1 . Protect the night sky

As a nature photographer, stars have always been one of my favourite elements in the photos. They offer an connection to a universe that is mysterious and grand, connecting our earthly lives to the heavens. Since the earliest recorded history, the night sky has sparked our imaginations and become deeply rooted in our cultures, traditions, artwork, and in later years, has inspired the development of technology with the hope of reaching beyond our blue planet.

With the development of the industrial (工业的) world, though, we have begun to lose the clarity (清晰) that thousands of generations of people and wildlife before us have enjoyed. Because of excesssive (过度) use of lighting, stars have become fainter (模糊的). For photographers hoping to capture the magic of the night sky, they must seek new places. Dark places are far from the reach of a city, and those place are becoming harder and harder to find.

Thanks to conservation groups, led by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), we have an opportunity to improve our night skies and recapture ancient magic. By holding the International Dark-Sky week, a yearly celebration of the night sky, the IDA is helping cities, communities and families do their part in helping make skies darker. Dark skies benefit more than just nature photographers; they are important to many wildlife species that also depend on them.

Here are some simple steps we all can do that are easy and inexpensive:

* Change your light bulbs to a dark-sky-friendly color, the closer the light is similar to “firelight” and the further it is away from a blue or white color, the better it is for the environment.

* Use a light fixture that channels the light down and instead of wide and open.

* Turn your lights off before bed!

3 . We are unavoidably linked to the ocean. Collectively, it covers about 71% of our world and is instrumental in the processes that keep us alive. While the rainforests may be referred to as “the lungs of the planet”, scientists say it’s actually the ocean that provides 50% — 80% of the oxygen we breathe. Besides, through a “conveyor belt” action, it helps regulate Earth’s climate by transporting heat away from the equator, towards the poles to cool. The ocean also proves itself essential in the fight against climate change too. It absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere-or rather, it’s not the ocean itself but what lives in it. And perhaps one of the most incredible forms is the humble seagrass.

Across the globe, there are more than 70 species of seagrass, growing in shallow and sheltered coastal areas and covering 300,000 square kilometres, which absorbs 10% of the ocean’s carbon each year and captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests. Seagrass builds its leaves and roots using carbon, which it extracts from water through the process of photosynthesis (光合作用) — and it holds on to it, even after death. Dead plant material decomposes (分解) slowly on the ocean floor, and this means that the carbon stored within is eventually buried under the seabed.

Significant as it is, seagrass is critically endangered. According to the U. N. Environment Programme, a seagrass area the size of a football pitch is destroyed every 30 minutes around the world. Fortunately, restoration missions are already underway, in places as far afield as Kenya, Mozambique, and the UK. But rising temperatures remain a twofold threat: an increase in storms that tear the shallow-rooted seagrass from its beds, and rising sea-levels that block out the sunlight.

However, seagrass is known to adapt to survive-and gene sequencing of the Zostera marina seagrass has shown it has done so on three separate occasions already. Could it be one of Earth’s great survivors that will save us all? Only time will tell.

5 . “Our first duty is to the place that raised us,” Omar Freilla says. “For me, it’s the South Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop.”

Although the South Bronx was one of the nation’s poorest and most polluted areas, with crowded roads and poisonous industrial sites, Omar saw a different kind of potential amidst its challenges. He envisioned a new approach to the mountains of discarded materials.

“A lot of what people throw away is perfectly good,” he says. Omar was just out of college and he started thinking about how he could get this “good garbage” to people who could use it. Instead of destroying things like old windows and doors, why not clean them up and resell them? Why not hire people who live in the community to do the work? Better yet, why not make this business a “cooperative”, which means that the people who work in the business own it and share the profits?

To start his business, Omar put up flyers along the truck-jammed, trash-filled streets of his neighborhood, looking for people to work with him. He soon found four other dedicated workers. They rented a warehouse (仓库) and started looking for donations of used materials.

They called up hardware stores (五金店), building supply distributors, and contractors, providing free shipping from construction sites. Their warehouse began to fill up. A hardware store gave 2,000 gallons of paint that was still good but was being thrown away because it was past its expiration date (产品有效期). A distributor donated 80 new toilets from a project that had been canceled. Contractors added unwanted doors, sinks, ceiling fans — even theater seats and a giant popcorn machine!

In April 2008, Omar’s cooperative opened its doors for business and began selling construction supplies — at reasonable prices — to neighborhood builders and homeowners. With the help of city officials, he also began planning a new training program to help local residents learn the skills they need to get good jobs that help the environment and even start cooperatives of their own.

6 . Natasha Tucker’s passion for fighting plastic pollution began with a shocking moment.

While working at the Vancouver Aquarium, Tucker met a rescued dolphin whose fins were partially cut off due to fishing equipment entanglement (缠绕). This heartbreaking experience made Tucker immediately search for a way to take action against the plastic pollution that caused these injuries.

“I saw immediately that this was because of us,” she says. “I knew I had to do something. Then, I found Mind Your Plastic.”

That aquarium encounter was not the only experience that inspired Tucker to action. Other experiences like working in retail management came with witnessing tons of plastic waste. “I saw how much got thrown out, and it didn’t sit well with me,” she says.

Plastic waste in business is among what Mind Your Plastic is seeking to end via its three key programs: the Circular Economy Ambassador Program(CEAP) for educators and youth, the Plastic-Free Events Policy Program for municipalities (市政当局) and the Plastic Awareness and Reduction Tool-kit s (PART) Program for businesses.

When people donate to Mind Your Plastic, their dollars directly support these programs and help them effect change. Through direct partnerships with local educators, municipalities and businesses, these programs connect Canadians with direct ways to take action. The CEAP program, for example, helps teachers educate youth about the circular economy, lead local cleanups, and track collected waste.

The blame game is another area in need of transition, according to Tucker, who says that big companies, not customers, should carry the responsibility to solve Canada’s plastic pollution problem.

“It’s felt for a long time like the responsibility is placed on the customers,” says Tucker. “That needs to stop.”

Tucker says this perspective (观点) can be shifted by individuals creating public pressures—for example, pushing for policy—and using their dollars to support more sustainable, circular alternatives until these policy changes happen.

“This makes policy a valuable tool. And big business may say there’s no interest, but we know there is,” she says. “Let’s use our dollars to prove that, and challenge policymakers to help make change happen.”

7 . Do you know how to cycle? It is a skill that, once learned, is never forgotten. For the majority of us, the art of balancing on two wheels was mastered during our childhood. Many still wear helmets, put feet on the pedals, and take a ride around the streets. And in recent years, cycling has become more and more popular. What attracts people to ride their bikes once again?

Cycling offers a lot of advantages that affect both our physical and mental health. For example, regular cycling can improve the function of our cardiovascular (心血管的)system, assist in the burning of extra body fat and strengthen our leg muscles. A long ride in the countryside helps us to clear our mind easily.

Riding a bike is a smart choice for getting to work, shopping, or sightseeing. You can save money that you would otherwise spend on fuels and fares. Unlike cars that struggle with parking, bikes can be easily locked up. Then, on the train, there are chances at stations and other people speaking loudly on their phones. Cyclists face neither of these problems. And if we’re worried about safety, there are cycle lanes in many cities, or we can wear light-colored clothes to improve our safety when cycling on the roads.

Cycling can also be good for the environment. It cuts our carbon footprint, which means we make less pollution. It’s great for our planet and keeps the air clean around us. When we ride bikes, we don’t use fuel like cars do, and that’s really good for our environment.

Therefore, more and more people choose to ride for many benefits such as improving their health, easily going to work, saving money, protecting the environment, or a combination of these factors.

10 . A woman in a cap wanders calmly along. Except for the lava (熔岩) erupting behind her, she could be walking in the park. The woman turns to watch the molten rock flow for a moment then walks calmly toward the camera. The footage(镜头) is from Werner Herzog’s book to volcanoes and volcano hunters, Into the Inferno, and the woman pictured is perhaps one of the most important volcanologists of all time, Katia Krafft.

Born in France, in 1942, Katia developed an interest in volcanoes at an early age. Later, she met Maurice Krafft. The pair bonded over their shared love of volcanoes before marrying in 1970. The Kraffts wrote about 20 books on volcanoes across the globe.

Katia and her husband made great progress in educating the general public in volcanology. Their footage had more than scientific value. For instance, when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines began to show signs of an eruption in 1991, the Kraffts were able to present Philippine President Cory Aquino with video footage of the effects of the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, asking him to call for an evacuation of those in the danger zone.

In 1969, Katia was awarded the prize of the Vocation Foundation for her work on active volcanic sites.

The couple lost their lives, along with more than 40 others during the eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan on June 3.1991. when they were caught in a flow of rock, gas and ash moving at speeds of over 100 miles per hour, with temperatures of more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Katia was 49; Maurice, 45.

Katia’s impact on volcanology has reached far beyond her death and has encouraged many young women to study our restless planet. “Katia Krafft is definitely the reason why I’m doing this job,” says Carla Tiraboschi, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minster, Germany. Carla first saw Katia in a documentary when she was just six or seven years old and has been crazy about volcanoes ever since.