A New Pollution
The impact of confinement on pollution, mainly brought improvements to our planet, it was like a holiday of human activity in ecosystems. However, a great reduction of pollution in this part, the covid-19 brought a new pollution, the masks, the gloves and all kinds of protection material against the virus. But in the main the masks. The use of the mask is mandatory and people have to use them to protect themselves, but often they find masks that have been thrown to the ground, or that fly, and that end up in the seas and for killing animals!
Susete Cardoso
Compost – 0% Wasted, 100% Valued
How can you use your organic waste in a productive way while helping the ambient? In the current times, we are locked in our homes, however that does not mean we can´t help the environment. One good way to spend your time and be ecological is by creating a small garden in your home and use compost as a natural fertilizer.
Composting is the process of decomposing organic solid wastes, like wasted foods, to create a substance with many nutrients and minerals to use as fertilizer for plants. The decomposing process works by chopping the organic matter into small pieces, put in a specific container (called composter) and constantly add water and air to the mixture, so it becomes humus. Microorganisms break up the organic material to produce the compost. This process needs specific quantities of each “ingredient” in order to make a better fertilizer and can take a long time.
Gardening can be a real god activity for your family since it is relaxing and keeps you in contact with nature. Also, since you are using an ecological fertilizer, you are not polluting the environment. Likewise, because most people are in lockdown, they make more homemade food whose wastes can be used as organic matter for the compost and if you are thinking in using the compost for home-produced vegetables for eating this also a great way to not spend money in fertilizer and in food.
Why does the greener option always stay in the background?
In the past decades, we have become more and more aware of the importance of using renewable energy sources. But doesn’t it feel like this alternative is still very neglected?
In 2015, 79% of the emission of greenhouse gases, in the European Union, came from energy production and use, making this the biggest source of these gases. In the same year, only 17,9% of the entire energy production came from renewable sources.
Clean energy can come from all sort of mechanisms, powered by so many sources. If this sector is the largest greenhouse gases producer, there should be no excuses for renewable sources not representing, at least, the majority of electrical energy production.
We might think that the consequences will only appear in some years from now, but you can just look at the great snowfall in the Middle East and Texas that is happening at the moment I am writing this, February 2021, and compare it with the heat wave that striked Europe in the summer of 2020.
How to correctly dispose off your mask?
We all throw away our masks after using them, but how sure are you that you are disposing the mask correctly?
The first thing you should do is cut the strings off on each side, this prevents it to get tangled around animals and plants, then when you go put the mask in the trash you should place it in a separate bag. So two very important things: don’t recycle your mask and don’t mix it with other objects in the trash.
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