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Naturalist says experience making second series of BBC show revealed devastating threat posed to oceans by plastic Via Andy Dorn 
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Henderson Island is isolated and uninhabited—but its beaches are still covered in garbage.
Henderson Island (article or podcast) is about the most remote place you can visit without leaving the planet. It sits squarely in the middle of the South Pacific, 3,500 miles from New Zealand in one direction and another 3,500 miles from South America in the other. Henderson should be pristine. It is uninhabited. Tourists don’t go there. There’s no one around to drop any litter. The whole place was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1988. The nearest settlement is 71 miles away, and has just 40 people on it. And yet, seafaring plastic has turned it into yet another of humanity’s scrapheaps.
Tags: pollution, Oceania, water, environment, sustainability, consumption.
Katie Kershaw's curator insight,
April 26, 2018 1:49 PM
If I had looked at this picture without the context, I would think it was somewhere where people had stayed for a while and then left the place trashed with their own garbage. In reality, this is an island that is 3500 miles away from the nearest major settlement and doesn’t have any human inhabitants. This really exemplifies that even though plastic waste may not be in one’s backyard, it never truly goes away. Plastic is a material that cannot be broken down, so when it is dumped it just moves around until it hits land. The article pointed out that plastic is incredibly difficult to clean up, particularly on places like Henderson Island. When it floats in the ocean for a long time, it becomes brittle and breaks into very small fragments. Those small fragments then mix with the sand and get buried, making it impossible to get rid of. Another fact about this island that was shocking is that 3,750 pieces of litter wash up everyday, which is 100,000 times than other islands. Henderson Island is not suitable for humans to live on, as there is no freshwater, frequent storms, and incredibly sharp terrain. It is interesting that an island that keeps humans away can’t defend itself against plastic. The reach of humans extends far beyond what they imagine and even uninhabitable land is infested with human waste. No matter how remote a place is, it will still be effected by people.
David Stiger's curator insight,
December 5, 2018 12:08 PM
Although a remote place like Henderson Island is uninhabited, the amount of trash that blankets its shores should still be alarming to humans. It is highly visual evidence of the damage that human waste is having on the earth as a whole. If this much trash if landing on the shores of an island, which is surely degrading the environmental quality and ecosystem, then how much trash lies underneath the waves of our blue planet? This means that coral reefs, the source of fish, and ocean water that transforms into water vapor forming clouds is all contaminated. If something ends up in the oceans, it will eventually end up in our food chain. The marred beaches of Henderson Island illustrate what is happening to nature's cycles.
While human behavior is the driving force, we can also discern that another main culprit is a global culture of plastic. Humans use way too much plastic and its constant disposal is creating a toxic environment in which people live. It is not enough to say this is a tragic situation and forget about it. It is also not enough to examine one's own life and decide to reduce their personal plastic consumption. No, this is a systemic problem that runs deep in our modern societies. This requires mass political action. The photos and morbid stories serve as devices to inform people and have them feel something. It is up to people to demand policies and laws from both governments and corporations to change our ways. As the article stated, a cleanup of the island (and other islands) will be futile. The only thing to do is to mitigate the worst effects by cutting the problem at its source - the production of plastic. And, it has to be done on a global scale. Shifting away from plastic to a more environmentally friendly material will be difficult but not impossible. In this case, if there is a will there is a way. 
Corey Rogers's curator insight,
December 15, 2018 8:36 PM
It is sickening to see how a uninhabited island can still be ruined by human products. People need to realize that they are hurting more and more islands and need to open their eyes. With people so far away we can still effect ecosystems terribly.
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To reduce the pressure on the world's productive land and to help assure long-term food security, writes Herbert Girardet, city people are well advised to revive urban or peri-urban agriculture. While large cities will always have to import some food, local food growing is a key component of sustainable urban living.
Matt Le Lacheur's curator insight,
May 14, 2017 7:29 PM
This article links well with my Authentic Learning post on my blog http://mattgdlt.weebly.com/the-whiteboard.html . A unit of work could easily be designed around the concept of sustainable food in an urban environment. The topic links in to the year 9 content descriptor (ACSSU176) under Science Understanding Biological Science. 
M Sullivan's curator insight,
August 28, 2017 8:48 AM
Urban farming - an important factor in making megacities sustainable.
Deanna Wiist's curator insight,
September 12, 2017 9:02 PM
Urban agriculture is right at the perfect intersection for human geographers who focus on both urban networks and food systems--clearly this is an important overlap that deserves a more detailed look.
Tags: food, consumption, sustainability, socioeconomic, food desert, food, urban, unit 5 agriculture.
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The island of Bermuda has no fresh-water springs, rivers or lakes so the design of its roofs is essential for collecting rainwater.
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"For generations we vultures, armed with our senses, have fought in silence. We’ve waged a battle against garbage, but now we’re losing that battle. We want to help humans, so we’ve launched a movement to help you detect piles of garbage so that you can take action to eliminate them. Join us in this fight. Vultures Warn, you take action!" Via Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Kelvis Hernandez's curator insight,
September 29, 2018 11:00 PM
An ingenious idea to clean up the environment. This group is based out of Lima, Peru uses the vultures in the city to find the piles of garbage and refuse left by people and set up events to clean up the area. It is an amazing way to utilize nature to help us solve the problems we caused ourselves. They utilize the vultures by putting GPS devices and GoPro cameras on them and wait until they locate large trash piles. The video itself is so well-made and interesting that it almost forces you to learn more by checking out their website and their social media pages. The phrase they use is "Gallinazo Avisa, Tu Actuas" translates to vultures warn, you act. 1
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About a third of the planet’s food goes to waste, often because of its looks. That’s enough to feed two billion people.
FDH Editor Team's curator insight,
March 9, 2016 7:50 PM
No one should be surprised that more developed societies are more wasteful societies. It is not just personal wasting of food at the house and restaurants that are the problem. Perfectly edible food is thrown out due to size (smaller than standards but perfectly normal), cosmetics (Bananas that are shaped 'funny') and costumer preference (discarded bread crust).
This is an intriguing perceptive on our consumptive culture, but it also is helpful in framing issues such as sustainability and human and environmental interactions. In a technologically advanced societies that are often removed form the land where the food they eat originates, food waste needs to made more explicit.
Tags: food, agriculture, consumption, sustainability, unit 5 agriculture. 
Katerina Stojanovski's curator insight,
March 10, 2016 6:10 AM
No one should be surprised that more developed societies are more wasteful societies. It is not just personal wasting of food at the house and restaurants that are the problem. Perfectly edible food is thrown out due to size (smaller than standards but perfectly normal), cosmetics (Bananas that are shaped 'funny') and costumer preference (discarded bread crust). This is an intriguing perceptive on our consumptive culture, but it also is helpful in framing issues such as sustainability and human and environmental interactions. In a technologically advanced societies that are often removed form the land where the food they eat originates, food waste needs to made more explicit.
Tags: food, agriculture, consumption, sustainability, unit 5 agriculture.
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"TED Talks Western countries throw out nearly half of their food, not because it’s inedible -- but because it doesn’t look appealing. Tristram Stuart delves into the shocking data of wasted food, calling for a more responsible use of global resources." Via Michael Miller
Shelby Porter's curator insight,
November 4, 2013 10:39 AM
It isn't surprising that the more a country has developed, the more wasteful they are. I just think that we need to change this standard. We can not keep this up if we want to sustain ourselves for centuries to come. If we are going to change our consumption culture, we need to look at why it has become the way it is. Why do we see food as unappealing? This is an interesting video and certaintly makes you think twice about throwing anything away. 
Kenny Dominguez's curator insight,
November 29, 2013 6:13 PM
Ted explains it well how we all waste perfectly good food that people would like to eat. Also it was amazing how much food was in the dumpsters that was just a day or week old. That meat could feed hundreds of people that are struggling to eat and all that meet to waste. 
megan b clement's curator insight,
December 16, 2013 1:51 AM
Ted talks about just how wasteful our planet is. How we just ignore the issue and act like it will not affect us in the future. When he shows you video and pictures of massive piles of the ends of a loaf of bread or all the food that Stop and Shop throws out because it does not "look" good for the customer. How every little bit of help counts you can try to make a little bit of an effort to be less wasteful. We have so much unnecessary waste. Like when he uses the example of how many people throw away the ends of a loaf of bread then he shows the waste of the ends of bread in massive piles it makes you sick. Especially with all of the hungry people in the world we need to be more resourceful.
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Economic growth is tearing the planet apart, and new research suggests that it can’t be reconciled with sustainability Via Andy Dorn
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Hidden beneath the 245,000 square miles that make up the Great Plains, resides a lake that’s one of our greatest water assets: The Ogallala Aquifer. Haven’t heard of it? Farming the plains would be unprofitable at best without it, as shown by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. At the time, the aquifer’s existence was known, but the technology to tap into it wasn’t.
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Saudi Arabia produces much of its electricity by burning oil, a practice that most countries abandoned long ago, reasoning that they could use coal and natural gas instead and save oil for transportation, an application for which there is no mainstream alternative. Most of Saudi Arabia’s power plants are colossally inefficient, as are its air conditioners, which consumed 70 percent of the kingdom’s electricity in 2013. Although the kingdom has just 30 million people, it is the world’s sixth-largest consumer of oil.Now, Saudi rulers say, things must change. Their motivation isn’t concern about global warming; the last thing they want is an end to the fossil-fuel era. Quite the contrary: they see investing in solar energy as a way to remain a global oil power. The Saudis burn about a quarter of the oil they produce—and their domestic consumption has been rising at an alarming 7 percent a year, nearly three times the rate of population growth. Tags: Saudi Arabia, energy, resources, consumption, Middle East, sustainability.
Dustin Fowler's curator insight,
July 14, 2015 12:13 PM
A great article discussing energy reform in Saudi Arabia. Another good source of information about some of the reforms being implemented in the kingdom can be found at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVgWtOeWNgg
Interesting to see how this change in energy consumption will effect Saudi politics and the economy. 
Chris Costa's curator insight,
October 21, 2015 2:29 PM
The irony here is palpable- if the Saudis overtake the US in terms of solar power, I think I'd lose hope for our future. The most infamous oil-state on the planet has recognized that its costly domestic consumption of its vast oil supplies is hurting its profits, and it would rather seek an alternative energy supply to fuel its own nation so that it can sell more oil to foreign investors. The logic here is actually very sound- Saudi Arabia knows that there is money to be made by cutting down their own oil consumption, and even if the world sees how successful they are in their own adoption of solar power as their main source of electricity, most of the West won't be willing to make the same transition when there's so much Saudi oil to buy. Everyone wins- except American consumers, of course. Oh, and the planet- the burning of fossil fuels is a serious problem our generation must tackle if we are to minimize the damages created by man-made global warming. In the short-term, nothing is set in stone, as we have no idea how successful the Saudis will be in their attempt to harvest solar power on such a large scale. However, the implications of this move is huge- I can only imagine what an influx of Saudi oil on the market would do for US gas prices.
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This interactive map documents where 443 million people around the world get there water (although the United States data is by far the most extensive). Most people can't answer this question. A recent poll by The Nature Conservancy discoverd that 77% of Americans (not on private well water) don't know where their water comes from, they just drink it. This link has videos, infographics and suggestions to promote cleaner water. This is also a fabulous example of an embedded map using ArcGIS Online to share geospatial data with a wider audience.
Tags: GIS, water, fluvial, environment, ESRI, pollution, development, consumption, resources, mapping, environment depend, cartography, geospatial. Via GTANSW & ACT
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From
www
California has enough water—that's not the problem, says Terry Tamminen. So here's how you solve the drought crisis.
Eden Eaves's curator insight,
May 24, 2015 5:50 PM
The sunny state of California does in fact get enough rain fall each year but because storm sewers were built after continuous flooding, all of this rainfall is pushed into the Pacific Ocean rather than where it it needed now. A solution to the insane drought taking California by storm is to use simple rain barrels to collect water at a typical home and a graded lawn to capture and retain water, allowing it to seep into the ground rather than run off into the streets and eventually into the ocean. 
Lydia Tsao's curator insight,
May 25, 2015 2:20 AM
The article relates to irrigation and the conservation efforts discussed in Unit 5. Irrigation has a lot to do with the drought in California because massive amounts of water are being used for agriculture in California, which consists of water-needy fruits and vegetables. There are efforts to try to conserve water by installing rainwater collectors to reuse water instead of just draining usable rainwater to the ocean and rivers. There have also been installations of grey water pipes to reuse for irrigation. Grey water is any water that is flushed down the drain that isn't sewage, such as water from showers or water from washing machines. This way water wouldn't have to be wasted and can be reused.
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Emerald Pina's curator insight,
March 22, 2015 9:39 PM
This article shows how crops were entirely different 8,000 years ago. It shows how much we have breeded and affected the natural crops. With the example of peaches, watermelons, and corn, the article shows how the natural crop didn't taste as good and was a lot smaller. The natural peach had 64% edible food; whereas the 2014 peach had 90% edible food. The pictures comparing the natural and artificial crops also illustrated how the many varieties of that specific crop had grown and where the crop is found has grown. Lastly, the diagrams compares the water and sugar percentages. This article paints a good picture as to how much mankind has affected our land and agriculture. Also, how much our crops have changed due to selective breeding.
The article gives a good illustration of topics in Unit 5: Agriculture, Food Production, and Rural Land Use. The article shows how selective breeding has affected many crops. It gives a good view as to how selective breeding and agriculture has been affected and changed in the Neolithic Agriculture Revolution. The article explains what what life was like and how it changed in the Neolithic times. This article is really interesting in showing how crops were changed. 
BrianCaldwell7's curator insight,
March 16, 2016 3:41 PM
I think the term 'artificial' in the image might be misleading and it depends on your definition of the word. Humans have been selectively breed plants and animals for as long as we've been able to domestic them; that is a 'natural' part of our cultural ecology and has lead to great varieties of crops that are much more suitable for human consumption than what was naturally available. Long before climate change, humans have been actively shaping their environment and the ecological inputs in the systems with the technology that their disposal. This is a good resource to teach about the 1st agricultural revolution.
Tags: food, agriculture, consumption, unit 5 agriculture. |
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The real cause of our environmental crisis is captalism, says the Guardian writer George Monbiot Via Andy Dorn
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From
psmag
What economists around the world get wrong about the future.
The idea that economic growth can continue forever on a finite planet is the unifying faith of industrial civilization. That it is nonsensical in the extreme, a deluded fantasy, doesn't appear to bother us. We hear the holy truth in the decrees of elected officials, in the laments of economists about flagging GDP, in the authoritative pages of opinion, in the whirligig of advertising, at the World Bank and on Wall Street, in the prospectuses of globe-spanning corporations and in the halls of the smallest small-town chambers of commerce. Growth is sacrosanct. Growth will bring jobs and income, which allow us entry into the state of grace known as affluence, which permits us to consume more, providing more jobs for more people producing more goods and services so that the all-mighty economy can continue to grow. "Growth is our idol, our golden calf," Herman Daly, an economist known for his anti-growth heresies, told me recently.
Tags: op-ed, economic, industry, sustainability, development, consumption, climate change, environment, resources.
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Limited edition water, harvested from melting polar icebergs, is now on sale now at Harrods. It’s just another ugly indicator of our world’s many inequalities Via Andy Dorn
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New studies show that alarming numbers of tiny fibers from synthetic clothing are making their way from your washing machine into aquatic animals Via Andy Dorn
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"India is one of the world's largest consumers of disposable plastic cutlery, which has the makings of a huge health and environmental crisis written all over it." Via Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Rebecca Geevarghese's curator insight,
May 8, 2016 6:27 AM
How innovative!! Will definitely being showing this to my Geography students.
Katie Kershaw's curator insight,
April 5, 2018 2:05 PM
This video was really fascinating and brings up very good points about being environmentally friendly. The creator of this edible cutlery noticed that there was a problem in India with the use of plastic cutlery. He points out that it has been littering the area because of the high volume of usage of the product in India. The problem with plastic cutlery is that it doesn't decompose, so people throw them out and they just sit there forever. So the inventor of the edible cutlery came up with an ingenious solution to the plastic problem, he created a product that was incredibly ecological. The cutlery is made of crops that are readily available and grown right in India. This cuts down on waste transporting the materials to make the cutlery. He also decided to use millet as the main material in the product because it takes significantly less water to grow than other crops he considered using. The cutlery is completely biodegradable and 100% edible, so it has little impact on the environment once it is disposed of. Another unique aspect of the cutlery is that it comes in a variety of flavors so it actually adds to the culinary experience. Not only did the inventor come up with a great solution to pollution in India, but he has also helped spur the local economy by providing jobs to 9 lower class women. This shows that even though pollution seems like a huge problem that effects the whole planet, the solution is not always as complicated as it seems.
David Stiger's curator insight,
November 12, 2018 6:02 PM
After seeing this my first thought was "absolutely brilliant." With over a billion people living in India, something simple like disposable cutlery is no longer a small, trivial matter - it is a major environmental and public health concern. Disposable plastic on such a large scale is not sustainable. Necessity must be the mother of invention as this Indian engineer find a practical and innovative alternative to help solve an issue in his country. But, this does not have to start and end with India. This eco-friendly solution could be applied to restaurants all over the world. I love that the cutlery is both edible and healthy and also biodegradable. Humanity needs more of this. It would be interesting to see a future in which a raised level of environmental conscientiousness led to people either carrying their own personal resuable cutlery with them or, if they forgot to bring their utensils, used edible/biodegradable ones. What is is so promising is that the interviewee stated that he could find a way to make the edible utensils as cheap as the plastic ones and that they have a shelf life of three years. Climate change is not just a regional problem in India but a globalized problem. When one region of the world discovers a solution, it should be shared and promoted on a global scale.
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From
grist
A new study shows that the stuff we consume -- from food to knick-knacks -- is responsible for up to 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Via Andy Dorn
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Our addiction to consuming things is a vicious cycle, and buying a bigger house to store it all isn’t the answer. Here’s how to get started on downsizing Via Andy Dorn
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Producers, sellers, and consumers waste tons of food. John Oliver discusses the shocking amount of food we don’t eat.
Skuuppilehdet's insight:
Food waste is a tragedy that we all know happens, but the economic system does not work efficiently to maximize the global food production (Disclaimer: it is HBO's John Oliver, so there is some language and references that might not be appropriate for all audiences). Tags: food, agriculture, consumption, sustainability, video, unit 5 agriculture.
Jose Soto's curator insight,
August 5, 2015 9:21 PM
Food waste is a tragedy that we all know happens, but the economic system does not work efficiently to maximize the global food production (Disclaimer: it is HBO's John Oliver, so there is some language and references that might not be appropriate for all audiences).
Tags: food, agriculture, consumption, sustainability, video, unit 5 agriculture. 
GTANSW & ACT's curator insight,
August 6, 2015 4:20 AM
Food waste is a tragedy that we all know happens, but the economic system does not work efficiently to maximize the global food production (Disclaimer: it is HBO's John Oliver, so there is some language and references that might not be appropriate for all audiences). Tags: food, agriculture, consumption, sustainability, video, unit 5 agriculture. 
Sue Byrnes's curator insight,
August 6, 2015 6:06 PM
Food waste is a tragedy that we all know happens, but the economic system does not work efficiently to maximize the global food production (Disclaimer: it is HBO's John Oliver, so there is some language and references that might not be appropriate for all audiences).
Tags: food, agriculture, consumption, sustainability, video, unit 5 agriculture.
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"It’s not just a sausage in a bun; it’s a beautiful blank canvas. It’s a hot dog, which is a foodstuff eaten worldwide. Here are 40 distinctive varieties from around the globe — from iconic NYC 'dirty water dogs' to fully loaded South American street-cart dogs to Japanese octo-dogs. There is a tubesteak out there for every craving that ever was." Via Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Jose Soto's curator insight,
August 5, 2015 9:50 PM
The 4th of July is the day of Coney Island's Hot Dog eating contest and the quintessential day to have a barbeque in the United States. Some see the hot dog as a mere symbol of the uniformity of globalized culture in the 21st century that diffused out from the United States. There is much more to be seen in the globalization of food. Yes, the global goes to the whole world, but distinct places make this global cultural trait intensely local. For example the hot dogs in Cincinnati are famous for being topped with chili and an obscene quantity of cheese, but in Costa Rica, I learned to love eating hot dogs deep fried, topped with cabbage, mayo and ketchup, just like the Ticos. Food is but one example of this phenomena known as glocalization, where diffusion and divergence keep the world both global and local.
Tags: food, culture, diffusion, globalization, consumption. 
Adrian Bahan (MNPS)'s curator insight,
March 14, 2016 8:10 PM
The 4th of July is the day of Coney Island's Hot Dog eating contest and the quintessential day to have a barbeque in the United States. Some see the hot dog as a mere symbol of the uniformity of globalized culture in the 21st century that diffused out from the United States. There is much more to be seen in the globalization of food. Yes, the global goes to the whole world, but distinct places make this global cultural trait intensely local. For example the hot dogs in Cincinnati are famous for being topped with chili and an obscene quantity of cheese, but in Costa Rica, I learned to love eating hot dogs deep fried, topped with cabbage, mayo and ketchup, just like the Ticos. Food is but one example of this phenomena known as glocalization, where diffusion and divergence keep the world both global and local. Tags: food, culture, diffusion, globalization, consumption. 
Colleen Blankenship's curator insight,
February 14, 2019 12:03 PM
What are the cultural connections of the hot dogs, toppings, and buns with the areas with which they are associated?
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From
www
In Indonesia, efforts are underway to grow palms in a sustainable way. But that's putting a squeeze on small farmers. Palm oil is in everything, from pizza dough and chocolate to laundry detergent and lipstick. Nongovernmental organizations blame it for contributing to assorted evils, from global warming to human rights abuses. But in the past year, this complex global industry has changed, as consumers put pressure on producers to show that they're not destroying forests, killing rare animals, grabbing land or exploiting workers. Tags: Indonesia, conservation, environment, consumption, SouthEastAsia, podcast.
Chris Costa's curator insight,
November 9, 2015 3:06 PM
Look at many household goods, and you can be sure to find palm oil in the list of its ingredients. It is one of the most commonly traded commodities in the world, but it has come under increasing scrutiny from both governmental and civilian groups concerned with the environmental and human impacts of the trade. Indonesia, one of the largest exporters of the good in the world, has made moves to make sure the continued exportation of the crop is sustainable, as they do not want to lose the revenue and job creation generated by the continued existence of the trade. Proponents of the crop argue that it takes less space to cultivate than any other competing vegetable oil, making it the easiest crop to sustain at current rates of demand. Environmentally, government and civilian groups have rallied against deforestation and have made strides to reverse the practice in regions both within Indonesia and in other areas as well.
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A punishing drought is forcing a reconsideration of whether the aspiration of untrammeled growth that has for so long been the state’s engine has run against the limits of nature.
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