“All human life, all life, depends on plants,” says Jonathan Drori in his TED talk about the Millenium Seed Bank. This project involves collecting seeds in an underground storage facility strong enough to withstand a nuclear attack. It holds over 2 billion seeds, which represent over 10% of the world’s variety of plants.
40 Years of Isolation
At some point in our lives, most of us have dreamt about leaving everything behind and escaping to an island where no one can find us. After all, sometimes, you just need a break from the world. Most of us snap out of these daydreams. But not everyone…
Food Is Free
In some cultures, such as in the US, having a front yard of green grass is not only considered beautiful, it’s also a status symbol. In fact, it’s so important that some towns actually make it illegal not to grow grass. But what if we were to use this land for something more useful? What if we saw the land in our communities as a resource that could provide free food to everyone?
The Earth Is Growing
We think of islands as being fixed in size, but some do grow. On the Big Island of Hawaii, Kilauea volcano erupted almost continuously from 1983 to 2018. For 35 years, lava poured out, and some of it reached the ocean, which caused the island to grow fresh land. Between 1983 and 2002, the island’s landmass grew by 542 acres.
Underwater President
The ice is melting, the world is warming, and the oceans are rising. Richer countries bear most of the responsibility for global warming, but poorer island countries like the Maldives are the first to bear the brunt of rising waters.
I Am The River And The River Is Me
The Maori people wept with joy. They celebrated their beloved river being granted the same rights as a human being by the New Zealand government. This means the river now has a legal right to exist. Defenders of the river can now use the courts to sue anyone who seeks to harm it.
Leave Only Footprints
Burn it or bury it. In most places around the world, that’s what we do with our garbage. Pretty grim choices. Burning garbage releases dangerous gasses and dust, which contribute to pollution of the air, land, and water, not to mention global warming. While burying it leads to more pollution of the ground and water. And to make matters worse, tons of garbage – most of it plastic – ends up in the ocean.
Sitting Is The New Smoking
The results are in folks and they aren’t pretty. I hope you’re sitting down for this. Well actually, on second thought, why don’t you stand up for it: Chairs are the new cigarettes. That’s right. Sitting is actually worse than smoking when it comes to health. Evidence is piling up that prolonged sitting increases the risk of …