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COVID-19 Infographics

COVID-19 is a deadly virus that our world is currently facing. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves and others safe by educating ourselves of this novel virus and the precautions that we can take for prevention.

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TOP 5 GREEN ASSETS FOR SMART CITIES

Green energy generation, waste management and energy efficient, solar lighting solutions for your Smart City.

Learn More > https://www.greenassets.in/post/top-5-green-assets-for-smart-cities

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Easy-ish Ways to Help The Planet For Free or Cheap

I’m aiming to make sure everything on this list is either free, very cheap or saves you money in the long run. I also don’t want to include anything that requires owning a house because this is 2017 and we’re all millennials here

Cheap/Financially Beneficial:

You’ve heard this one before but if you menstruate, buy reusable products. The average person uses tens of thousands of pads and tampons in their menstruating life, which is not only wasteful but expensive. 

If you wear makeup, use cloth pads instead of disposable wipes. You can even make your own makeup remover using olive or coconut oil and water. 

The same goes for cleaning supplies: use washable cloths and for extra brownie points buy non toxic or eco cleaning supplies such as Ecover brand supplies or castille soap.

Buy bar soaps in paper instead of gels in plastic bottles. It’s usually as cheap if not cheaper, although it’s harder to find bar face soaps. 

Support local small businesses!

Try indulging your online shopping cravings and/or doing some groceries on EthicalSuperstore.com or EthicalShop.org if you’re in the british isles. If anyone knows any equivalents in the USA or anywhere else please add it below!

If you have bulk stores nearby, bring your own containers and buy unpackaged bulk items.

If you can use public transport to get somewhere, always choose this over using your car. Try to nurture a ‘driving is my last resort’ mentality. 

If you’re planning a holiday (lucky you!) consider exploring the beauty spots in your own country instead of going abroad to avoid air travel. I know you want to be ‘cultured’, but why not get to know your own culture a little better? Plus, the tourist industry can often be really damaging to some beautiful countries.

Buy a stainless steel reusable water bottle and stop buying bottled water if your tap water is drinkable. If it isn’t, look into filters.

Replace some of your meat with meat-free alternatives and/or try to eat less meat. Regardless of your stance on animal rights, livestock farming is bad for climate change. 

Loan $25 to small business owners struggling with poverty all over the world with Kiva.com. Not only is a $25 microloan fairly affordable when it comes to potentially pulling someone out of poverty, but if and when they start earning, they’ll pay you back! And the site pays your second loan for free! Plus you can claim to be an investor on your CV. Look out for causes where a lender is matching your donations to make maximum impact.

Watch documentaries (legally) to support people who are spreading the word/doing something about issues, and to educate yourself and get more ideas on how to help. 

Stop buying new clothes and start buying vintage or second-hand. I’ll let you off for shoes an underwear. 

Look for products in glass or metal not plastic. Not only are you more likely to reuse them, but they’re much easier to recycle and are more often made from recycled materials. 

Buy metal safety razors and razorblades instead of disposable plastic ones. 

Free:

Set Ecosia as your homepage and default search engine. It’s a search engine that uses its profits to plant trees! You plant about one tree every forty searches

For both the planet and the people, go to GreaterGood.com and click a button to donate to a different cause on each tab. You can do it once a day.

Recycle. Even if they don’t have home collection where you live, there should at least be a collection point you can go to.

Don’t throw away empty jars and bottles. Use them to fill with other things, especially homemade food, drink and toiletries. 

Use your vote to support politicians, locally and nationally, who prioritise the environment. 

Share your eco-doings on social media. Give local small businesses a shout-out by by posting pics of your delicious meal or pretty soap and tagging them, or let people know that you took your old furniture to the recycling place at [address].

Get new furniture from Freecycle or similar sites to save money, prevent those things from going to landfill, and avoid using up new resources on new furniture. Also, donate your own old stuff. 

If you have free time, try volunteering. If you can’t commit to a regular shift, look for local beach cleans or similar events. 

Watch YouTube videos by people living zero waste, low energy or eco-food lifestyles. You’re not only supporting them and spreading their message, you can pick up some tips. You don’t have to go vegan or zero waste or whatever, but just one or two changes can help. I recommend trashisfortossers especially as a starting point!

Stick seeds or roots of your vegetables into pots and grow your own vegetables from it. Some of these are super easy, some might need a bit more effort. Celery really takes off. 

If you have the confidence, ask your boss if you can pitch some ideas on making your workplace/company more sustainable. If you hint that it could save money, they’ll probably go for it. 

Turn the heat settings on your heating and hot water down. You don’t need your water scalding, and if it’s coming out cooler from the boiler, you need less cold water from the cold water tap. 

Get wildflower seeds for free from Grow Wild and sprinkle them anywhere, be it your garden or a roadside verge (out of a car window, don’t walk on roadside verges).

Support your local park, library and other services that provide free stuff for the public. Libraries = less books being bought while still supporting writers, and parks = green spaces.  

That’s all I can think of right now - I’ll add more if I think of more. Add your tips below!

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Water conservation

While some areas of the world are experiencing hurricanes and floods, other parts of the world are facing drought and wildfires.  It is important to conserve water in your daily activities no matter where you live. In arid regions, water is precious and many reasons to conserve water are obvious.  Some regions rely on deep water aquifers that do not readily recharge, which will lead to future water shortages in the area as the aquifers are depleted.  In addition, no matter where you live, bringing drinking water to your house requires use of energy.  Treating the water that goes into the sewer system after you use it requires more energy.  I found a good webpage with lots of ideas on conserving water.  The Watersense label is only used in the US, but many countries will have a similar program.  Please check out the webpage and start (or continue) saving both energy and water.  

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/start-saving

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Climate Threat

A study from the University of East Anglia finds that rising nitrous emissions are posing a threat to the climate. The growing use of nitrogen fertilizers in the production of food worldwide is increasing atmospheric concentrations of nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide that remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years.

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Making small changes can make a big difference

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Lake Jackson

Lake Jackson, a city with over 27,000 residents, has been warned not to use tap water for anything other than to flush toilets. The warning won’t be lifted until the water system has been thoroughly flushed and the water sample tests show that the water is safe to use. The warning has been put into place because of Naegleria fowleri. It is a free-living microscopic amoeba found in warm freshwater and soil. It infects people when the contaminated water enters their body through the nose. From there, it travels to the brain and can cause a disease called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg

After her recent death, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie at the U.S. Capitol which has been an honor for the “most distinguished citizens” since 1852. She has lead legal fights for gender equality, became the judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993. She has served for more than 27 years and became an idol for young girls.

Source

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Black Lives Matter

There are protests in Louisville, Kentucky after two to three officers that shot Breonna Taylor were declared justifies and the charges the other officer faced were not specifically related to Breonna Taylor’s death.

-Leslie Dwight

Source

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Hurricane Sally

On Thursday, Hurricane Sally (Category 2) moved northeast and flooded the US Gulf Coast. The area between Alabama and Florida had endured lashing winds, flooding, and heavy rainfall (over 20 inches).  Many people had been impacted and teams are currently in the process of assessing the damage.

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Tips on reducing your plastic waste. Stay safe and wear a mask! 😷

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Be mindful about the ways in which you use water! Which of these have you already implemented into your everyday life?😊💙💦💧✨

1. Takes shorter showers. A typical shower uses 5-10 gallons per minute!

2. Use the dishwasher and washing machine with full loads only.

3. Check the toilets, faucets, and pips for leaks.

4. Don’t run the hose while washing your car.🚘🚿

5. Turn off the water while shaving, brushing your teeth, and washing veggies.

6. When washing the dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running.🚿

7. Water during the cool parts of the day.

8. Only water your lawn when it needs it.

9. Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants to slow the evaporation of moisture.🌲🌳🌴

10. Postion your sprinklers so they don’t water unnecessary areas like the pavement.

11. Use a broom to clean driveways, sidewalks, and steps.🧹

12. Plant drought-resistant trees and plants.🌱🌿

13. Try to acoid pre-rinsing your dishes before placing them into the dishwasher.🍽

14. Install water-saving shower heads and faucets.

• • •

Sources:

volusia.org: 25 ways to save water

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Climate change is real. It is happening right now, it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.

Leonardo DiCaprio

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Wildfires Along the West Coast

Dozens of wildfires have been tearing through communities across the West Coast on Sunday and have killed 33 people, officials say dozens more are missing. Buildings are destroyed and major fires spanning several states have burned 4.6 million acres, national fire officials say. The 94 major blazes are burning mostly in rural and forested areas, major cities along the West Coast: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, are among them. In addition to that, the smoke from the fires are making the air quality unhealthy, which can irritate lungs and heighten the risk of COVID-19.

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Take action to protect our earth and combat climate change:

Walk or bike instead of driving.

Limit your consumption

Reduce your food waste

Use less energy at home

Limit your air travel

Give your home an energy retrofit

If you have to drive, consider an Electric Vehicle or Plug In Hybrid.

Use renewable energy, for example, adding solar panels to your roof or investing in community solar or wind projects. Adding solar panels reduces the reliance on fossil fuels

Eat less meat and more plant based foods because the meat industry takes up huge amounts of land and contributes considerably to global greenhouse gas emissions. Even the smallest steps make a big impact.

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Typhoon Haishen In Japan

A typhoon slammed Japan for the second time this week. The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Haishen was packing sustained winds of up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. It hit southern Japan last week, injuring dozens of people and cutting power to thousands of homes. Bullet trains were temporarily halting services and dozens of flights were canceled. A cargo ship carrying 43 crew members and 5,800 cows from New Zealand capsized off the coast of Japan. Two people were rescued, and one body was recovered.

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Mauritius Oil Spill

On Monday 24 August 2020, the front section of the the Wakashio was deliberately sunk. It contained 4,000 metric tons of oil and around 1,000 tons leaked into water full of marine life, causing an ecological emergency. It has already reached the lle aux Aigrettes nature reserve and the Blue Bay Marine Park. According to experts, the damage could take decades to reverse. The wildlife at risk include the seagrasses, clownfish living in coral reefs, mangroves systems, and the critically endangered pink pigeon. There have already been at least 40 dolphins were found dead in the area. As of now, oil-spill experts are creating a plan to clean the shoreline properly.