2 . Imagine a world where nothing ends up in landfill. Instead, everything can be reused and recycled, creating products that never reach their “end of life”. According to a recent report by the Circle Economy Foundation, only 7.2% of all used materials are being cycled back to be reused and recycled without creating waste.

An Italian company aims to change this by creating furniture products made from a plastic-like biomaterial, which is fully organic and biodegradable (可生物降解的), and can be used over and over again. Using fruit peel, orange seeds and coffee grounds collected from businesses in Italy, the company can redistribute products to the same businesses for use in their offices, instead of furniture made from common plastic. If, by mistake, any of the material ends up in the ocean, it doesn’t produce any microplastics.

Each product is made through a four-step process. First, the food waste is dried and crushed into a very fine powder. Then, the powder is mixed with a biodegradable plastic alternative known as polyhydroxybutyrat (PHB), with the fruit waste making the PHB more study (坚固的). The material is then turned into a filament (细丝) and, using a spool, put into a 3D printer.

Because a lot of food waste would be buried and incinerated in the landfill, which would produce lots of carbon dioxide, Reusing fruit peel and coffee grounds decrease carbon dioxide from the production of plastic, according to the director of operations in the company. He adds that the biomaterial is as sturdy as wood, and won’t begin to break down unless it’s touched by water, bacteria or acidity.

Despite its eco-friendly benefits, the biomaterial is expensive. It costs probably six times more than common plastic, and it is a very difficult and expensive process, so this is why many companies aren’t doing it.

However, the director is hopeful that in a few years, as-more consumers and businesses are forced to face the damage that unsustainable plastic is doing to the planet, the biomaterial will be much more widely used. “We really believe this is the material of the future,” says the director. “Little by little, a step at a time.”

3 . In the eyes of many environmentalists, the world appears to be getting worse. They believe, the natural resources are running out and the air and water are becoming ever more polluted. But if we check the facts, things look different. Energy has become more abundant, not less so. Fewer people are starving. What seems to cause this gap between perception and reality?

One factor is the prejudice in scientific research. Scientific funding goes mainly to areas with many problems. That may be wise policy, but it will also create an impression that there are more potential problems than actually exist.

Secondly, environmental groups seek attention from the mass media. They also need to get continuous financial support. Understandably, perhaps, they sometimes exaggerate (夸大) their arguments. In 1997, for example, the World Wide Fund for Nature issued a statement titled: “Two thirds of the world’s forests lost forever”. The truth turns out to be near 20%.

The media can add to confusion too. People tend to be more curious about bad news than good. Newspapers and broadcasters are there to provide what the public wants. That, however, can lead to significant misinterpretations. For example, when a natural disaster happens, the media usually highlights the negative parts, giving more attention to the disaster’s details and what happens afterward. This flood of bad news can make people think that such events are more frequent or serious than they actually are. Consequently, people may develop a sense of insecurity, despite statistically low probabilities of similar events happening to them.

Another factor is people’s poor perception. People worry that vaccines can cause severe side effects or long-term health problems. Despite extensive scientific evidence demonstrating their safety and effectiveness, some individuals remain hesitant due to unfounded fears.

It is crucial that we look at the facts if we want to make the best possible decisions for the future. It may be costly to be overly optimistic – but more costly still to be too pessimistic.

5 . When we talk about protecting the environment and sustainability, we focus on factories and industries that produce cars, household objects, and materials used in production. However, the carbon footprint of the fast fashion industry is sizeable and should not be overlooked.

Fast fashion has seen quite the rise recently, with stores spreading far and wide all over the world. They mass-produce one collection after the other, always on trend, and always encouraging consumers to follow the said trend. However, what about the impact this kind of business model has on the environment?

The clothing industry is the second-highest polluter of water. Factories of fast fashion poured poisonous chemicals into clean water supplies because clothing production is a land-and water-intensive industry, responsible for 10% of all carbon release globally. Even after the clothes are produced in factories, they can still affect the environment. For example, polyester (涤纶) can release plastic microfibres into the water system, which contributes to the already existing plastic problem.

The fashion industry is indeed causing great harm to the environment; moreover, the clothes being made are not meant to last. In most cases, the quality is not there, and the clothes are only used a few times before being discarded. Before the rise of fast fashion, clothes were made to last and were not meant to have the high turnover that clothes have.

There are many designers who are committed to mass-producing their clothes in sustainable ways. Some big brands are also trying to make improvements in the materials they use and the mass-producing process, but big efforts are needed if we are going to see a change. What we as consumers can do is shop consciously and consider how the clothes have been made and whether we truly need that piece or not.

6 . For Christina and her team, planting trees isn’t the only goal. She hopes to employ residents, especially youth, to get their hands in the dirt and see how they can grow change.

Groundwork Bridgeport hired a team of youth and trained them to provide ongoing care for trees in the community (社区). They serve the neighborhoods where they live, monitoring the trees, providing basic care, and connecting with their neighbors. Their “patrolling” is improving each tree’s longevity while giving them valuable experience and a good payment.

“We’re using data and technology to be able to find even down to the specific city block of where trees are needed the most,” said Amy Lester, Ventures Project Coordinator, Arbor Day Foundation. With a NatureQuant NatureScore® of 10, the east Bridgeport neighborhood was flagged as desperately needing trees. NatureQuant is a tech and research company that helps the Arbor Day Foundation determine where trees are needed most in urban spaces.

The most recent program that happened in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation was a tree giveaway. Fifty trees were given to residents of the neighborhood identified by NatureQuant.

Residents showed their support for the effort by coming out in full force. They know what the trees mean to their community, to their health, to the next generation of those growing up in east Bridgeport.

7 . Travelling allows us to see landscapes we wouldn’t be able to explore otherwise. Sometimes, the beauty is so attractive that we’d like to extend our stay to immerse (沉浸) ourselves in it, or simply have a version of it we could carry with us back home. Inspired by questions about personal land preservation and wondering how the hurried pace of travel can be slowed, Kathleen Vance launched her Travelling Landscapes series. With it, she creates miniature (微小的) landscapes inside antique suitcases and trunks.

“In first creating the Travelling Landscapes series, I was thinking about accessibility to nature and exploring the concept of ‘untouched natural sites’,” Vance says. “The perfect landscapes I sculpt are visual connections from my personal memories of travels and focus on waterways as a primary element. I consider these a reminder of how precious our natural resources are, and how necessary it is to protect these vital elements for life.”

The initial pieces of Travelling Landscapes were created in 2005 and each contained soil, water, and grasses native to the area it described. “It was created as a ‘site displacement’ sculpture, in which I removed the soil and plants from a designated stream and transplanted them into a container,” the artist says.

The well-travelled beauty wouldn’t come alive if it weren’t for the use of antique luggage in her work. These additions further the message she’s trying to put out into the world. “I use primarily antique luggage for this series as it denotes not only this concept of containment, but travel, preciousness, and possession,” Vance points out. “I consider each case carefully, investigating its prior history, its owner, and for which type of travel it was designed to be used. All these indicators help to inform the landscape that I create.”

Throughout her expressive body of work, Vance tries to connect people to local aspects of nature that are overlooked or underappreciated, opening new channels to bring nature into our daily lives.

10 . James Rainey reads trees like most people read signposts. The senior ecologist is using a small hand camera to identify a lichen (地衣) that is surrounding the base of wild pines (松树) in a deep narrow valley on the west coast of Scotland. He is looking for ecological clues of species associated with the ancient Caledonian Forest, which once covered most of the Highlands.

Wild pines have been growing in Scotland continuously since the ice age, offering a globally unique ecosystem supporting rare wildlife. But now less than 2% of the original growth survives, with just 14 individual Caledonian pinewood sites now officially recognized. “To meet the demand for more wood, many wild pines in Highlands have been removed to make room for commercial forestry,” says Rainey. “This was often done in ancient woodlands and was really damaging to the remaining trees.”

But restoration is still possible, especially since some old trees still survive along with the ancient woodland soil and seedbank—seeds stored in the soil, which can grow once the heavy shade of commercial conifers (针叶树) is removed.

The ecological investigator uses three clues of evidence to discover where these pinewoods first stood. “First there’s the historical evidence, like old maps and texts. Then comes the landscape context: is the pine associated with planting around a big house, or is the setting more natural? And finally I use the ecological evidence: wild pine usually grow alongside old birch trees, which indicates ecological continuity,” explains Rainey.

Rainey has identified 23 pines in this area, all rooted in places least accessible. Their needles have been taken for genetic testing to confirm their family trees. “This would have been filled with trees but is now empty — these are the most critical areas in need of regeneration and we want the whole of the ancient woodlands to recover, not just the pines,” he said.