The Balearic law that prohibits single-use plastics enters into force on March 20th 2021!

 

The Minister of Medi Ambient, Miquel Mir, and the CEO of Residus, Sebastià Sansó, visited the new Begudes Puig bottling plant, financed with ‘eco-tax’ funds and which will allow 2 million single-use containers per year.

Below is a translation from the Diario Menorca, published yesterday and I think that it is a great step forward. 

The bulk of the provisions contained in the 2019 Waste Law, which puts a limit to single-use plastics, will enter into force on March 20, Saturday of next week. This will mean the progressive disappearance of a large part of widely used products, such as plastic plates and straws or razors.

The law provides that these prohibitions should have entered into force on January 1, 2021, but the declaration of the first state of alarm and the temporary suspension of the administrative deadlines led the Government to delay the application. "It involves a change of an important draft that begins on Saturday 20", said the general director of Residus, Sebastià Sansó.

In the hotel and restaurant industry, the use of single-use utensils, regardless of the material, for the consumption of food and beverages (plates, cutlery, glasses, straws, etc.) is prohibited, except for napkins and cellulose tablecloths. 

Food products in single-dose format such as sugar or infusion sachets (whether made of plastic or paper) may not be used inside the establishments. However, this part of the law is temporarily suspended while the state of alarm lasts for health reasons. If the food is to go, single-use products may be used, but they must be made of compostable materials. Also, ear cleaning buds and lolly sticks should be made from compostable materials.

Regarding trade and distribution, it is allowed to sell single-use products (plates, straws ...) if they are made of compostable material. The capsules for coffee or infusions should also be compostable or "easily recyclable". 

Wet wipes may not be discharged into the sewer and the package must specify how they are to be handled. Only reusable or refillable printer toners and cartridges may be sold. The lighters, only those that guarantee more than 3,000 ignitions. Single use razors are prohibited.

Informative guides

These are just a part of the limitations that will begin to apply on March 20. The Ministry of the Environment has published three guides –they can be consulted on the website residus.caib.es– that explains in bullet points how the main affected sectors should be acting from that date (restaurants, cafes and hotels; merchants, importers and distributors; and municipalities and public facilities). A fourth specific guide for citizens in general will be published shortly.

On March 20 the changes will begin to be introduced. Initially, the inspectors - who are receiving training for this purpose - "will not fine indiscriminately" but will focus on informing about the new regulations.

Sansó: "There is still some reluctance"

The general director of Residus, Sebastià Sansó, explains that a good part of the affected sectors have collaborated so that the deployment of the anti-waste regulations is successful, as evidenced by the numerous clarifying queries in this regard that the Ministry has received lately. 

However, there is still "a minority bloc that still questions the law and that is more reticent every day." However, the general director recalls that the law was "widely participated" at the time and that a good part of the suggestions and allegations made by those affected were collected. "The laws are to be fulfilled," Sansó observes.

THE KEY POINTS:

Free water in bars and hotels

The law recognizes the right of bar and restaurant customers to ask for a free glass of water (in those municipalities where the water is drinkable) as a complement to the service, in the same way that they can use the lavatory. The catering establishments will be obliged to offer this service.

Less plastic bags

Only reusable plastic bags (which must be made with 50 percent reusable plastic) and "very light" ones, which can only be distributed if they are made of compostable materials, will be allowed in shops. The "light plastic bags", which were the most common, will be completely prohibited.

Recyclable coffee capsules

Single-use coffee capsules or infusions will have to be made of compostable or easily recyclable materials. In addition, its importers and distributors must organize an individual or collective system that certifies to the Government their correct recycling and compliance with the objectives established in the regulations."

TO RECAP:

Single use items such as plates, cups, straws and cutlery in any form are not allowed to be used in the hotel, bar and restaurant sector, however if the food is for take away then these items can be used but only if they are compostable.

Single use items mentioned above may be used in trade and distribution but can only be made from compostable material.

Ear cleaning buds must be made from compostable material.

Lolly sticks must be made from compostable material.

Coffee capsules must be made from compostable or easily recyclable material. (with a collection system in place to collect used ones provided by both the manufacturer and distributor).

Free water in bars and hotels (in those municipalities where the water is drinkable).

Only reusable (which must be made with 50 percent reusable plastic) plastic bags may be used or those made from compostable material.

Wet wipes may not be discharged into the sewer system and the packaging must specify how they are to be disposed of correctly. 

Only reusable or refillable printer toners and cartridges may be sold. (let´s see what Amazon does!)

The lighters, only those that guarantee more than 3,000 ignitions. 

Single use razors are prohibited (say goodbye to Bic Razors!)

Great move forward the Balearic Islands!

The blog song for today is:" Lazing on a Sunday afternoon" by Queen

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Great News! China Announces New Cosmetics Regulations

  I have just received an email from PETA with some great news about animal testing.  Here is the update from them.

This news comes after our determined campaign that ramped up in 2012, when PETA revealed that some formerly cruelty-free companies had quietly started paying the Chinese government to test their products on animals in order to sell them in China. Hundreds of thousands of animals each year have been subjected to tests in which products were forced down their throats, rubbed onto their raw skin, or applied to their sensitive eyes.

After uncovering this, PETA funded training for Chinese scientists in the use of non-animal methods. This work is paying off!

March 8, 2021 update: 

The Chinese government just announced that it has created a new pathway for cruelty-free cosmetics in China. Specifically, as of May 1, it allows companies to market most imported general cosmetics (formerly classified as “non–special use cosmetics”)—like shampoo, body wash, lipstick, lotion, and makeup—without the usually required animal testing.

This is great progress, but it doesn’t mean the end of all tests on animals yet. Companies must take a number of steps and apply for the exemption to the animal testing requirements for imported general cosmetics. Companies that don’t take these steps or don’t qualify for the exemption will still be required to pay for tests on animals for their products. Additionally, companies manufacturing “special cosmetics” (formerly called “special use cosmetics”) are still required to pay for tests on animals. Special cosmetics are those making functional claims, such as “hair dyes, hair perming products, freckle-removing and whitening products, sunscreens, anti-hair loss products and cosmetics claiming new efficacy.” So while the finalization of the animal testing regulations under the Cosmetic Supervision and Regulation is an exciting milestone, animals used in experiments still need our help.

Now, the Chinese government is taking new steps to loosen its requirements for cosmetics tests on animals—specifically, it’s predicted that China will no longer require that imported non–special use cosmetics (like shampoo, body wash, lotion, and makeup) be tested on animals in order to be marketed in the country.

China had already removed the animal-testing requirement for many products manufactured there, enabling brands like Dove and Herbal Essences to be listed with PETA as animal test–free. Now it’s proposed another huge cruelty-free step forward.

Here’s the Nitty Gritty on China’s Potential Cosmetics Regulations

In January 2020, China’s State Council passed a long-awaited final draft of the Cosmetic Supervision and Regulation (CSAR), which replaces the outdated cosmetics regulations. The final publication of the law and text implementing it were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but on June 29, 2020, the State Council released the final version of the CSAR.

However, the text didn’t call for a ban on animal tests—instead, it instructed another government agency, China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), to formulate specific details for the testing requirements under the law. On July 28, 2020, the NMPA released the draft of those detailed sub-regulations, and they are currently up for analysis and public comment.

It’s expected that, if passed, the forthcoming rules will allow for the sale of many imported cosmetics that won’t have to be tested on animals. If this is the case, we’ll celebrate the progress, as we have with every new measure that has spared animals being poisoned in tests inside Chinese laboratories.

Here’s some background: After PETA learned eight years ago that companies like Estée Lauder and Mary Kay paid the bill for deadly poisoning tests on animals in China, we took action. Realizing that Chinese scientists were unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the many non-animal tests available, we awarded two grants to the Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS) so that its expert scientists could travel to China to offer their expertise and guidance in replacing cruel, unreliable animal tests with non-animal methods. PETA’s grant also allowed the IIVS to create a coalition of cosmetics companies to support its efforts. Since then, the IIVS and its coalition have made great progress.

Does this mean that China will be entirely animal test–free?

While this could mean exciting progress, it doesn’t mean the end of all tests on animals in China yet. Companies manufacturing “special use products” will still be required to pay for such tests. Special use cosmetics are those with functional claims, including but not limited to hair dyes, hair perms, whitening products, sunscreen products, and anti–hair loss products. So while the passing of the CSAR is an exciting milestone, animals used in experiments still need our help.

What does China’s new testing regulation mean for you as a consumer?

We know it can be tricky to figure out which products are manufactured by companies that don’t test on animals, but you can rely on PETA’s Global Beauty Without Bunnies list. Our online searchable database includes more than 5,200 compassionate companies and brands that don’t test on animals anywhere in the world.

Do More to Help Animals Used in Experiments

The best way to persuade companies to stop using animals is to refuse to purchase their products and to write and tell them why you won’t be using their eye shadow, detergent, shampoo, etc.

So I think that this is fantastic news for animals, as I wrote in my previous blogs I have been attempting (with a lot of fun and mishaps) to make my own cleaning products in order to use less plastic and know that when I am doing my clothes washing or cleaning the floor that the waste I am putting into the water system is not doing any harm to the environment. I am very happy with my progress!!

The blog song for today is: " Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

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From policy, to plastic, this year holds a lot in store for Restoring our Earth. Here are five topics to keep a lookout for this year.

Below is an article which I received a link to in my Email from Earthday.org.

1. COP 26

The 26th COP, or the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, will be held in Glasgow, UK this November. It will see a gathering of world leaders to convene on the most pressing climate change issues. Most importantly, COP may hold the door open to large-scale cooperation and action on climate change.

COP26 comes at a critical juncture, as it marks six years since the Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 parties. The agreement calls on countries to reduce overall carbon emissions and meet targets that would keep warming to less than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This year’s gathering will ideally see countries ramp up their climate action plans, also known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

2. CLIMATE LITERACY

Creating a climate literate citizenry holds the key to creating jobs, building a green consumer market and allowing citizens to engage with their governments in a meaningful way to restore our earth. According to a recent paper in PNAS, scientists designated climate education as one of six societal transformations needed to stabilize the earth’s climate by 2050.

As we stand, few countries require climate change to be taught in schools, and even fewer require its inclusion and application across disciplines. That’s why activists worldwide are pushing for compulsory, assessed climate education with a strong civic engagement component.

3. REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Do you know where your food comes from? And perhaps more importantly, do you know how your food is grown?

Industrial farms commonly employ pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to grow and harvest food. Such chemicals and related processes strip the soil of its nutrients, which not only decrease soil organic matter, but also lower resilience to climate change.

On the contrary, regenerative agriculture seeks to boost soil health through practices such as livestock integration, cover crops and no-till agriculture. Regenerative agriculture also captures more carbon from the atmosphere than industrial agriculture, which can help mitigate against climate change. Large food companies are warming up to regenerative agriculture, committing to investments and sustainable efforts across their supply chains.

4. RESTORE OUR SPECIES

Species are undergoing the greatest extinction rate in more than 60 million years. Corals are but one of the many species at risk from climate change. According to a 2021 University of California, Los Angeles-led study, increased ocean acidification and rising ocean temperatures can interact to harm reef-building corals. The continuation of these trends may result in increased coral bleaching, the movement of species to different locations and deaths.

Corals provide a wide-range of ecosystem services for humans and need our protection. Fortunately, top-down restoration efforts alongside grassroots stewardship has the potential to preserve these and many more species.

5. END PLASTIC POLLUTION

Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary to curb the spread of Covid. Plastic masks and gloves have become commonplace in our everyday lives. But all this plastic is adding up: of the roughly 52 billion face masks made in 2020, 1.56 billion masks have ended up in our oceans.

Each year, ocean plastic pollution kills about 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, over a million seabirds and even greater numbers of fish and other species. What’s more, it greatly impacts coastal communities and economies, who rely on oceans for their livelihoods. While opting for PPE made from more sustainable materials is not an option for many, there are many other ways to reduce our collective impact.

An Event happening here on Menorca now!

Per La Mar Viva have a terrific exhibition running at the moment in Ciutadella, showing some of the large quantity of plastic waste they have recovered from the sea and beaches around Menorca over the last few years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is being held at the gallery "El Roser" in the road opposite the Cathedral in Ciutadella.  The timetable is 10:30-13:00 in the morning and 17:00 -20:00 in the evening, Monday to Saturday, closed on Sunday.

 

It is a very interesting exhibition with some useful information..

The blog song for today is: "Ripples" by Genesis

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We cannot push population growth under the carpet- it is a huge problem.

 A report made in 2019 from:

By Jane Goodall - 29 Apr 2019 14:30:0 GMT

 

 

Panthera tigris altaica; Credit: Shutterstock

We use the tiger (this is a prime Siberian example) to show up our failure to conserve wild species, but while we monopolise all the food that animals require, we could remember that it is not only their conservation we urgently need to cover. It is also our own indulgences.

Dame Jane Goodall is responsible for many primate initiatives, but here she switches to the main primate involved in our current problems – ourselves. The food crises that beleaguer many nations is also obviously close to her argument here, as we consider reducing meat intake. Reducing the people who are doing the eating obviously has an almost equal effect to reducing the intake!

Jane Goodall issued a stark warning on the effects of human population growth on the planet.

Dame Jane criticised the ‘absurdity of unlimited economic development on a planet of finite natural resources’.

In the last 50 years the global population has doubled to 7.8 billion and is expected to increase to 11.2 billion by 2100 according to the UN.

The message was delivered amidst global calls for people to have smaller families to halt the destruction of nature.

Delivering a video message to the Population Matters 2019 conference, in London, Dame Jane said: “The fact that human populations are still growing on this precious planet of ours is something everybody should be aware of.

I would encourage every single conservation organisation, every single government organisation to consider the absurdity of unlimited economic development on a planet of finite natural resources.

“We can’t go on like this. We can’t push human population growth under the carpet.

Dame Jane said that empowering women and girls was key to addressing unsustainable population growth.

She said: “It’s been shown all around the world that as women’s education improves family size tends to drop.”

Population Matters campaigners are calling for action to reduce human population growth by voluntary means to be included in the post-2020 Convention on Biodiversity.

Following an initial set of targets to be met by 2020, governments are now negotiating the next stage of the Convention’s work.

Dame Jane’s message was delivered at Population Matters 2019 where the speakers included: environmentalist Jonathon Porritt; WWF director of science Dr Mark Wright; and Dr Winnie Kiiru of Stop Ivory.

Porritt believes the post-2020 Convention on Biodiversity should incorporate measures to end the crisis of unsustainable human population growth.

Speaking ahead of Population Matters 2019 Jonathon Porritt OBE said: Over the last fifty years, human population has doubled and wild animal populations have halved - undoubtedly, if we'd taken steps to prevent that population explosion then, biodiversity would be in a less perilous state today. 

We can no longer sit passively back, treating one of the fundamental drivers of species loss as something over which we have no control: we can't expect to add billions more humans to the planet and arrest the sixth mass extinction.

Population Matters Director Robin Maynard said: “Grave news about the biodiversity crisis is coming thick and fast, and studies, scientists and conservationists are now increasingly willing to identify human population growth as one of its key drivers.

It’s time for population to assume its proper place in the extinction debate and, most importantly, among its solutions.

 Report from the Conference in 2019:

Population Matters’ public conference in London on 27 April 2019 left attendees feeling enlightened and inspired. Following a successful first conference last year on human population and climate change, this year’s theme was the crucial link between population growth and biodiversity loss. With an incredibly knowledgeable international panel of speakers from diverse backgrounds, it was a fantastic event that highlighted the interconnectedness of environmental and social issues and the urgent need for the conservation community to address this.    

Farming, elephants and educating girls

Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming, kicked off the presentations by talking about the devastating impact of factory farming on wildlife. Philip pointed out that humanity’s environmental footprint is hugely exacerbated by our unsustainable numbers and food systems: for every one billion additional people, 10 billion more farm animals are reared and slaughtered every year.

Dr Edu Effiom, Director of Biodiversity at Nigeria’s Cross River State Forestry Commission, presented her fascinating research on how Nigeria’s rapid population expansion is increasing demand for bushmeat and endangering key mammal species, in particular primates, which provide criticial ecosystem services such as seed dispersal. Edu emphasised the need to address both consumption and population in conservation efforts and the importance in educating girls to bring down high fertility rates in the Global South.

Next up we had Dr Mark Wright, Director of Science at WWF UK, whose presentation ‘Population Does Matter’ gave a refreshingly holistic overview of the extinction crisis. With WWF International’s Living Planet Report repeatedly shying away from the issue of human population pressure, it was great to see Mark speak about the need to address our numbers as well as our consumption habits. His authoritative and impassioned presentation highlighted the huge global inequality in our consumption of resources and climate change emissions, with people in wealthy countries having disproportionately large environmental footprints and a corresponding responsibility to take action.

“The ‘population’ community and the ’consumption’ community have got to work together.” – Dr Mark Wright, WWF UK

Dr Winnie Kiiru, Senior Technical Adviser at the Elephant Protection Initiative in Kenya, provided some grim statistics on the impact of the ivory trade on African elephant numbers. While the situation for elephants remains grave, she noted significant positive changes in the banning of ivory in many markets, and how other pressures on elephants, including high human population density in a number of their range countries, must now be addressed.

Our Director Robin Maynard rounded off the presentations session by providing a clear overview of the problem, opportunities, and key solutions: education, family planning, women’s empowerment, poverty alleviation and promoting smaller families. He highlighted the current review of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the need to include that kind of positive action to address population in its provisions.

Bella Lack’s moving speech

Our youngest conference speaker, 16-year-old environmental activist Bella Lack, was sadly unable to attend the event in person but we were thrilled to be able to share a recorded speech she sent us. An ambassador for the Born Free Foundation and Jane Goodall Institute, Bella gave an impassioned plea for our planet:

“For my generation, every moment of natural beauty is overshadowed by the grim truth. The grim truth of apathy, of empty commitments, of overconsumption and of decimation.” […] “Our leaders are striving for economic growth, for reputation growth, and for population growth, but they’re missing the point.” – Bella Lack  

Bella’s speech was followed by a panel discussion, expertly chaired by Population Matters Patron Sara Parkin. It was great to see so much willingness to confront the facts about overpopulation and overconsumption and all of our speakers emphasised the need for holistic approaches and urgent action.

Robin concluded the conference by highlighting the progress being made in recognition of the importance of population to biodiversity and the need for future action. He thanked an enthusiastic audience for their engagement.

"Earth is our home. Our mission - indeed our survival - depends on altering our trajectory to live in harmony with the still extraordinary diversity of life it supports, as well as our own."– Robin Maynard

Yet again the fate of our wonderful and only home is in our hands, let´s hope we don´t mess it up like it seems our ancient forefathers did. Yes it is everyone´s right to have children but there are stories of people having families with 21 kids in, come on, what is that all about? and giving tv interviews and appearing in the papers, can they not see what it will do in the future? 

 

I know it is a very touchy subject to talk about but a necessary one nevertheless, if we don´t get it under control then we our world for our grandchildren and their grandchildren will be ruined.  We are the first generation to know what a slippery slope we are on and therefore it is OUR responsibility to do something about it.

The blog song for today is " Never too late" by Elton John from the Lion King

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Break Free from Plastic Report - Top Plastic Polluting Brands in the world.

One of the group members of Per La Mar Viva posted an article they found regarding an organisation called Break free from plastic and after following the links lead me to a report compiled from all over the world regarding the brands responsible for the most plastic pollution.

Here are some snippets from the report. (the full report is available at:https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BFFP-2020-Brand-Audit-Report.pdf)

In 2020, thanks to our members and allies, Break Free From Plastic engaged 14,734 volunteers in 55 countries to conduct 575 brand audits. These volunteers collected 346,494 pieces of plastic waste, 63% of which was marked with a clear consumer brand. Despite the challenges of organizing during a global pandemic, our volunteers safely coordinated more brand audit events in more countries this year than in the previous two years. 

As a special activity during the pandemic, we also worked with over 300 waste pickers to highlight their roles as essential workers. Participants catalogued over 5,000 brands in this year’s global audit. Our analysis reveals the following as the 2020 Top 10 Global Polluters: The Coca-Cola Com-pany; PepsiCo; Nestlé; Unilever; Mondelez International; Mars, Inc.; Procter & Gamble; Philip Morris International; Colgate-Palmolive; and Perfetti Van Melle.

The title of Top Global Polluters describes the parent companies whose brands were record-ed polluting the most places around the world with the greatest amount of plastic waste. Our 2020 Top Global Polluters remain remarkably consistent with our previous brand audit reports, demonstrating that the same corporations are continuing to pollute the most places with the most single-use plastic. Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and PepsiCo have remained our Top Three Global Polluters every year since our first global brand audit in 2018.

For the third consecutive year, Coca-Cola emerged as the #1 Top Global Polluter. A total of 13,834 branded Coca-Cola plastics were recorded in 51 countries, reflecting more plastic than the next two top global polluters combined. These results amount to a significant increase, as we recorded 2,102 more branded Coca-Cola plastic items in 14 more countries in 2020 than in last year’s global brand audit.  

Seven of the top polluters—The Coca-Cola Company; PepsiCo; Nestlé; Unilever; Mondelez International; Mars, Inc.; and Colgate-Palmolive—have joined The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, but this is not enough. 

According to a recent Ellen MacArthur report, the signatories to the New Plastic Economy Global Commitment have only reduced their use of virgin plastic by only 0.1% from 2018 to 2019. The Break Free From Plastic movement is calling on companies to urgently reduce the amount of single-use plastic they use. The top polluters must reveal how much single-use plastic they use, then set clear, measurable targets for reducing the quantity of single-use plastic items they produce. Finally, they must reinvent their product delivery systems to move beyond single-use plastic altogether.

The group participating from Spain are Plastifreecame (Spain) 

Break Free From Plastic’s (BFFP) brand audit is a citizen action initiative that involves counting and documenting the brands found on plastic waste collected at a cleanup to identify the companies responsible for plastic pollution. By collecting data on plastic waste, we challenge the industry narrative about who is responsible for the plastic crisis and how to solve it. 

Brand audits enable us to shift the focus back to the companies that are responsible for creating the problem in the first place, and empower us to demand that they stop producing unnecessary throwaway single-use plastics. The annual brand audit report holds the top polluting companies accountable for fueling the plastic pollution crisis. Our efforts rely on people power to stand up to these mul-tinational corporations.

People power launched the Break Free From Plastic movement in the Philippines in 2016 to unite the voices of people worldwide advo-cating to stop plastic pollution at every stage of the plastic lifecycle. We are committed to building a global movement towards a future free from plastic pollution, while supporting and empowering communities on the front-lines of this crisis. 

Our movement unites over 11,000 organizations and individual supporters from around the world to bring system-ic change through a holistic approach that tackles plastic pollution across the whole plastics value chain — from extraction to disposal — focusing on prevention rather than cure, and providing effective solutions. 

BFFP member organizations and individuals share the common values of environmental protection and social justice. Brand audits enable communities to collectively influence the discourse on plastic pollution and provide them with the means to challenge polluters. 

Everyone facing the consequences of plastic pollution is welcomed and encouraged to take part, from coastal communities impacted by microplastics, to people living in neighborhoods choked by the toxic fumes from plastic incinerators, to those whose water has been poisoned by petrochemical processing. 

Plastic causes pollution and other environmental assaults at the expense of various communities and stakeholders from the moment its raw materials — oil and gas — are extracted. Changemakers from all over the world have joined forces for this annual effort, including small and large NGOs, community groups, schools and youth clubs, and of course, individual volunteers. 

It is possible to become involved with this organisation, I have visited the website and requested more information on how to do it.

I think that this is really important information for people who are trying to stem the avalanche of plastic that is suffocating our only home.  I keep saying this but it is us the people who have the power to make change.  Stop buying these products in plastic whenever possible.  Is a plastic bottle filled with a fizzy drink really essential to live? MAKE A STAND PEOPLE!!!

The blog song for today is: " Kiss" by Prince

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Chickens, they are smarter than you think!

Chickens have a reputation for being profoundly dumb, but in fact they are remarkably intelligent and may even be empathic.

Reputation: Chickens are dumber than your average bird – little more than walking meat factories with a talent for laying tasty eggs

Reality: The world's most common bird is actually intelligent, and perhaps even sensitive to the welfare of its peers – which might raise some uncomfortable ethical questions for the farming industry.

 

How much brain does pecking at seeds even take? (Credit: Klein & Hubert/naturepl.com)

There is something odd about chickens. Globally they number more than 19 billion, making them one of the most abundant vertebrate species on the planet. Yet many people have little or no contact with the birds – at least, not while they are alive.

Chickens can count, show some level of self-awareness, and even manipulate one another.

That has led to some strange assumptions about chickens. According to some studies, people can struggle even to see them as typical birds. They are, in fact, reasonably representative of the galliformes, a bird group that also includes turkeys, partridges and pheasants.

It is also common for people to view chickens as unintelligent animals that lack the complex psychological characteristics of "higher" animals like monkeys and apes. This is a view reinforced by some depictions of chickens in popular culture, and one that might help people feel better about eating eggs or chicken meat produced by intensive farming practices.

But chickens are, in fact, anything but dumb.

They can count, show some level of self-awareness, and even manipulate one another by Machiavellian means. In fact, chickens are so smart that even a limited amount of exposure to the living birds can crush longstanding preconceptions.

I never thought that chickens would be intelligent enough and learn quite so quickly.

For a study published in 2015, Lisel O'Dwyer and Susan Hazel ran a class for undergraduates at the University of Adelaide, Australia. As a way to learn about psychology and cognition, the students performed experiments that involved training chickens.

Before the class began, the students completed a questionnaire. Most said they had previously spent little time with chickens. They viewed them as simple creatures, unlikely to feel boredom, frustration or happiness.

After just two hours training the birds, the students were far more likely to appreciate that chickens can feel all three of these emotional states.

"Chickens are a lot smarter than I originally thought," commented one student on a follow-up questionnaire. Another said: "I never thought that chickens would be intelligent enough and learn quite so quickly."

A male junglefowl (Gallus gallus), domestic chickens's closest wild relative (Credit: Tony Heald/naturepl.com)

In as-yet-unpublished research, O'Dwyer has replicated this study with workers in the poultry industry, and found the same results. "Basically we had two quite different social groups and found the same [initial] attitudes and the same attitude change in both," she says.

The researchers have shown that chickens can count and perform basic arithmetic.

She now plans to study whether these experiences have any impact on people's eating habits – for instance, whether they shift to eating chicken reared in ways that they believe to be more ethically acceptable.

O'Dwyer's study is just one of many picked out by Lori Marino of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy in Kanab, Utah, as part of a scientific review of chicken cognition published in January 2017.

"The paper is part of a joint venture between Farm Sanctuary and The Kimmela Center, called The Someone Project," says Marino. "The aim of the Project is to educate the public about who farmed animals are from the scientific data."

Marino says the scientific evidence shows clearly that chickens are not as unaware and unintelligent as many people assume.

Newly-hatched chicks have remarkable skills (Credit: Ernie Janes/naturepl.com)

Take, for instance, a suite of papers published over the last decade by Rosa Rugani at the University of Padova, Italy, and her colleagues. Working with newly-hatched chicks, the researchers have shown that chickens can count and perform basic arithmetic.

Chickens may also have some ability to perform "mental time travel"

The chicks were raised from hatching with five objects – the plastic containers from Kinder Surprise eggs. After a few days, the scientists took the five objects and, in full view of the chicks, hid three behind one screen and two behind a second screen. The chicks were more likely to approach the screen hiding more of the objects.

A follow-up experiment tested the chicks' memory and ability to add and subtract. After the objects had been hidden behind the two screens, the scientists began transferring objects between the two screens, in view of the chicks. The chicks seemed to keep track of how many objects were behind each screen, and were still more likely to approach the screen that hid the larger number of objects.

Chickens have a strong grasp of numerical tasks from a young age, even if they have limited experience, says Rugani.

This chicken has a first-rate mind (Credit: Pete Cairns/naturepl.com)

She thinks that might be true of higher animals in general, rather than chickens in particular. "These abilities would help animals in their natural environment, for example to reach a larger amount of food, or to find a larger group for social companionship," she says.

If a male chicken foraging for food finds a particularly tasty morsel, he will often try to impress nearby females by performing a dance.

Chickens may also have some ability to perform "mental time travel" – that is, to imagine what will happen in the future – to secure a larger amount of food, according to a 2005 study led by Siobhan Abeyesinghe, then at the University of Bristol, UK.

Abeyesinghe gave chickens the option of pecking one key, which would give brief access to food after a two-second delay, or pecking a second key that gave prolonged access to food after a six-second delay.

The birds were significantly more likely to peck at the second key, which offered a greater food reward but after a longer delay time. In other words, they showed self-control – a trait that some biologists think hints at a degree of self-awareness.

Chickens are also socially complex.

Chickens have intricate social lives (Credit: Ernie Janes/naturepl.com)

Some studies suggest the birds can appreciate how the world must appear to their peers, and that they can use this information for personal advantage.

Females quickly wise up to males who perform this sort of deception too often

If a male chicken foraging for food finds a particularly tasty morsel, he will often try to impress nearby females by performing a dance while making a characteristic food call.

However, subordinate males that perform this song-and-dance routine risk being noticed and attacked by the dominant male. So if the dominant male is nearby, the subordinate often performs his special dance in silence, in a bid to impress females without the dominant male noticing.

Meanwhile, some males may try to trick females into approaching by making the characteristic food calls even when they have not found anything worth crowing about. Unsurprisingly, females quickly wise up to males who perform this sort of deception too often.

There are even some hints that chickens may show a rudimentary form of empathy for each other.

Chickens can be very communicative (Credit: Klein & Hubert/naturepl.com)

In a series of studies over the last six years, Joanne Edgar at the University of Bristol, UK and her colleagues have studied how hens react when they see their chicks having air puffed at them – something the hens have learned, from personal experience, is mildly unpleasant.

Hens can respond to their personal knowledge of the potential for chick discomfort

When the chicks were puffed, the hens' hearts began to race and they called more frequently to the chicks. However, they did not do so if the air was puffed near the chicks without actually disturbing them.

In a study published in 2013, the hens learned to associate one coloured box with the uncomfortable air puff and a second coloured box with safety – no air puff. The hens again showed signs of concern when chicks were placed in the "dangerous" box, even if the chicks never actually experienced an air puff and remained oblivious to the peril.

This suggests that hens can respond to their personal knowledge of the potential for chick discomfort, rather than simply reacting to signs of distress in the youngsters.

Chickens are farmed in many countries (Credit: Ernie Janes/naturepl.com)

The research is ongoing, says Edgar. "We have not yet established whether the behavioural and physiological responses in hens observing their chicks in mild distress are indicative of an emotional response, or are simply akin to arousal or interest."

When the chicks were puffed, the hens' hearts began to race and they called more frequently to the chicks

If it does turn out that chickens can show empathy when other birds are in distress, that could raise serious questions about the way farmed chickens are reared.

"There are numerous situations where all farm animals are exposed to the sights, sounds and smells of other individuals showing signs of pain and distress," says Edgar. "It is important to determine whether their welfare might be reduced at these times."

Marino also thinks it may be time to discuss these questions. "The perception of chickens [as unaware and unintelligent] is driven in part by the motivation to dismiss their intelligence and sensibilities because people eat them," she says.

The uncomfortable truth about chickens is that they are far more cognitively advanced than many people might appreciate. But it remains to be seen whether consumers who are armed with this knowledge change their shopping habits at the meat counter.

I must admit that I have changed my meat and poultry eating habits and do not eat as much as I used to,  I try to have a meat free day once a week! We are lucky here on Menorca to have easy access to free range chickens and eggs.

We do all need to try and eat less meat for the good of the planet and many people are doing this. There are a lot more meatless products available and some of them are really good.   

The blog song for today is:" Rock the Casbah" by The Clash.

TTFN

Compost bins and the 7 Unexpected Things You Can Compost!!

Another great and informative site: www.gardenersworld.com

How to choose the best compost bin

When choosing the best garden compost bin for you, there are a number of factors to consider. These include the size of your plot, the design of your garden and the amount of compost you are hoping to produce.

Firstly, how much space do you have available? Compost bins come in a variety of sizes and with a range of capacities. You will therefore also need to consider how much compost you would like to make and how quickly. If you are not prepared to wait a year for your first batch, there are compost bins which can speed up the process, as we explain in more detail below.

The type of ground you are setting your bin on is also important, as some types will ideally need to be placed on grass or earth while others can sit on hard ground.

Types of compost bins

Compost bins come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are made using different materials. Here, we explain the different types of compost bins along with the conditions and tasks they would each be suitable for.

Make your own compost bin

A compost bin made of corrugated iron and pallet wood.

You can make your own compost bin using wooden pallets or corrugated iron. Enclosing the sides will retain heat, speeding up the rotting process. The larger the pile, the more heat. The ideal minimum size is 1m x 1m and, ideally, make more than one – it makes the compost easier to turn.

See our guide on how to build a compost bin.

Plastic compost bin

Turning compost from plastic compost bins

A plastic compost bin is ideal for a small space. The plastic sides and lid retain moisture and heat to encourage rapid decomposition. They also block out light to stop weeds regrowing. The bin should ideally be placed on grass or earth.

Hot composting bin

Adding green garden waste to a hot compost bin.

Insulated with a close-fitting lid, hot composting bins are designed to allow decomposition at a much higher temperature and a higher speed (30-90 days, compared to around six months for ordinary compost) and result in a finer compost. They are roughly the size of a wheelie bin and can stand on a hard surface.

Wormery compost bin

Adding veg peelings to a wormery compost bin.

Wormeries are designed for the small-scale composting of kitchen waste. Worms mix and break down the compost quickly and produce a nutrient-rich liquid for use as a fertiliser. Compost worms can also be added to larger bins. Not all waste can be composted, so you’ll still need a compost bin too.

Here is an interesting article on composting that I found on one of my favourite sites - Earth 911. They recommend that if you are new to composting that you buy a proper composting bin.

Composting is the best way to get rid of your kitchen scraps without sending them to the landfill. And if you’ve been composting for a while, you may have already started experimenting with composting other items you don’t usually see in a list of materials you can compost. If you’re new to composting, you may be surprised by some of the items we suggest in this list things to compost.

While there are plenty of rules for successful composting, every rule does not apply to every compost bin. Compost acts differently in different climates and in different structures, such as in a bin in contact with the ground versus a rolling bin versus a true pile that animals feed on, as well. Your compost may not get as hot or as much air as your neighbor’s bin.

So, we suggest you experiment with the unexpected items in this list to see if they decompose in your compost pile before adding great quantities of them.

1. Price Tags on Clothing

As long as the tag on your new clothes is paper, paperboard, or cardstock with no plasticization, feel free to send your tags to the compost. These tiny papers are too small to be recycled curbside. In a compost pile, they will act just like shredded paper (see below) and are a nice, brown (carbon-based) addition.

2. Tea, Paper Wrappers, Tag, & Probably the Bag

Teabags have a lot of different little pieces and parts. Tea itself is very compostable as are paper wrappers that don’t have any sort of lining. There are some inconsistencies around the compostable-ness of the bag itself, staples, and the string connecting the tea bag to the paper tag. If your tea bag is made of cloth (cotton) or filter paper, you’re good to go (and compost).

However, if the bag is nylon, it’s unlikely to break down. The same goes for your teabag string. Do your research to find out what your specific teabag and string are made of. Most teabags I use do not have a staple to hold the string to the tag; they are just heat-sealed or sewn on. However, if your bags have that staple, you’ll need to experiment. Mine seem to rust away in my compost pile.

3. Bamboo Skewers, Wooden Chopsticks, Toothpicks, & Matchsticks

These small, disposable, single-use wooden kitchen tools can all be composted. Do break chopsticks in half to lower their surface area and I break off the match head as I never trust that phosphorous sulfide will break down or is a good addition to soil.

4. Tissue Paper

Beause it’s a very low-quality paper whose fibers can’t be reused again, it shouldn´t be placed in the recycling bin. She did suggest that I try to add only white tissue paper (without sparkles or glitter) to my compost bin and see what happens. In my bin, tissue paper has disappeared!

5. Kitchen Single-Use Paper Products

You’re not going to find many articles on Earth911 encouraging you to use single-use paper products but if you’re in a pinch, they can be composted. Paper napkins and paper towels, when unfolded and ripped up a bit, will easily compost. The same goes for uncoated paper plates and cups. Do make sure that your plates and cups have no coating whatsoever and are also ripped up.

6. Spent Potting Soil

If you are changing the soil in your houseplants or outdoor flowerpots, add the soil to your compost bin to add nutrients back to it.

7. Shredded Paper

Shredded paper probably does not belong in your curbside bin as it can tangle up in the machinery at your local material recovery facility. Many communities have shred days where they specifically collect shredded paper for recycling but I never want to wait that long.

Shredded paper can also be recycled in charity recycling dumpsters but I’ve personally seen shredded paper blowing around outside the bins, becoming litter. Instead of recycling shredded paper, I compost it. Talk about secure disposal!

If you’re just getting started with composting, check out our composting cheat sheet for the basics.

This article was originally published on October 16, 2020.