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1. A bill to ban single use plastic goes forth in Rwanda...

   Posted on 12:00am Wednesday 20th Feb 2019

   BBC Africa has reported that the Rwandan government wants the parliament to pass a bill to ban single use plastic to protect the environment in the country. A draft bill suggests a 2 year moratorium for companies to stop making single use plastics. In 2008, plastics were first banned in Rwanda; however some plastic materials are still used.  Mineral water and juice bottles, straws in bars and hotels, and single use dishes are still used. So the government now wants to ban these too, and a bill will go to parliament for a vote. Good luck to it!

    

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2. Palau - islands making a difference

   Posted on 9:00pm Friday 2nd Nov 2018

   What’s special about Palau? It’s an island situated in the western part of the Pacific ocean and it consists of one large volcanic island and several smaller coral reef associated islands. It’s small.  But it takes action. Palau is imposing a widespread ban on sunscreen in order to protect its coral reefs.  This ban will come into effect in 2020. The sale and use of sunscreen and skincare products which have a list of 10 different chemicals will be restricted.  Researchers believe that these ingredients are highly toxic to marine life.  They can also make coral more susceptible to bleaching.  The ingredients oxybenzone and octinoxate are particularly believed to make coral more susceptible.  Scent Free Sun Lotion from Green People    Palau has taken the lead in protecting marine life before. Back in 2015 it designated almost its entire ocean territory as a marine protected zone. It was the second nation to ratify the 2016 Paris climate agreement. Thousands of visitors go to Palau every year – and the islands are determined to protect their coral reefs. As well as sunscreen, reefs are also threatened by sea water warming, over fishing, nutrient enrichment and pollution. These all need to be stopped to halt the continuing degradation of reef ecosystems. But that said, there is always more that can be done, we have to start somewhere, so thank you Palau for leading the way and showing that action can be taken. After all, many visitors to come to see the coral reefs in all their beauty, not bleached coral reefs in a terrible state. There are bans in other places.  Mexico has banned sunscreen in nature reserves.   The Island of Bonaire in the Caribbean and the state of Hawaii have also passed laws.  But Palau is leading the way as it covers 10 chemicals. Needless to say, some of the big corporates who produce sunscreen products are sulking, saying that there isn’t enough evidence of the impact on coral.  But some have come together to form the Safe Sunscreen Council and they’ve welcomed the move.  Come on other nations – if little Palau can do it, why can’t you?  Visit also Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, a nonprofit organization working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish for the islands of Maui Nui

3. Apathy kills, action inspires

   Posted on 8:00am Wednesday 31st Oct 2018

   It’s very motivating to browse the internet and come across something which really strikes into your heart. The sort of thing I’m thinking of spurs you to take action – not just to want to take action, but to actually do it. How often do we come away having read something, thinking," That’s terrible," and then go on as if we had read nothing or not been affected at all? The key to successful wildlife conservation is to moving people literally to take action, to do something, in whatever way we all can, to do something to save this wildlife on this planet and most particularly, to save and protect their habitats.  Number of actions for wildlife... ___________________________________________________________ 0              1             2              3              4              5              6              7                                          1 action                 is better than                 no action at all The good thing about taking one action is that we tend to feel good about doing it.  And often we may think, "That was easy!  What else can I do?"  Sometimes it’s just the getting started and doing something however little time it takes. The one thing wildlife cannot afford at all is for us all to sit at the zero action position.  We need a total army of people who will move from the zero point to doing stuff.  And if each of us already do stuff, we need to do more. E.O.Wilson is a scientist.  In his book Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life , (which inspires us to set aside half of the earth’s surface for nature), Mr Wilson writes: “To those who are steering the growth of reserves worldwide, let me make an earnest request:  don’t stop, just aim a lot higher.” We all need to act for the sake of wildlife and this beautiful planet of ours. Please take an action to help wildlife today.  One way is to support those already working to grow and protect reserves around the world or protecting the wildlife already there.

    

4. T-shirts to help plant trees

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 8th Aug 2018

   I've got to say, I just love Ecosia.   They're a search engine and I use it a lot to have a good rummage around the internet. It's a simple formula - you search, they plant trees and it doesn't cost you a penny :-) Ecosia uses 100% of its profits to plant trees where they're needed most.  So far over 34 million trees have been planted and Ecosia are aiming to plant one BILLION.   It's a journey I'm really to help with, and it's so good to see that many people are joining in as well.  So I was really pleased to discover that Ecosia now have an online shop and you can buy things like t-shirts, tops, jumpers and hoodies.  Their products are made from organic cotton and they're printed in the UK in a renewable energy powered factory.   And best of all - All profits from their organic apparel go directly towards one of Ecosia’s reforestation projects.   I've ordered one of their t-shirts - this one below - for 21.50 euros, plus postage and packaging.  Ecosia have a range of them.   Click on the t-shirt below to see their online shop!    Buying and wearing one of their t-shirts or other clothing items will be a great way to pass the message of the importance of trees on and give people an immediate and very easy way to help :-)

    

5. Who says levying 5p on plastic bags doesn’t make a difference? It does!

   Posted on 9:00am Tuesday 24th Apr 2018

   I was reading through the excellent magazine Natur from the North Wales Wildlife Trust this morning. One piece of news particularly caught my eye and just shows how levying the 5p on carrier bags can help wildlife. The support of Tesco’s customers through this levy has enabled the North Wales Wildlife Trust to manage the Riwledyn Nature Reserve.  This is a 12 acre reserve close to the sea.  They’ve been able to maintain areas of limestone grassland and protect local wildlife. In 2017, the Trust: Purchased new hand-tools, 2 new brush-cutters, personal protective equipment and fencing materials to facilitate grassland and grazing management.   Three volunteers were trained in the art of using a brush-cutter. A group walk in July spotted a dark-red helleborine – the first time this orchid has been spotted at the reserve – plus spiked speedwell, white horehound and a loud chattering of chough Local volunteers and youth groups (Conwy Healthy Image Group and Itaca Youth Group) helped to install 2 new oak benches along a busy section of the Wales Coast Path – and they’re proving very popular for people to use after climbing up and over the Little Orme! ©Lin Cummins Visit the North Wales Wildlife Trust and find out how you can make a difference. You can find your local branch here.