France becomes first country in the world to ban plastic plates, cups and utensils. replacements will need to be made from biologically sourced materials that can be composted.
The new law comes into effect in 2020, as part of a “circular economy” of waste disposal. Which means as of 2020, you won’t be able to purchase plastic cups, plates, or utensils in France.
According to a newspaper called Les Echos, France currently throws away more than 4.7 billion plastic cups every year.Only a tiny 1% are actually recycled. and roughly 17 billion plastic bags used annually in supermarkets around the country. Plastic bags have already been banned in France and other countries.
The idea was proposed by the green political party in France, Europe Écologie – Les Verts.
However, not everybody in France is happy about this. While it might be good news for the environment.
The Lax Kw’alaams Band, a
Canadian First Nations group, was reportedly offered $267,000 per person to
allow a natural gas pipeline and oil refinery setup shop on their land. They
refused the offer without any further compromise.
According to Bloomberg, backers
of Malaysian multi billion dollar oil company, Petronas, and its partners (China
Petrochemical Corp., Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Indian Oil Corp. and
Brunei National Petroleum Co.) offered the 3,600 members a total of $960
million if they would allow the construction of the $30 billion dollar Pacific
North West LNG terminal and Prince
Rupert gas pipeline
After the band turned the
company down unanimously they released the following statement; “This is not a money issue: this
is environmental and cultural.”
In Canada, Native
groups have more control over their lands and resources than others. The Lax
Kw’alaams group is concerned with the destruction of the land and contamination
of the water. The backers have hired scientists who claim that it would not
have any negative effect to the area environmentally, but they aren't buying it.
In a world corrupted by the
power of money, there is nothing more powerful than those who refuse to be
bought. There is nothing more beautiful than people who refuse to sell their
ethics and morals.
When the Last Tree Is Cut
Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That
You Cannot Eat Money.
Are you tired of the same
old propaganda from mainstream media outlets, and even many alternative media
outlets? Are you more concerned with learning than being entertained? Check out
our partners, A New Kind of Human, for a source of guidance, integrity, truth
and empowerment.
She is extremely
environmentally conscious and down to earth. She wants to live a normal life
that is close to the everyday life of Indians. Melba Pria, the ambassador for Mexico in India travel on this three wheeler
for every official matter with a diplomatic flag and a number plate on it.
Watch her story in which she explains how public perceives her
example and why she decides to use a three wheeler instead of an expensive
ambassador vehicle with a chauffeur. She also explains how much she loves to
bicycle and that her vehicle is barred from entering most luxurious hotels and
government buildings.
Local communities are
claiming that plans to build the section of the Southern Expressway from Matara
to Beliatta, across the Aparekka, Thambagalla Reserve, will cause serious
environmental harm.
The
expressway is being extended from Matara to Beliatta via the village of Kaluhenwala. Surveying
for the construction had been completed and construction work has already
commenced.
Residents claim that
building the expressway across the Aparekka -Thambagalla Reserve, will have a
serious detrimental impact on the delicate balance of the eco-system.The
Thambagalla Reserve is home to scenic waterfalls, streams. many endangered and
endemic species of flora and fauna and the Thambagalla Aranya Senasanaya, a
forestashram.
Residents
fear that excavation that has been undertaken on private lands to supply earth
for the construction of the expressway, will cause increased landslide activity
in the area.Chief Convener of the Rainforest Protectors, Jayantha Wijeysinghe
pointed out that this is a protected reserve with a very valuable bio-diversity
and hundreds of endemic species of flora and fauna which are very important to
the balance of Sri Lanka’s eco-system can be found here.
He added
that surveying up-to this area have been completed and the fact that many large
trees in the area will be cut down to make way for the expressway means that
serious environmental harm could be caused by this.
From Wangaari Maathai's Billion Tree campaign to lush permaculture landscapes in Jordan, we've seen how individuals and communities can reverse desertification and bring life back to arid soils. Now a new dramatized documentary brings us the story of Yacouba Sawadogo, an illiterate African farmer whose pioneering techniques have, according to one expert, done more for soil conservation in the Sahel region of Africa than all of the national and international soil experts combined. It's amazing stuff.
Using, and then enhancing, traditional "zai" techniques for restoring degraded land, which involve planting seeds directly into pits that have been enhanced with small handfuls of composted dung, Yacouba Sawadogo has spent over a quarter century experimenting with his soils, and then teaching his fellow farmers, resulting in the successful rehabilitation of farmland, the regrowth of forests, and attention from international media and non-profit organizations who wanted to learn more about Sawadogo's techniques.
Now a new documentary, that includes a dramatization of Sawadogo's life, and the struggles he has faced in gaining acceptance for his approach, is set to bring his story to a broader audience. The movie traces Sawadogo's story from his early education, through his days researching and developing his farming techniques, to his recent journey to the USA to participate in an Oxfam panel on greening the Sahel.
One direct benefit of the documentary has been the donations Yacouba has received in support of his reforestation efforts. As a result, he has been able to fund a new training program, where he travels to other villages teaching the zai technique. Yacouba hopes to spread this knowledge across the region, and has already visited 13 villages. He also hosts workshops at his own farm, teaching visitors and “bringing people together in a spirit of friendship.” “I want the training program to be the starting point for many fruitful exchanges across the region,” says Yacouba.
Yacouba’s reforestation work not only helps farmers restore the local biodiversity by improving the soil, but it helps them prepare for an uncertain future. Chris Reij of the World Resources Institute and an author of the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planetbelieves in Yacouba’s work and frequently visits the farm. Reij understands the long-term importance of Yacouba’s work, stating, “what Yacouba has done can also be done by many other farmers across the Sahel. The big challenge is, that in the next 5 to 10 years, we will have to try to motivate millions of farmers to invest in trees because it will help them to improve their food security, and at the same time it will also help them adapt to climate change.”
Since the film, however, life has not been easy for Yacouba. A recent urban expansion project annexed the forest he spent years growing, and homes are already being built on his land without any compensation except small parcels of land for Yacouba’s family. He is currently attempting to raise US$20,000 to purchase the forest back.
Despite these setbacks, Yacouba knows the importance of his work and has doubled his cultivation efforts, expanding into the degraded lands next to the forest. Restoring soil and improving the future of the Sahel will not be easy, but Yacouba’s work provides one model for communities across Africa to adopt in fighting desertification and preparing for future climate uncertainties.
Bonus !
Sawadogo had not started out trying to save the land from desertification. Thirty years ago he was merely looking for a way to harvest his crop in an area where the land had become barren and many were giving up farming and migrating to urban areas.
“There was no food because of the drought and water was very scarce in my community,” the elderly, polygamous farmer told delegates at the UNCCD.
Sawadogo then realised that it was no longer sufficient to dig ordinary holes to plant his crop, so he decided to dig bigger and wider holes in order to retain rainwater for a longer period.
He also used compost to enhance the growth of the sesame seeds and cereals – sorghum and millet – that he grew.
“The traditional farming method used in my village allowed the rainwater to be easily washed away leaving the crops to dry up within a short space of time. That’s why I thought of a technique that would counter this problem,” said Sawadogo.
He was not only worried about food security but was concerned that the land in Gourga was rapidly turning into a desert. So he began planting trees. It not only saved the land from degradation but also restored ground water to unprecedented levels.
“People thought I was mad when I started planting these trees,” he said. “It is only now that they realise how beneficial the forest is.”
The trees, which he planted with the help of his family, are a thick forest of 15 hectares made up of indigenous plants, some of which are used for medicinal purposes.
He now gives away seeds for planting to farmers in Burkina Faso and in the Sahel, an ecoclimatic zone 1,000 kilometres wide that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
The facilitator of Africa’s Re-greening Initiatives at the Centre for International Cooperation, Chris Reij, said experts have a lot to learn from Sawadogo.
“Yacouba would have become a professor if he had been to school,” said Reiji. “Scientists come to learn from him.”
This is true.
Dorcas Kaiser, a termite specialist, has been to Gourga to learn from the smallholder farmer about the role the insects play in land restoration.
“(It) is a scientist’s dream place to study the role of termites in the land restoration process,” said Kaiser.
World experts have debated land restoration, and masses of money has been spent trying to find solutions to desertification, land degradation and droughts, but so far these efforts have been fruitless, said Reij.
“It took a smallholder farmer to come up with a system that works where global agencies have failed,” said Reij.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja also noted the role farmers play in re-greening Africa during the COP 10 opening ceremony on Oct. 17.
Gnacadja said that planting trees, and using fertiliser on farmlands and grazing lands has already been adopted in many regions and has contributed to improving over six million hectares across Africa.
“These good practices should be scaled up and governments should encourage them everywhere when relevant,” he said.
Senior environment specialist cluster coordinator for sustainable land management at the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Dr Mohamed Bakarr, agreed and added that indigenous people like Sawadogo do not need a lot of money to make a difference.
“Policies that say you can’t own trees or you can’t have land tenure make people neglect these resources,” said Bakarr.
GEF is helping governments in Africa remove these barriers in order to create an enabling environment for people to become involved in combating desertification and creating food security.
However, despite saving Gourga from becoming a desert, Sawadogo may end up losing both his land and his forest. The Burkina Faso government is in the process of repossessing Sawadogo’s land for development.
He acquired the land through the traditional system and does not have a title deed, and the government has already started with their construction plans.
In the new land plan the government claims ownership of Sawadogo’s forest and fields and divides his father’s grave into two.
Seeing his father’s grave being split to give way for the construction of a house kills him as much as the idea of letting go of his forest does, Sawadogo said.
The only way Sawadogo can retain his land is if he buys it back from government. It is an option that he feels is both unfair and unaffordable.
Sawadogo would need 100,000 Euros to buy back the forest alone.
“This is unjust,” he said. “I’ve worked so hard for this and now the government is punishing me.”
He has been to the United States where he pled his case to President Barrack Obama and asked him to consider the plight of smallholder farmers in the G8’s Global Food Security Initiative for underdeveloped countries. The initiative was a pledge by the G8 to boost world food security.
“What Yacouba has started has to be preserved,” said Reij, who is working closely with the farmer.
Gnacadja reminded delegates that if desertification, land degradation and drought occur unabated, the world would continue witnessing political instability and famine, like the one occurring in the Horn of Africa.
Every culture has its own traditions surrounding the birth of a child. While we celebrate newborn girls by sending pink dresses and dolls, in the village of Piplantri in Rajasthan, India, they celebrate by planting 111 trees.
That’s right, every time a little girl is born in Piplantri, 111 trees are planted in her honor!
In most Indian villages, the birth of a daughter was historically considered a burden for a family. Rural villages operate on the dowry system which contributes to the high cost of marriage for households with daughters. As a result, daughters were often regarded as lesser than their male counterparts and many were married before they reached the age of 18; few received a proper education.
Violence against women derived from these attitudes is still a heated topic in India. The documentary “India’s Daughters,” was recently banned due to its upfront portrayal of rape and abuse in the country.
In juxtaposition, the tradition of planting trees to welcome the birth of female children in Piplantri seems to completely reject these historical constraints, fostering hope that attitudes towards women can change.
This amazing custom was started by former village leader Shyam Sundar Paliwal to honor his daughter who passed away when she was young. Although Paliwal no longer serves as the village’s leader, the tradition has continued nonetheless.
When a girl is born, village members band together to raise a sort of “trust” for the girl. The parents contribute one-third of the sum of 31,000 Rupees, equivalent to $500, and the money is set aside as a 20-year fund for the girl. This ensures that she will never be considered a financial burden for her parents.
In return for this trust, the parents sign a legal affidavit that states that the daughter will only be married after she reaches the age of 18 and has received a proper education. The affidavit states that the 111 trees must be taken care of as well.
It’s a clever little catch, but the practice of planting trees in conjunction with the birth of a child actually works to ensure that the local environment will be able to support the ever growing population.
Not only does this beautiful tradition foster a deep appreciation for females in the village, but it also instills a remarkable sense of environmental stewardship.
Gehrilal Balai, a father who planted 111 saplings last year, told Hindustan Times that he felt the same happiness in looking after the saplings as lulling his daughter to sleep.
The trees become a symbol for the baby girl and the villagers work just as hard to protect the trees from termites, by planting aloe vera, as they do the girls from all the hardships of life.
Seeing the intimate connection between the social health and environmental health of the village, Paliwal’s tradition has created a truly sustainable future for community members.
Over the course of the past six years, a quarter of a million trees have been planted in Piplantri. Villagers credit the harmony that this tradition has brought to their community with the dramatic drop in crime. Not to mention their renewed adoration of little girls.
When we see the connection between social issues and look to their environmental roots, we can find unique and incredible solutions to the world’s modern problems. You might not think that something as insignificant as a sapling could change the world, but remember, that sapling will one day grow into an enormous tree.
Co-founder of online
shopping giant, Alibaba, Jack Ma, has decided to invest $23 million of his own
money in a huge chunk of land in the US Adirondack mountains, known as the
Brandon Reserve. His long term plan: to
retire to the region. His short term plan:
stop the logging operations and preserve the country.
Ma is a well known
conservationalist and currently the richest man in China. He is well known for inspiring masses of
young people about the keys to successful business (he, himself, was rejected
from Harvard 10 times) and supplies a constant reminder that failure can be a
blessing.
Now, by purchasing the 28,000
acre property from the DuPont family, he is making a very tangible mark in the
world of preservation. He plans to turn
the entire region into a wildlife sanctuary and protect the plants and animals
from logging and mining operations that would have otherwise infiltrated the
region.
According to a spokesman for
Ma, "protecting the environment in China will always be Jack's first
and foremost priority."
Ma added that one of his
long term goals is to "improve the environment that our children will
inherit."
Here is a clip from a talk
with Jack Ma and Barack Obama detailing global conservation.
A revolution is upon us on Earth to move from a pollution and waste dependent society to one of sustainability and environmentally friendly initiatives. Trees are the lungs of our planet. The more trees we plant, the cleaner our air for generations to come. We are very proud to now offer our audience the Bios Urn, a funerary urn made from biodegradable materials that will turn you into a tree after you die. Inside the urn there is a pine seed, which can be replaced by any other seed or plant, and will grow to remember your loved one. Bios Urn transforms death into life through nature.
The funeral services industry including funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries generates billions. Many companies in the the industry have a poor reputation for consumer abuses, but the services continue to be necessary for virtually every family. Problem areas include high costs, fraudulent prepaid funeral plans, high-pressure casket sales, sales of unnecessary products and possible environmental pollution at cemeteries.
Poisonous embalming fluid, sealed caskets and cement burial vaults damage the environment and a growing number of people with environmental concerns are choosing green burials. As a general rule, green burials avoid the use of embalming fluid. and can be considerably less costly than traditional burials.
The Heart of The Bios Urn
Designed to achieve success in the ritual. The top part of Bios Urn is especially designed to allow the seed to sprout. Before you bury the urn, you will need to mix the components with some soil from where you want your tree to grow. The components will naturally facilitate germination of the seed when mixed with soil.
A Magnificent Body
Form follows function. Thanks to its structure, Bios Urn keeps the seed separate from the ashes. The tree grows in the upper compartment, until the urn itself begins to degrade. After this time the entire set becomes part of the sub-soil and fertilizer for the tree.
What’s In The Box?
As simple as possible. When purchasing Bios Urn you will receive everything you need for planting your tree. The urn is divided into two separate capsules: the upper capsule is a sealed unit to ensure the good condition of the seed until it begins to sprout; and the lower capsule is where you will store the ashes. Both compartments are kept completely separate until the urn itself bio degrades. The urn comes in a single box.
How It Works
1. The urn comes assembled and ready to be taken to the place chosen for the regeneration. 2. Remove the seal and the outer packaging of the urn. 3. Put the ashes in the urn’s lower part. Close it with the top part and put the soil with the seed in it. 4. Bury the urn in fertile soil with its top level with the soil surface and water it. 5. In a few days the seed will germinate and your tree will begin to grow. 6. The tree will continue to grow year after year. FAQs
1. Where do you ship, how long does it take for shipping and can I get it shipped faster?
Currently this product only ships to Europe and North America. Shipping times to Europe take a approx. 5-7 business days and shipping times to North America take approx. 8-12 business days. Some shipments may take longer to your destination if there are delays at customs which are out of our control. We only offer standard shipping (expedited service is not available).
2. Does the Bios Urn consist of any materials that should not be buried in the soil?
No, the Bios Urn is 100% biodegradable.
3. Are there other seeds available?
Yes, we also offer Ginko, Maple, Oak, Ash or Beech at no extra cost.
4. Does the Bios Urn Expire?
This product can be stored for years without a decrease in functionality. Thanks to the materials with which it is designed, it stores well. It does not have any specific expiry and can last for years without any issues as long as the urn is stored in a relatively cool environment not exceeding temperatures of 90°F or higher, or at relative humidities of 60 percent or greater which can lead to a rapid decline in seed germinability and vigor.
5. Can I still keep some ashes for myself?
Yes, you do not need to place the entire contents of the ashes you receive from the crematorium in the urn and we recommend not exceeding the ash level as required.
6. How much ash does the urn hold?
The urn holds 2.5L of ash or roughly 5 pounds.
7. Won’t the ash prevent the tree from growing?
The ash and seed will not be mixed together, but ash has always been good for soil and the potassium can actually encourage the growth of many flowers, plants and trees as well as help resist disease. The amount of ashes to be placed in the urn will not upset the delicate nutrient balance required for growth of or plants. As a general rule, you can safely spread 20 pounds of ash per thousand square feet of garden.
8. Is it legal to bury the urn anywhere?
Please check with local authorities, but typically the urn can be planted wherever it is legal to plant a tree, including your backyard.
9. Are there burial sites/cemeteries offering this option?
You would need to investigate this for yourself. The urn does not necessarily need to be in a burial site or cemetery. Many have made arrangements with divisions of Parks and Forestry to have trees planted along trails or in parks where trees are protected. This really depends on your municipal, state or provincial government.
10. Are traditional cemeteries willing to bury this type of urn?
More traditional cemeteries are offering it as an option, however you need inquire within.
11. Would the crematorium carry out the germination process?
Typically no. You would receive the ashes back from the crematorium and plant the bios urn yourself. Many find this process healing since they are dealing with Earth and the anticipation of the life that will come out of the urn rather than complete closure from a conventional burial plot.
12. Is this an environmentally friendly choice for my loved one?
The total carbon footprint is still favoring cremation/tree planting since each tree purifies the air many times to make up for the offset during its lifetime. There are also bio and eco-cremation methods which can be pursued via funeral homes which are more environmentally friendly. Some of these methods involve cremation by Alkaline Hydrolysis which reduces cuts natural gas usage, electricity and CO2 by very large margins.
13. Do you have a version available for pets?
Yes. Currently, the Bios Urn is manufactured for both people and for pets. It is essentially the same product and universal, in the sense that it has the same shape, colour and price. The only difference is packaging and labelling, to aid in identifying the product. Join us in helping transform death into life through nature. Available now at the PreventDisease.com Store with Free Shipping. Credits: This article first appeared on Prevent Disease.
