Archive for Go Green
Land, sea and air - how our noise pollution is impacting other creatures
Posted by: | CommentsWe tend to think of pollution as something we can see or at least quantify, whether it be a river strewn with waste, a harbour full of plastic bags, or broken glass along the side of a highway. We are also aware of the damage we do to our air quality as we read about the particles of pollutants in the air we breathe or the ominous impacts to our ozone layer. Sometimes however our pollution impacts our environment simply due to what we consider our evolution and animals suffer from something we can’t even see - noise pollution. I was amazed to read about some of the ways our progress is impacting animals in terms of noise and wanted to share some examples with you.
Female gray tree frogs struggle to listen for and then locate male frogs who seek them during the mating season. The reason is the ever growing
noise from traffic near to their habitats. The population declines as the different species either struggle to find a potential partner or in the case of the European tree frog they’ve simply stopped trying by limiting their calls to ‘occasional’ versus the instinctive constant. A frogs way of saying I can’t compete with your noise.
The hermit crab evolved to have the ultimate in protection from enemies via their shells but this provides no buffer from noise. Studies show that the noise emitted from boats traveling nearby confuses the crabs to the extent that they fail to notice or hear the predators who seek them in the water. Delayed response time due to confusion results in the crabs being caught as prey rather than making safe in their shells. Hermit crabs that live in quieter locales survive at a much higher rate as their evolved protection in doing the trick - they react quicker and live longer.
We’ve made it harder for the creatures that fly also, as many bats, owls and birds, are finding noises from planes, construction, machinery and vehicle traffic is changing the way they live. Environmental noise has been shown to impact the way that bats and owls seek and hunt for prey. Bats such as the Bechstein’s bat are less likely to hunt in noisy areas and will move to other areas that don’t provide equivalent food sources and starve. Many waterbirds, birds of prey, and starlings have adapted to urban volumes by simply being louder themselves, other birds with lower frequencies are not as able to change their tunes, which potentially causes them to fail to communicate with and find each other for mating.
Sadly we are even having negative noise related impacts under the ocean waves as noise from sonar, commercial shipping and drilling for oil and gas are causing great harm. It appears that whales, dolphins and porpoises can become scared by the high-pitch sounds, causing them to surface in too shallow water that is beyond their physical limits and beach themselves. Communication within these species also falls foul of noise pollution like sonar, which has caused some dolphins to go temporarily deaf and whales to be separated from their calves. The potential problems in the the oceans may be the most perilous of all as due to climate change, the oceans are expected to get noisier as molecules that absorb sound waves are being changed as the water becomes more acidic. Some are predicting that sound absorption in the ocean may decrease by 60 percent and that underwater noise may travel 70 percent further in the future as a result of climate change.
The fragile ecology of our earth never sounded so at risk.
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Upcycle with these 5 unique ways to repurpose your old jeans
Posted by: | CommentsIn today’s more environmentally conscious world, people are finding unique ways to upcycle by repurposing old jeans. When you upcycle, it means you are converting something that is no longer useful to you into something new and different with better quality. Therefore, you’re turning something useless that would otherwise be waste into something functional and new. So, if you don’t wear those old jeans any longer, it doesn’t mean they are useless. Repurposing your jeans is a great way to go green while being imaginative. Call it eco-friendly craft-making with a fabric that’s extremely durable and machine-washable.
We’ve linked the upcycle ‘how to’s’ for these 5 ways to repurpose your old jeans:
1) Shopping bags – make your own fashionable denim shopping tote.
2) Quilt – cut out denim square patterns to create your own unique quilt.
3) Blue Jean Notebook – when your child is looking for a little extra flare in the classroom, this is the perfect craft for them.
4) Apron – a stylish apron for the cook in the kitchen.
5) Baby Bibs - a practical, durable, washable and cute solution for mealtime.
And here’s 3 more common ways for you purists out there:
Traditionalists typically repurpose jeans into shorts or a denim skirt, or even a new pair of jeans for your toddler. There are so many ways to repurpose your old jeans that it really gives you an opportunity to be creative.
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The 82nd Academy Awards, even Oscar is greener
Posted by: | CommentsSo did you watch the 82nd Academy Awards last night? Did you notice (when you weren’t grinning at images of George Clooney or Keira Knightley) that a number of the nominated films had an eco-theme to them? You probably spotted at least one as it was nominated for almost everything (9 nominations in all) including best picture but there were four films in total that had a semblance of green or environmental messages contained within.
Hollywood gathers every March to honour the most creative and talented movie-makers in the industry but last night marked the first Oscars ceremony that so many films which asked their respective audiences to consider matters green were all nominated. In years past the closest we tended to get to films with a global message about sustainability were typically apocalyptic in nature but last nights nominations asked questions both large and small about the way in which we live. So before I get started can you think of the four films that went before the Academy for consideration?
I’ll start with the most obvious, that being James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar. The film that has now broken all global box office records didn’t win the biggest prizes on offer for Best Picture or Director but in terms of influence you have to acknowledge the audience worldwide. In just 12 weeks the film has grossed some $2.6 billion and remarkably more than 70% of that is from markets outside the US making the film a record breaker in all markets. Has the green message of the film been lost on those who were captivated by the special effects? Research suggests no and that it was impossible to disregard the message in relation to the future of our planet - Cameron suggests the film was to be ‘motivational and ‘a cautionary tale’.
The second film you may have seen, as it received just the one nomination (best documentary feature) and also won it. The Cove was more than a film, it serves as a call to activism which you can certainly support via their website. I won’t give away everything as it’s a film that should be explored on a personal basis but the synopsis is as accurate as can be:
Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery, adding up to an unforgettable story that has inspired audiences worldwide to action.
Our third green Oscar nominated film was a documentary that I reviewed on the blog back in November, and like ‘The Cove’ I heartily recommend that you take the time to rent or download a copy of ‘Food Inc’. It’s a film that at best will change the way you consume food or at worst will make you suggest others watch the film. We have to review the way we gather, raise and process our food. It really is as simple as that.
Finally something a little lighter but no less pertinent. I’ll even give you a clue that it was created from the book by the wonderful (and marginally subversive) Roald Dahl. Dahl had an uncanny knack of combining children’s stories with messages that reflected just how much the adults have taken us away from our goals as a society. If that seems a lofty goal for a kid’s film its because you’ve yet to see the ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ which manages to combine both. The film, nominated for best animated feature film and best original score features Mr Fox leading a campaign against a collection of evil farmers. You need to see it!
So if you are hoping to see the Oscar nominated films one wet weekend, why not start with these four?
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Meatless Monday with Porcini Parsley Pasta from Rachel Ray
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It is another Meatless Monday and we find ourselves asking the all important question: What’s for dinner? Well, here is an eco-friendly organic recipe, that is easy to make and the ingredients are readily available. This recipe comes courtesy of my favorite food-network-personality-turned-daytime-talk-show-host Rachel Ray. This recipe does say that you can use either vegetable or chicken stock, but please remember that if you want the taste of chicken stock without having meat in the pasta you can use an eco-friendly organic vegetarian chicken stock mix. Another way to make this an even healthier meal is to use either whole wheat or spelt pasta, whichever you can find in your supermarket.
Ingredients:
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 pound pappardelle or fettuccine noodle Pasta
- 1 quart vegetable or vegetarian chicken stock
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 large organic shallots, chopped
- 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- A wedge of Pecorino Romano cheese, for grating at the table
Preparation:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Drain.
- While the pasta is working, in a saucepan, simmer the vegetable stock and porcinis until the mushrooms have softened, 15 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 7-8 minutes. Add the wine and reduce heat to low.
- Read More→
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