【推荐1】An experience that is becoming increasingly common around the world is the sorting of waste.

It may seem like a trivial activity, but it has slowly moved into the center of conversation on the future of business and sustainable development.

Waste sorting is a complex phenomenon that can be an important step toward a global circular economy. Maybe it even will be something we will look back on as one of the first steps toward an ecological society.

But sorting of waste could also mean participating in an activity that undermines sustainable development by allowing unsustainable companies to use recycling as a way to pretend they are sustainable.

When Royal Dutch Shell, a British-Dutch oil and gas company, wanted to dump an oil rig in the ocean in 1995, many people in Europe had just started to separate glass bottles and newspapers. The company’s plan was viewed as a sign of arrogance. The incident led to an important meeting, after which many companies started including environmental factors in their risk assessment.

The situation is different today. It is no longer clear if the kind of waste sorting done in Western nations is part of the problem or the solution. There are areas where the sorting of waste is working reasonably well, for example the glass and metal industries. But at a time when we are looking at a transformative system change and global sustainability, there is a need to fundamentally rethink waste sorting.

In the coming decades, the world needs to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, become more resource-efficient, lift billions out of poverty and ensure greater equity(公正). In order to ensure this, we need a resource-efficient circular economy, and waste sorting can play a key role. But that would be a very different kind of waste sorting.

People around the world have begun to realize that much of the waste they sort is not integrated in sustainable material flows, but instead shipped to poor countries, where it is not handled in an appropriate manner. As more countries refuse to become dumping grounds for the unsustainable lifestyles of rich countries, a healthy discussion about global sustainability has begun to emerge.

Out of the waste that is recycled, much of it is turned into low-value goods in a way that does not result in a radically reduced use of natural resources. Instead, recycling initiatives are used by companies selling low-quality goods that are not made to last.

A waste sorting system for the 21st century should build on the opportunities that digitalization provides and allow citizens to track what is happening to the waste they are sorting and also provide information about the companies they have purchased products from.

It should also require companies to show how resource-efficient their solutions are, allowing consumers to compare options.

It is time to understand that Western recycling systems, to a large extent, are used by unsustainable companies that produce everything from fast fashion to unhealthy fast food.

China could initiate the next generation of waste sorting systems—those that support hyper-transparency and move away from the systems in the West that are contributing to reduced transparency. Such a waste sorting system would be a driver for innovation and extreme resource efficiency and a true step toward ecological civilization.

【推荐2】The world’s animal populations have decreased by more than two-thirds since 1970, according to a recent research from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The London group provided information on 32,000 wildlife populations which included more than 5,000 species. The researchers found that population sizes had declined by 69 percent on average. They said the loss of forests, human exploitation (开发) of the environment, pollution, and climate change were great causes of the loss. Land-use change is still the biggest threat to wildlife. However, the researchers added, ”if we cannot limit warming to 1.5“C, climate change is likely to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the coming years.”

Wildlife populations in Latin American and the Caribbean Sea area were greatly affected. The research showed a 94 percent drop in those areas in over 50 years. Wildlife populations in river and lake habitats decreased the most. Freshwater populations have declined by an average of 83 percent since 1970. For example, one population of pink river dolphins in the Amazon River area of Brazil fell by 65 percent between 1994 and 2016.

These findings are a red flag that warns of a larger system failure on the horizon. Even one species’ population decline can affect other species, eventually impacting the ecosystem’s ability to function. Humans depend on a stable climate, predictable weather patterns, and productive farmland and fisheries to thrive (蓬勃发展), but the current trends are severe enough to threaten many life-sustaining systems.

Our future depends on reversing(扭转) the loss of nature just as much as it depends on dealing with climate change. And you can’t solve one without solving the other. Everyone has a role in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments. If nothing changes, animal populations will undoubtedly continue to fall, driving wildlife to extinction and threatening the integrity (完整) of the ecosystems on which we all depend.

【推荐3】If you're one of the millions of Americans now trapped in home because of the COVID-19，it might feel like you're cooking more than you've ever cooked in your entire life. And maybe you' re planning to reduce your home food wastes. A good way of dealing with them is to learn to make compost (堆肥).

Select your food wastes. Start with fruits and vegetables — the skin of a sweet potato，the top of your strawberry. Also tea bags, coffee grounds, old flowers and even eggshells are good raw materials. Store these food wastes in a container so you can add them bit by bit. The container doesn't have to be bought online. It can just be an old milk carton (纸箱) or an old wooden chest —just work with what you have available. Also, you can store the food wastes in a bag in your freezer or fridge. That's an easy way to avoid odors and insects in your kitchen.

The crucial step is to make the compost mix. In the world of composting you're inevitably going to hear about ''the greens and browns''—the two main elements for your mix. ''Greens'' are typically wet food wastes, like fruit and vegetable peelings. They are a crucial part for the growth of organisms (微生物),''Browns" are typically dry and they are more carbon rich like newspapers, dried leaves，and pine needles. A good thing to remember is when you're layering， put the dry browns on the bottom with the wet greens on the top because they allow water and air to flow. That will make sure organisms can do their job.

How long do you have to wait for the compost breakdown? If it's hot, you could get there in two months pretty easy. If it's cold, you could be there in six months, And for every component to break down, it might be a year.

In the end ''your nose knows'' when the compost is ready. It just smells so woody, earthy, sweet or sometimes sour. The smell can tell how well you work at your compost.

【推荐1】Perhaps there is no sport in the world more connected to sneakers than basketball. Many NBA players wear them to send important messages and showcase their personalities on court.

And now, thanks to a new policy, the NBA will strengthen its status as the most stylish sports league in the world. When the 2018-2019 NBA season kicked off in October, the NBA lifted its color restrictions on players’ sneakers. It is the first time in the league’s 72-year history that it has allowed shoes to be of any color a player likes, as long as no reflective (反光的) material is included.

In the past, the NBA required “uniformity (一致性) of uniform”, meaning each players’ shoes had to match those worn by the rest of the team. Their sneakers had to be at least 51 percent black or white, with an element of team color.

This landmark rule change is part of the NBA’s collective effort to support players “statements” on and off the court. “ More and more people realize that limitation of the color of players’ shoes actually constrains (限制) their personal expression and storytelling,” CNN News noted.

Sometimes a shoe was worn in a memorable game, or the design of a shoe has meaning for the player.

Before Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, nicknamed “the Black Mamba”, retired, it was said that he wore a new pair of sneakers to each game and stored his used sneakers.

Bryant brought the low-top style of sneaker with a Mamba print to the forefront in 2008 to symbolize the spirit of perseverance and bravery. In 2013, Bryant added nine red stitches (缝针) to the back of his shoe to represent the nine stitches from his Achilles tendon surgery. “It has become an attitude. That is my Mamba personality,” Bryant told Sports Illustrated magazine.

Kyrie Irving of the Boston, Celtics wears probably the most famous signature sneakers. Inspired by his mother, who died when he was four, he has a rose on one side of his shoe to represent her. All of his sneakers are also inscribed (刻) with the words, “JBY (Just Be You)”. “Just Be You is the motto I live by every single day, because I’m happy to be an individual. It’s a beautiful thing,” Irving told UK media site GiveMeSport.

There is no end to the stories about sneakers in basketball. It’s certain that they will remain a platform for players who want to use them to express their ideas and personalities.

【推荐2】Don't drive your kids to school. Let them ride a bike to school.

In England 8.3 million children travel to school every day. It is reported that only a small number of pupils cycle to school (under 2%), although one in three children would actually like to.

Experts say that to stay healthy, children need at least one hour of moderate (适度的) exercise every day. But only six out of ten boys and four out of ten girls get that. One of the reasons is that parents have developed a habit of driving their children to school when they could just walk or ride a bike to school.

Teachers often say that children who walk or ride a bike to school are more ready to listen to their classes, ask and answer questions in class than those driven by car, and the school journey is a good chance for children to learn about road safety and other life skills. Also, for many children, riding a bike is more fun than going to school by car.

Most parents know the benefits. Then what's stopping them from letting their kids ride a bike? Safety is the number one worry for them. But actually riding a bike is not as dangerous as parents think it is.

When you decide to buy a bike, you should be aware (意识到) that a bike that is too big or too small is dangerous. Don't try to get a bike that your child will “grow into”. Get the right size in good working order. Generally, 20­ inch wheels are on bikes for 5-8 year old; 24 ­inch wheels are for 9-11 year old; 26 ­inch wheels are suitable for those over 11, and some older children should even take bikes with 28 ­inch wheels, but the main thing is that the bike fits your child.