Category: environment

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500 Million Brazilian Bees Died in Only Three Months

You’ve probably heard by now that the world’s ability to produce food is connected to the availability of a thriving bee population. Bees are nature’s most integral pollinators, responsible for pollinating 75% of the world’s crops.

And they’re dying at a rate that’s almost impossible to comprehend – to the tune of 500 million bees in Brazil alone in just three month’s time.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Between December 2018 and February 2019, 400 million bees in Rio Grande do Sul, 7 million in Santa Catarina, and 45 million in Mato Grosso do Sul lost their lives, and Aldo Machado, the vice president of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul’s beekeeping association, is concerned.

Image Credit: scrural.gov

“As soon as the healthy bees began clearing the dying bees out of the hives, they became contaminated. They started dying en masse.”

Researchers are blaming Brazil’s decision to allow the use of 300 new pesticides on crops in 2019; many of the dead bees contained traces of fipronil, an insecticide commonly used to rid dogs and cats of fleas and ticks.. The U.S. EPA classifies it as a possible human carcinogen, but if you’ve got a dog, you may have some in your house.

Image Credit: scrural.gov

Alberto Bastos, the president of the Apiculturist Association of Brazil’s Federal District, told Bloomberg that the “death of all these bees is a sign that we’re being poisoned.”

Not to mention that bees provide billions of dollars worth of agricultural benefits that will disappear along with them if they go.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Will people listen? Will it be too late by the time food shortages begin to make their way into developed corners of the world?

Only time will tell, but the people who are hearing what the bees have to tell us are already beating the drum.

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This Isn’t Good…Microplastics Are Falling from the Arctic Sky

Do you know about microplastics?

Microplastics are defined as any plastic fragment less than 5 millimeters in length, and at this point they have been found in every corner of the globe. They come from any number of sources – from rubber tires to paint and cosmetics to toothpaste tubes and synthetic clothing – and the ubiquitous nature of them in the environment has scientists worried about harm.

In fact, they are so ubiquitous at this point, that they’ve been documented falling with snow in the Arctic…even though there’s practically no people there.

A new report in Science Advances documents tiny plastic fibers found across two dozen Northern Hemisphere locations, from the remote Arctic ice to the Swiss Alps. Perhaps most concerning was finding that the “pristine” Arctic snow contained up to 14,400 microplastic particles per liter (snow in parts of rural Bavaria, in southern Germany, contained up to 154,000 ppl).

Because they’ve been found falling from the sky, there’s now a question of whether people might be breathing microplastics. Though scientists are currently uncertain what, if any, impact inhaling (inhaling!) them could have on humans and other wildlife, there have been plenty of documented cases of marine life ingesting larger plastic pieces to extreme detriment, and that might definitely lead one to worry, says Dr. Melanie Bergmann.

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Clearly there is no place on Earth that micro-plastic can not reach – having been repeatedly found in seawater, drinking water and all species of animals. But these minute particles are also transported by the atmosphere and subsequently washed out of the air – especially by snow – in remote regions of the Planet – such as the Arctic and the Alps. This was demonstrated in a study conducted by experts at the Alfred Wegener Institute which recently published their finding in the journal Science Advances. It would be interesting to discover how much micro-plastic is ingested by humans and the amount retained in our bodies during ones lifespan. #microplastics #environment #planetearth #awarenessbuilding #alfredwegenerinstitut

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“To date, there are virtually no studies investigating the extent to which human beings are subject to microplastic contamination. But once we’ve determined that large quantities of microplastic can also be transported by the air, it naturally raises the question as to whether and how much plastic we’re inhaling.”

Now that microplastics have fallen with the snow in the most remote Arctic locations, there can be no doubt that our addiction to plastics out of control. And if that’s not disturbing enough, we’re almost definitely breathing in small fibers every single day.

The pieces of plastic found in the study ranged from 11 micrometers to 5 millimeters and consisted of rubber, varnishes, and other forms of plastic.

Like plant pollen, the tiny fibers are swept up into the air where they tumble along in currents that flow from one end of the earth to the other, only to fall down with the rain or snow wherever it washes onto the earth.

Which is to say, we can’t escape the problem we’ve created.

The only question left is, how much is it hurting us?

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Women in Africa Are Recycling Plastic into Bricks for a Schoolhouse

Tthe world produces over 300 million tons of plastic every year, much of which quickly goes into the trash where it takes centuries to decompose. In Abidjan, Ivory Coast, women are putting plastic garbage to good use by turning it into bricks to build schools, New York Times reports.

Many women in Abidjan make a living by gathering plastic waste from city streets and selling it to recycling centers. Those same women are now working with a Colombian company to convert the waste into bricks to build schools.

The project will result in hundreds of classrooms to serve about 26,400 students — plus, it’s an opportunity for the women to make a better living.

Many schools in the area are built out of traditional mud-bricks and wood. These buildings require a lot of upkeep, as they easily erode in the sun and rain.

The buildings made out of recycled plastic, on the other hand, will last practically forever. In this context, plastic’s slow decomposition is a benefit.

Also, the country’s classrooms are severely overcrowded, with up to 90 students in each class. Additional classrooms are desperately needed.

Since Abidjan produces about 300 tons of plastic waste a day, there’s plenty of plastic to use. Each classroom takes about five tons of plastic waste.

The company converting the waste, Conceptos Plásticos, initially produced the bricks at a factory in Colombia, but they are now building a factory in Abidjan, which will make the classrooms much cheaper to produce.

Several classrooms are already up and running, and the project plans to deliver 528 total, each of which will fit 50 students.

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The Sunscreen You Wear May Be Harming the Environment

There are a lot of sunscreens that are claiming to be “reef friendly” these days.

Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures

A new label on sunscreens allows consumers to see at a glance how safe the product is for ocean life. If you see the words “reef friendly” printed next to an image of a coral, then the sunscreen should be lacking damaging chemicals. Should be…

A couple of years ago, a report about the effects of sunblock use in the oceans was published by the Environmental Contamination Toxicology journal. According to the study, the common sunscreen ingredients octinoxate and oxybenzone are capable of contributing to bleaching in coral reefs.

Since then, Palau, Hawaii and Key West, Florida, have banned consumer use of these sunblock ingredients. Other tropical locations popular with vacationers, like Mexico, advise visitors about the potential of damage.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Out of concern for the reefs, many companies like ThinkSport and All Good Sport offer coral friendly formulas. Other brands, such as Coppertone (for their Water Babies line) and Alba Botanical use minerals as a blocker. Thankfully, these sunscreen alternatives are easy to find.

Everyone should want to keep coral reefs from bleaching because the phenomenon is devastating to ocean health. But before you throw out all your drugstore sunscreen and suntan lotions, something to note: some environmentalists and scientists have come out against the report.

This is because Coral reef damage is caused more by environmental factors, such as climate change and pollution, than beach-goers slathered in sunscreen. Even if octinoxate and oxybenzone were successfully eliminated from the ocean, the damage would continue.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Also, the reef-friendly labeling itself is an issue. As is typical with other kinds of labeling—for example, food sold as all-natural or whole grain—there are no set standards. Consumers may be misled to believe they are using a reef safe sunblock because any manufacturer can make the claim. Consumer Reports also consistently finds mineral based sunscreens as not matching their SPF claims.

But because tropical beaches and diving spots do test for elevated levels of sunscreen, it wouldn’t hurt to use products without octinoxate and oxybenzone. Even if there are larger issues than sunscreen in the decline of the world’s coral reefs, every little stressor adds to the cumulative effect. So using reef-safe sunblock may not solve the issue, but it prevents you from being a direct contributor. Plus, they’re not even that expensive.

From an environmental standpoint, small changes sometimes result in big wins.

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In the Last Two Years, Scientists Have Discovered over 50 Species of Plastic-Eating Fungi

This is great news!

If you feel a pang of guilt every time you throw a piece of plastic away and start spiraling into anxiety about the impending climate apocalypse — here is some news that may brighten your day.

Plastic is infamous for its ability to pollute the environment for years and years without degrading. But because the planet is magical, there are certain organisms that can degrade plastic. Dozens and dozens of them, apparently.

In 2011, students at Yale discovered a plastic-eating fungus in Ecuador called Pestalotiopsis microspora. This fungus can digest polyurethane, even in an air-free environment (like the bottom of a landfill).

Photo Credit: iStock

This breakthrough was already good news, but as researchers continued to turn their attention to the subject, it became clear that Pestalotiopsis microspora is not unique among fungi in its ability to degrade plastic.

Researchers at Utrecht University were able to achieve a similar result with Oyster mushrooms and Split gill mushrooms in the lab; this process even resulted in an edible end product. In 2017, scientist Sehroon Khan and his team found another biodegrading fungus in a landfill in Pakistan called Asperillus tubigensis, which is capable of breaking down polyester polyurethane (packing foam).

Sehroon and his team went on to find over 50 other species of plastic-eating fungus since 2017.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Scientists still have a long way to go before this research is applicable on a large scale as a means of plastic recycling.

Still, this is proof that anything is possible here on Planet Earth. You never know where new solutions are going to come from.

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A Grocery Store Gives Customers Embarrassing Plastic Bags to Encourage Them to Bring Their Own

A trend has developed in recent years where we’re seeing cities, counties, and grocery stores completely banning the use of single-use plastic bags altogether. So while there is some progress, we still have a long way to go.

One grocery store in Vancouver, British Columbia, decided to try to convince their customers NOT to use plastic bags in a very unique, and hilarious, way.

East West Market is offering customers plastic bags with fake slogans and fake businesses that no one, and I mean no one, would want to be seen with. How’s that for a deterrent? Embarrassment always works, people.

How would you like to carry a bag around town that said, “Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium,” “Dr. Toews’ Wart Ointment Wholesale,” or “The Colon Care Co-op”? You’d probably never be able to look your neighbors in the eye again.

The bags have the tag line “Avoid the shame. Bring a reusable bag” printed on them as well. Customers also have to pay five cents per plastic bag at East West Market if they don’t bring their own bags.

The owner of East West Market, David Lee Kwen, said about the project, “We wanted to give them something humorous, but also something that made them think at the same time. It’s human nature not to want to be told what to do.”

One downside has been that because the bags went viral online, people are paying the five cents to collect them. Kwen said, “Some of the customers want to collect them because they love the idea of it. It’s a double-edged sword. We wanted to address an issue, but we’ve also made something popular. Our aim was to start a conversation that could go beyond people just remembering their reusable bags when they come to our market—and we’re glad that the conversation has kept growing, with anyone who’s seen or interacted with the bags.”

Hey, at least people are taking notice, right?

Just do us a favor and bring a reusable bag next time you go grocery shopping, okay?

We’ll all be better off.

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A Grocery Store Gives Customers Embarrassing Plastic Bags to Encourage Them to Bring Their Own

A trend has developed in recent years where we’re seeing cities, counties, and grocery stores completely banning the use of single-use plastic bags altogether. So while there is some progress, we still have a long way to go.

One grocery store in Vancouver, British Columbia, decided to try to convince their customers NOT to use plastic bags in a very unique, and hilarious, way.

East West Market is offering customers plastic bags with fake slogans and fake businesses that no one, and I mean no one, would want to be seen with. How’s that for a deterrent? Embarrassment always works, people.

How would you like to carry a bag around town that said, “Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium,” “Dr. Toews’ Wart Ointment Wholesale,” or “The Colon Care Co-op”? You’d probably never be able to look your neighbors in the eye again.

The bags have the tag line “Avoid the shame. Bring a reusable bag” printed on them as well. Customers also have to pay five cents per plastic bag at East West Market if they don’t bring their own bags.

The owner of East West Market, David Lee Kwen, said about the project, “We wanted to give them something humorous, but also something that made them think at the same time. It’s human nature not to want to be told what to do.”

One downside has been that because the bags went viral online, people are paying the five cents to collect them. Kwen said, “Some of the customers want to collect them because they love the idea of it. It’s a double-edged sword. We wanted to address an issue, but we’ve also made something popular. Our aim was to start a conversation that could go beyond people just remembering their reusable bags when they come to our market—and we’re glad that the conversation has kept growing, with anyone who’s seen or interacted with the bags.”

Hey, at least people are taking notice, right?

Just do us a favor and bring a reusable bag next time you go grocery shopping, okay?

We’ll all be better off.

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The world’s purest fresh…

The world’s purest fresh water has been found on the southern tip of Chile, in a town called Puerto Williams, after numerous scientific studies. The water has been found to have only two chemical parts per million, hence making it the world’s cleanest.

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Florida Brewery Creates Edible Six-Pack Rings, Ensuring No Turtles Will Ever Die Eating Them Again

Human activity has put the oceans in extreme peril. There is enough plastic in the oceans to form a minor continent and to say that it’s killing marine wildlife would be putting it too kindly.

Turtles, in particular, can get seriously injured or killed when they get tangled in the plastic rings used to connect six-packs of beer or soft drinks, or when they eat floating plastic bags thinking they’re tasty jellyfish.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Fortunately, one of those problems might have a solution!

A Florida brewery believes they can help end the scourge of six-pack rings ending up in the water. Their goal is to keep turtles and their marine friends healthy and happy, while maintaining the convenience of grabbing a six-pack from the grocery store. To that end, SaltWater Brewery, working in conjunction with startup E6PR, has launched the biodegradable/compostable/edible six-pack ring.

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P A S S I O N F R U I T ?

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The craft beer microbrewery, based in Delray Beach, Florida, now uses rings made out of barley and wheat instead of plastic. If the environmentally friendly packaging ends up in the ocean, it begins to break down within 2 hours – plus, it can be safely consumed by turtles and other animals. It should totally biodegrade within 2-3 months, on land  or in the water.

South Florida stores already have the rings on their shelves.

The rings are the first of their kind, and the idea is an excellent one. But the innovation doesn’t come cheap. The Mexican company behind the development, E6PR, is marketing the packaging to other beverage companies in the hopes of both bringing costs down and encouraging the use of plastic alternatives in creative ways.

So, expect to see these on your favorite beverages in the near future (hopefully!).

Just an FYI, the manufacturer does not suggest that anyone actually eat the rings or feed them to wildlife. The best way to dispose of the eco-rings is to put them in a compost pile.

The use of biodegradable packaging is a great development for the Gulf region, which has one of the world’s highest concentrations of plastic trash.

Over 50 other beverage companies have expressed interest in jumping on the edible ring bandwagon, which is a great start to reducing their contribution to our current garbage crisis!

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The Philippines Passed a New Law Requiring Students to Plant at Least 10 Trees to Graduate

Our planet is facing an undeniable crisis thanks to massive deforestation around the globe. The one stroke of good fortune, however, is that more and more governments are gradually starting to take it seriously.

Recently, the Philippines took one major step towards that goal by getting their students more involved with the planet. A new law will require all students to plant at least 10 trees before they can graduate from high school and college.

Planting trees upon graduation is already a tradition in the Philippines, but, thanks to this new law, it will now be formally required. Billions of trees will be planted in a generation.

“With over 12 million students graduating from elementary and nearly five million students graduating from high school and almost 500,000 graduating from college each year, this initiative, if properly implemented, will ensure that at least 175 million new trees would be planted each year,” explained the Philippines’ Magdalo Party representative, Gary Alejano, the principal author of the legislation.

“In the course of one generation, no less than 525 billion can be planted under this initiative.”

The representative went on to explain that, even if only 10 percent of the trees actually survive to adulthood, that still adds up to 525 million new trees.

This is especially meaningful for the Philippines, which is one of the most severely deforested countries in the world.

The new trees will be planted in mangroves, existing forests, some protected areas, military ranges, abandoned mining sites, and selected urban areas. The trees must be well-suited to their planting location, and there will be a preference for native species.

Photo Credit: iStock

The government hopes that this initiative will not only improve the ecology of the country, but will also encourage young people to care more about the environment.

I, for one, would love to see a similar law on the book in every country around the world!

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