Collective pressure works! Horizon Europe, a seven-year funding programme created by the European Union for scientific research and innovation has set forth one of the biggest funding packages, a massive 32 million euros in funding for sustainable plant-based protein research. This came after the Good Food Institute and 21 organizations sent an open letter calling out the European Commission for a lack of investment in alternative options for plant-based protein.

This initiative will attempt to build alternative and sustainable protein food environments (€12 million); create awareness and fill knowledge gaps in regards to nutrition, safety, allergenicity, and environment assessment towards dietary shifts and alternative proteins (€11 million); and develop sustainable crop systems and value systems (€9 million).

According to Acacia Smith, policy manager at the Good Food Institute Europe,  “It’s a strong signal that the EU is betting on sustainable proteins playing an important role in meeting its climate and biodiversity targets.”

This is a huge step towards building sustainable alternatives and further plant-based options in the European Union.

Sources:

• https://vegconomist.com/politics-law/european-commission-reveals-european-green-deal-pledging-%E2%80%8Ee10-billion-for-green-transition-with-a-focus-on-plant-based-protein/

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John and Cynthia Hardy are not your average people, they are life-long entrepreneurs, and they did not want to provide their children with an average education. That is why, after homeschooling their children for many years,  in 2006, they created Green School. Green School emerged from the idea that they wanted to create an educational environment where they felt comfortable sending their own daughters, and one that they believed in.

Since then, they have built a revolutionary model of education, one that integrates sustainability, entrepreneurship all while learning about community and our environment. They began at Green School Bali and have since opened their doors to children and parents in New Zealand, South Africa, and Tulum.

These are some of the core values of the Green school; first, it must be relationship-centered. This means that community is important to this environment of learning. Secondly, it must be experiential, their unique framework of teaching and learning has to be readapted based on the needs of the community they are constantly building. Thirdly, authenticity is a priority, Green school strives to build a programme based on an interconnected network of systems, where sustainability and diversity are at the center of everything. Lastly, it wants to act locally, as an educational organization, they desire to respect the culture, community, and environment they are in, and then think globally.

Green school is a disruptor, and wants people to ask themselves is our standard educational system shaping the future generations in the right way? According to Green School, the answer is clear: we need to start placing our values in culture, environment, and community in order to build a sustainable future.

Learn more about Green school

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While travelling is one of the contributing factors to climate change, it is a difficult recreation to give up. The lust for travel exists within many of us, whether that is going for a relaxing stay at the beach, a trekking adventure, or a cultural holiday to a new city, the question we pose ourselves is the following: is it possible to travel with a sustainable mindset?

With the rise in consciousness for our environment, new approaches to travelling have emerged, namely slow travel and eco-tourism. Travelling in a responsible manner while protecting and favouring the culture, nature and locals of the destination seems intuitive right? Here are a few tips on how to become a conscious traveller:

Take trains (if possible)

If you are going to a place where a short-haul flight can be avoided, choose to travel by train. Flights are known to produce the most carbon emissions of any transport option. If conservation matters to you, trains are the eco-friendly method of travel.

Stay in a certified eco-accommodation 

Staying in eco-accommodation guarantees you (the tourist) that the place you are staying at supports our collective future, and wants to minimize its footprint. Furthermore, its certification assures you that it has been reviewed by an impartial third party in regards to how sustainable it is.

Eat local or vegetarian

Although when travelling it is difficult to assess which foods are locally grown, you can buy from local businesses and markets rather than big chain supermarkets while also making sure that what you consume is seasonal.

Bike around to get to know the area

If you are wanting to get around a new place, choose a lower emission form of transportation if it is not a pedestrian friendly space. Not only are you discovering an area efficiently but you are also doing exercise while helping the environment.

Off-set flights

In the case, you do choose to fly, consider off-setting your flights, or choosing an airline that does so. Off-setting your flight can be beneficial for reducing the impact your flight has caused and making up for the emissions it has produced.

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Goterra is an Australian biotech startup that has developed a new way of managing food waste. The problem is clear: 1.3 billion tonnes of waste is created globally every year and with that number growing the threat is real.

The contribution of food waste to climate change is an important one, it is estimated that one-third of all the food produced in the world goes to waste, and with that food waste in landfill and rots, methane is produced—a greenhouse gas more dangerous than carbon dioxide to the environment.

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Goterra is offering a solution.

It is on track to managing approximately 10 tonnes to 45,000 tonnes of food waste per week by 2021. It is currently on the way to internationalize. Goterra is using technology, and according to their website: “robots collaborating with insects to solve waste management with lower emissions and a higher return on investment”.

Their robotic technology is groundbreaking, they have created robots that contain maggots who help them process food waste. This produces a soil fertilizer called frass and subsequently, the maggots become protein-rich animal feed. These robots are placed directly in places with huge levels of food waste with their clients ranging from farms, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, hospitals, including the city councils for the Australian government.

Food waste turned into home furnishings

This tech company could potentially revolutionize a problem that needs mitigation, and one that needs an innovative solution in order to tackle the core problem at hand: the way we consume and manage food waste.

SOURCES:

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/mariannelehnis/2020/08/27/three-greentech-startups-to-watch-in-2020-and-beyond-bringing-innovative-solutions-to-food-waste/?sh=1afa6fc42d8f
• https://goterra.com.au/waste-manangement/
• https://www.unep.org/thinkeatsave/get-informed/worldwide-food-waste#:~:text=Roughly%20one%2Dthird%20of%20the,tonnes%20%2D%20gets%20lost%20or%20wasted.
• https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste#:~:text=Today%2C%20an%20estimated%20one%2Dthird,the%20world%20goes%20to%20waste.&text=When%20we%20waste%20food%2C%20we,more%20potent%20than%20carbon%20dioxide.

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If you are a fan of vintage clothing, look no more. At the end of this month, Spain’s capital will be hosting one of the largest sale of vintage clothing per kilo in Europe. Two expert companies, VinoKilo and Vintage Kilo Market will be hosting events on the 23rd of April. It begs the question, how has vintage clothing become so popular, and why?

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The German Company, VinoKilo has created a model of Pop-Up Stores in which it creates exclusive events throughout cities in Europe, with a selection of second-hand clothing and accessories from well-known brands ranging the colorful 60s to the trendy 2000s. Inclusive by nature, the company offers all sizes, and styles of clothing and sells them per kilo. Vinokilo’s concept stems from emptying clothing containers, selecting them, repairing and selling them again.

Another company that has begun having events is Vintage Kilo Market, a French company that brings the concept of sale of vintage clothing and accessories by the kilo from the 70’s to the 2000s. Nonetheless, their concept is a little different. The price is 25 euros per kilo of clothing, you do not have to go up to the kilo if you do not wish to and pay only for the weight of what you buy. The main difference between the two is one is more affordable than another. VinoKilo’s price per kilo is 40 euros comparatively to Vintage Kilo Market. Depending on the hidden gems you find, you will decide which Pop-Up is worth its price!

Many brands have inspired themselves to upcycle second-hand clothing and create unique pieces of clothing. This is a chance for all of us, to inspire ourselves from every decade  and current trends on how to consume clothing in a more conscious manner. It’s time to use your imagination and make your own adjustments to your vintage clothes!

Interested in their upcoming events?

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Pineapple

Spoiler alert: Patience is required, these will not grow until 2-3 years

Select a ripe golden pineapple with very green leaves. Detach the top by grabbing the leaves and twisting off the crown. Proceed by removing the lower leaves from the base of the crown once you can see little brown nubs which will form sprouts. Leave the crown to dry for 1-2 days out of direct sunlight. Once this is completed, put the crown in a mason jar of warm water, placing only the leaf-free area under the water. It is important to change the water every second day and keep the water clean. After only a week you will see that roots will start to form.

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Potatoes

If you are a fan of white potatoes or sweet potatoes, good news coming your way: you can regrow both. For white potatoes, find one with 1 or 2 eyes on it and let it dry at room temperature. Place in a 20cm container and cover approximately half of it with soil. Once you see more roots form, add more soil. For sweet potatoes, cover an entire sweet potato with several eyes.

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Romaine Lettuce

A staple in the kitchen, and even more, if you are a salad lover. If you put the roots in a plate of water without immersing the whole plant. Keep in direct sunlight and spraying water on it once a week.

Garlic

Place a single clove with its root facing down in a small cup of water, and you will see how fast these guys sprout.

Onions

If you cover 130 centimeters of the onion root with soil, place it in a sunny space, and water with care, you will be able to enjoy your own!

5 recipes that will make mushrooms taste like meat!

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Brazil’s current president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a controversial figure. Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has continually mocked health measures made by other countries and renounced introducing significant and strict action. Nonetheless, it is not only in regards to health that he is controversial, it is related to the environment.

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The Amazon rainforest is home to more than 24 million people in Brazil alone, as well as hundreds of thousands of Indigenous Peoples belonging to 180 different groups. The mere existence of the Amazon is substantial for regulating the carbon levels in the atmosphere. Brazil’s current president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a controversial figure. Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has continually mocked health measures made by other countries and renounced introducing significant and strict action. Nonetheless, it is not only in regards to health that he is controversial, it is related to the environment.

Since his introduction, he has been cutting support and enforcement of Brazil’s environmental protections, regardless of it being home to 40 percent of the world’s tropical forests, 20 percent of freshwater reserves, and 10 percent of its biodiversity. Furthermore, deforestation rates have been on the rise throughout his administration as well as systemic invasion of protected areas, with indigenous leaders and human rights activists asking the International Criminal Court to investigate Bolsonaro for “ecocide”.

I AM AMAZONIA

The Brazilian Amazon has lost more than 18 percent of its rainforest in the last 40 years, and if policies continue to be cut, it could only get worse. Although it has the tools to become the home to sustainable agriculture, a bioeconomy, and eco-tourism instead of becoming a green superpower, it is choosing polluting and irreversible damage, regressive strategies as well as Bolsonaro’s constant promotion of detrimental agribusiness for the Amazon. Nonetheless, it is not only a Brazilian problem, it is a regional problem as well as it is a global problem as the future of climate change depends on the Amazon rainforest.

The Biden administration is currently working with Brazil on environmental awareness and climate change issues, a matter that has been not only ignored but condemned by previous US President Trump joining in Bolsonaro’s climate change denialism. This might bring new opportunities to Brazil, firstly, rebutting the idea of climate denialism as well as enabling more participation of the government with civil society, businesses, and producers to come up with sustainable solutions. With all that said, the ball is on Bolsonaro’s court, it remains to be seen if he accepts this support from the United States.

Sources:

1. https://www.ft.com/content/67f547f3-fb8e-4a27-88da-78adea07d51c
2. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/issues/brazil-and-the-amazon-forest/
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/world/americas/bolsonaro-brazil-environment.html

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With global challenges such as climate change, we need global and innovative solutions. Scientists and researchers have been finding new ways to protect our environment. This is the case for the Arctic Ice Project, but like any new solution, there are many doubts. Here is what you have to know about this project.

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The Arctic Ice Project is a non-profit organization that intends to restore the Arctic’s natural heat shield in order to alleviate the impact of climate change. This project has been innovating new ways of preserving ice for a decade. Headed by Dr. Leslie Field in 2008 in California, and previously under the name of Ice911, its approach is restoring ice by improving ice reflectivity and slow the rate of global warming.

The warmer it gets, the more ice dissolves into water, absorbing the sun’s warmth in lieu of reflecting it. Over the last few decades, the Arctic has lost over 95% of its oldest, thickest, and most reflective ice. Furthermore, Arctic sea ice has been declining 10% per decade, and there could even be the possibility of ice-free Arctic summers by 2035. The Arctic Ice project aims to mitigate the impact of global warming through their solutions, estimating that they could buy up to fifteen more years for our economies to decarbonize towards a more sustainable future.

Since its incorporation, the Arctic Ice Project has tested several materials that could create a protective barrier to the sea ice. The main material they are placing on top of the ice to create a reflective material, as well as initiate ice regrowth is silicon dioxide, a material that is used to make glass. Field has fragmented the material into hollow small beads that float on water and continue to reflect sunlight.

There has been speculation about whether these beads are helpful or not. Certain researchers and scientists feel that although well-intentioned, they could affect the ecosystem in the Arctic. As the beads are floating around indefinitely, there is not a plan set in place on how they could potentially impact the ocean.

Innovative solutions such as this one take time, research, and experimentation, and this is why more research is needed for the impact the beads could have on their ecosystem. In order to move into a more sustainable future, we need to start taking into consideration all environments, not just our own, this is what I got us where we are, isn’t it?

Sources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/08/arctic-summer-sea-ice-could-be-gone-by-2035/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/12/11/arctic-is-even-worse-shape-than-you-realize/

Home

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Architecture is an art form, an art in which we have learned to depend on to live, one that provides structure, a safety net, and most importantly; a home. But the home which really matters, our planet, is fading, and the art of construction has become unsustainable. Making architecture sustainable is vital in order to conserve this art form and our Earth simultaneously. This is the purpose of the Jacques Rougerie Foundation and its architectural competitions.

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The Jacques Rougerie Foundation has as a mission to ¨encourage boldness and innovation in architectural undertakings as well as artistic creation related to Sea and Space in order to bring out the next Leonardo da Vinci, Jules Verne, Gustave Eiffel, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Klein… of the 21st Century.¨ It aims to foster a relationship between humans and their natural environment wanting to depict the challenges that we are facing in the world as well as the world we want to build for tomorrow. This is why the Foundation has built a competition where the young generation is able to expose their visionary projects, with a resilient architectural approach and innovative artistic expression.

In 2020, Lenka Petrakova received the Grand Prix from the Foundation Jacques Rougerie, for her innovative and sustainable project named ¨the 8th continent¨. The purpose of her project was to tackle an issue that is very present for environmentalists; marine pollution. It is one of the most detrimental issues for our planet as is in our fight against climate change. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at least 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year and makeup 80% of all marine debris from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. Marine species most likely get entangled in it or ingest the plastic debris ultimately causing injuries and deaths, or ending up on our plates. Furthermore, due to ocean currents, plastic waste becomes accumulated in specific areas namely the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (The 8th Continent). With her project, Petrakova proposed a floating station that collects plastic debris from the surface of the water located on the Garbage Patch. Her aim is to use marine science and knowledge to showcase the reality marine environments face, not as a new phenomenon, but as the result of centuries of human – ocean interactions.

The station consists of five main parts: (i)  The barrier that serves to collect waste and harvest tidal energy; (ii) The collector, where waste is sorted, biodegraded, and stored; (iii) the research and education center to study and showcase aquatic conservation; (iv) greenhouse where plants are grown and water is desalinated; (vi) living quarters with support facilities. One of the most significant things Petrakova made sure to consider is the relationship between the 8th continent and the environment, not only in the floating station but also in the complex interactions with the ocean. “[Creating a station that is] first influenced, transformed and organized by ecology systems, allowing architecture to recreate ecology reciprocally¨.
Learn more about the project
Learn more about sustainable urban planning

Sources:

“Marine Plastics.” IUCN, 5 Dec. 2018, www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/marine-plastics#:~:text=At%20least%208%20million%20tons,causes%20severe%20injuries%20and%20deaths.

“CON 8th Continent.” Lenka Petrakova, petrakovalenka.myportfolio.com/8th-continent.

The Jacques Rougerie Foundation, www.fondation-jacques-rougerie.com/foundation.

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With sea levels rising, Kiribati is one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change

The Republic of Kiribati is composed of 32 coral atolls and one island in the central Pacific Ocean, between Australia and Hawaii. Kiribati is one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change due to rising sea levels and extreme weather variations. It is the first island that will sink due to climate change if collective action is not taken. It is estimated sea levels have risen an average of 3.2mm per year since 1993, according to the Fifth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2018. This has caused an incredible impact on its crop production, fisheries, disease outbreaks, and freshwater supply for Kiribatians.

During the years of 2003-2016, the national government of Kiribati attempted to create and implement a multi-phase adaptation program in order to reduce the vulnerability to climate change and promote the well-being of its resources. This development was the Kiribati Joint Implementation Plan (KJIP) integrating climate change and disaster risk management as a means to mitigate the effects of climate change on the island.

Kiribatians are looking for solutions, but these must be long-term and durable solutions. Many are holding on to their land, with certain residents building walls out of coral rocks, some towns moving a bit further inland amongst the temporary solutions. Nonetheless, possibilities are being defined. The Kiribati government has bought land in Fiji to grow crops and might also serve as a place of refuge if worst comes to worst. Other solutions posed are the opening of migration to neighboring countries such as Australia and New Zealand. With the World Bank arguing that the displacement by climate change will be our new reality in a few coming years. New Zealand has responded, enabling approximately 75 Kiribatians to migrate to New Zealand per year.

It is important to note that Kiribati’s CO2 emissions are amongst the lowest of all nations yet it is one of the nation-states that will suffer the most impact from the climate crisis. A World Health Organization report from 2017 reports that ¨emissions per capita were approximately 0.6t CO2e/capita in 2014 with the only major sector of emissions being energy and with slight contributions from agriculture and forestry¨. In Kiribati, the mean annual temperature is expected to rise by about 3.8 C on average between 1990 and 2100. Nonetheless, another major concern is the rising sea level in Kiribati, which is expected to put their population at risk of coastal flooding, and in turn, would also heighten the danger of water-borne diseases and threaten food safety and security.

It is clear that without global and collective solutions, Kiribati will not be able to mitigate climate change and the effects it has on its island alone. Climate change poses a huge risk to the well-being of the population of Kiribati, but it affects all of us. Therefore providing aid to coastal populations such as these is fundamental for mitigating climate change.

Sources:

https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar5/

https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/kiribati-climate-change#:~:text=Kiribati%2C%20the%20first%20country%20rising,for%20islands%20and%20coastal%20regions.

https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1097480/retrieve

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