you pick up litter, you’ll know just how common they are. Fish mistake them for food and eat them (and we eat the fish!).
Summer is peak time for straw use, so now is the time to take action. “Simply request ‘no straw’ at bars & restaurants, and share your commitment with others,” says The Last Plastic Straw, an organization spreading the word about the waste.
If you want a straw at home, use a reusable one (you can wash it with the other dishes). Bring one with you if you like a straw when dining out or getting take-away food. Or get paper straws – made from recycled paper of course – they will degrade.
If you’re a business, don’t provide a straw unless a customer requests it – and then supply reusable or compostable ones. Or don’t offer them at all. You can watch a short, fun Australian video here.
Are you planning a vacation? We all enjoy time away to relax and recharge our batteries while on holiday.
Did you know that you can make your next trip a lot more green and ecofriendly – and enjoy it even more too?
But be aware – eco tourism is probably NOT what you think! Find out why here.
Last week I mentioned the new Russian satellite Mayak. Successfully launched, it’s now the 2nd brightest object in the night sky, after the moon.
Mayak catches sunlight and reflects it to Earth. Its purpose is to test new ways of measuring the brightness of satellites. But it’s also going to test a new method of slowing down a satellite for re-entry. If successful, it could enable future satellites to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere more easily and burn up there, potentially reducing the clutter in orbit.
Want to see it? It won’t be in the sky for very long—only about a month, so act fast! You can use this satellite tracking program to spot it where you live.
I knew that going vegetarian – or even just reducing the amount of meat we eat – is good for us (and of course it’s good for animals too). But there are also so many other benefits!
Read this quality guest post and see why a plant-based diet is such a win-win-win!
Global Green News:
A volunteer army in India planted more than 66 million trees in 12 hours as part of a record-breaking environmental pledge. More than 1.5 million people gathered on July 2 to plant the trees – under the Paris Agreement, India agreed to reforest 12 percent of its land to help improve the environment. (There are plans to make sure the trees are cared for to help them grow).
The Jambato harlequin frog used to be common in Ecuador – but populations collapsed about 30 years ago, probably as a result of climate change and a fungal disease. None had been seen since, so a research centre offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who could find any of the long-lost frogs. One young Ecuadorian schoolboy and his family made it a project. And when he found some, it not only paid for his education, but may also result in the resurrection of the species!
You know that China has the world’s largest floating solar farm. Now it has the “cutest” land-based solar farm – in the shape of a Giant Panda. Isn’t it adorable?
As the permafrost thaws in northern countries due to rising temperatures, Siberia is discovering pockets of highly flammable methane. Not only are there explosive risks, but methane is a potent greenhouse gas, adding to climate change. You can see a video here.
US Green News:
Duke Energy is the US’ largest energy provider. After messing up North Carolina’s Dan River in 2014 (one of its waste pits leaked), it has now contaminated drinking water wells with coal ash. And the best bit? Duke wants its customers to pay for the clean up! It will cost over $5 billion, so Duke has requested a rates hike for over 1 million N. Carolina residents. Unbelievable!
The “Little Free Library” concept is spreading across the US. Now it’s spawned a new movement – the “Little Free Pantry”. They allow neighbors to give to those in their community – or take food for free as needed, helping to fight hunger and show neighborly love.
Rising seas could force a large-scale retreat from U.S. shores within decades. A new study shows that without drastic climate action to reduce emissions, parts of every coastal county in the continental United States will experience “chronic flooding that makes normal routines impossible” — including 24 percent of the city of Boston, 33 percent of Virginia Beach, and 54 percent of Miami. Some especially vulnerable places, like Miami Beach (94 percent) and Galveston, Texas, (90 percent) would be essentially uninhabitable. The report predicts that relocation will be the only option in these areas.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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