Irrawaddies on holiday April 30, 2009

Endangered dolphins have decided to spend their last days travelling around the world, getting a bit of sun tan on various areas of the planet.

Irrawady dolphin have chosen the coast of Bangladesh for their post-easter vacation

Researchers from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said they have found nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins living in the freshwater regions of Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangrove forest and nearby waters in the Bay of Bengal.

This newly discovered populace of dolphins is a hope for scientists since they will now be able to broaden their census of cetecean creatures in the asian waters

Mark Simmonds, the international director of science for the UK-based Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said: “This discovery is an interesting one as it reflects the fact that now the Sundarbans have been more fully surveyed, we have a much better idea of how many animals are there. Irrawaddy dolphins are getting rarer and rarer in that part of the world. To find 6,000 isn’t huge – but it’s significant – and it does show that when you look for something and survey properly you can get some interesting findings.

“But the most important thing is that mangrove habitat is incredibly threatened, and while it’s great to know that they are full of dolphins, we wish they could live somewhere else. Mangroves are threatened by changes in the water passing through them – from extreme weather, sea level rises, changes in salinity and changes to water systems upstream. The Sundarbans system is important and needs better protection.”

The WCS has asked Bangladesh authorities to establish a sanctuary for the dolphins in the Sundarbans mangrove forest.

Ainun Nishat, the Bangladesh head of International Union for Conservation of Nature, said the finding was an indication that “ecology in the area is not dead yet”.

“There is plenty of food, mainly fish, in the area for the dolphins to eat,” said Nishat, who was not involved in the study. “What is now needed is to restrict fishing in the area to protect the dolphins.”

Open pools would be a great attraction to the Irrawadies, there is a new tourism market for Bangladesh.

Lucky coral April 30, 2009

The Great Barrier Reef of Australia’s have been granted salvation.

In 2006, high sea temperatures caused severe coral bleaching in the Keppell Islands, in the southern part of the reef — the largest coral reef system in the world. Bleaching cause the lost of the symbiotic algae corals needed to survive.

The damaged reefs were covered by a single species of seaweed which threatened to suffocate the coral and cause further loss.

Researchers from the University of Queensland’s Centre for Marine Studies and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) have discovered that thoughout the past year, sections of the coral reefs have achieved an exceptional recovery. The reason for this is none other than the “lucky” conditions experienced:

1.An amazing high regrowth of fragments of surviving coral tissue
2.An unusual seasonal dieback in the seaweeds
3.The presence of a highly competitive coral species, which was able to outgrow the seaweed.

“The exceptional aspect was that corals recovered by rapidly regrowing from surviving tissue,” said Dr Sophie Dove, also from CoECRS and The University of Queensland

“Recovery of corals is usually thought to depend on sexual reproduction and the settlement and growth of new corals arriving from other reefs. This study demonstrates that for fast-growing coral species asexual reproduction is a vital component of reef resilience.”

Looks like Mother Nature has decided to be merciful to the Aussies at least.

Saving Nemo April 30, 2009

Scientists have now come up with a new remedy to Mother Nature’s aches.

1/3 of the world’s fish population has to be left alone to breed and live for a while to save our planet (and ourselves) This population is endangered and their number has depleted considerably over the past decades. Actually banning fishing in up to 40% of the oceans could restore the number of fish in the sea as it was 200years ago.

However, how can the other 60% of the oceans be protected from overfishing? To avoid a new genre of poaching, strict measures are to be taken; having fishing seasons for example would be a plausible solution.

Still, fishermen will not exactly refer to any blinking signposts in the middle of the Pacific ocean reading “Fishing season ongoing”. Maybe a new bar-code system should be introduced for alive fish too.

Now, how about seagulls? Will they be victims of the ban too?

save one eat one thousand

Fish will become a rare specie one way or the other.

It is such a shame when you think of all the additional living space they are assigned to with melting ice caps and the consequent raising of sea levels.

Tesco attacks toilet paper. April 30, 2009

Let me introduce you to the toilet paper’s new foe: Tesco. Yes the supermarket is taking steps into preventing our dear toilet paper from growing, expanding and polluting.

The firm has announced that they would put a carbon label on toilet paper packagings as they do for their cartons of juice and their washing products amongst others. Greener paper? Yes. Tesco declares that their brand of recycled toilet roll emits only “1.1g of carbon” compared to 1.8g for its standard toilet roll. Such a huge difference for a paper roll that is not necessarily money-friendly.

Easter Diet April 30, 2009

We all search for a bit of diet after (not) indulging in chocolate sharing AND eating after Easter. Special K and bottled water companies sure are making further profits. But the only one who has not been working out as much as he should is the creature with long ears who visits every year at the same period.

This year, the Easter Bunny’s job has been alleviated by 20% to 60%. Not less chocolate to deliver but less packaging to carry. Indeed, most of our favourite brands- Thortons, Mark & Spencer, Cadbury, Green and Black’s-have all reduced the thickness, weight and amount of wrapping they used for their Easter products. On the other hand, Neslé declared that 700 tons of plastic packaging had been saved by using cardboard wrapping instead, and Mars saved 108 tonnes of wrapping material. All in all, it can be said that an average of 25% of wapping has been saved this year.

If chocolate too is declared non eco-friendly I am prepared to help rescue the planet by eliminating it freely.

As long as what is inside the packaging does not go on a diet too…

Free Trash March 9, 2009

London. Urban, beautiful, modern, GREEN London. I love London. Seriously. It reminds me of us women. Sophisticated, glamourous and attractive on the inside but still, having a huge hypocritical secret.

One: dustbins. I completely understand that there is a shortage of trashcans due to previous terrorist attacks. But seriously. However goodwilled we all are, the temptation of just dropping the teeny tiny piece of paper which overfills our pocket is too strong when trashcans are at least 300m apart from each other!

Two: free newspapers. I take the train and the tube six days a week, sometimes all week long, at various times of the day and night and I can guarantee any skeptical that all adverts for recycling and starving bins touch a MINORITY of the population. Metro and other national newspapers are littered in a moderate amount compared to the afternoon free dailies the london lite and the london paper I will not deny it. It is always pleasant to have a spare copy lying on your seat in the late night Southeastern train.

What is almost appalling is to think of the number of these newspapers picked up and dumped anywhere every single day in train stations and on trains which is doubled in the afternoons.

Sure information is vital, and most commuters fancy the variety of the articles found in these two publications. However, talk about recycling and resource saving.

At the end of the day Press Barons’ pockets are full and letting some coins drop on the floor, commuters up to date and somehow entertained and Mother Nature still crimed against.

The age of digital newspapers will indubutably be more radically eco-friendly than a simple new fashion trend.

We commuters know it. London is a beautiful woman (city) with unglamorous untreated dandruff.

Getting Closer to the Problem March 9, 2009

It is ironical that most people when asked where would they buy a secondary house or even live would say “somewhere near the sea” or “on the coastal area”.

What comes first to our minds is the sun, the sea and the cool breeze with a cocktail in the hands, feet in the cool water. How idyllical. However, what we, summer vacation freaks, overlook is how dangerous it might turn out to be. I apologize. How dangerous it IS in the long run.

The Guardian online reports that Copenhagen will host the international conference of climate change this week, with scientists ready to trigger “oooohs” and “aaaahs” with their frightening statistics regarding the rising sea level.

It is almost the same song; ring the alarm, mother nature is avenging herself from the harm we have done to her, we will die terrific deaths either burnt or drowned in a few centuries’ time.

In Copenhagen however, it seems that experts have come up with new material to frighten the world; scientists have been wrong in some of their judgements. It has been observed that the melting of the polar caps do not account as much as it has been stated to the rise of the sea levels, but that with the new phenomenon “thermal expansion” sea level could rise up to 2 metres by 2100.

Obviously, the best thing would be to buy a house 1km away from the sea, with time, the sea will come to you.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot March 8, 2009

I like the little drawing in the london paper which shows some penguins having their winter Olympics on a square metre of snow. How to illustrate climate change better?

Scientists advocate the continuous rise of temperatures over the next century. As astounding as it might sound, all the limitations and reduction on greenhouse effect on the environment will only reduce the rise of temperatures by half by 2015. This might seem trivial but experts strongly believe that this slight reduction will prevent temperatures being unbearable and spark diseases around the world.

Let’s face it. These statistics are there just to frighten the world even more than it should be. Instead of being empirical, experts should consider giving more updates about the reliability and efficiency of sustainable remedies to The Earth’s aches.

The world’s population is well aware that the climate is no longer the same as it was a few decades ago. Londoners have given up on their hopes of having a white christmas ages ago and the southern hemisphere population experience increasingly cold winters and shortened summers.

Since 2000 global greenhouse gas emissions have risen between 2 per cent and 3 per cent each year, roughly in line with the rate of increase of the world’s gross domestic product. The 0.5 per cent contraction of the global economy has led to greenhouse gas emissions falling by the same amount. (Source: The Times online)

For sure, we are doomed. Only radical change would maybe save us. But is it really plausible? All these statistics and scientific proofs state that the deterioration will occur in a few centuries, when the current world population will have mostly been gone, replaced by our progeny. It is no wonder that Man’s cupidity will take over him as always: money is paramount. Unconsciously it is: “I will die horribly but at least I will have been rich and so will be my children.” This is 21st century altruism.

At least, the Poles will be the new fashionable touristic areas over the next centuries, with large adverts saying: “Come and see the last Penguins (and have a little tan)”.

It is no longer hard white ice everywhere.

Danger: Toilet Paper. March 6, 2009

Lets save our mother nature. Ok, lets eat less meat and produce less milk. That is not so bad. And anyway, Haute Couture is mainly made of crazy clothes for crazy people who are crazy rich. The world could survive.

But do we really have to give up on toilet paper? Ridiculous? Wit? No, this is a proven fact.

Allen Hershkowitz, a Natural Resources Defense Council senior scientist said: “This is a product that we use for less than three seconds and the ecological consequences of manufacturing it from trees is enormous.”

He adds that future generations will look back in shame on our egregiously wasteful taste in toilet paper, calling it “one of the greatest excesses of our age.” and that making toilet paper from virgin wood is a lot worse than driving Hummers in terms of global warming pollution.

However peculiar this phenomenon seems to happen in the world’s most poluting continent, America.

They privilege comfort; luxury cars, luxury houses luxury food and luxury brands of toilet paper. But then again if they use something else instead of toilet paper criticism will follow…

Maybe they will discover the luxury ecology….

In the meantime, they cannot exactly forego using toilet paper as methane is lethal to the atmosphere…

Isn’t all this a big perfect never-ending sadist circle?

Toilet Paper or Hummer? That is the question.

Fashion Ecology March 6, 2009

Ecology is being mentionned in most fields today… could it be fashionable too?  We would see models strolling down the catwalk in recycled Haute Couture, shoes made of nothing but environmental friendly Dior and Chanel shoes…..  but London Fashion week was not there yet.  It has instead been a platform for the announcement of asserted ecological plans throughout the UK.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) says the clothing and textiles sector in the UK produces around 3.1m tonnes of carbon dioxide, 2m tonnes of waste and 70m tonnes of waste water per year.

Burning fossil fuel emit gases like Carbon Dioxide and methane which are released from landfill sites into the atmosphere and are widely believed to be contributing to global warming.

As part of the action plan:

Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have pledged to increase their ranges of Fairtrade and organic clothing, and support fabrics which can be recycled more easily

Tesco is banning cotton from countries known to use child labour

Charities such as Oxfam and the Salvation Army will open more sustainable clothing boutiques featuring high quality second-hand clothing and new designs made from recycled garments

The Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion will be resourced to provide practical support to the clothing sector

The Fairtrade Foundation will aim for at least 10% of cotton clothing in the UK to be Fairtrade material by 2012.

The Minister for Sustainability, Lord Hunt, announced the plan at the launch of the sixth season of estethica, the world’s leading showcase of ethical designer fashion, at London Fashion Week.