Meal kits(餐具)cut food waste but packaging is a problem

Home delivery meal kits can slash(大幅消减)food waste by more than two-thirds, but suppliers need to switch to reusable packaging to make them environmentally friendly.

    1     That means leftovers are minimized. But while the delivery services score well on reducing food waste, buying the same ingredients from the supermarket almost always saves energy overall simply because meal kits use so much single-use packaging. The good news is that if you have meals that are tailored for consumption, people won’t over-buy and you have less food waste. You fine-tune the portions to what people will actually eat.

Beyond the cost of the waste itself, thrown-away food generates methane(甲烷)that contributes to climate change.     2     A 2018 report from the Boston Consulting Group found that the waste was set to soar by a third by 2030 when global food waste was estimated to reach 2.1 bn tonnes.

Meal kits can reduce transport emissions if they mean people take fewer trips to the supermarket. If people only went to buy goods that are unlikely to decay such as soap and toilet paper, they might only have to visit the supermarket once every couple of months. That delivery truck can carry meals for you and dozens of neighbors.     3    

The study found that even if delivered meal kits reduced food waste to zero, they would still use up more energy overall than buying the same food from the supermarket unless the energy used for the meal kit packaging was cut by a fifth.     4     All the environmental benefits are lost. But if the packaging can be reused, you can get some benefits.

【推荐2】One thing you do not expect an oil minister to do is to block the development of his own country’s oil fields. But that is exactly what Alberto Acosta did when he was appointed Ecuador’s Oil Minister.

For a relatively poor country whose main income is from oil exports, this idea seemed like madness. Ecuador is not rich by economic (经济) standards, but in terms of the diversity of plant and animal life, it is one of the richest places on Earth. For this, scientists studied trees in the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador’s undamaged rain forest, and they found over 650 different species (物种) of tree in just one acre — more than the total number in all of the US and Canada combined. Mr. Acosta said he would rather the oil companies did not destroy these natural riches. His idea is to leave the oil reserves beneath Yasuni Park untouched, in return for compensation of half their value, which will be done by the international society. The oil is worth more than $7 billion.

Ecuador is not the only country trying to get richer nations to pay for not exploiting (开发) their forests. Both Nigeria and Guatemala are hoping they will be able to make similar deals. A spokesperson for local environmental groups explained, “This is fantastic though the plan has met with problems, both from within Ecuador and from outside. If only people in developed countries appreciated that these forests absorb a lot of the CO₂ that their industries produce. I just wish they would take a longer-term view of this problem. Protecting biodiversity and preventing climate change means temporary loss, otherwise, we will all be losers — with consequences I’d rather not even think about.”

【推荐3】Moving flight times from night to day could reduce air travel's contributions to global warming, a new study suggests. Scheduling more (laytime flights may reduce the influence of contrails ——the visible lines of white steam that many planes leave behind them in the sky.

The role of contrails in climate change is still being studied, but some scientists believe they contribute to the greenhouse effect by trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Nicola Stuber, first author of the study, suggests that contrails' overall impact on climate change is almost as big as that of aircraft^? s carbon dioxide emissions (排放)over a hundred-year period. Aircraft are believed to be responsible for 2-3% of human carbon dioxide emissions. Like other high, thin clouds, contrails reflect sunlight back into space and cool the planet. However, they also trap energy in the atmosphere and increase the warming effect.

Stuber and other scientists believe that the effect of the contrails is big. " On average, the green-house effect controls the effects of contrails,said Stuber, a meteorologist at England's University of Reading. "The warming effect is far greater for contrails left by night flights," Stuber added. "The cooling effect only happens (luring the day when the sun is up. During the night the greenhouse warming is no longer balanced and that is why the contribution of night-flight is so large."

Most commercial airline traffic occurs during daylight hours. For example, only one in four United Kingdom flights is a night flight, but those flights create some 60% of the warming created by contrails, the study reports.

【推荐1】Is there something that you’ve always wanted to try but just never had the time? Well, make plans to try it now since you are on summer vacation. Not all vacations call for taking a tour bus to take photos of famous landmarks. Some vacations allow you plenty of opportunities to learn.

The most difficult aspect of a learning vacation may be choosing one because the possibilities are endless. If you enjoy cooking, various companies can take you to Italy, France, Spain, Mexico or even Peru. Once there, you can learn to prepare the local cuisine (烹饪). Trips are often planned to fit in with local food festivals or special events.

The term “learning vacation” often brings language to mind.The best way to learn a language is in an environment where it’s spoken. Study Spanish, French or English. Or attempt a more unusual language like Polish, Estonian or Thai. You’ll be able to learn about the country and absorb the culture at the same time.

If you are fond of sports, you can polish your skills or learn new ones.Golf and tennis schools welcome players of all levels. If you want a bigger thrill, you can learn to surf, go climbing or race cars. It’ s even possible to learn the art and techniques of bull fighting while on vacation!

You can also discover our inner artist.Many places offer painting classes in different mediums.The scenic locations of the schools offer plenty of subjects that provide inspiration for practice.

If you prefer capturing the world on film, take a photography vacation. Travel with a small group to photograph beautiful animals or scenery. You can also practise your technique on people or at historical sights.

Once you decide on a vacation, choose a company carefully. Request names of recent customers you can contact, and then ask them for an evaluation.The more you know before you go, the better prepared you’ll be. Then go out and learn something!

【推荐2】International Performers

World-class performers from across the globe bring years of training in blood, sweat, and smiles to amaze audiences of all ages in Ottawa's beautiful Sparks Street .

During the day, catch the Purple People show full of high energy acrobatics (杂技) and feats of danger. At night, be amazed at an incredible and dazzling fire performance at street level. Don't miss the chance to catch the greatest show.

Time: 2:00 pm-2:45 pm/ 9:00 pm-9:45 pm, Monday

Place: Ontario Stage

After intensive training in the circus school of Cuba and Wuqiao (China) , together with two years of sharing the streets of Caracas with some of its biggest artists, “Santos” bring you an amazing act filled with breathtaking performances with Chinese pots.

Time: 7:00 pm-7:45 pm, Friday

Place: Canada Stage

At Chris' show, you'll witness his super powers: to induce laughter, make jaws drop, and make audiences feel fantastic! See why Chris and his Rubber Duck of Danger have been a hit with audiences across North America and Asia.

Time: 8:00 pm-8:45 pm, Saturday

Place: Hot 89.9 Stage

Vinyl Burns is a man of good looks and charm. A DJ, musician and comedian who holds court like Jordan and jumps across it. He enjoys passing on his genius to the ladies, and sometimes the men are Close enough to catch some of it as well. Most importantly... he likes to ROCK!

Time: 12:00 pm-12:45 pm, Sunday

Place: The Art Department Stage

【推荐3】It's reported that 150,000 bikes are stolen in the United Kingdom alone    1    However,you can take some steps to prevent your bike being stolen.

Spend money on good locks. No lock is totally thiefproof - but the more you spend, the better it will be. Spend about 20% of the value of your bike on locks. There are many different types.    2    

Always lock your bike-even if you are only leaving it for a minute. Leave it in as public a place as possible. Lock it where you can see it-or where lots of other people can. If you're just having a break, lock it up nearby to where you are sitting down. Make sure it is tied to an immovable object.    3    If you're locking it to a post, make sure the post is at least 4m high, so thieves can't lift it off the top

    4    This will help you get it back. You can register the unique frame number of your bike. The police also recommend you take a photo of your bike and record its details, like the model, colour, and the frame number.

Most importantly, make sure to tag（加标签） your bike in different places. If stolen, the thief will probably remove the tags he easily sees.    5