Advocacy

The downsides of a 'wipe-clean world'
t is impossible to underestimate the enormous impact that plastic has had on our daily lives over the past century or so. The expansion of global communications, the electrification of our homes and space exploration would have all been unthinkable without it. The streamlined aesthetic of the 1930s and the futuristic shapes of the 60s would have taken very different forms. Yet a product once associated with progress and revolutionary design potential is now considered toxic, polluting our oceans and causing untold damage to marine and human health. In the exhibition Plastic: Remaking Our World, the Vitra Design Museum explores how plastic became so omnipresent, and encourages us to think about more considerate production and use. The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam is also addressing the issue in It's Our F***ing Backyard, which looks at products already on the market as well as experimental works.
By Lonetoft3 years ago in Earth
Designed to Last: 10 of the world's most ingenious buildings
"The shifts in how we live and work have radically altered our cities," writes Ruth Lang in new Gestalten book Building for Change: The Architecture of Creative Reuse. "The spatial demands of working patterns have been utterly transformed over the past 50 years." Many of our buildings could last for 50, or even 100, years; yet "fashion and changing patterns of use often curtail this lifespan, which sometime barely stretches to a decade". Instead of abandoning these structures, however, designers are developing innovative solutions "which find value in the buildings that have been left behind… in place of our obsession with newness".
By Gu Wei Di Qi3 years ago in Earth
Layoffs, pay cuts and compulsory leave! How will international logisticians get through this cold winter?
With the continued spread of the international epidemic, the global economic downturn, reduced demand, and a large number of container ships suspended, international logistics companies began to reduce wages, mandatory leave, and layoffs ......
By Kuranda3 years ago in Earth
October Garden Jobs To Keep You Busy!
With the weather having noticeably cooled, and the clocks going back at the end of the month we're moving quickly towards winter! Frosts become a possibility depending where you are but it's still a lovely season for spending time in your garden!
By Jordan Catto3 years ago in Earth
How did the pocket wolf go extinct?
The pocket wolf used to be the largest marsupial carnivore that survived into modern times. Although its skeletal structure and physical appearance are similar to those of the gray wolf, and the pattern of its back fur resembles that of the tiger, taxonomically speaking, the pocket wolf belongs to neither the canine nor the feline family, and it is different from any of the extant carnivores in the northern hemisphere. Kangaroo wolves belong to the marsupial order, Kangarooidae. As we know, the wombat (koala), wombat, and various kangaroos living in Oceania are its "close relatives". The reason why the appearance of wolves and tigers is similar to that of wolves and tigers is that they reproduce in a similar natural environment, resulting in the phenomenon of "convergent evolution".
By Richard Shurwood3 years ago in Earth
The global fight against snake bites
"In the monsoon, the fields are overgrown with weeds," says Tukaram Rao, a farm labourer from the village of Rathnapuri in Karnataka, south-west India. "We have to walk out in the midst of those at night to turn on the water pump for the field. Sometimes if the water pipes are disjointed, we walk alongside the water pipe, feeling with our hands to fix it."
By Lonetoft3 years ago in Earth
The secrets being revealed by ocean garbage patches
Reach Penaflor is a man with a mission. Since 2009, he has been working closely with the River Warriors, a group bent on cleaning up estuaries feeding into the Pasig River, which runs through the Philippines' largest urban area, Metro Manila, and is notorious for its noxious smells. Scientists describe the Pasig as the river most responsible for polluting the marine environment.
By Lonetoft3 years ago in Earth
Living through Ian. Top Story - October 2022.
My home is on Fort Myers Beach but I rode out the storm at my daughter's place in north Fort Myers. I am devastated, grateful beyond words, distraught, happy, sickened, relieved and overwhelmed. We lost so much and we have so much left. Time stands still, and time rushes by. The rollercoaster of emotions rocks you into sleep and back out. We are out of homes and jobs, but we are ALIVE. Barring a couple of acquaintances, everyone has checked in safe and ALIVE. Hence, the happy part. Many cannot say the same. Thinking of those that were not as lucky is the crippling sadness part. So many lives forever changed. So many lost. Lifetimes of treasures and keepsakes gone forever. For tens of thousands of people, memories are all that remain. For thousands of people, anticipation of happy news and fear of bad news still dominates their every thought. There is a strange mixture of hope and rebirth constantly overshadowed by fear, grief and uncertainty. It makes me feel guilty to feel happy and grateful, knowing how many don't get to feel that way right now.
By Bonita L Peterson3 years ago in Earth
Arctic temperatures are rising so fast? How will humans be affected by those in the future?
The Arctic region is warming at a rate more than twice as fast as average. The average global temperature is rising 1.4 degrees Celsius in the last 100 years, but the Arctic has warmed at nearly five times that rate. We need to take immediate action to prevent severe weather and rising sea levels, which could affect coastal areas and low-lying landmasses such as Bangladesh.
By Flagler Danzig3 years ago in Earth
Italy's plan to save Venice from sinking
enice is a stunning oddity. It is a city built atop around 120 islands, crisscrossed by 177 canals, and is best explored – when on foot at least – via the use of its 391 bridges. It is a watery maze of a city, full of tiny footpaths and tucked away squares, hidden museums and secluded, centuries-old churches.
By Seamons Mahall3 years ago in Earth
All aboard Botswana's Elephant Express
our years ago, Nthoboga Samokwase's father was travelling from the fields where he typically stayed during cropping season towards his home in the village 7km (4.3 miles) away when he had a confrontation with an elephant.
By Seamons Mahall3 years ago in Earth
My Last Day on Earth
Sitting on this desolate beach looking down at my dirty suit, I yearn for home again. Home for me is not a place, but a time. 2022. I laugh to myself as I long for my washing machine! Missing my nanny, Miss. Madison, my lizard, Lizzy, my parents, and most of all, my horse, Maybell. There are no horses here, no people, and no fish.
By Amy Hall3 years ago in Earth