The documentary everyone is talking about Seaspiracy- here are the highlighted points - Part 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the information below has been copied directly from the Seaspiracy official webpage (https://www.seaspiracy.org/facts)

THE OCEANS ARE HOME FOR UP TO 80% OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH 

THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR SEAS ARE STILL UNEXPLORED 

GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS 1.6 MILLION SQ KM 

THE EQUIVALENT OF A GARBAGE TRUCK LOAD OF PLASTIC IS DUMPED INTHE SEA 

EVERY SINGLE MINUTE THERE IS OVER 150 MILLION TONS OF PLASTIC ALREADY FLOATING IN THE SEA 

PLASTIC BREAKS DOWN INTO SMALLER PIECES KNOWN AS MICROPLASTICS, WHICH OUTNUMBER THE STARS IN THE MILKY WAY BY 500x 

700+ DOLPHINS AND WHALES ARE KILLED EVERY YEAR IN TAIJI 

THE TAIJI DOLPHIN DRIVES ARE FUNDED BY THE MARINE PARK ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY 

A TRAINED DOLPHIN IS WORTH UP TO $100,000 

BETWEEN 2000-2015, FOR EVERY 1 DOLPHIN CAPTURED AT LEAST 12 MORE WERE KILLED 

HIGHEST VALUE OF BLUEFIN TUNA: $3,100,000  CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED 

TODAY ONLY 3% OF PACIFIC BLUEFIN TUNA REMAIN

OVERFISHING PUTS $42 BILLION TUNA INDUSTRY AT RISK OF COLLAPSE 

A MITSUBISHI SUBSIDIARY CONTROLS 40% OF THE WORLDS BLUE FIN TUNA 

THE SHARK FINNING INDUSTRY IS A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY AND SHARKFINS ARE MAINLY SHIPPED TO CHINA 

THE SHARK FINNING INDUSTRY IS OFTEN CRIMINALLY INVOLVED 

SHARK FIN SOUP IS WORTH UP TO $100 A BOWL 

SHARKS KEEP THE OCEANS HEALTHY 

FOR THE FIRST TIME SHARKS ARE GOING EXTINCT BECAUSE OF US

SPECIES LIKE THRESHER, BULL AND HAMMERHEAD SHARKS HAVE LOST UP TO 80-99% OF THEIR POPULATIONS IN THE LAST TWO DECADES 

SEABIRD POPULATIONS HAVE DECLINED BY 70% SINCE THE 1950'S 

SHARKS KILL 10 PEOPLE PER YEAR. COMPARATIVELY, PEOPLE KILL 11,000-30,000 SHARKS ARE KILLED PER HOUR 

APPROX. 50 MILLION SHARKS ARE KILLED EVERY YEAR AS BYCATCH 

STUDIES ESTIMATE THAT UP TO 40% OF ALL MARINE LIFE CAUGHT IS THROWN OVERBOARD AS BYCATCH

AN ICELAND FISHERY IN ONE MONTH KILLED APPROX. 269 HARBOR PORPOISES, 900 SEALS OF FOUR DIFFERENT SPECIES AND 5000 SEABIRDS 

THE ICELAND FISHERY WAS AWARDEDTHE BLUE TICK BY THE MSC 

THERE ARE OVER 100 DIFFERENT FISHING REGULATIONS ON PAPER FOR REDUCING BYCATCH 

THERE ARE 4,600,000 COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSELS IN THE WORLD 

SEA SHEPHERD HAVE SUNK 13 WHALING AND ILLEGAL FISHING SHIPS AND RAMMED A FURTHER FIVE 

10,000+ DOLPHINS ARE KILLED AS BYCATCH OFF THE COAST OF FRANCE EVERY YEAR 

OVER 300,000 WHALES, DOLPHINS AND PORPOISES ARE KILLED AS BYCATCH EVERY YEAR 

46% OF THE PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS FISHING NET

THERE IS ENOUGH LONG LINE SET EVERY DAY TO WRAP AROUND THE PLANET 500x 

SIX OUT OF SEVEN SPECIES OF SEA TURTLES ARE EITHER THREATENED OR ENDANGERED DUE TO FISHING

1,000 SEA TURTLES DIE EVERY YEAR FROM PLASTIC GLOBALLY. IN THE USA, 250,000 SEA TURTLES ARE CAPTURED, INJURED OR KILLED EVERY YEAR BY FISHING (UPDATE: We appear to have repeated an original mistake made on the Sea Turtle Conservancy white paper which revealed that the near-global figure was misattributed to the United States alone. However, this has given us the opportunity to learn new; that the most current worldwide analysis estimates the bycatch of at least 8.5 Million sea turtles in a seventeen-year period - meaning, a shocking ∼500,000 sea turtles every year:) 

OCEAN PLASTIC COMING FROM STRAWS IS 0.03% OF ALL PLASTIC IN THE OCEAN

Just by reading these points it is not difficult to see that if we don´t do something soon we will have nothing left.

The blog song for today is: "Money, that´s what I want"by the Flying Lizards

TTFN

 

Earth Day is here! Let´s do something special!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here are more top tips for today Thursday 22 April 2021

1. Have you updated your light bulbs yet? There are a lot of different options out there that you can choose from, and most of them are much more environmentally friendly than what we grew up with. Changing them can save you a lot of time, money, and energy.

2. Put together an activity for your community if there isn’t one going on. Organize an event, do a community clean up, or put together a fair if there isn’t one already there.

3. Consider adopting a street. Our roads get a lot of litter and junk on them on a regular basis, and there are roads all over the country that do not have what they need when it comes to people that can clean them. Go with your work or group of friends to take care of things. A lot of people that I know always carry a bag with them just in case they see any litter lying around! It is amazing how much is collected like this!

4. Take some time to work with your local school. Local schools need all of the help that they can get when it comes to figuring out the best way to get kids more interested in the environment and its care.

5. Take initiative to make sure that your workplace is more environmentally friendly. See what you can do in order to make it just a little bit easier on everyone when it comes to getting involved with caring for the environment. Do research on recycling and get everything in order so you can all do your part.

Everyone can do something! it doesn´t matter how small, it will make a difference!  The main objective of  Earth Day is to encourage all year round activities and to keep reminding people of the mess that we are in at this time.

If you are reading my blog then you are more than likely doing all and maybe more of my suggestions to help in the battle to save our planet from ourselves!  The two things I will be doing extra today are leaving the car at home and walking into town and making today another meat free day!

The blog song for today is:" All over the World" by ELO.

TTFN

 

 

Parts of Brazil's Amazon rainforest are being illegally sold on Facebook, the BBC has discovered

The protected areas include national forests and land reserved for indigenous peoples.

Some of the plots listed via Facebook's classified ads service are as large as 1,000 football pitches.

Facebook said it was "ready to work with local authorities", but indicated it would not take independent action of its own to halt the trade.

"Our commerce policies require buyers and sellers to comply with laws and regulations," the Californian tech firm added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

image copyrightBrasil2

image captionThe Amazon has been described as being the lungs of the Earth - and it is being destroyed

The leader of one of the indigenous communities affected has urged the tech firm to do more.

And campaigners have claimed the country's government is unwilling to halt the sales.

"The land invaders feel very empowered to the point that they are not ashamed of going on Facebook to make illegal land deals," said Ivaneide Bandeira, head of environmental NGO Kanindé.

No certificates

Anyone can find the illegally invaded plots by typing the Portuguese equivalents for search terms like "forest", "native jungle" and "timber" into Facebook Marketplace's search tool, and picking one of the Amazonian states as the location.

Some of the listings feature satellite images and GPS co-ordinates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

image copyright  Getty Images

image caption  Cattle are often put to graze on land that is meant to be protected

Many of the sellers openly admit they do not have a land title, the only document which proves ownership of land under Brazilian law.

The illegal activity is being fuelled by Brazil's cattle ranching industry.

'No risk'

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is at a 10-year high, and Facebook's Marketplace has become a go-to site for sellers like Fabricio Guimarães, who was filmed by a hidden camera.

"There's no risk of an inspection by state agents here," he said as he walked through a patch of rainforest he had burnt to the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

image caption Fabricio is using Facebook Marketplace to sell land he has grabbed from indigenous communities

With the land illegally cleared and ready for farming, he had tripled his initial asking price to $35,000 (£25,000).

Fabricio is not a farmer. He has steady middle-class job in a city, and views the rainforest as being an investment opportunity.

The BBC later contacted Fabricio for his response to its investigation but he declined to comment.

Going undercover

Many of the ads came from Rondônia, the most deforested state in Brazil's rainforest region.

The BBC arranged meetings between four sellers from the state and an undercover operative posing as a lawyer claiming to represent wealthy investors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One man, called Alvim Souza Alves, was trying to sell a plot inside the Uru Eu Wau Wau indigenous reserve for about £16,400 in local currency.

It is the home to a community of more than 200 Uru Eu Wau Wau people. And at least five further groups that have had no contact with the outside world also live there, according to the Brazilian government.

But at the meeting, Mr Alves claimed: "There are no Indians [sic] there. From where my land is, they are 50km [31 miles] away. I am not going to tell you that at one time or another they are not walking around."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

image caption The Uru Eu Wau Wau people are trying to protect their land from invaders

The BBC showed the Facebook ad to community leader Bitaté Uru Eu Wau Wau.

He said the lot was in an area used by his community to hunt, fish and collect fruits.

"This is a lack of respect," he said.

"I don't know these people. I think their objective is to deforest the indigenous land, to deforest what is standing. To deforest our lives, you could say."

He said the authorities should intervene, and also urged Facebook - "the most accessed social media platform" - to take action of its own.

Changed status

Another factor driving the illegal land market is the expectation of amnesty.

Mr Alves revealed he was working with others to lobby politicians to help them legally own stolen land.

"I'll tell you the truth: if this is not solved with [President] Bolsonaro there, it won't be solved anymore," he said of the current government.

A common strategy is to deforest the land and then plead with politicians to abolish its protected status, on the basis it no longer serves its original purpose.

The land grabbers can then officially buy the plots from the government, thereby legalising their claims.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

image caption Alvim Souza Alves told a BBC undercover agent that he was selling indigenous land but did not show a legal land title

Mr Alves took the BBC's undercover reporter to meet a man he described as the leader of the Curupira Association. Brazil's federal police have described the group as being an illegal land-grabbing operation focused on invading indigenous territory.

The two men told the reporter that high-profile politicians were helping them set up meetings with government agencies in the capital Brasília.

They said their main ally was congressman Colonel Chrisóstomo, a member of the Social Liberal Party, which Mr Bolsonaro used to be a member of until he founded his own party in 2019.

When contacted by the BBC, Colonel Chrisóstomo acknowledged having helped arrange meetings, but said he did not know the group was involved in land invasions.

"They didn't tell me," he said. "If they invaded [the land], they don't have my support anymore."

When asked if he regretted setting up the meetings, he said: "No."

The BBC contacted Mr Alves for his response but he declined to comment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

image copyright Ignacio Palacios

image caption The Amazon rainforest is home to one in 10 known species on Earth

The BBC also approached Brazil's Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles.

He said: "President Jair Bolsonaro's government has always made it clear that his is a zero-tolerance government for any crime, including environmental ones."

The government has cut the inspections budget for Ibama, the federal agency that in charge of regulating deforestation, by 40%.

But Mr Salles said the coronavirus pandemic had hampered law enforcement in the Amazon, and that state governments also bore responsibility for the deforestation.

"This year the government has created operation Verde Brasil 2, which seeks to control illegal deforestation, illegal fires, and to join efforts between the federal government and the states," he added.

However Raphael Bevilaquia, a federal prosecutor based in Rondônia, said the situation had worsened under the current government.

"The situation is really desperate," he said. "The executive power is playing against us. It's disheartening."

For its part, Facebook claims trying to deduce which sales are illegal would be too complex a task for it to carry out itself, and should be left to the local judiciary and other authorities. And it does not appear to see the issue as being serious enough to warrant halting all Marketplace land sales across the Amazon.

Ivaneide Bandeira, who has been trying to combat deforestation in the state of Rondônia for 30 years, said she was losing hope.

"I think this is a very hard battle. It is really painful to see the forest being destroyed and shrinking more and more," she said.

"Never, in any other moment in history, has it been so hard to keep the forest standing."

What an absolute disgrace that these people are willing to sell off  parts of their own country without having to prove that they actually own the land and shame on the people wanting to buy it.  When will people wake up and realise that we are destroying our planet purely for money.

When will this stop, can´t they see what they are doing to their own country?  

The blog song for today is:" Hotel California" by the Eagles

TTFN

 

Earth Day is nearly here: part two

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More activities that we can all do not just for earth day,but all year round!

1. Do your taps leak? If so, did you know that this wastes a lot of water on a yearly basis? If you haven’t done so yet, then you may want to look into how you can go ahead and get started with it during the next year. I know all about this one, we have just had to run a new supply from the main water supply into our house because there was a hole in a pipe somewherein the garden. It was impossible to detect where it was, so to quickly rectify the situation we decided to run a new supply, thankfully that solved the problem.

2. Plant a tree. Trees are a big part of our earth, and planting one will just add to the health and wellness of the world that we live in.

3. Join a group that is focused on taking care of the environment and see how you can help. It can get your family involved and excited about everything that is available. Here on Menorca I am involved with Per La Mar Viva who carry out many beach and sea clean up operations throughout the year.

4. Go to a local event. A lot of communities will have an “Earth Day fair” or something similar that your family can enjoy together and learn from.

5. Stop drinking bottled water! There are plenty of alternatives out there and, if you stop drinking bottled water, you can save a lot of plastic that would, otherwise, be filling up landfills and dumps.

6. Consider making your yard an oasis for birds and other creatures. You can put in a bird feeder, install birdhouses, put in a bird bath, and more. By making it comfortable for them, they will be more likely to stick around.  Over the years we have attracted many lizards and small creatures to our garden by building rockeries and little hidey holes that they can live in, it is very rewarding when they all come out again in Spring.

7. Help kids learn about the environment by installing a play garden. These can help children to start to fall in love with nature while also being a lot of fun and helping them to get their hands a little bit dirty at the same time.

 I hope that some of these ideas are useful!

The blog song for today is:" The way you do the things you do" by the Temptations

TTFN

 

Earth Day is nearly here! What are people doing? Part one

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friends at PETA wrote this article on their website

"Wet markets, factory farms and slaughterhouses not only contribute to potentially deadly diseases, such as COVID-19, they also release significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A 2018 University of Oxford study involving 119 countries and 38,000 commercial farms found that beef and other animal-based foods have an “outsize effect” on emissions, noting that just 2 pounds of beef generates 132 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, the production of animal-derived foods is responsible for 10 to 50 times more emissions than the production of vegan foods.

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that the West’s high consumption of meat and dairy is fueling climate change and that cutting them from our diets could reduce our carbon footprint from food by two-thirds. It will also help conserve resources, reduce pollution and prevent the loss of forests — not to mention the slaughter of billions of sentient animals.

Oxford University researcher Joseph Poore says that going vegan is “the single biggest way” to reduce our impact on the planet. Animal agriculture plays a huge role in everything from water pollution and water shortages to deforestation and food scarcity. A 2018 NRDC report called the agricultural sector “a serious water polluter” and indicated that it was the “leading cause of water degradation” around the world. In the United States, it’s the main culprit when it comes to contaminated rivers and streams, the second when it comes to wetlands and the third for lakes.

A recent University of Delaware study found that 55% of the water taken from the Colorado River basin is used to grow food for cows. As a result, 53 species of fish are at risk of extinction, because freshwater stores are wasted on water-hungry crops to feed animals who are bred to be killed and eaten, even though ethical and environmentally friendly options exist.

And freshwater stores aren’t all that’s being exhausted by meat production. According to the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, cattle ranching accounts for 80% of current deforestation rates, making it the largest driver of deforestation in every Amazon country.

When Jessica Fanzo, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, studied ways to feed a growing global population — without sacrificing any forests — she found that the only option is for everyone to go vegan, and that we’ll be in “dire straits” if we don’t.

Thankfully, we’re all learning that we can change our behavior to beat a crisis — or at least prevent one from worsening. Eating Earth-friendly vegan foods is easy and enjoyable, and it will help prevent future pandemics and further environmental destruction. So, this Earth Day, let’s help our planet and spare animals suffering by going vegan!"

And from the conserve-energy-future.com website:

Earth Day is on its way, and there are a lot of us who are looking to see what we can do in order to celebrate this special and important day. If you want to care for the Earth more, and you want to take the time to celebrate Earth Day, then this article will help you to figure out exactly what you want to do in the long run. Check it out, try some of them, and have a great time when it comes to helping the Earth to be what it deserves to be.

According to Wikipedia, ” Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.”

We required this planet more than this planet require us. Let’s plant as much trees as we can. Let’s divest from fossil fuels and make cities 100% renewable. Let’s be a part of global campaign aimed at educating people about environmental issues and factors responsible for environment degradation. Let’s start now. And let’s not stop.

Here are some suggestions of things to do, not just for earth day but forever!

Earth Day is more than just a single day — April 22. It’s bigger than attending a rally and taking a stand. Here are 25 different ways you can celebrate Earth day.

1. If you are in a situation where you can actually walk, ride your bike, or carpool in order to get from place to place, then it may be time for you to consider that. The fewer cars on the road, the better off that we will be when it comes to our atmosphere.

2. You can volunteer your time to organizations (local or national) that put effort into making the world a better place and helping the environment. There are a lot of great things that you can do, and on Earth Day, there are usually local activities as well.

3. Did you know that switching all of your bills to e-bills and online invoices can save millions of trees every single year? It’s true! If you are in a position where you can do that without making everything more confusing and stressful, then you definitely want to look at the different things that you can do in the long run.

READ  Causes, Effects and Interesting Solutions to Ocean Dead Zones

 

4. Education is the key to everything that you do for the environment. If you know more about what you can do to protect the environment, then you will be able to use that knowledge and share it with others who may be interested in it as well. And that, in the long run, can make a big difference.

5. Do you have a recycling plan in place? If you already do, start looking into what you have in order to expand what you’re recycling. If you do not, then you want to take a look and see what you can recycle in your local area and if you can work to make a difference in that way.

If you are reading this blog then I suspect that you are the type of person who is probably already doing most of the stuff I have posted today!  If not then I hope that you can change one small thing!  I will be going meat free for Earth day!  

Keep up the good work in whatever you are doing for this wonderful planet of ours!

The blog song for today is: "Common people" by Pulp

TTFN

 

Visit this shop called Punt Zero in ciutadella and take your empty container to refill it!

 There is another shop in Ciutadella providing a refill service!

 

 

Another shop now helping to save the environment and reducing the tidal wave of plastic that we are all in at the moment.

There is a variety of products available, just take along your container and shop with no guilt!

Thank you Punt Zero

The blog song for today is: " Us and them" by Pink Floyd

TTFN

Earth Day is on April 22, 2021

 Taken from Earth911 website

                                                                                  

"Earth Day on April 22, 2021, marks the 51^st year that people around the world have marched and participated in projects to clean up the environment. After another year of extreme weather and higher global temperatures, let’s use Earth Day to start our personal transitions to sustainable living with a 10-year-Earth Decade Plan to eliminate one big source of CO² from our lives.

The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report established that humanity had approximately 12 years to reduce CO² emissions to 45% of the global levels recorded in 2010. Doing so will stabilize global temperature. Combined with additional cutbacks, land restoration, and carbon capture technology, it will put us on a path to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels enjoyed by our grandparents.

Big changes in every aspect of life are required, but not the wholesale abandonment of modernity. We can eat meat grown responsibly, switch to renewable electric power in transportation, and adopt nontoxic, efficient production processes to achieve a society that could look more like Star Trek than Mad Max. It is time to give up fear and act boldly.

Get Involved in Earth Day

Earth Day launched in 1970, the same day President Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency. This year, Earthday.org aims to get 1 billion people involved in Earth Day, with events throughout the month and on Earth Day.

This year’s theme is Restore Our Earth. Learn about the upcoming climate action summits planned for the week of Earth Day 2021, and watch the site for news about other events.

• Ready to start restoring our Earth? Check out 51 actions you can take today.
• Participate in the Great Global Cleanup by joining a group or picking up litter on your own — on Earth Day or anytime!
• Hosting an Earth Day event? Register it online so others can join.
• Another great way to help is to contribute to the nonprofit Earthday.org.

Transforming Your Personal Carbon Impact

Change is hard, but we can do it for our families and future generations. The suggestions below represent starting points for a plan to cut the carbon output of your life. These are just a few of the many possible steps you could take. Each of these ideas is likely to require significant effort. And, in some cases, a significant expense.

If you choose one big project annually, such as replacing your internal combustion car with an electric vehicle, eliminating excessive carbon-producing foods from your diet, or switching to sustainable sources of clothing, electronics, or groceries, the cumulative reduction over a decade can make a meaningful difference. If we all did it, humans could hit the 45% goals laid out by the IPCC.

You can transform your carbon impact over the next decade by taking any of these steps:

Go Meatless at Lunchtime

Let’s say you and three friends go to lunch and each of you has a quarter-pound hamburger, the four of you will consume a meal that cost almost 4,226 gallons of water to produce. Add to that the 26.4 pounds of CO² emitted by the steer and production process, and a weekly commitment to avoid beef at lunch twice a week will reduce your group’s carbon footprint by 2,750 pounds a year.

If you can’t stomach the absence of beef, try one of the emerging alternatives, from mushroom-based to lab-grown burgers. Check out the Blended Burger Project led by the James Beard Foundation. The organization hopes to offer savory options that don’t waste water or produce as much CO² as beef.

Eat Locally

Eleven percent of food-related CO² emissions come from the transportation of your meal to the table. Make a change to buying local produce, meat, and dairy to reduce the environmental cost of your dining.

Watch for Earth911’s upcoming guide to Earth Day events and get started on your Earth Decade Plan. Then you’ll be ready to march with another billion humans on Earth Day 2021 with pride and accomplishments under your sustainability belt."

 These are just a few things that we can do, so I will be giving them a go, I already have meat free days and buy local produce, so I feel quite good about that!

The great global clean up is really interesting to me because I am involved with a wonderful group called Per La Mar Viva which goes out regularly cleaning up beaches and the sea around Menorca.  I know many people who, when they go out for a walk, always take a bag with them to pick up any litter they see lying around!  

The blog song for today is: "House of fun" by Madness

 

TTFN 

 

Weekly news from "The Wave" Website by "Only One", dedicated to the ocean

 

"Coming up in The Wave this week, an expansive study shows that seagrass meadows can buffer ocean acidification, East Antarctic expedition scientists focus on predators of krill, and the Biden Administration made a swath of ocean between New York and New Jersey an offshore wind zone".

 

But first, what comes to mind when you envision a resilient future for the ocean nation of The Bahamas?

The Bahamas spans roughly 100,000 square miles of some of the world’s clearest waters, with 700 islands and 2,400 cays that formulate the largest archipelagic nation in the Atlantic. Yet, despite its evident geographic range and extensive microcultures and biodiversity, many outsiders’ perceptions have been reduced to a monolithic construct—a postcard understanding, if you will: secluded pink-sand beaches, private coves, idyllic turquoise waters.

From intricate mangrove forests to bright coral gardens to abundant fisheries, The Bahamas is evidently rich in incredible natural resources. But this narrative should not be told without its human element or representation from those individuals who call The Bahamas home. 

What you find by pursuing a more holistic account is that of myriad stakeholders of the sea who are looking to balance competing interests while acknowledging a complex past—all this compounded by threats from climate change, resource exploitation, and unsustainable development. The key to such success resides in empathy and understanding, both found at the heart of storytelling’s intent.

Our new Land of the Shallow Seas series is an attempt at this understanding, a delve into the challenges that Bahamians are facing and how they are a critical part of the solution. Through films and essays that champion the perspectives of Bahamian conservationists and community leaders, you will have the opportunity to expand your appreciation of the beauty of The Bahamas and to support wavemakers who are working to transform the ocean and world for the better. 

 

Are Recyclable Wind Turbines on the Horizon?

 Here is a report taken from one of my favourite websites; Earth 911

     

"Looming Waste Management Issues

The design life of wind turbines is about 20 to 25 years. The longest wind turbine blade to date is 350 feet, almost the length of a football field. Although certain parts of wind turbines can be relatively easily recycled, others are not designed for recyclability. In particular, wind turbine blades present the biggest waste management challenge, but researchers from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in partnership with Arkema Inc. are making progress in this area.

Most wind turbine blades are currently constructed with composite material infused with a thermoset resin, which makes them highly durable to withstand storms and the elements. Unfortunately, thermoset plastics are almost impossible to recycle, so the blades do not have much scrap value and are not very appealing to recyclers. Therefore, many spent turbine blades are piling up in landfills, although some reinforced plastic blades are downcycled into cement products.

Promising Turbine Blade Research

The good news is that researchers have developed a blade out of thermoplastic resin (instead of thermoset resin) that is low-cost, lightweight, and seems to be recyclable. If the new blade also proves to be durable, this could be a gamechanger for the offshore and onshore wind industry. Lower costs also could help boost wind energy deployment, reducing the use of fossil fuels. A lightweight blade is easier to transport and uses less fuel. It also seems easier to recycle and uses less energy in the manufacturing process. These are all wins for the environment and the wind energy industry.

“With thermoset resin systems, it’s almost like when you fry an egg. You can’t reverse that,” said Derek Berry, a senior engineer at NREL in a press release. “But with a thermoplastic resin system, you can make a blade out of it. You heat it to a certain temperature, and it melts back down. You can get the liquid resin back and reuse that.” This means that the blades could be recycled instead of downcycled into lower-value goods.

So far, the thermoplastic resin blade durability looks promising. “The thermoplastic material absorbs more energy from loads on the blades due to the wind, which can reduce the wear and tear from these loads to the rest of the turbine system, which is a good thing,” said NREL researcher Robynne Murray.

Although the research looks promising, progress will be slow. Most wind farms being constructed today will be decommissioned in a few decades. The benefits of recyclable blades are still decades away at best. The decommissioning of wind farms and the associated environmental impact has largely been a blind spot for the industry. Hopefully, recent advances will help make wind power even greener. Despite the waste issue, wind power is still one of the most sustainable sources of energy.

By Sarah Lozanova

Sarah Lozanova is an environmental journalist and copywriter and has worked as a consultant to help large corporations become more sustainable. She is the author of Humane Home: Easy Steps for Sustainable & Green Living, and her renewable energy experience includes residential and commercial solar energy installations. She teaches green business classes to graduate students at Unity College and holds an MBA in sustainable management from the Presidio Graduate School."

Let us hope that they can resolve this issue before we have all these things in the landfills, there are areas that have all the broken blades lying around on the ground, just left there to rot. I really do wish that they had thought of all these things before they mass produced and jumped on board the "Green Energy Train".  It seems that we are always playing catch-up, realising after the event that "oh maybe we should have thought of this before"over and over again.  We have the problems with old mobile phones and old solar panels coming to our attention now! How long have mobile phones been around and only now do we realise that disposing of them is a problem. The solar panel manufacture and disposal issue is rearing it´s ugly head now, making question them.

When will we learn?

The blog song for today is " People are strange" by The Doors

TTFN

 

 

 

 

Zero Waste campaign in Menorca -download the app

 

 

 

I really hope that this works better than the RECICLOS campaign. 

I have downloaded the app and registered, it is actually quite good.  It gives a lot of practical advice and there is also a points scheme too!

I have been trying to do zero waste for a while now and it is not as easy as you think, however a slight adjustment of the chip and it becomes easier!

Here is a screenshot of the first challenge, when it is completed you move on to the next!

I will at least be giving it a go!  

The most important thing is that it encourages people to start somewhere, no matter how small the action is!

 The blog song for today is: "Take me I´m Yours" by Squeeze

TTFN