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'Finance matters,' says Dr Nicola Ranger, head of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme's climate and environmental risk research, about why finance is one of the core themes of the COP26 conference.
See the video below:
On World Oceans Day, Sheba is releasing its first, narrated dive-along video, bringing the coral beds of Sulawesi Indonesia - the home of the restored and created Sheba Hope Reef - to diving ocean nature lovers around the world.
The 10-minute experience takes viewers on an underwater tour, allowing them to learn about much-loved marine life such as clown fish, green turtles, feather stars and damselfish, that have returned as a result of Sheba's coral restoration efforts which use the MARRS restoration method.
The Washing Machine Project was set up in 2018 by British engineer Nav Sawhney following a sabbatical in South India, where he witnessed women and children enduring many backbreaking hours washing clothes by hand. He discovered that 70% of the world's population do not have access to an electric washing machine and for many washing clothes in rivers, lakes and buckets is the only solution.
Handwashing clothes is recognised as being a major barrier to education for low-income and displaced people around the world. This repetitive, demanding task, which can take upwards of 20 hours per week, often also leads to chronic back and joint pain.
This experience led Nav to develop a prototype for an affordable off-grid manual crank washing machine, the Divya requiring no electricity. Using it reduces the time spent handwashing clothes by 75% and requires 50% less water. It can handle loads up to 5 kg, despite weighing just 12 kg.
Electrocomponents plc has chosen The Washing Machine Project Foundation as its first global charity partner, pledging to support the project for three years.
You can support The Washing Machine Project by making a donation at https://electrocomponents.blackbaud-sites.com
The Stonehenge Alliance point point out the time is fast approaching for a last chance to stop what they view is "the massive and irreparable damage to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site" with its globally important history of some of the first peoples to inhabit Britain, and their place in the total history of humankind.
The Stonehenge Alliance and many others share real concerns exist of the road scheme's negative impact on learning and discovering more of this ancient history in the wide area for the future.
See their video below of what is planned for the A303 Stonehenge road widening scheme
Brits are being given top tips to nurture the wildlife on their doorstep and gardens to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May).
Jordans Cereals (whose farmer suppliers devote a minimum of 10% of their land to boosting biodiversity) have teamed up with ITV's Katie Rushworth for a Bursting with Nature campaign aiming to reverse the trend of UK biodiversity loss and inspire an army of wild gardeners.
With an estimated 24 million gardens in the UK covering some 10 million acres - and plenty more balconies, walls and window ledges besides - Jordans and The Wildlife Trusts want to highlight the importance of people’s outdoor space to act as important havens for wildlife, including birds, butterflies and bees.
See one of the youtube videos below from practical wildlife garden expert Katie Rushworth (ITV's Love your Garden) that are highlighted on the Jordans Cereals' 'Bursting with Nature' website
Tinmouse, an animation and design studio, are collaborating with Friends of the Earth donating a year's worth of animated content for the charity's social channels.
Tinmouse will be creating animated content for the charity's social channels including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Tom Sanders, Founder and Creative Director of Tinmouse said: "We feel their values as a charitable organisation reflect our own, caring for the planet in any way
we can and working hard to enthuse, support and encourage others to do the same. It is a big part of what we do and hope that we can go a little way in helping Friends of the Earth spread that message."
Tinmouse's first project for Friends of the Earth is focused on why we need more climate friendly jobs and how local government is key to creating them. The work breaks down common jargon in the environmental movement, explaining it through the use of genetic typographic animations - the work can be viewed in the short video below:
Delivery company DPD has announced the roll-out of a major new air quality monitoring programme across 6 of the biggest cities in the UK.
Project BREATHE is live in London already with 100 mobile air quality sensors on the roof of DPD vans and 20 fixed units on DPD PickUp shops close to schools and play areas. By the end of May, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff will join the initiative, creating a network of over 400 sensors in total, delivering 1.5m pollution readings a day.
The sensors, which are the size of a broadband router, take readings every 12 seconds and are focused on the most critical health impactor, fine particles PM2.5 at breathing level, to provide real time data designed to help visualise the air quality issue and identify hotspots. M2.5 refers to dangerous particles of pollution that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter. At 1/20th the width of a human hair, they lodge deep in lung tissue and are linked to many diseases including cancer and asthma.
DPD has created a short film to illustrate how the project works, watch it below:
The video Voice of a River shows how one person’s actions can make lasting positive change. To mark Earth Day today, My Green Pod have joined forces with Citrix to create a short film that documents the life of activist Mark Dubois. In 1979, Mark chained himself to a rock behind New Melones Dam in the USA’s Stanislaus River Canyon and threw away the key. This was no empty gesture: if the Army Corps of Engineers continued to fill the reservoir, Mark would drown.
Mark Dubois lost his battle to save his beloved local river, but his actions resulted in many other rivers being saved from being dammed both in the USA and across the world.
Anyone who shares this video with three friends on either Facebook, Instagram & Twitter will be entered into a prize draw; the winner will have 500 trees planted in their name and a certificate to prove it! The winner will be announced on 29 April. A special Earth Day issue of My Green Pod Magazine will be distributed with the Guardian on 22 April. It will also be available free of charge on the My Green Pod website here: www.mygreenpod.com/magazine
Tata Steel is transforming its Corby steel tube making site in the English East Midlands claiming sustainability will be at at its heart.
Work has started at the 150-acre site which manufactures products for everything from sports stadium and skyscrapers - such as the Shard in London - to hospital beds and renewable green energy schemes around the world. Workers at the site produce steel tube products from steel made at the company's Port Talbot works. Now manufacturing processes on the site will be brought closer together as part of the £25 million scheme.
Chairman of Tata Steel UK Ltd, Sandip Biswas, said: "Steel is, and will continue to be, an essential part of the UK's plans to decarbonise for the future. We need to ensure we are able to make and supply the products right here in the UK which will help transition to a net-zero future."
Tata claim sustainability is at the core of the improvements with material from old concrete floors being recycled on site to help create the sub-base for the warehouse. And the relocation of the RHS and CFM processes will see improved efficiency and reduced energy consumption.
See below a time-lapse video, as manufacturing processes on the site will be brought closer together as part of a £25 million scheme.
Greta Thunberg's Fridays For Future campaign have released a satirical tourism ad for Mars in the light of recent developments.
It excites viewers about the prospect of escaping to the Red Planet but has a call-to-action, with the line: "And for the 99% of humans who will stay on Earth, we'd better fix climate change." View it below:
