【推荐3】One October morning, in a protest led by Bike Grid Now, a Chicago-based group of cyclists, three dozen cyclists gathered outside Chicago’s downtown, before cycling together to City Hall. They spread across all three lanes, before pausing outside the entrance to block car traffic. After a police officer on a bicycle appeared, they rang their bells and headed for bike lanes, and then went to their jobs in the nearby offices.

Such protests now happen in Chicago almost weekly, demanding more safety for cyclists. In September, on “World Car Free Day”, several hundred cyclists blocked an eight-lane highway running alongside Lake Michigan. Similar protests have been held in many other American cities.

Bike activism is hardly new, yet the pace has accelerated, largely thanks to trends caused by COVID-19. Since the pandemic (疫情), more cyclists are on America’s roads than ever. Bicycle sales have risen—electric bikes outsold electric cars last year—and cycle hire schemes in American cities recorded more users than ever this past summer.

As more people are getting on bikes, they realise how unsafe many American streets are. Though bike lanes are proliferating in many cities, they aren’t protected. In 2020, 1,260 people nationwide were killed in crashes on bikes, a 44% increase on a decade before, according to the National Safety Council, a non-profit group. Some of that increase may be because more bikes are on the roads, but it also seems that people are driving more dangerously, too. Last year almost 43,000 people were killed in car crashes of all sorts, the highest figure since 2005.

Christina set up a website, Bike Lane Uprising, to report people who park in Chicago’s bike lanes. She says the site has been filled with such reports, but cyclists are making an effort to force changes. The city has, for example, put concrete barriers in some bike lanes to stop drivers from entering them. She says officials did this in response to protests. “There are so many bikers who are becoming single-issue voters,” she says. They may be starting a virtuous cycle.

【推荐2】Recently, I pulled a jacket from my wardrobe, paired it with my red trousers and earrings, and hit the town for a book signing event. That night, I found myself unexpectedly satisfied. I got more praise over this jacket than I had got in years. But what made me feel way better was to respond, “Thank you. I bought it at a second-hand shop.”

Not only did I spend minimal amount on a clearly unbelievable find, but I also joined the ranks of consumers turning to circular fashion”-a growing trend in refreshing our wardrobe and producing new clothes in more planet-friendly ways.

As for the clothing industry; it produces close to 10% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions (碳排放) and is a massive consumer of the world's water supplies. To create a single pair of jeans, for example, requires nearly 2,000 gallons of water. And each year, around 8 billion barrels of oil are used to produce artificial materials.

Consumers also contribute to the problem. They buy cheap new clothes, wear them a few times, and then throw them out. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans threw away 16 million tons of clothing in 2018, with only 15 percent recycled--the rest ended up in landfills or being exported abroad.

Something’s got to give. Scientists are working to develop less harmful carbon-negative fabrics, while some leading brands are shifting from linear take-make-waste economies to circular ones in which fewer clothes are made, waste and pollution are vastly reduced, and the used clothing is given new life.

But there’s also a role for the individual in addressing the problem. “Following the circular fashion, you’ll build an affordable cupboard that's better for the planet,” says Gama, co-founder of a company that helps brands scare their recycling and resale programs.

According to ThredUP, the world’s largest fashion resale platform, the U.S. second-hand market is expected to more than double by 2026. “Our resale report data found that over half of the consumers are more opposed to waste, both financially and environmentally, says ThredUP president Anthony Marino.

【推荐3】Who is up for Best Picture at the 2023 Oscars? Here are several nominees(被提名者) this year.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Top Gun: Mayerlck