【推荐1】Zulema Munoz collects seaweed in a small coastal town 100 miles south of Santiago, Chile. A good week may see her cut 1,100 pounds of seaweed from the rocks where it grows.

Muftoz is one of the 30, 000 people for whom Chilean seaweed industry provides a livelihood. Throughout Latin America, the cultivation (种植) and collection of seaweed are gaining a support both as a source of food and as a means of ensuring food security in a region where 34 million people are food insecure and poverty affects 47 percent of the rural population. Countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela have all explored seaweed production for food. Yet as demand outpaces production and wild stocks have declined， more attention is being paid to sustainable cultivation and harvesting methods that can keep the industry surviving.

Seaweed has a long history in South American style of cooking. The native cooking of Chile made frequent use of cochayuyo, the most abundant of the country 750 types of seaweed. Today, cochayuyo is commonly found in place of meat incharquican, a traditional dish cooked slowly in a closed pan.

Kelp, a type of large brown seaweed, as the new vegetable is a global trend too, and for good reason. Nutritionally, seaweed is packed with iodine and other nutrients, and appears on trend-making menus in Google's New York cafeteria, though it used to be thought difficult to get people to eat it.

While 83 percent of cultivated sea vegetables are produced for human consumption, we aren’t just eating it. Seaweed is used in fertilizers and animal feed, and seaweed-based food additives are likely in many products in your kitchen and bathroom right now. Carrageenan, made from red seaweed, is in everything from shampoo and toothpaste to ice cream and some hot dogs.

While seaweed grows readily—there are concerns that humans are taking too much of the wild stuff. It is possible that overexploitation of natural seaweed resources could lead to significant ecological, economic, and social consequences at local, regional, and even global scales. In Latin American countries like Brazil and Peru, where the seaweed industry is based on harvesting wild seaweed rather than cultivated, the need for environmentally friendly models is urgent.

【推荐2】The sunflower sea star has been listed as a critically endangered species following a groundbreaking population study led by Oregon State University (OSU) and The Nature Conservancy.

“These giant sea stars used to be easy to find and were a hit with divers. Unfortunately, your chances of finding one now are next to nothing in most of the areas near the United States—this listing is one step to extinction—and I don’t think they’re coming back without help,” said OSU’s Sarah Gravem, a research associate in the College of Science and the lead author of the study.

Populations of the sunflower sea star suffered dramatic crashes because of a marine (海洋的) wildlife epidemic event, which began in 2013. Scientists used more than 61,000 population surveys from 31 data sets to calculate a 90.6% decline in the sunflower sea stars and estimated that as many as 5.75 billion animals died from the disease, whose cause has not been determined. Moreover, the research showed no sign of population recovery in any region in the five to seven years since the event.

Sunflower sea stars are a key catcher of purple sea urchins (海胆) and the sea star decline has helped the increase in the urchin population in many regions. Too many urchins are linked to a decline in kelp forests（海藻林) already facing pressure from marine heat wave events, making the future uncertain for ecosystems that provide habitat for thousands of marine animals and help support coastal economies.

“Because most people are not out in the ocean every day, we don’t realize how much it’s being changed and impacted by humans. We need to think about how to keep our ocean healthy. While reducing the release of carbon dioxide is the most pressing need, rebuilding key catcher populations, like the sunflower sea star, can be an important piece of the puzzle too,” said study co-author Sara Hamilton, a Ph. D. candidate in the OSU College of Science.

【推荐3】Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem harmless, and Europe's stock of these quick-cooking ovens give out as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found, and the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming frequently updated, owners are throwing many microwave after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwaves which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.

A study by the University of Manchester worked out the emissions of carbon dioxide-the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change - at every stage of microwaves, from production to waste disposal (处理). “It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment,” say the authors, who also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour to use appliances more efficiently. For example, electricity consumption by microwaves can be reduced by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.”

However,David Reay, professor of carbon management argues that,although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the emissions from microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the whole of the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus,rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.

【推荐1】A few weeks ago, I bought a locally-grown salad from a vending machine(自动售货机). But then I immediately realized that it was packaged in a plastic jar. ''I guess I live with this jar now and forever. '' I thought sadly as I stared down at my new child.

The salad jar was only the latest in a long line of examples of how I am addicted to the responsibility of reusing everything, trying to never throw anything away. Water bottles have been given second lives, and berry containers are transformed into Tupperware. I recently even looked at a plastic straw in my fruit juice: Could I reuse it too…?

Yet trying to squeeze my salad jar under my kitchen counter this weekend, I finally had to admit: Being an environmentalist has turned me into a hoarder(囤积者). While keeping a certain number of jars and vegetable bags will allow me not to buy new containers, at a certain point those 30 berry containers begin to get a bit unnecessary. Who am I kidding? Then one day I came across a blog post that asks accusingly. ''Are you turning your own home into a landfill(垃圾填埋场)? ''

In my defense, there is absolutely no excuse not to be a conscious consumer. The solution is painfully obvious, but hard to admit: Delaying waste is not, in fact, rejecting waste. In an over-packaged, over-consuming culture, this can feel like a burden. While I refuse to throw away packaging, the fact remains: I already have it. The damage is done. I've been ignoring one of the most essential and difficult parts—reduce, reuse, recycle. Even if I go out of my way to reuse the waste I do have, I need to reduce what I am bringing home in the first place.

While I might not be ready to go full zero-waste, it's a goal that is admirable to work toward. Until then, my salad jar child is going to make a great overnight oats jar.

【推荐3】I’m a TV show host. One Sunday, I took my 7-year-old daughter by the sea for lunch. On arriving at the beach, I saw JoJo, a rich man in the hotel business. We sat down to chat in an open-air cafe.

Suddenly our talk was interrupted (打断) by a stranger, who politely asked permission to speak to me. Often people want to tell me something about my TV show, when I’m out on the streets.

He asked to speak to me alone, so we stood a bit away from my table. He said, “I’m James, 35 years old, father of a 7-year-old girl, who’s very sick. She needs treatment abroad. The doctors said that if she was treated in the UK, she would probably survive. But I’m poor, so can you please help me?”

Speechless, I looked at the man whose eyes were full of tears and asked how I could help. After we talked for a while, I went to sit back at the table. JoJo asked me, “What’s wrong with you? Your face changed.” I told him. JoJo was sorry for this family and said I had the means through the media to help him. Later we headed off to our destinations.

All weekend I thought about James, his daughter and his family. I even thought about doing a special TV show to raise money for this sick child.

On Monday morning I was at the office after I finished hosting my show, when my assistant said a man needed to speak to me. It was JoJo. He walked into my office. JoJo is so busy with his hotel business that I never imagined he had time to come and see me at the studios.

“Please, call the man with the sick child and tell him that I’ll pay all the money for his sick daughter’s treatment,” JoJo said, with a cheque (支票) in his hand. “I’ve been married for 35 years. I wasn’t lucky enough to have a child. I want to help this child now.” I picked up the phone to call James.

Now James’ daughter is well and living a normal life. JoJo often visit her. I’m so happy that there are so many good people on earth.