Earlier this month the UK government announced a plan to ban the use of plastic in wet wipes to tackle water pollution. Much of the news surrounding the ban suggests that removing the plastic will unclog sewers. Whilst removing plastics from the environment is great, a simple ban is not going to unclog the sewage system. It needs to be combined with…
There’s always going to be a need for construction, whether that’s homes, hospitals or offices. But, the environmental impacts of construction materials such as concrete are alarming. It’s time for the construction industry to be revolutionised to keep up with global targets of reducing emissions. This is a realistic goal too, as alternative sustainable materials already exist. Creating mush-less-room for concrete So,…
Climate change and extreme weather are leading to an unpredictable water supply. The climate emergency is one of the biggest causes of water shortages and it’s only expected to put more pressure on water supplies in future. This summer, this has been only too obvious, with droughts being experienced around the world. Here in the UK, hosepipe bans have been enforced in…
Agroforestry isn’t a new phenomenon; Indigenous peoples have been practising it for thousands of years, but it’s now gaining popularity across the globe. What is agroforestry? Agroforestry is a land management approach in which trees are grown on the same area of land as crops or pasture. There are many types of agroforestry, but the two most common approaches are: 1. Silvopastoral…
We often view insects as pests, invading our picnics or homes and sometimes even stinging us. But their ecological importance, although often overlooked, is vast. Insects are the most common animal on the planet, with 1.5 million species identified. They are the reason that humanity is sustained as we know it – they pollinate many of the flowers, fruits and vegetables that…
From plastic waste to intensive fossil-fuel practices polluting natural environments, we humans have created a lot of mess on our planet. Innovative scientific research has been experimenting with fungi as a potential method of cleaning up our waste. Specifically, mycelium has the potential to help us eat-away at some of the waste we’re leaving behind. What is mycelium? Mycelium is essentially the…
Almost all of us will have seen the many news articles throughout 2021 about extreme weather events. From record breaking high temperatures resulting in wildfires to unexpected summer rain leading to flooding, the continuous stream of “unprecedented” weather events felt relentless. Unfortunately, this is the new normal – extreme weather events will increase in frequency, severity and impact in coming years due…
Having a smartphone in the 21st century is a necessity and keeps us connected with friends, family and work. Smartphones aren’t inherently bad, but our culturally ingrained attitude towards switching up our handsets is problematic. We’ve probably all experienced the joy of unboxing a brand new phone. That satisfying moment of peeling off the protective screen cover and unveiling our new device…
