1 . Today, interest in sustainable weddings is on the rise. And some of our decisions do not seem as unusual as they once might have. Here are some tips to help you plan a wedding that centers on using your garden and the things you grow in it.

Having a wedding outdoors means you don’t have to cope with energy costs or other concerns about a venue(场地).     1     The only thing out of your hand is the weather!

For many people, creating a romantic environment means having flowers. Even if you don’t have a wedding ceremony outdoors surrounded by living plants, you may wish to bring nature into your chosen wedding venue.     2     You have complete freedom to grow flowers you like in it.

    3    . Not only flowers but also food for the wedding can be grown. If not, a garden lover might prepare drinks or add homegrown elements to dishes to give the event a really personal touch.

The added extras can be prepared by using things from your garden before the big day, ranging from sweets, cookies to soaps, baskets, or other thoughtful homemade presents.     4    

You might consider making personal and handmade invitations with natural inks, paints and even paper from plant fibers.     5     They won’t be thrown out after being read, but will serve some other functions. For example, pieces of wood cut from trees in your garden can serve as invitations as well as coasters (杯垫)after wedding.

2 . He may be approaching his 90th birthday, but Sir David Attenborough has no desire to slow down. Fresh from an appearance at the Paris climate change summit, he fronts a new series David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef (大堡礁).

“There was a book by Saville-Kent called The Great Barrier Reef with fascinating hand-drawn illustrations which always fascinated me as a child. It was as if born from pure imagination. I thought no such place on earth can surely exist.” he said.

Nearly sixty years after his first visit, Attenborough dives 1000 feet below the surface off the Queensland coast to explore the world’s largest living organism like never before.

“It was the first place I was lucky enough to scuba (水肺) dive and I was, entering those waters, welcomed by magic. It was 1957 and I was shocked by remarkable beauty and life.”

The dive also gives Attenborough the chance to properly examine the effects of climate change and how the rising temperatures and acidity of the seas is causing harm to the reef.

“You can see where the sea grass is going and you know that if it continues on like that for the next decade or so, the coral (珊瑚) won’t be able to tolerate it. You can show experimentally that they’re incapable of living in these higher temperatures and the acidity will be such that they won’t be able to form coral limestone (灰岩) anymore,” he explains.

Attenborough admits that though he is incredibly enthusiastic about spreading awareness of climate change he was unwilling to be referred to as an authority on the subject. “I have a view, but it’s a second-hand view. I haven’t done the chemistry,” he said.

The truth is, he is well respected and beloved. When he talks about something as serious as climate change we are willing to pay attention.

6 . For 60-year-old Gao Ruyi, the proudest achievement in his life is not measured in honors or riches but in the wings of over 1, 000 swans he has rescued. Gao, former director of the wildlife rescue station in Sanmenxia, Henan province, has guarded swans and the ecosystems they live in for almost four decades. His efforts have earned him the name “Swan Dad”.

Gao Ruyi grew up near the Yellow River, China’s second-longest river. He had little connection to swans until the winter of 1988 when one day the peacefulness of the riverside was broken by gunshots. Rushing to the scene, he found that someone had opened fire on the swans. The heart-wrenching cries of four wounded swans left a deep-rooted mark on him. Since then, Gao has become a guardian of swans and a witness to the swan protection efforts along the Yellow River.

The endeavor (努力) is not without its challenges.

Gao started working at a wildlife rescue station in the Yellow River wetland in Sanmenxia in 1994. Despite their efforts, illegal activities continued. One such tragedy happened in 1998. Several wild ducks and swans were poisoned. Gao immediately called the police and provided treatment for the feathery victims. “Swans have memories,” he said, “Since the incident, nobody saw swans in the area for many years.”

Still, Gao’s passion for swan protection has never waned. He and many other “swan dads” and “swan moms” often visited nearby villages to educate residents about wildlife conservation, and encouraged them to bring sick or injured wild animals to the rescue station.

Another challenge for the birds came from the environment. Swan populations in Sanmenxia were limited in the 1990s due to severe pollution caused by mining and industrial development, said Gao. In the past decades, however, China started extensive efforts to battle pollution in the Yellow River basin, and gradually, swan populations in the Sanmenxia section began to increase. Tens of thousands of swans are flying back home, marking the start of “swan season”, as the locals affectionately call it.

7 . “Strange and yet very real, thousands and thousands of flip-flops (人字拖) are washed up onto the East African coast, creating an environmental disaster. Not only do they destroy the natural beauty of our beaches and oceans, but they also block baby turtles’ way back to the sea and are eaten by fish and other animals,” states Ocean Sole.

The company collects the flip-flops — including paying people who bring in what they’ve collected— and transforms (改造) them into art while providing working opportunities for local people. At Ocean Sole’s workshop, 40 Kenyans are now employed full-time. The company pays their medical bills and provides free lunches to workers. “I was not able to afford shoes and had to borrow some to come to Nairobi to find work. Having been working here for six years, I can now afford to send my two children to school,” says Eric Mwandola, an artist with Ocean Sole.

Not only has the company grown in size, but so has the reach of its message. Ocean Sole now has products displayed in the gift shops of more than 40 zoos and museums. With each piece sold, the message about plastic pollution finds its way to a broader audience. “We are continuing to call on organizations to offer environmentally friendly souvenirs (纪念品) rather than plastic decorations,” says Ocean Sole. The company is all about cleaning up pollution, and that further develops their zero-waste guidelines. The waste from the sculptures (雕塑) is collected and used as flooring for kids’ playgrounds, and they even collect rainwater to use in their production. Other materials needed for the sculptures are also recycled goods, and the packaging comes in different sizes for products of various shapes and sizes.

In 2013 alone, Ocean Sole transformed around 50 tons of flip-flops into artworks. The company’s goal is to recycle 400,000 flip-flops per year.

8 . What to do about climate change?

With scientists warning that 2023 could be the warmest ever, and destructive wildfires tearing through communities, the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. Listed below are 3 things you cm do to reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself from climate despair (绝望).

    1    . Using energy with wisdom is one way to cut your carbon footprint.     2    . Setting timers for appliances to run through the night, when demand is low, or during the brightest part of the day, to use solar, can help.

Avoid the skies. Aviation (航空) brings a significant challenge in achieving net-zero emissions (排放). Despite accounting for just three percent of global emissions, it is a rapidly growing source and difficult to decarbonize (碳减排).     3     No-fly travel companies are making overland travel more attractive. There is also a recovery of Europe’s night trains for low-carbon travel.

    4    . Whether you have a windowsill or a smallholding, growing your own herbs, flowers or vegetables can be beneficial. Not just to pollinators (传粉昆虫), which can feed off the plants, but to your mental health.     5    . But it will help you reconnect with nature, which research suggests is good for our mental health—particularly amid alarming news about the climate.

9 . Almost a quarter of the UK’s sea swimmers may not swim in the ocean this year because of sewage (污水) dumping by water companies, according to a poll (民意调查). Sewage was dumped into waters near England’s most celebrated beaches for nearly 8,500 hours last year. And there were 1,504 discharges (排出) in 2022 on beaches supposed to be free from such pollution.

The poll spoke to 2,272 UK adults between 21 and 23 on July. Just over 30% said they typically went sea swimming during the summer, and of these 23% said they would not this year because of sewage dumping by water companies. More than two in five of the regular beachgoers also said they were less likely to visit the British seaside this summer because of sewage discharges.

The Department for Environment says government should allow the Environment Agency to charge unlimited fines on rule-breaking water companies. Fines are currently capped (上限) at £250,000. The Department for Environment has been calling for a sewage tax on annual profits and a ban on bonuses of water company managers. “Coastal communities are at the mercy of water companies who unapologetically discharge raw sewage into popular swimming spots,” Tim Farron, the Department for Environment’s spokesperson said. “The government needs to stop letting water companies off the hook and finally ban these terrible sewage discharges and defend our tourism sector.”

A Water UK spokesperson said standards at beaches had greatly improved since the 1990s but that the industry recognized it had been slow to deal with the harm to our seas caused by sewage overflows. “Over the next seven years, water and sewerage companies plan to spend £10bn—doubling current levels of investment—on sewage treatment,” they said. “As part of this, bathing waters will be among the first to receive funding.”