Tag: Environment

• Dear Diary, I Think I’m a Workaholic

  July 26, 2019 1:45 pm Comments Off on Dear Diary, I Think I’m a Workaholic

  Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW 2019) is one of the biggest forestry conventions in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2019, it was held alongside the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) from June 17 until June 21. Karen Khoo and I had the opportunity to attend the event as the ANU delegates to the APFW. Not only were we the ANU student delegates, but we were also representing the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA). I was also the coordinator of IFSA APFW taskforce, and was therefore responsible for organising events and sessions for the APFW.
  First, some context. The APFC is held every two years, while the APFW is held every four years (in conjunction with APFC). This year, the APFW and APFC were held in Incheon, Korea at the Songdo Convensia. APFW is an informal forestry gathering for APFW delegates with various seminars, workshops, and creative events organised by different organisations. It is attended by more than 1,000 delegates from academia,  government, NGOs, and the private sector. As a result, it is recognised as the largest forestry convention of the year in the region.
  The APFC, on the other hand, is a high-level political decision-making arena aimed to facilitate member countries and invited international organisations addressing forestry issues at the regional level. It was attended by ministers and Heads of Forestry, as well as representatives from international organisations, NGOs, and Civil Societies. All of these organisations came together to discuss and address forestry issues in the region. 
  At the start of this February, at the time unaware of how the decision might impact me, I bravely accepted the challenge from IFSA to become the APFW taskforce coordinator for the organisation. I was expected not only to organise events at the APFW, but also to recruit a student delegation team to attend the event. As an impoverished student, I was well aware that it was essential to attract any possible financial resources to support the delegation team. The costs of flying to Korea and staying there for a week-long event would be a significant blow to most students.  
  It was a rollercoaster ride for me to juggle my master’s degree, volunteering work, and organising events for the APFW, while simultaneously fundraising, and recruiting a forestry student delegation. I had so many extra calls and meetings on top of my daily responsibilities that I was constantly finding myself on the edge of mental breakdown.
  Despite the challenges, there were definitely a million moments that made it completely worth it. We successfully attracted enough sponsors to support a group of 45 students from India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, Korea, and the Philippines who attended the APFW 2019. Furthermore, we were also able to host a youth-led session called the ‘Young Foresters Summit’ with the support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). We co-organised a session called ‘Youth and Gender inclusion in Forestry’ with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). We also co-organised nine creative events in conjunction with thirteen organisers from different international organisations in the exhibition hall. Lastly, we supported the APFW daily newsletter production. Our presence at the APFW and APFC was important and rewarding, as we were representing not only our institutions, but also advocating for more emphasis on youth inclusion in forest governance.
  It has been almost a month since the end of the most intense and hectic week of my life. Now, looking back to those days of preparation for the APFW, I’m glad it wasn’t a lonely ride. I was accompanied by great friends and colleagues who helped me, and made sure that I wasn’t doing it all alone. I gained not only new friendships, but also personal development that I wouldn’t have been able to obtain while studying at a desk. If nothing else, I hope this short story can be another message of inspiration to you, repeated by many before me – step outside of your comfort zone!
  Acknowledgement:
  ANU delegates Chew Jia Yi and Karen Khoo were both supported by Fenner School of Environment and Society and PARSA Student Extracurricular Enrichment Fund (SEEF).

  Chew Jia Yi

• From Plastic Ocean Waste to Eco-Friendly Clothing

  1:22 pm Comments Off on From Plastic Ocean Waste to Eco-Friendly Clothing

   
  Plastic has rapidly become a negatively geared word in the world of environmental sustainability. According to Ocean Conservancy, 8 million tonnes of plastic waste end up in our oceans each year. Recycling plastic has always been at the top of the list for ways to reduce an individual’s ecological footprint. This philosophy is no different in the fashion industry, with brands from Adidas to Patagonia using ocean pollution as a free market for new textiles. 
  Recycled ocean waste has been turned into a variety of fashion pieces ranging from shoes to wetsuits. Adidas have used ocean plastics to create 3D printed sports shoes in partnership with Parley for the Oceans. This company promotes repurposing ocean waste and improving the catastrophic issue of plastic waste. Similarly, Kelly Slater’s surf wear brand  is made from recycled fishing nets and plastic waste. The overall message of these companies promotes a positive environmental message, so what is the issue? Whilst these initiatives are being dubbed by society as a major step forward for the eco-fashion industry, there are numerous negative implications from these pieces. In fact, the main purpose of these clothing brands –to reduce the implications of plastic pollution in the ocean – is often exacerbated through the way we interact with these clothing items.
  The major source of damage is occurring due to microplastics being introduced into the washing cycle, which filters tiny plastic particles into the water cycle. Synthetic clothing, which includes clothing made from recycled plastic, continually pollutes waterways due to tiny plastic threads being extracted from the garment. Current technology does not allow washing machines to capture these fibres; they instead end up in the oceans, further polluting the ecosystems. An article in Environmental Science and Technology states that a single synthetic garment can produce up to 1,900 microfibres per wash, which when multiplied across the entire globe results in an enormous amount of pollution. 
  Whilst this in itself seems like a major issue with recycled plastic clothing, there are other problems. It has been found that microfibres can absorb other toxins such as pesticides and chemicals. This means that when aquatic species eat the plastics, they are also ingesting other dangerous chemicals, which can end up back on our plates when we consume seafood. The company Five Gyres, who campaigns against microfibres, has stated that there are over five trillion plastic pieces on the ocean, and another 33 billion tonnes are estimated to have filled our oceans by 2050. So, whilst many textiles companies think they are helping the environment by using recycled plastic in their pieces, it is actually having a catastrophic impact on aquatic ecosystems and the health of the overall population.
  In order to combat this there are a few solutions. Firstly, to stop using synthetic materials to create clothing and textile items due to the highly negative implications. Recycled ocean plastics can still be repurposed, but they are better off in the form of products that don’t need to be washed frequently such as furniture or toys. Secondly, to reduce the amount of microfibres being released into the water cycle we can fit our washing machines with microfibre filters. These filters trap microfibres in each wash cycle, preventing them from being released into waterways. In the long term it would beneficial for all washing machines to be pre-fitted with such filters, however currently filters need to be bought separately from machines. Overall there is a long way to go in improving the state of ocean waste in response to the fashion industry. Moving forward  is crucial for companies to research whether their solutions are actually improving environmental conditions, rather than making the situation worse as is currently the case by using ocean waste in clothing production.

  Canada Gavin

• Four Simple and Achievable Ways to Eat More Sustainably

  1:16 pm Comments Off on Four Simple and Achievable Ways to Eat More Sustainably

   
  From school climate rallies, to keep-cups and the movement against straws, young people are championing a more sustainable future. However, amidst all of our sustainable attempts what is often ignored is the enormous impact our diets have on the environment. One-third of total global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture alone and Australians have one of the largest per capita dietary environmental footprints in the world. But fear not! Although veganism is an ideal solution (I’m patting all the vegans on the back here, especially because you’ve made it very clear who you are), there are many more achievable ways for us mere mortals to help the environment by what we eat. It all starts by what you put in your supermarket basket.
   

  Plan your meals

  It’s simple. A well planned supermarket shopping list translates to less food wastage, less impulse spending and more money in your pocket. You won’t have sad and soggy vegetables sitting in the fridge and will also ensure that you have the right ingredients to cook with (rather than opting for another packet of two-minute noodles). Sit down at the start of each week or fortnight and plan your meals. This can be all your meals or just your nightly dinners. Basically just list the ingredients and quantities you will need to buy. 
   
  Eg.

  MONDAY AND TUESDAY DINNER

  Healthy roasted chicken and veggies

  2 medium chicken breasts 
  1 capsicum 
  1 zucchini 
  1 clove of garlic 
  ½ an onion 
  1 cup of broccoli 
  paprika 
  BUY
  BUY
  BUY
  BUY
  Pantry
  Frozen in freezer
  In cupboard 

   
         2. Moderate your meat intake:
  Avoiding meat is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. Try making Mondays meat-free! Red meat, lamb (if you are feeling particularly boujee) and processed meats such as sausages, salami and ham have particularly high eco-footprints. Eating beef just 1-2 times per week, over an entire year is the equivalent of driving 2482 km in a petrol fuelled car. Attempt to substitute them for lower impact meats such as chicken or pork. In addition, alternatives such as flexitarianism (eating meat more rarely) are feasible for most people. Another great tip is to experiment a bit and learn to cook your favourite recipes a little differently. Why not make a vegetarian lasagne or pork tacos instead of beef! There are also a huge range of legumes, tofu and nuts that can act as meat-like substitutes. Similarly, junk food and most-dairy products have a reasonably large environmental footprint as they are heavily processed. Swap some of your processed snacks for fruit or home baked products (particularly if they are lovingly baked by a parent or grandparent).
   
         3. Eat seasonally
  Eating food that is abundant and in season means that produce does not have to be transported internationally from countries such as the US and China to appear on our plates. Buying produce that is seasonal will not only reduce transport emissions but it is often fresher and less expensive. It is easy to tell what is in season based on the fruit and veggies that are the cheapest and most abundant in supply. If in doubt just check the label. 
  Here are some of my personal Autumn faves in season 

  Fruit: Most apples are in season, kiwi fruits, avocados, bananas, most oranges, pears
  Veggies: beetroot, broccoli, Asian greens, cucumber, carrot, spinach, pumpkin, leek, zucchini 
  Some ‘treat yourself/I’ve just been paid’ fruits: strawberries, raspberries, grapes, mangos 

   
         4. Eat locally 
  While lowering your environmental dietary footprint can be achieved by shopping at the big two supermarkets, it is even better to support local stores and producers. Right here at ANU, the Food Co-op under Lena Karmel Lodge sells affordable and sustainable local produce. They also sell weekly veggie boxes filled with seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables. Their foods are sold in bulk to reduce excess packaging and plastic. 
  In addition to places such at the Food Co-op, Canberra is surrounded by quality farms and growers who are passionate about cultivating great produce. The Farmer’s Markets are held every weekend and are a great chance to feel like a prised millennial, walking around in your activewear (with no intention of going to the gym) while holding a bunch of kale. Choku Bai Jo in Lyneham and Curtin also aim to give local farmers another outlet (that’s open during the week) to sell their produce and foods.
  Another fantastic thing about shopping at smaller, local sellers is that you are helping to reduce food wastage associated with the big supermarkets. Shockingly, up to 60 per cent of fruit and veggies never even make it to the supermarket shelves because they do not meet the narrow cosmetic standards they set. For example, Woolworths lists an 11,000-word document just describing their standards for bananas. While some stores have introduced ranges such as ‘the odd bunch’ selling ‘ugly’ produce at a discount, local producers will sell you what they grow. They may sell you a slightly bend-ier carrot, or a mysteriously large zucchini, but ultimately it’s what’s on the inside that counts. 
  The keep-cup revolution and the switch to reusable shopping bags shows us that if small changes are done consistently they can have a huge impact. Planning what you buy, swapping high-carbon footprint foods for lower ones and eating locally and seasonally where possible are some of the easiest ways to ensure that our planet can support future generations. A more sustainable diet is not only healthier for the planet but it is also better for your cash-strapped student wallets and your health.

  Jennifer Kerr

• Four Simple and achievable ways to eat more sustainably

  May 4, 2019 6:51 pm Comments Off on Four Simple and achievable ways to eat more sustainably

  From school climate rallies, to keep-cups and the movement against straws, young people are championing a more sustainable future. However, amidst all of our sustainable attempts what is often ignored is the enormous impact our diets have on the environment. One-third of total global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture alone and Australians have one of the largest per capita dietary environmental footprints in the world. But fear not! Although veganism is an ideal solution (I’m patting all the vegans on the back here, especially because you’ve made it very clear who you are), there are many more achievable ways for us mere mortals to help the environment by what we eat. It all starts by what you put in your supermarket basket.

   Plan your meals

  It’s simple. A well planned supermarket shopping list translates to less food wastage, less impulse spending and more money in your pocket. You won’t have sad and soggy vegetables sitting in the fridge and will also ensure that you have the right ingredients to cook with (rather than opting for another packet of two-minute noodles). Sit down at the start of each week or fortnight and plan your meals. This can be all your meals or just your nightly dinners. Basically just list the ingredients and quantities you will need to buy.
  E.g.

  MONDAY AND TUESDAY DINNER

  Healthy roasted chicken and veggies

  2 medium chicken breasts
  1 capsicum
  1 zucchini
  1 clove of garlic
  ½ an onion
  1 cup of broccoli
  paprika

  BUY
  BUY
  BUY
  BUY
  Pantry
  Frozen in freezer
  In cupboard

           2. Moderate your meat intake
  Avoiding meat is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. Try making Mondays meat-free! Red meat, lamb (if you are feeling particularly bourgie) and processed meats such as sausages, salami and ham have particularly high eco-footprints. Eating beef just 1-2 times per week, over an entire year is the equivalent of driving 2482 km in a petrol fuelled car. Attempt to substitute them for lower impact meats such as chicken or pork. In addition, alternatives such as flexitarianism (eating meat more rarely) are feasible for most people. Another great tip is to experiment a bit and learn to cook your favourite recipes a little differently. Why not make a vegetarian lasagne or pork tacos instead of beef! There are also a huge range of legumes, tofu and nuts that can act as meat-like substitutes. Similarly, junk food and most-dairy products have a reasonably large environmental footprint as they are heavily processed. Swap some of your processed snacks for fruit or home baked products (particularly if they are lovingly baked by a parent or grandparent).
          3. Eat seasonally
  Eating food that is abundant and in season means that produce does not have to be transported internationally from countries such as the US and China to appear on our plates. Buying produce that is seasonal will not only reduce transport emissions but it is often fresher and less expensive. It is easy to tell what is in season based on the fruit and veggies that are the cheapest and most abundant in supply. If in doubt just check the label.
  Here are some of my personal Autumn faves in season

  Fruit: Most apples are in season, kiwi fruits, avocados, bananas, most oranges, pears
  Veggies: beetroot, broccoli, Asian greens, cucumber, carrot, spinach, pumpkin, leek, zucchini
  Some ‘treat yourself/I’ve just been paid’ fruits: strawberries, raspberries, grapes, mangos

          4. Eat locally
  While lowering your environmental dietary footprint can be achieved by shopping at the big two supermarkets, it is even better to support local stores and producers. Right here at the ANU, the Food Co-op under Lena Karmel Lodge sells affordable and sustainable local produce. They also sell weekly veggie boxes filled with seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables. Their foods are sold in bulk to reduce excess packaging and plastic.
  In addition to places such at the Food Co-op, Canberra is surrounded by quality farms and growers who are passionate about cultivating great produce. The Farmer’s Markets are held every weekend and are a great chance to feel like a prised millennial, walking around in your activewear (with no intention of going to the gym) while holding a bunch of kale. Choku Bai Jo in Lyneham and Curtin also aim to give local farmers another outlet (that’s open during the week) to sell their produce and foods.
  Another fantastic thing about shopping at smaller, local sellers is that you are helping to reduce the food wastage associated with the big supermarkets. Shockingly, up to 60 percent of fruit and veggies never even make it to the supermarket shelves because they do not meet the narrow cosmetic standards they set. For example, Woolworths lists an 11,000-word document just describing their standards for bananas. While some stores have introduced ranges such as ‘the odd bunch’ selling ‘ugly’ produce at a discount, local producers will sell you what they grow. They may sell you a slightly bend-ier carrot, or a mysteriously large zucchini, but ultimately it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
  The keep-cup revolution and the switch to reusable shopping bags shows us that if small changes are done consistently they can have a huge impact. Planning what you buy, swapping high-carbon footprint foods for lower ones and eating locally and seasonally where possible are some of the easiest ways to ensure that our planet can support future generations. A more sustainable diet is not only healthier for the planet but it is also better for your cash-strapped student wallets and your health.

  Jennifer Kerr

• The Case for Veganism

  April 24, 2019 10:22 am Comments Off on The Case for Veganism

  On 9 April 2019, traffic chaos surged in Melbourne while vegan activists blocked Flinders Street intersection as part of a nationwide protest. Police eventually acted, arresting the protestors and throwing them into paddy wagons. Placards were left on the road, their message still visible: “You have been lied to. www.watchdominion.com.”
  Widespread condemnation erupted. Prime Minister Scott Morrison dubbed the activists “green-collared criminals”. Greg Sheridan, journalist for The Australian, complained that his “productivity was diminished” because of “vegan militants”.
  Even The Betoota Advocate, usually favouring the underdog, took an admittedly humorous swing: “Melbourne’s Vegan Protests Lose Momentum As Activists Begin Napping Due To Iron Deficiencies”, their satirical headline read.
  An important message was forgotten among the furore surrounding the protests. That veganism – the belief we should not eat or use animal-based products – has a rational basis. In fact, veganism is based on an uncontroversial moral principle that everyone reading this will accept: that we should not cause unnecessary harm.
  So let me carve out the meat behind this argument – so to speak.
  Consider why we should accept the principle in the first place. You approach a fork in the road while driving. Road A and Road B are your options. Both have pleasant views, require similar travel time, and lead to your destination. However, driving along Road A causes a boulder to fall from a cliff, killing someone. Nobody is harmed on Road B.
  Obviously, everyone would choose Road B. Otherwise you would harm someone unnecessarily. Consuming animal products, however, is analogous to choosing Road A.
  Nonhuman animals are sentient – capable of experiencing pleasure and pain – and thus capable of being harmed. We know animals suffer because they virtually all scream, cry or resist when subjected to mistreatment, behaving just as humans do. Backing up this inference, the nervous systems in vertebrates are fundamentally similar to humans.
  However, invertebrates – and especially bivalves like oysters – have less similar nervous systems. Therefore, we should be less confident these animals experience pain. Nevertheless, recent research suggests that crabs, prawns and octopuses all experience pain. With the science inconclusive, we ought to give invertebrates and bivalves the benefit of the doubt if killing them is unnecessary.
  There is no significant evidence to suggest that plants have the capacity to feel pain.
  Killing nonhuman animals for food and clothing causes them harm. Many modes of killing animals do not inflict an immediate death. Instead, they cause animals to suffer greatly as they die. Intensive farming practices confine sentient animals in cramped, unsuitable conditions for their entire lives. Eggs regularly come from hens in small cages, and the male chicks are killed at birth because they will never produce eggs. Dairy products often come from cows who are artificially inseminated in confined barns – their calf taken to the slaughterhouse shortly after birth, leaving the milk for humans, but the mother and calf wailing.
  The lives of free-range animals are undoubtedly better than those raised in factory farms. Using them for food, however, still requires killing them. Even hens and dairy cows are killed when their productivity declines, which is usually early into their life span. By killing them, we are eliminating their future pleasures – all for the mere difference in taste between a plant-based and animal-based meal.
  So, using animals for food and other items causes harm to animals. We have no good reason to discount this suffering simply because they are not members of the species homo sapiens.
  Animal agriculture also produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transport sector worldwide. There are many more negative environmental impacts associated with non-vegan diets. In 2018, Oxford University researchers concluded that plant-based diets are the most sustainable: the “single biggest way” to reduce your environmental impact. For anyone who believes in climate change, the harms associated with non-vegan diets are clear.
  Consuming animal products is completely unnecessary for most. According to the American Dietetic Association, “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain conditions.” Granted, vegan diets can be unhealthy, but with proper planning all essential nutrition is available. A plant-based diet may even be healthier as growing evidence connects red and processed meat consumption with higher incidence of bowel cancer. It is no coincidence, after all, that many elite athletes now opt for vegan diets.
  There are many delicious vegan dishes too. True, some vegan products are more expensive, but many are not. Lentils, chickpeas and tofu – great sources of protein – are much cheaper than meat-based equivalents. My favourite dish – Spinach Dhal – is cheap, easy to make, and mouth-wateringly tasty.
  Therefore, consuming animal-products harms animals, the planet and ourselves. We lack good justifications to cause this harm. It is analogous to choosing Road A.
  Other objections to veganism remain. “It is natural to consume animal flesh,” some say, “as nonhuman animals eat each other.” Are other things nonhuman animals do – including torture one another – therefore acceptable among humans too? Moreover, most animals who kill for food would not survive if they did not, whereas we have no need to eat animal flesh.
  “We do not actually cause the harm by purchasing animal products,” people contend. “Such products already exist – irrespective of whether we consume them or not.” Nevertheless, there has to be some threshold that – if consumption levels drop beneath – will precipitate a change in ordering patterns. If demand falls for animal products in a supermarket, less will be ordered in the future; triggering a reduction of animals harmed. Vegans, therefore, are not attempting to change the past, but prevent the persistence of objectionable practices. Just as boycotts of products coming from South Africa during apartheid endeavoured to do.
  Granted, some days a vegan diet will make no difference. But on other days, refraining from purchasing may cause the threshold to drop beneath the level of profitability. Thus, we ought to avoid animal products. After all, we would all avoid Road A even if there was only a small chance the boulder would fall and crush someone.
  Veganism is based on strong foundations – and everyone who accepts the moral principle that we should not cause unnecessary harm thereby accepts the premise of veganism. You may indeed disagree with the Melbourne protests. But a misguided protest does not render the cause itself misguided.
  I strongly encourage everyone to watch documentaries about slaughterhouses – to see, for yourselves, the abhorrent reality that underpins our consumption of animal products; hidden from us in the supermarkets, restaurants and clothing stores we frequent. And if you agreed that driving on Road B was the right thing to do, I encourage you to think about how you may be steering the wheel in your own life. On reflection, you may decide to eat like the world depends on it.

  Anthony Merlino

• Environmental Empathy

  April 22, 2019 2:44 am Comments Off on Environmental Empathy

  “Moral rules tell us when and how to apply our empathic tendencies, but the tendencies themselves have been in existence since time immemorial” – Frans de Waal
  Jules Masserman, along with a team of psychiatrists, released a study in 1964 that found that Rhesus monkeys refused to pull a chain that delivered food to themselves if doing so gave a shock to a companion. One monkey stopped pulling the chain for 12 days after witnessing another monkey receive a shock. After 180 years of mammalian evolution, empathy has become a necessity for the survival of humans and other species. But how does the empathy that humans have evolved work within our modern world?
  Empathy was defined by Adam Smith as “changing places in fancy with the sufferer”. Not only is empathy an integral social skill, it is an important evolutionary tool. It is not taught, it is an inherent need to survive and thrive in our tribalistic environment. Our survival depends on it; whether using empathy to better reproductive success or increase hunting victory with our tribe, our empathetic nature stems back to mammalian evolution. However, our understanding has only developed for tribal survival and we thus withhold our empathy from issues outside the realm of our ‘tribe.’ So, how does empathy that is limited to our fellow tribe members work in a modern globalised world? Are we capable of empathy with large-scale issues such as global human rights, or more interestingly, climate change? And are we capable of compassion for the environment and those who are most effected by climate change, when our capacity for empathy is biologically capped?
  Since 1979, the arctic sea coverage has been sinking every decade by 3.5 – 4.1 per cent. Oceanic waters today are 26 per cent more acidic than at the start of the industrial revolution. The UNHCR found that since 2008, 22.5 million people have been displaced by climate change or weather related events. Driven by the urgency to deal with the threat of rising sea levels, an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) was established in 1990. Along with the general destruction of the environment, such issues drastically impact the lives of many human beings.
  With limited or non-existent action by governments, corporations and most consumers, the question has to be asked: with the accelerating destruction of our world, why is our emotional reaction and subsequent responsiveness to these issues often limited? Empathy is so instinctive to us, we often forget to actively practice it. We take it for granted and forget its necessity for morality and the success of society alike.
  In a globalised context, we more commonly practice selective empathy. If when we watched the news and checked Twitter we ‘traded places with the sufferer’, we would spend our days trying to recover from emotional turmoil – constantly. This is incredibly relevant in the age of 24-hour news, where if you want to find a worthy cause to champion, or an issue to make you rage against the machine, you can find it within five seconds and two clicks on the internet. We can all be outraged and empathetic about anything we want, because information is now at our fingertips.
  However, the islands watching their shorelines creep back towards them are largely out of our selection. It is certainly out of our politicians’ selection for empathy and care, and is not prioritised as an issue for tribal survival. It can be argued that the issue is too global for the confines of our biological capabilities. The environment is still a distant idea to a lot of us, a far-off ‘wonderland’ that we ourselves don’t touch or destroy. With more than half of the world’s population living in urbanised areas (a number which is rapidly increasing), we are forever making ourselves more distant to the idea of Mother Earth and her precious eco-system. This causes our empathy for our collective tribes to remain insular, which makes it challenging for us humans to practice compassion.
  Our human evolution means we’ve created a world that fits our human nature – our limited tribalistic brand of empathy. This naturally leads to political leaders holding narrow views and focusing only on issues and people that they select. Our lack of responsiveness for global issues, such as environmental degradation, can be explained by how we’ve always survived and thrived. But primatologist Frans de Waal doesn’t leave us without hope, and doesn’t allow tribalism and evolution to be an excuse for ignorance, apathy and inaction on the global climate crisis – “empathy is a hard-wired response, that we fine-tune and elaborate upon in the course of our lives.”
  Empathy is a weapon we’ve sharpened for our survival throughout our evolutionary process, and we can continue to do so. We can actively improve and broaden our capability for compassion throughout our whole life. Someday the beauty of the Earth and the complexity of its now vulnerable eco-system may be recipients of our growing and strengthening empathy.

  Stella McRobbie

• How to ‘KonMari’ Your Home like an Environmentalist

  March 28, 2019 10:01 am Comments Off on How to ‘KonMari’ Your Home like an Environmentalist

  You may have caught up with the Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo over your summer break or at least have seen the subsequent memes pop up on your facebook feed. However, if you have not, it is a self-help style show inspired by the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In the 40-minute episodes the delightful host, Marie Kondo, helps people tidy-up their homes. She does this through teaching them the ‘KonMari’ method.
  The show and its tidying-up method have become a cultural phenomenon in the past few months. All over social media people have been posting about their efforts to KonMari their bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens and making memes saying things like “if your baby starts screaming, throw it away!” While this message is extreme, it satirizes one of the most prominent themes of Kondo’s method. That theme being the idea of having and maintaining a home where all of one’s possessions ‘spark joy’. The method has already received a lot of acclaim in popular culture as a great way to start off the 2019 year, but what about the environmental aspects of the method?
  Firstly, I am a huge fan of many aspects tied into Marie Kondo’s philosophy of tidying up. She emphasises valuing your possessions and treating them with care. For example, the gratitude she teaches alongside the act of folding clothes instills a sense that we should be mindful of the way we treat our clothes to her audience. If we expand this, we can be inspired to wash our beloved clothes according to the label and put them away carefully. Through taking these steps, we can extend the longevity of the pieces, meaning that we will need to replace items less often and thus lower our ecological footprint.
  Furthermore, if every piece in our wardrobe sparks joy, then we will want them to last and we will want to wear them. When clothes last a long time and are consistently worn it creates a cycle of slow fashion and stops the cravings to buy new clothes in a higher volume. Ideally, a person engaging with the
  KonMari method will absorb the implications of only wanting things that truly make them happy. They will come away from the show questioning any new purchases they make, asking the questions “does this spark joy?” and “will I enjoy owning this in the long term?” Kondo’s method applies to all of our possessions and not just clothing, making it an effective way to improve sustainability across all facets of life.
  Despite the environmental benefits the method does require some thought as one goes through the process of decluttering. This may sound a bit controversial but not everything in your house will spark joy for you, odds are your vacuum probably doesn’t spark joy but is probably something you should keep. When decluttering your possessions and considering “does this spark joy?” also feel encouraged to ask, “does this have a unique and important purpose in my house?”. Despite some perceptions, for the method to be effective it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to go on a shopping spree for new items that will spark joy while discarding perfectly useable products you already own i.e. towels, cleaning products, plastic bags.
  If as a result of the KonMari method you do reach a point where you have realized, “oh, I need a new coat. I shouldn’t have thrown out that old one,” or you do wish to replace your current coat with something that sparks more joy, I implore you to search second-hand sellers before rushing to fast fashion stores for a replacement. Maybe a fellow KonMari enthusiast is selling their coat, hoping that it will spark joy in someone else’s (and potentially your) life.
  The start of the university year is the perfect time for decluttering and organising our things. It is the perfect time for reevaluating what we value and what sparks joy in our lives. If we give this method a chance, it can also be the perfect time to create the perfect launching pad for an environmentally conscious year.

  Cathy Egan

• The Sustainability of Farmers Markets

  February 21, 2019 8:41 am Comments Off on The Sustainability of Farmers Markets

  This article explores the many ways local farmers markets can help promote sustainability. But before we get to that, a little question: Why doesn’t ANU have its own Farmers Market? Canberra itself has a wealth of markets, and yet we don’t? It’s even more baffling when you consider all the university students we offer as potential customers. This is a campus – and a generation – that is often keenly interested in healthy, sustainable eating. So why don’t we have our own on-campus markets like other universities in Australia offer? 
  It’s a simple question, and it comes with an even simpler answer: it’s because nobody has tried to start one up. A few months ago, I grabbed a coffee with the student Mayra Escobedo to talk about an O-Week project the Environment Collective was working on: a guide to sustainable food options around Canberra. Myra said a farmer’s market would be a great way to launch it. I agreed, but was sceptical about pulling it off – the guide alone seemed ambitious, a market seemed like a whole lot more on top. Unperturbed, she pulled out a laptop and shot some emails off.
  That’s how easy it is to start. Seeing it through is another thing of course, but if you want to at least try to make something good happen in this world, you should know how easy it is to take those first steps – as easy as writing an email. You might find out, as I learned from Mayra, that once you start the rest eventually falls into place.
  Why bother, though? What’s the value of a farmers market in terms of sustainability? Sustainable Table, an environmental not-for-profit that provides Australians with the tools and information to make ethical eating easy, has a useful resource that we can look to for guidance.
  According to them: “Up to 60 per cent of our personal eco-footprint is embodied in the food that we buy. By following eight simple steps to sustainability, we have the power to overcome today’s environmental challenges, one meal at a time.” Let’s see how a farmers market addresses these eight steps, shall we?
  1. Buy local and seasonal: Farmers markets provide local, seasonal produce, reducing the distance that food needs to travel, the amount of refrigeration it needs to stay fresh, and the amount of packaging required. Supporting local businesses also promotes sustainability beyond the environmental by building a sense of community, and redistributing wealth away from vast conglomerates towards smaller, more mindful businesses.

  2. Buy chemical free, organic, or biodynamic: Markets specialise in this kind of stuff. Many smaller producers take pride in the fact that their produce is organic or biodynamic! It’s important to understand the downsides of practices like organic farming, such as increased land clearing, but overall it’s still probably better to be buying organic, and it certainly tastes better!

  3. Choose truly free-range eggs: Again, local producers often specialise in this too. Free from the burden of providing supermarkets with huge amounts of eggs, smaller producers can often provide their animals with a vastly better quality of life.
  4. Instigate meat free days: Of course, any meat consumption comes with a steep price. One of the most powerful things we can do as individuals to reverse the current ecological crisis is to reduce our meat consumption. Farmers markets provide a more ethical and sustainable source of meat, and yet perhaps their greatest benefit is that they offer an attractive selection of vegetables and non-meat options.

  5. Reusable shopping bags: We use 3.9 billion shopping bags every year. The prioritisation of convenience above all else here is just obscene. Farmers markets can help here too: produce usually comes straight from the earth without packaging and is fresh enough to not require it. Markets typically encourage people to bring their own bags, too. 
  6. Choose ethically farmed meat and dairy: There are some 500 million animals housed in Australian factory farms each year. Life in a factory farm is fucking miserable. Farmers markets help combat that by rejecting the ‘economies of scale’ model and instead raising smaller amounts of livestock. We still need to consume meat sparingly, of course, but also mindfully.

  7. Choose sustainable seafood: Okay, so maybe an ANU farmers market can’t help much here. Canberra isn’t exactly a seafood city. Can’t win ‘em all.
  8. Reduce waste and compost: We already covered the packaging and plastic reductions from buying local and seasonal. It’s worth noting, however, that smaller farmers typically operate in more sustainable ways to reduce waste and utilise compost effectively. For many it’s an integral part of their business model.
  It seems, at least according to this list, that a farmers market can do a lot for sustainability when it comes to reducing the environmental impacts from the foods we buy. Avoiding environmental collapse requires even greater structural changes, of course, but that doesn’t mean we should overlook smaller personal changes too – like skipping the major supermarkets for a week and stocking up at a market instead!

  Nick Blood

• FORESTRY STUDENTS IN MEXICO: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ANU DELEGATES

  October 25, 2018 10:16 am Comments Off on FORESTRY STUDENTS IN MEXICO: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ANU DELEGATES

  Recently, myself and fellow student Karen Khoo represented ANU Fenner School at the 46th annual International Forestry Students Symposium held in Mexico. The symposium is the most important event of the year for International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA). It allows the various members from different local committees to gather together.
  The symposium is important because it allows students to determine the future directions of the organisation and to exchange knowledge, perspectives and cultures. We learnt so much in the span of two weeks. The weeks were filled with intense discussions, debates and plenary sessions.
  One of the greatest things we gained from the experience was the Mexican perspectives on the environment. Students from the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo ran the symposium and taught us all about the Mexican perspective.
  We were shown Ejidos, land shared and managed by the community. In Mexico, communal land management makes up 70 per cent of land use. Local people are highly dependent on forest resources, as well as livestock farming, which takes up 50 per cent of land use. Of the people who live on Ejidos, 50 per cent fell below the national poverty baseline.
  During the symposium there were many insightful talks given by experts in environmental science. One of these was Dr. José Sergio Barrales Domínguez from the University Chapingo who said, “You as a youth within the system are one of the alternative sources of knowledge for the country, and forces in demanding change in traditional practices.”
  The speeches were very inspiring and heartlifting for me as a student. It gave us hope that we have the power to change things that we are passionate about, especially the environment and forests.
  There were many discussions prompted during local forestry visitation. One of the key debates was the use of forestry in water conservation. As a forester, we were taught forestry benefits water conservation. However, South African representatives thought differently. They have strict legislation in South Africa that regulates forestry operations in catchment areas.
  In addition, we also learnt that within a community, the members usually have great connections and trust in different individual members of the community. They undertake decision-making democratically and with transparency through general assembly with the presence of community members.
  In Mexico, we also found that land managers were resisting modern technology to ensure employment opportunities and livelihoods for their local people. Consequently, this phenomenon prompted a deep discussion between representatives during reflection session of the closing ceremony. How do we ensure diverse livelihood options for local people while increasing efficiency in production through modern machineries use?
  Many representatives provided their perspectives on the various issues raised. For us, the main take-away regarding forestry management in Mexico was that forestry and land management in Mexico isn’t solely about providing economic development, income or employment; it is about long inherited cultural and historical values with social aspects, relationships between members of the community, passion in sharing and great hospitality. This is an important facet of management that all land managers need to consider. I think IUFRO representative Dr. Sandra Rodríguez summed it up best:  “Forests of the world needs to be conserved as well as the contributions to sustainable development through generating wealth, providing livelihood, and protecting social and environmental values”. By attending the symposium I have gained an invaluable global perspective on environmental management that I can now apply back in an Australian context.

  Chew Jia Yi

• THE ‘UGLINESS’ OF RENEWABLES. A REAL DEAL OR JUST FUGAZZI?

  10:06 am Comments Off on THE ‘UGLINESS’ OF RENEWABLES. A REAL DEAL OR JUST FUGAZZI?

  Picture this. You’re revisiting your favourite hill station since childhood. But it isn’t the same anymore. The concrete rooves of the cottages and cabins are covered with a blanket of black photovoltaic glass to soak up the sun. The view of the horizon from your window is interspersed with a trail of tall white towers with rotating thin blades.
  Do you find yourself pleased with such developments? Or do you cringe in your head?
  As some of the world’s biggest economies progress towards cleaner energies, there is a growing opposition towards renewables. Interestingly, such aversion stems from the psychological phenomenon of NIMBY (not in my backyard). More and more residents are objecting to renewable energy installation projects in their vicinity. Yet, they are showing no such opposition if they’re built farther away.
  Recent records show that solar and wind energy are bearing most of the brunt of NIMBY-ism globally. A staggering 45 per cent of the clean energy projects in recent years were shelved or delayed due to local opposition. In general, the reasons for disapproval towards solar and wind farms are related to aesthetics, environment or health concerns.
  With solar panels, they are often perceived as ‘trashy’, with the potential to drive down property prices due to their ugliness. Instances of birds dying from collisions and immolation on solar farms have also been rife. Wind farms supposedly ruin scenic landscapes and are feared to cause health problems and adversities for humans and livestock. Proponents of the “wind-turbine syndrome” believe proximity to a wind turbine may lead to cancers, congenital abnormality or even death (yes, you heard that right). Also, windmills are criticised for disrupting the channels of migratory birds and even killing them.
  A survey report published by the NSW government on community attitudes to renewable energy brings to light contrasting outlooks on cleaner energies. An astounding 61 per cent of respondents expressed concerns over noise, cost efficiency and the visual impact of wind and solar farms. This percentage also increased as the proximity to clean energy farms increased.
  The conversation around renewables is a rather contentious one but also one lacking evidence. We have no proof to establish strong hypothesis that relates observed health adversities to proximity of wind farms. Having said that, we should also not dismiss the phenomenon behind the opposition. NIMBY-ists are all about preserving the beauty, safety and integrity of communities.
  It is worth noting that new technologies have always been a cause of social anxiety for several decades. 19th century American neurologist Miller Beard argued that inventions of modern civilisation are key culprits of a range of symptoms of nervousness in the general public. A classic example is the newly popular cell phone in 1879 which was said to be the cause of dizziness, nervous excitability and neuralgic pains. We’ve since had a host of evidence-free public anxieties about televisions, electric blankets, microwaves, computers, Wi-Fi routers, and now apparently solar panels and windmills.
  What might explain the reports of several health issues ascribing to presence of renewables is the nocebo effect, the evil twin of the healing placebo effect. People exposed to frightening information about certain exposures tend to experience a detrimental effect on their health due to psychosomatic factors.
  Studies have shown that support for development projects increases as community participation increases. Therefore, the need of the hour is to establish better communication channels between project developers and host communities. This can be done through the creation of benefit sharing groups. Through improved interaction among major stakeholders, specific locations that pose too many risks can be ruled out and the benefit can be maximised.
  Renewable energy is our best bet to combat climate change. They form the backbone of not only mitigation and adaptation efforts but also national commitments submitted by countries under the Paris Agreement. Although it may have a flip side,we still need to navigate our way through and reach all-encompassing solutions.

  Prakriti Bhardwaj