A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
I think this is just incredible. Scientists have found that. as climate change has become worse, plants have adapted – to help the situation!
Amazingly, plants are not only using less water, but also boosting their carbon dioxide absorption by 17 percent compared to 30 years ago. Wow!
By soaking up our CO2 (from us using fossil fuels) and becoming more water-wise, they’re helping to postpone the catastrophic effects of global warming, together with the oceans and the soil. Of course, they can’t solve it all – but how amazing that plants are seeing the need and adapting accordingly.
Now we humans need to adapt as well, and stop using fossil fuels and plastics.
Stress. Most of us suffer stress at some stage in our lives. It’s not good.
Luckily, there are natural ways to reduce it – and that means you don’t need to rely on medication, nor do you need to suffer.
I’ve put my favorite method at number one – yum! See the 5 ways to reduce stress naturally here.
What to see in the sky this August – it’s a busy month!
- The full moon on August 7th is called the Sturgeon Moon due to the ready availability of those fish.
- If you want to see shooting stars, now is the best time – the Perseid meteor shower peaks on the evening of Aug. 12. You might see 60 to 200 shooting stars per hour – it is regarded as one of the best celestial light shows of the year. Look north towards the constellation Perseus. Because the moon will be three-quarters full, you’ll need to search out a nice dark sky to escape any light pollution from cities and towns.
- Of course, the big event this month is the total solar eclipse on August 21, which is visible across the United States – millions of people will travel to view the phenomenon. I have traveled to many fascinating parts of the world to view total eclipses (the Gobi desert in China, a remote wilderness in Zambia, Africa were some of my favorites), and each time I am simply awestruck. If you are not on the line of totality, you may see a partial eclipse depending on where you are. Be sure to wear special eclipse glasses to protect your eyesight.
Did you know you should be eating garnish?
Yes, that nice, green, fresh-looking garnish that restaurants use to finish off their dishes.
In particular, parsley. It’s so commonplace now that we tend to just ignore it. But it has some great health benefits – and you don’t need to eat much of it to reap the rewards. Here’s what you need to know.
Global Green News:
You may remember that French president Emmanuel Macron encouraged climate scientists to come and work in France – especially scientists from the US. “Here, you are welcome,” he said.
Well, it seems that it’s working. Many researchers have applied – most looking for short sabbaticals, but more than 150 have applied to stay for four or more years. It’s a sad loss for America.
US Green News:
Do you know what’s in your drinking water? I’m a huge fan of the EWG – they do an annual survey of produce with the most and least pesticide residue. Now they’ve created a new database where you can type in your zip code and find out what contaminants are in your water. The group then recommend water filters that are best for removing those nasties. You can find the database here.
If you enjoy camping, or traveling with a camper van, you’ll know that it can be quite difficult to find a good spot to stay overnight. Camping is very green and ecofriendly as it has a low carbon footprint, so I was pleased to find a new website called Hipcamp.com which lists sites across North America (and is spreading further afield too). It’s a bit like AirBnB, but for camping. You can choose the type of accommodation you want. Plus there’s a section for available spots from which to see the total solar eclipse (see Sky, above).
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Please spread the Green word and share this info.
And if you’re on Twitter, get a daily green tip by following me – @EcoExpert1 . See you there!
