Positive News Spring 24

Yay for Positive News!

Summer is just around the corner & I felt it time to bring some uplifting news onto your 'ickle screens! 

Check out our Positive News Section for some other Feel Good Stories too 😊

1) Plastics Ban 1st October 2023

The single used plastics ban has finally taken effect in England from Autumn 2023. 

Previous bans have been introduced in Europe, Scotland & Wales so we’re a little behind the curve ball but good news all the same. 

Some items are restricted rather than banned such as plastic containers for catering as long as it’s pre-packaged or packaged at point of sale.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/far-reaching-ban-on-single-use-plastics-in-england

20 useful tips on how to reduce your plastics can be found here at:

https://www.positive.news/society/20-ways-to-go-beyond-englands-new-single-use-plastic-ban/

2) EU Vote to Reduce Plastic Pellet Spills

MEPs voted in favour April 2024 to place stricter penalties on plastic pellet spills. 

Plastic is frequently transported in small pellet form, known as nurdles which can be spilled during loading or shipping & can make its way into water ways. 

They can easily be mistaken for food by marine life & additionally add to our plastic pollution.

It's great to see that 538 MEPS voted in favour, with only 32 against the proposed restrictions. More details will emerge after the June sittings.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240419IPR20570/microplastics-meps-want-stricter-rules-to-reduce-plastic-pellet-losses

Read more about hidden plastics including nurdles in my blog post:

https://www.lovelierplanet.com/2020/02/beware-of-hidden-plastics.html

3) Cargo Ships Could be Powered by Wings?

A new wind powered cargo ship set off on its maiden voyage during Summer 2023. 123ft wings (made from the same material as wind turbines) are folded out to enable the ship to be powered by wind, cutting down its emissions by 30%.

This new innovation was designed by a team in the UK headed by John Cooper, who used to work with McLaren Team Formula One.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66543643

4) Textiles More Eco Friendly

Clothing can often be discarded when no longer used & according to this BBC article less than 1% is recycled into new clothes. What a shocking waste! Some natural materials will eventually break down however products such as polyester are synthetic & won’t easily decompose.

Items such as spandex are nylon (synthetic) based however the Lycra team are looking at ways to use corn based material to create a more environmentally friendly product in the future.

Other innovative ideas to reduce wasteful products include: A U.S. company using material made from the roots of mushrooms, a U.K. company taking advantage of soil based bacteria to help dye products, as it naturally produces rainbow colours.  

Plus a Finnish company using wood pulp which is spun into thread for making textiles. The only by-product from this process is heat which is pumped into the local heating system. Win, win! 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66985595

Meanwhile Alison Coomber a design graduate from University of Bristol has made highly colourful blinds using old Sainsbury’s shopping bags.

https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/the-green-grads-designing-the-future/

Additionally, Justine Aldersey-Williams, an artist based in the Wirral managed to create her own pair of jeans made from indigo & flax grown in her own allotment!

https://www.positive.news/economics/the-woman-who-grew-her-own-pair-of-jeans

If you have any clothes to get rid of & don’t have a clothes bank near you, why not order a free donation bag from Oxfam & bung it in the post free! 

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/donate-by-post-for-free/

5) Using eDNA to Track Biodiversity

The Natural History Museum are looking at innovative ways to track species in various environments using eDNA. This can help build up a picture of plants & wildlife that are in threat & need our help, whilst also tracking down where species may be thriving. Biodiversity is key to a healthy eco system.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-environmental-dna-edna.html

Check out this video to learn more: 

6) Renewables Reaching New Highs

The world got more than 30% of its electricity from renewables last year (in 2023). According to Positive News 'China, led the charge, accounting for 51% of additional global solar generation & 60% of new global wind generation'.

Let’s hope the momentum continues 💚

https://www.positive.news/society/good-news-stories-from-week-19-of-2024/

What's Happening this Spring?

🦋 No Mow May! - This is a campaign to encourage gardeners to leave their lawns un-mown each May, which is a great time to allow for lawn flowers to feed the emerging insects from their Winter slumber.

Councils are also joining the movement & wildflowers are becoming more abundant which is great for bees, butterflies & moths which ultimately helps with pollination. https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/

Did You Know 'We’ve lost approximately 97% of flower-rich meadows since the 1930’s'?

🌼 World Bee Day – Look out for World Bee Day on 20th May 2024

For stories, infographics & factsheets why not check out the following bee-lightful website! https://www.fao.org/world-bee-day/en/ 

🌱 World Biodiversity Day

The International Day for Biological Diversity on 22nd May 2024 (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. 

The theme this year is Be Part of the Plan, encouraging all stakeholders to come together for a solution. https://www.undp.org/biodiversity-day-2024


🌍 World Environment Day

The World Environment Day will be on 5th June 2024. The theme in 2023 was on Plastic Pollution. https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/

Check out this video for 2024 - 'We Are Generation Restoration'.

____________________

Did you know we have a little shop? 

We have home made washing up cloths, wildflower seed balls, fabric crackers (more available at Christmas) plus upcycled fairy light bottles. Available at:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LovelierPlanet

Save 12% when you order 2 or more items -
use SAVE12 code during checkout

Thank you for reading my blog!

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Plastic Free July

 The Big Plastic Count Results Are In!

Just in time for Plastic Free July, the Big Plastic Count results are in. A survey was sent out to interested hosueholds in May 2022. Published by Greenpeace & Every Day Plastic, the results of the survey are indeed very shocking. 

Some takeaway nuggets include:

🌍  Nearly a quarter of a million people (248,957) from 97,948 UK households took part in the biggest ever Plastic Count Survey.

🌍 On average, each household threw away 66 pieces of plastic packaging in one week, which amounts to an estimated 3,432 pieces a year.

🌍 Over a million pieces of plastics were counted from fruit & veg packaging whilst over a million more made up of snack bags, packets and wrappers.

🌍 The majority of these types of plastics (57%) are soft plastics which are less likely to be recycled.

🌍 The survey found that just 12% of the type of plastics discarded will likely be recycled in the UK whilst 17% shipped abroad, 25% could end up in landfill whilst 46% be incinerated.*

🌍 The UK is the 2nd worse country for plastic waste per capita after the USA and is almost double the weight than plastic waste generated in Italy.

*Different local authorities handle recycling in different ways so there's some level of guesswork involved but the calculations were based on types of plastics being discarded in the week (a tick off chart helped categorise what was being used, ie cartons, peelable lids, trays, wrappers etc and also categories for food, personal products (for body washing etc) & household products such as cleaning sprays & wash tabs etc etc.)

🌍 They concluded that 62% of the pieces of plastic recorded in the count are either not collected or poorly collected for recycling by UK local authorities, and likely to end up in landfill or incinerated.

🌍 Incinerating plastics cause way more pollution/carbon emissions than burning coal & releases toxic fumes into the environment.

🌍 Landfilling meanwhile releases methane & ethylene into the atmosphere as the plastics are broken down (if the landfill is exposed to the elements), coupled with microplastics being carried by wind.

This highlights the need for much better investment in recycling products, reducing single used products & encouraging a deposit scheme for return of plastic bottles as an urgent requirement. The government discussed previously a deposit return scheme however a scheme has yet to be implemented.

Also a bigger look at circular economy would be a help, for instance Mother Nature has far less waste, what is no longer needed goes back into the system and used by some of other part of the eco system. Humans have a much more linear system, make something, use it, discard it, buy another and so on. 

We need to be more forward thinking rather than letting waste pile up to the point where we can no longer live due to all the products we rely on (meat, plants, water, air) becoming too polluted to rely on. Many would say we are already past the tipping point.

A thorough report of the Big Plastic Count is available at: 
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Final-Big-Plastic-Count-Results-Report-V2.pdf 

So how did I do? 

I've been trying to reduce plastics for a number of years and have been recycling plastics since the late 80s/early 90s. Even so, my weekly plastic tally came to 40 plastic items. 

A portion of these items are re-used as we wash out plastic bottles for making our own fizzy drinks, using a ginger beer plant as a base plus plastic ziplock bags are used for disposing of cat litter. 

The majority of plastic products I buy have recycled content in them, however 40 items was still shocking to me - this is under the national average but it's still too much.

Some useful links for you:

🌍 5 Surprising Things from the Household Plastic Count
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/5-surprising-things-we-learned-from-the-biggest-ever-household-plastic-count/

🌍 Government on the Next Steps to Tackle Plastic Waste
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-to-tackle-plastic-waste

🌍 Dame Ellen MacCarthur Foundation - A Circular Economy to Encourage Less Waste
https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/

🌍 Greenpeace, Plastic Questions Answered
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/plastic-pollution/

🌍 Books on Plastic Waste for Adults
https://www.lovelierplanet.com/2019/12/plastic-free-books.html

🌍 Eco Friendly Books for Children
https://www.lovelierplanet.com/2020/01/eco-friendly-books-for-children.html

The Big Plastic Count

 🦋 Welcome to Mindful May

Be kind to one another, take a break, say a compliment, start a new hobby, breathe in the fresh country air and look around you. 

Maybe things we should be doing normally anyway!

🦋 10% Offer. 

Meanwhile, as a treat we have 10% off our Etsy store for the whole month of May. 

Did you know, we make our own wildflower seed balls to add joy to your garden no matter how small, plus compostable wash cloths with lovely patterns to brighten up your kitchen sink or bath tub?

Come and take a look at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LovelierPlanet 

 🦋 The Big Plastic Count

Taking part during 16th to 22nd May the Big Plastic Count is an initiative to encourage families, schools and businesses to record each bit of plastic they throw away. 

Check out this video below!

 

Grab a tick off chart to record your count of plastic items at: https://thebigplasticcount.com/

🦋 Our New Directory

Check out our newly listed directory to help you navigate the world of reducing plastics and loving nature. https://www.lovelierplanet.com/p/directory.html

🦋 Nest & Watering Hole Cams!

If you love wildlife, why not check out this lovely set of nest cams in Ash Wood in Yorkshire including owls & kestrels plus visiting pheasants at a watering hole. I’m addicted to it!

Meanwhile have a great May and enjoy your Spring. 

It's lovely to see trees and wildlife springing back to life again. Huzzah!

Read some of our uplifting stories here!

🦋

Positive Earth Day News

Positive News for Earth Day 2022

Welcome to Earth Day!

First held on April 22, 1970, EarthDay.org provides a wide range of events coordinated globally. 1 billion people in more than 193 countries get involved.

Folks can grab an Earth Day Action Toolkit 2022 here.

To celebrate Earth Day, I have pulled together a snapshot of some good news.

1. 90,000 Trees Planted at National Trust Property

A tree planting project backed by the UK Government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund is underway at Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire. 39 native apple species will be planted in corridors connecting woodland areas, helping to attract pollinating insects, birds & bats into the area. 

Wimpole estate have planted 14 different species of native trees including oak, hornbeam, wild cherry, field maple and birch, and 10 species of shrubs including hawthorn, hazel and spindle.

“The variety of trees is really important to help build resilience into the landscape, in the face of a growing number to tree diseases, and to attract different birds and animals," noted Project manager Jason Sellars.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate/features/green-recovery-at-wimpole

2. Plastic Wet Wipes to be Banned by Boots

UK retailer Boots has vowed to stop selling all wet wipes that contain plastic fibres by the end of the year.

After selling more than 800 million wet wipes last year, it now plans to replace plastic-based wipes with plant-based biodegradable alternatives.

https://news.sky.com/story/boots-to-stop-selling-all-wet-wipes-containing-plastic-by-the-end-of-the-year-12593485

3. Rihanna Backs Climate Change Projects with a $15m Donation

Bajan singer Rihanna has donated $15 million to grassroots climate justice groups through the Clara Lionel Foundation. The 18 groups funded included Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the Movement for Black Lives. 

She noted that disparity is the reason for her foundation, which is named after her grandparents, prioritizes both climate resilience and climate justice work.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rihannas-foundation-donates-15-million-to-climate-justice_n_61f06172e4b02de5f5112a45

4. Kites Are Flying High!

In the 1980s Red Kites were a globally threatened species facing near extinction. Following a reintroduction of breeding pairs 30 years ago numbers have steadily increased.

The Nature Conservancy Council collaborated with the RSPB, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Zoological Society London and British Airways to release the birds 30 years ago in an area on the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire border.

By 1996, at least 37 pairs had bred in southern England and today red kites can be seen regularly in most English counties with an estimated 1,800 pairs breeding across the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/30-year-anniversary-of-landmark-release-of-red-kites-in-the-chiltern-hills

5. Natural History GCSE Being Introduced

In three years time, students between the ages of 14-16 in the UK will be able to sit down and officially study natural history as a dedicated subject.

It is the result of a decade-long campaign by naturalist Mary Colwell, who garnered support from many people and organisations, including Chris Packham, Baroness Floella Benjamin, The Wildlife Trust and the Natural History Museum.

Mary says, 'Everyone will have the opportunity to be nature-literate, to learn about British wildlife and how it relates to the rest of the world, which is essential for a sustainable, green future.'

The qualification is being developed by the examinations board OCR and will be ready for students to take by 2025.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/april/new-natural-history-gcse-to-focus-on-saving-the-planet.html

6. Ocean Plastic Loving Barbie!

Mattel have introduced a new Barbie range called Barbie Loves the Ocean - the 3 dolls and accessories are made using 90% recycled ocean bound plastic.

The company's goal is to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic material use across all its products and packaging by 2030.

https://toyworldmag.co.uk/mattel-launches-sustainable-new-barbie-loves-the-ocean-range/

7. EU Calls for Recycled Clothing

A BBC article states that globally, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textiles waste is created each year and the equivalent to a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second. 

The European Union are now calling for cloth manufacturers to improve the recycled content of their products by 2030.

There are some wonderful companies finding ways to recycle materials into new fibres, including Carol Lin, a chemical engineer at the City University of Hong Kong, who developed a technique for recycling fabrics made from cotton and polyester blends by feeding them to fungi!

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle

8. Plastic Free Flip Flops Made From Algae

This video looks at how micro bloom algae mixed with sugar cane can be used to make eco friendly foam soles for flip flops. 

Flip flops are often discarded on beaches but the PVC & polymer contained within them can prevent them from being broken down. These eco shoes can be interchanged into mules and sandals - what a great idea!

The video below explains this great innovation.

9. Coffee Grounds For Your Shoes

Entrepreneurs Jesse Tran and Son Chu had the ingenious idea of mixing waste coffee grounds with plastic pellets (made from recycled water bottles) and turning them into a coffee polyester yarn.

The yarn has been used to make upper material for sneakers and hoodies too.

They've been able to recycle over 750,000 cups of coffee and more than 250,000 post-consumption plastic bottles, with sneakers being sold across 100 countries worldwide.

Each hoodie meanwhile is made from 43 cups of coffee grounds and 12.5 post-consumption plastic bottles plus 40% of bamboo viscose.

https://cleantechnica.com/2022/03/29/14-million-tons-of-coffee-waste-were-used-by-rens-original-to-make-sneakers/

10. UK's Plastic Tax Takes Effect

The Plastic Packaging Tax introduced by the UK Government will take effect from 1st April 2022. The tax will apply to plastic packaging produced in (or imported into) the UK that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic.

The tax will provide an incentive for businesses to use recycled material in the content of plastic packaging, which will create greater demand for this material. 

It is hoped this will stimulate levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste, diverting it away from landfill or incineration.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax

11. New Plant & Animal Species Found

More than 220 new animal and plant species have been discovered in the Greater Mekong.

A total of 155 plants, 16 fish species, 17 amphibians, 35 reptiles, and one mammal have been found in the Greater Mekong region of southeast Asia, conservation charity WWF has said.

More than 3,000 species have been spotted in the area in the past 24 years.

https://news.sky.com/story/more-than-220-new-animal-and-plant-species-discovered-in-greater-mekong-wwf-says-12525571

12. Queen's Jubilee Blooming Display!

To honour the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen there will be a colourful, vibrant field of flowers at the Tower of London.

In spring 2022, over 20 million seeds will be sown in the Tower's moat from carefully designed seed mixes. The flower display will erupt into new colours and patterns creating a dramatic and engaging experience throughout the summer.

On arrival, visitors can grab a mat and slide down into the moat on their Superbloom slide! 

Tickets can be booked at: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/superbloom-at-the-tower-of-london

Some Useful Links:

🌎 Join the Greenpeace Plastic Count between 16-22 May!

https://news.sky.com/story/households-asked-to-count-how-much-plastic-packaging-they-bin-in-a-week-12579278

🌎 Hop back to Earth Day 2020 🌼

https://www.lovelierplanet.com/2020/04/happy-earth-day.html

🌎 Check out this list of 14 ways to lower your carbon footprint.

https://www.positive.news/environment/what-can-i-do-about-climate-change-how-to-lower-your-carbon-footprint/  

🌎 Niantic has partnered up with Ecosia (the tree planting web browser) to provide tree donations for players using Pokemon Go at community events.

https://blog.ecosia.org/niantic-community-days/

🌎 And finally - a splash of optimism to nourish the soul!

https://www.onlygoodnewsdaily.com/post/quotes-about-optimism 

Beware of Hidden Plastics

The Hidden Danger of Plastics

All around us are plastics, we cannot fail to notice. But what we can’t see are tiny little microplastics which make their way into our food chain, water & even the air we breathe.

Even makeup and face washes contained micro beads which have been banned thankfully. Micro fibres during a clothes wash can also be a huge unseen problem. 

Below I have listed some of the sources of hidden plastics, some which may surprise you such as in tap water & car tyres. It does make for stark reading. 

It was watching hard hitting documentaries that triggered me to start this blog, so seeing the hard truths can help trigger positive change. 

I hope some of the items listed below will give you food for thought..

Sources of Hidden (Micro) Plastics.

Drinks – a study by Dr. Noam van der Hal found that cows milk contained 10 to 200 particles of microplastics per sample. When he went to the dairy & sampled the milk, he found far less particles within the dairy collection tank. Dr. Noam concluded that the bottling process itself leaches plastics into the product.

Another study looked at contamination of soft drinks, cold tea & energy drinks - it was found that microplastics were detected in 48 out of 57 samples. 

Tea Bags – folks didn’t realise that tea bags contained plastics until a gardener noted that tea bags in his compost heap refused to break down fully. This is caused by polypropylene being used to seal the bags, keeping in the tea without them coming apart during a hot dunking.

Following subsequent news reports, consumers began to put pressure on tea bag companies to change their products to become more eco friendly. I wrote an article on these hidden plastics in tea back in 2019.

Some companies have improved their products since my article above - maybe check out the website of your fave tea company, to check on how they’re doing to emit plastics from their products.

Tap Water – A study reported that 83% of tap water samples from major cities around the world contained plastic fibres. In the UK, 72% of samples were found to have micro fibres, whereas in the US, numbers were much higher at 94%.

Bottled Water - Research from State University of New York examined 250 bottles from nine worldwide countries & found plastics hiding ‘in bottle after bottle and brand after brand’. There were typically 10 plastic particles found, per litre of bottled water.

Chewing Gum – In ancient times the chewing gum was plant based, usually from sap, tree resins & bark that Native Americans, Early Europeans & Mayans/Aztecs used to chew on as a breath freshener.

Modern day chewing gums may contain plastics in their gum base as well as polyisobutylene, a type of rubber found in inner car tyres. This is why you see wads of gum sticking (quite literally!) around for years & years.

There are biodegradable alternatives available, see the link below for some ideas. https://www.treehugger.com/is-chewing-gum-biodegradable-5187955

Glitter – glitter can often contain plastic but some may not be aware. I found this article quite useful to learn a little more. https://moralfibres.co.uk/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-glitter/

Toiletries – Microbeads (small insoluble particles) have been used as exfoliators in cosmetics & toiletries. These are solid plastic particles less than 5mm. It was realised that these microbeads can run off into oceans & be ingested by fish & sea mammals causing potential harm to the environment & wildlife.

Cosmetics Europe recommended that by 2020 all products containing microbeads should be phased out. Many companies have been switching to alternatives such as tapioca, seaweed, silica & corn.

In 2018, the UK government placed a ban on products containing microbeads being sold in stores. These included toothpastes, shower gels, face scrubs & soaps.

The government website stated that 'just one shower alone was thought to send 100,000 microbeads down the drain and into the ocean, causing serious harm to marine life.'

Sadly there will be many beads out in the environment already swirling around in the seas & waterways, but at least action has been taken to prevent more being produced in the UK.

Clothes – fabrics can often be made up of polyester or acrylic. Washing of clothes releases thousands of microfibers into the waterways. These may not be picked up during filtration leading to contamination of tap water or be leached out into rivers & streams.

Prof Richard Thompson at Plymouth University found that on average, a 6kg wash load could release 140,000 fibres from a polyester-cotton mix or more than 700,000 fibres from acrylic. Dryers can also carry fibres into the air creating a source of airborne microplastic pollution.

Tyres – A report commissioned by Friends of the Earth found that vehicle tyres are the biggest cause of microplastic pollution in rivers, lakes & oceans in the UK. 

A recent study in Norway found that the average car tyre loses 4kg in its lifetime. 

Tyres contain about 20% natural rubber with the rest being made of synthetic materials containing plastic polymers. 

Another worrying ingredient is the use of carbon black - sourced from fossil fuels, it is used to blacken the tyres for resistence to UV light but is also reported to be non biodegradeable & possibly carcinogenic.

Fragments of plastic & synthetic rubber from tyres & brake pads can be kicked out onto the roads. Due to their tiny size they are easily picked up & carried by wind into streams, drains & rivers. The Norway study found particles can remain airborne for a whole month.

Nurdles – so what are nurdles I hear you ask! These are tiny plastic pellets that are often melted to make larger items. They are in effect the primary source of virgin plastic & transported by cargo to foreign countries still in its small pellet form.

Cargo spillages during bad storms can cause nurdles to be dumped out into the oceans. Due to their small size & light weight, they can often drift on top of the current & be carried out by tides to large expanses at sea, even as far as the arctic circle.

Fish & sea birds mistake them as food as they are similar in size to fish eggs. An accumulation of the microplastics can lodge in their guts, causing blockages & malnutrition.

Spillages can also occur during transfer by trucks to factories which can cause run off into drains & rivers, so the problem can be very widespread indeed.

This charity is looking for nurdle hunters to identify the full extent of the problem. Check out the site above for more information & if you can help, why not join the search for nurdles at your local beach.

Rainwater – Researchers studied rainwater & air samples in 11 protected areas in the Western USA over 14 months - they found that over 1,000 metric tons of microplastic fragments fell into these areas each year. 

This is the equivalent to over 120 million plastic water bottles (or 8 blue whales in weight). 

North Pole – Nanoplastics (smaller than a micrometre) have now been found as far away as the North & South poles. A chart about half way down this page shows they are so small they may even cross the blood-brain barrier.

Meanwhile, the top of Everest has been found to harbour microplastics – analysts found samples rife with thin, curly fibres of microplastic. Humans have quite literally left their mark in all sorts of places.

And who can forget the images of polar bears scavenging for food covered in plastic bags? Researchers in Alaska found a shocking 25% of polar bears had plastics lodged in their stomachs. 

Human Beings – A small study of 22 healthy volunteers in the Netherlands found traces of plastics in 17 of the blood samples taken. 

The most common plastic was polyethylene terephthalate (PET) usually found in drink bottles & fabrics, whilst the second most common was polystyrene used in takeaway food containers such as Styrofoam. The third was polyethylene used in paints, plastic wrap, sandwich bags & detergent bottles.

Here is another article on plastics affecting the human body – this is not meant to depress us, but is meant to open all our eyes to the problem we are all facing!
 

Did you know that humans have produced 18.2 trillion pounds of plastic since the 50s (equal in size to 1 billion elephants)? 

It’s hardly surprising that humans are ingesting & breathing in microplastics, but it is a concern that blood samples also contain plastic too. A stark reminder of how much damage we have done to ourselves & our planet.

We are resourceful beings & we need to come together to find solutions & act quickly – this planet is far too beautiful to waste.

Thank you for reading! 🌍

Check out our Positive News Stories to pick up the mood..

Is Cop 26 a Cop Out?

 Cop 26 –
A Cop Out or Copping On?

verb To wise up; to employ common sense or logic; to understand the situation.

I don’t know about you but I feel a little sad that humans come together to find ways to heal the planet, whilst at the same time using the very thing (plane fuel) that will damage the climate. An example is the modes of transport used by world leaders and their counterparts to attend Cop 26 – the climate change summit held in Glasgow this year.

Air fuel emits greenhouse gases high up in the atmosphere where it often stays. If private jets are used, the carbon footprint is much higher (per passenger) than commercial flights. If they do use commercial flights, business and 1st class seats emit more greenhouse gas per passenger due to the larger seating area they take up onboard.

So, how much do we think will change, how quickly can it happen and can they reclaim back the carbon they used whilst travelling to the summit in the first place? 

Probably some things WILL change BUT probably much too slowly to make a difference. They are already in debt with the planet so using up even more carbon emitting fuel, to congregate together to talk about how we can STOP damaging the environment, seems really strange to me.

I’m as much to blame as anyone, I drive around in a car and have taken flights myself – I don’t think any of us claim to be angels, but I do wonder whether there were better ways to make a difference and make agreements but in a much greener way?

Some statistics!

Policy actions and the efforts of industry have led to improvements in fuel efficiency over recent years. For instance, the amount of fuel burned per passenger dropped by 24% between 2005 and 2017. 

However, these environmental benefits have been outpaced by a sustained growth in air traffic, with passengers in 2017 flying on average 60% further than in 2005.

The aviation sector creates 13.9% of the emissions from transport, making it the second biggest source of transport GHG emissions after road transport.

✈ If global aviation were a country, it would rank in the top 10 emitters.

✈ Someone flying from Lisbon to New York and back generates roughly the same level of emissions as the average person in the EU does by heating their home for a whole year.

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/eu-action/transport-emissions/reducing-emissions-aviation_en

An article from the BBC stated that non-CO2 emissions such as nitrogen oxides also cause detrimental affect - they persist for longer at high altitudes and cause a warming effect to the planet.

For example a plane from Madrid to London emits 118kg of CO2 per passenger, however if non CO2 emissions (secondary conditions caused by nitrogen oxide) is then included this totals 265kg per person, in comparison to just 43kg per passenger if the journey was undertaken by train.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49349566

A Little Personal Viewing

One good thing so far about the climate debate is the increase of programmes on TV to help us learn more about our contribution to environmental decay. I realise that I am spouting about damage to the environment whilst typing in my computer and talking about television both of which uses electricity. 

Our electricity supplier is 100% green energy (so they say) but the TV and laptop themselves used up resources in their production; in fact all of us are taking from Mother Earth every day by eating, drinking, breathing and washing our clothes.

But I have found the TV programmes to be very eye opening and they triggered my desire to make some changes of my own and hence create this blog.

Recent programmes have included ‘Celebrity Trash Monsters’, where celebrities carried around their plastic waste around their waist for two weeks, including waste created by their families. Was quite a shock for anyone who regularly eat take-away to see just how much waste is generated by one family alone.

Another thought provoking programme was ‘Joe Lycett v The Oil Giant’, which had quite revealing information on Green Washing tactics used by oil and energy companies, who are huge polluters themselves.

‘How We Forgot to Save the Planet’ is another show that I intend to watch soon.

More on these programmes available on channel 4 catch up can be found at:  

https://www.channel4.com/press/news/climate-matters-channel-4-reveals-collection-new-shows-ahead-cop26

Kudos goes to BBC for the coverage of the 'Earthshot Prize - Cleaning the Planet', with Prince William & Sir David Attenborough. 

Episodes covering Cleaning the Air, Protecting Nature, Preventing Waste & Reviving the Ocean are available on BBC iplayer at:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p09w80wb/the-earthshot-prize-repairing-our-planet

It's a Wrap!

It’s encouraging to see that the UK government is introducing more bans on plastic items – following on from the ban on plastic cotton buds and straws, in unison with WRAP they are now focussing on throw away plates, single use cutlery and polystyrene cups.

The plastic tax is also set to come into effect April 2022, where a product has less than 30% recycled content.

More on government approaches to plastic waste can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-to-tackle-plastic-waste

Tree planting and sea-grass planting schemes have also been encouraged. Recently, a ‘Green Recovery Challenge Fund’ created by DEFRA, Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Environment Agency have granted £80m (£40m per funding round) to help kick start environmental projects.

Some of the projects supported include wildlife trusts, community forestry areas and Chester Zoo; to help create a wild nature corridor to restore wetlands and wildflower meadows.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/multi-million-pound-boost-for-green-jobs-and-nature-recovery

The fund also supports delivery of the 'Ancient Woodlands and Trees' programme. This £4.6 million, 15 month programme of activity will make a difference to the condition of ancient woodlands. The Woodland Trust and the National Trust are working in partnership to deliver the programme.

The government say:
 

‘The fund is supporting a range of nature conservation and recovery and nature-based solutions projects, which will contribute towards the Government’s wider '25 Year Environment Plan' commitments, including commitments to treble tree-planting rates in England by the end of this Parliament and restoring 35,000 hectares of peat.’

So we’re going in the right direction but I do wonder if 25 years is quick enough considering the alarming rate of knots that we are adding to carbon emissions in our every day lives. Trees take decades to mature, so as speakers are saying at the climate support conference, now is the time for action rather than words.

As 15 year old Earthsot Prize Finalist Vinisha Umashankar points out:

‘Today I ask, with all due respect, that we stop talking and start doing".

Let’s hope we haven’t left it too late!

Positive News Autumn 21

 Positive News September 2021

Some good news stories to keep us in the mood!

1.     First Baby Beaver Born

The National Trust released 2 Eurasian beavers in Somerset and just 18 months later a new pup was born, the first in 400 years! 

Beavers became extinct in the 16th century but recently reintroduced to help with flooding defences. It didn't take long for the introduced beavers to get into the groove (see what I did there?)

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/press-release/first-beaver-born-on-exmoor-for-400-years

2.     Pine Martens Make a Comeback

The first pine martens born in England for 200 years have been caught on camera. Eighteen pine martens were moved from Scotland to the Forest of Dean and three of the females have since given birth. 

Beavers and pine martens dwindled due to hunting and loss of woodland. It is great to see moves to bring them back but we must protect them for the future.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-gloucestershire-53363491

3.              Irish Baron Rewilds Estate

An Irish baron, Randall Plunkett turned his 1600 acre estate in County Meath, Ireland into a refuge for nature.

Cattle, sheep, crops and lawns are no longer part of the estate but shrubs, trees and flowers are taking shape. Many trees have been planted by the local wildlife, Plunkett recalls.

Before, the estate had just three types of grass, now it has 23. “I didn’t do it, the birds did.” 

Trees regenerated and multiplied – oak, ash, beech, Scots pine and black poplar. “I see a lot of saplings growing that I haven’t planted.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/07/people-think-youre-an-idiot-death-metal-irish-baron-rewilds-his-estate

4.             Jays Planting Trees 

A research centre in the heart of Cambridgeshire was left to re-wild for 60 years. They found shrubs and trees were planted, not by man, but by the local wildlife including thrushes, jays and squirrels. 

52% of the trees in Monks Wood are oaks and jays love to cache oaks, thereby planting a tree. Good work, hey?

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/monks-wood-wilderness-60-years-115910314.html

5.             Shire Horses Mow Cambridge Uni Meadow

The wildflower meadow at King’s College, Cambridge was harvested this year with the aid of two Shire horses. The horses cut the meadow on Monday 2nd August. 

The bales will later be used to create more wildflower meadows across the city of Cambridge.

https://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/news/2021/wildflower-meadow-harvested-aid-shire-horses

6.             Cows Digesting Plastic?

Scientists in Vienna (Austria) found that bacteria living inside a cow’s rumen can digest certain plastics, including those used to make single-use packaging. 

The results of the study found that three different types plastics could be broken down in “hours” by the rumen liquid. So we can stop blaming them for belching methane, eh?

https://www.positive.news/science/cows-are-being-touted-as-the-latest-solution-to-plastic-pollution/

7.             English Moor Used as CO2 Sponge 

Peatland in the West Pennines near Manchester is being used to soak up CO2. The peat had dried up due to over grazing and wildfires so banks were created to help trap water and improve the condition of the moor. 

In good condition peat bogs can absorb twice as much carbon as forests.

https://www.positive.news/environment/climate-crisis-english-moor-turned-into-giant-sponge-to-absorb-co2/

8.             Football Going Green 

A Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea game was billed as the first major net-zero carbon football match. 

Tottenham Hotspur is currently the greenest club in the Premier League, using reusable cups, waterless urinals, veggie alternatives and green energy supplies.

Forest Green Rovers site is run on green energy, serves vegan food, has an organic pitch and electric car charging points. https://www.fgr.co.uk/eco-park.

Other clubs are looking at solar power, LED bulbs instead of flood lighting and providing public transport to reduce car traffic at the match.

More in the link below..

https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/sport/climate-crisis-the-football-clubs-making-net-zero-more-competitive/ 

9.             Travel by Rail and Plant a Tree

Positive news reported of a new company called 'Tree Hugger' where for every rail ticket bought a tree is planted. 

The green travel company has joined forces with the Royal Forestry Society and the Royal Scottish Forestry Society to optimise the planting. A new app is being developed soon.

https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/travel/green-travel-every-time-you-buy-a-train-ticket-this-company-will-plant-a-tree/

10.             Be Free and Go Fly Free!

Meanwhile a new company called 'Byway' was launched in 2020. After the public reviewed their ways to travel due to Covid restrictions as well as environmental concerns the founders noticed a rise in travellers wanting a slower way to travel.

https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/slow-travel-the-no-fly-agency-that-wants-to-take-you-the-scenic-route/

_________________________________________________________

Here's Some Ways to Help the Planet:

1) Truckers Clean Up:

Did you know there is a Facebook page called 'Truckers Cleaning Up Britain'? Truckers often see discarded rubbish thrown into laybys and have grouped together to share their clean up ventures as they go. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/393605774773227

2) Insurance for Nature:

If you're looking for home, business or charity group insurance, why not check out this company that supports nature? They are also offering a 12 month subscription to Positive News magazine, so a win win!

https://www.naturesave.co.uk/positivenews/

3) Restarting Your Electrics:

Do you love to fix things? Are you in need of something fixing yourself? Check out the Restart Project for some ideas on events that may be happening near you. You can also host your own event too.

https://therestartproject.org/

Check out my other feel good stories at: 

https://www.lovelierplanet.com/p/lovelier-news.html