From enamel and paper plants to what you should be eating, this week I cover more of what I'm reading and watching and observing on the topic of climate change and our planet.
PHOTOGRAPHER/ARTIST:
Samantha Leung is the owner and artist of HEMLEVA, and is based in Seattle, Washington. As stated on her website, "Samantha shares her passion for plants through her Air Plant Dating Profiles, General Plant Care, and through her original Plant-inspired Enamel Pins, Keychains and accessories."
Located in Siberia, Russia, Tania Lissova is a paper artist focusing on hand-cut plants.
Muhammad Farisian Arrazi is a painter located in Indonesia.
BAD NEWS:
Non-fungible tokens aren't a harmless digital fad - they're a disaster for our planet by Adam Greenfield by The Guardian
Side note: I, as an artist, was confused when I first heard about NFTs and thought that I should know what they are. Since hearing of them, I've researched into what and why they are. I, personally, don't see the point of them and will never offer any. I read this article and didn't even know that there could be a harmful aspect to an NFT, and find this to be incredibly fascinating.
"An artwork need have no other merit – neither historical resonance nor social relevance nor aesthetic refinement nor even skill in execution – to be valued in this way. You can’t do anything with Mars House, other than own it. What is valuable about the string of digits that makes up the token is that you as purchaser are the sole possessor of it.
... Each transaction on the Ethereum blockchain, on which most NFTs are currently recorded, involves a set of calculations called proof-of-work. Those calculations are intentionally designed to be energy-intensive. The furious churn of all the processors involved in validating proof-of-work globally burns vertiginous amounts of electricity, at significant environmental cost."
GOOD NEWS:
Atlanta creates the nation's largest free food forest with hopes of addressing food insecurity by Carly Ryan by CNN
"The land which this free food forest is on was supposed to be turned into townhouses and when that didn't happen, the US Forest Service Grant and a partnership with the city of Atlanta helped to transform the 7.1 acre land into a forest with "2,500 pesticide-free edible and medicinal plants." The land is maintained by 1,000 volunteers and helps to feed those below the poverty line."
Your Diet is Cooking the Planet by Annie Lowrey by The Atlantic
Side Note: Why is this under good news? Well, the good news is that if we change our eating habits, we can help the planet. If we eat less meat and cut our food waste, we will do more good than thought possible.
"Addressing food waste would be low-hanging fruit: The country could save money, emit less carbon into the atmosphere, alleviate the burden on landfills, reduce the number of animals subjected to life on a factory farm, and address its hunger crisis just by eating all the food it makes. Households consuming more of what they buy, and thus buying less, would have a major effect on the whole food system. Food suppliers would produce less to meet the country’s more efficient demand. Supermarkets would stock less food. Fewer trucks would need to run from plant to store. Fewer refrigerators would be needed in stores and industrial facilities to keep groceries cold. Fewer cows would fill up feedlots. Fewer acres of corn and soy would be grown to feed them.
... Still, the all-or-nothing way the choice is often presented is a mistake. There is enormous acreage between the Atkins diet, or even the meat-heavy diet of the average American, and full-on veganism, which remains a niche lifestyle choice that few follow for long. Better all Americans cut meat consumption by 40 percent than 3 percent of Americans cut it out completely. Experts encourage taking small, meaningful steps to reduce your meat consumption, and trying to find some joy in doing it. Participate in Meatless Monday; try learning to cook dishes from a plant-heavy cuisine you like; offer a vegetarian option at work events; opt for dishes where meat plays a supporting, rather than leading, role."
The four fish I would still eat - even after watching Seaspiracy by Paul Greenberg by The Guardian
**This isn't good news, per se, but it's not bad news either.
"Seafood should never have grown into the vast, global concern it has become. We need to return it to its artisan, community-based roots, and we need to find a path forward to aid that transition. And yet … there is merit in keeping a toe in the water. We already befoul our oceans at a tremendous level. Were we to cut our food relationship with the seas entirely, I fear we would befoul them even more."
How Do Animals Safely Cross a Highway? Take a Look. by Catrin Einhorn by The New York Times
Side note: Don't we all love interactive articles? I sure do. I really appreciate that this article shows videos of the animals safely crossing highways. It gives me joy.
"“They’re actually just using it on a daily basis,” Dr. Frey said. “We had coyotes hunting on it. We had bobcats hunting on it. We have marmots that just come and lounge in the sun and then leave. Rabbits and some of the smaller mammals like ground squirrels and chipmunks, they are just coming to forage for seeds and whatnot and then leaving. So it’s not even just, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve got to get across the highway.’ It’s just part of their habitat now.”"
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A photo of mine from this beautiful planet:
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