Insects. Love them or hate them, they are truly fascinating creatures. From Leaf Cutter Ants to Hammerhead Worms, Elephant Hawk Moths, Goliath Beetles and the utterly astounding Creatonotos Gambis, there is a seemingly endless array of weird and wonderful insect life to discover on planet Earth. Or, at least… there was. Sadly, recent studies have shown that in the past two decades, <a href="https://www.essexwt.org.uk/news/bugs-matter-survey-finds-70-decrease-insects-less-20-years" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">we have lost nearly 70% of insect life in the UK</a>, with many species facing the threat of extinction, resulting in a potential insect apocalypse if we do not adapt to a bug-friendly way of living. The biggest threat that insects face is a combination of habitat loss caused primarily by agriculture and urban development, coupled with pesticide use and intensive agricultural methods (such as harmful fertilisers, and over-ploughing, degrading the quality of soil etc) resulting in a <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/save-the-earth-the-biodiversity-crisis-nobody-is-talking-about" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">biodiversity crisis</a>. The UK was once home to an array of abundant wildlife, but as we continue to sacrifice woodlands, peat bogs, meadows and waterways in the name of profit and growth, we’re leaving less of the countryside habitable for non-human life. That being said, it’s not all doom and gloom; there are many insect species that we feel drawn to, and wish to protect. Gone are the days of hoovering a house spider, or swatting away a honeybee.&nbsp; In fact, the urgency to save pollinating insects, such as bees, has resulted in communities across the globe joining together to try and save them. Most households recognise the importance of how to save the bees, but what about the lesser-known insects? Do we deem these creatures not worthy of saving due to their ‘creepy-crawly’ appearance? Or, is what lies beneath the surface, equally as important as what hovers, flies and buzzes above it? Recent studies show that some <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269127401_Similarities_and_Differences_between_Humans'_and_Social_Insects'_Building_Processes_and_Building_Behaviors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">insects lead lives not too dissimilar to our own</a>. From an ethical perspective, it’s imperative that we try to help them. Ethics aside, insects are the very foundation that our planet's ecosystems depend on. They fertilise our soil, decompose our dead, pollinate our crops and provide a source of food for birds and mammals across the globe. Put simply, if an insect apocalypse were to play out, we would soon perish alongside them. Our world could not sustain life as we know it without an abundance of insect life both above, within and upon the soil. So what can we do to help these small, yet fascinating and vital creatures that hold our ecosystems together? If you have access to a green space or garden, you hold an exciting opportunity to give struggling insects a safe space to take shelter, feed, procreate and raise their young. Top of the list could be creating a bug hotel. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thewildlifetrusts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">The Wildlife Trusts</a> provide a fantastic guide on <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-bug-mansion" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">how to make a bug mansion</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/woodlandtrust/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">The Woodland Trust</a> has a great list of <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/09/how-to-build-a-bug-hotel/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">bug hotel ideas</a> too. Bug hotels are easy to make, and great fun to create, especially if you have children that want to join in. Familiarising children with insects and teaching them to appreciate, rather than fear them, is also crucial to a behavioural shift within society towards insect life. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1690636279/Image_1_58_5671a10ff8.png" alt="A bug hotel made from wood, bricks and natural materials">Johnatapw/Getty Images Another helpful tool to help British bug life is available via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/buglife_ict/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Bug Life</a>’s splatometer app. The innovative <a href="https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">free app</a> is simple to use, and helps wildlife organisations better understand how insect populations are faring. Users simply need to take a picture of their number plate before and after a journey, then upload the images to the app, which is based on the ‘windscreen phenomenon’, a term given to the observation that people tend to find fewer insects squashed on the windscreens of their cars compared to previous years.&nbsp; If you have time for a more hands-on approach within your local area, there are endless wildlife charities and community groups looking for volunteers to help wildlife. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/savebutterflies/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">The Butterfly Conservation</a> is restoring depleted peatlands, with the initiative aptly named the <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/bogsquad" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">Bog Squad</a>, and multiple <a href="https://www.thecrt.co.uk/listing/category/volunteer?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8NilBhDOARIsAHzpbLB0sU6KURNH0ij6Zr3EQL81eLTMAEmyC9UlY6qEnOR0q-AeBOW9mrwaAjQSEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">wildlife groups are recruiting volunteers</a> for tree planting and wildlife conservation.&nbsp; Another ray of light for British bugs lies in rewilding. From participating in <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/no-mow-may-help-nature-this-earth-day-and-let-it-grow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">No Mow May</a> to donating to rewilding charities, there is an urgently needed transition to help restore nature's balance, for insects, animals, and humans on a global scale. And thankfully, there are a rising number of rewilding projects focused on restoring plots of land and returning them to nature.&nbsp; In the UK, inspirational not-for-profit the <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/rewilding-in-the-uk-with-vegan-land-movement" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Vegan Land Movement</a> have recently acquired their <a href="https://globalvegancrowdfunder.org/vegan-land-movement-animal-agriculture-land-buyout/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">fifth parcel of land to rewild</a> and help struggling species. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/globalvegancrowdfunder/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">VLM</a> acquires auctioned land previously used within animal agriculture and restores it solely for wildlife. Their mission to save land and species comes at a crucial time, and <a href="https://globalvegancrowdfunder.org/dairylandbuyout6/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">donations are welcome via their website</a>. Is an insect apocalypse foreseeable? If we do not change our ways, it is possible. Is an insect apocalypse preventable? If we become bug-friendly, most definitely! What action will you take to help the tiny creatures our planet depends on?&nbsp; For more ways to help out our insect friends, check out <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/5-ways-to-help-save-the-bees-this-world-bee-day-and-bee-yond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">5 ways to help save the bees</a>, and encourage biodiversity in your garden with <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/veganic-gardening-save-the-planet-with-green-manure" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">veganic gardening</a>.

Brightly coloured large beetle on a large green leaf

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Is there an impending insect apocalypse? And how can we avert it? 

Being vegan and striving towards sustainability often go hand in hand, with veganism being a great way to cut down your carbon footprint and reduce your overall negative impact on the planet. For those looking to go one step further when it comes to eco-conscious living, zero waste might be for you.&nbsp; Here is our ultimate beginner’s guide to zero waste living, and how small changes, accumulatively, can have a great impact on reducing waste.&nbsp; <h2>What is ‘zero waste’?</h2>Coined in the 1970s by chemist <a href="https://zerowasterepublic.com/the-zero-waste-movement/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Paul Palme</a>r the term ‘zero waste’ was initially meant to reduce the amount of chemical waste in laboratories. The term was later picked up by eco-conscious individuals and businesses trying to cut their waste, specifically plastic waste.&nbsp; The <a href="https://zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Zero Waste International Alliance</a> defines zero waste as: “The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.” In our current system, it’s almost impossible for consumers to reach actual zero waste, so the term is more of an aspiration than a rule. Related terms you may have heard of include ‘low waste’ and ‘circular living’. Followers of the zero waste movement&nbsp;aim to reduce what goes into their general waste bin to almost nothing. Overall, recycling should be reduced where possible but not eliminated.&nbsp; In the early years of the movement, the ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT0uqEPzbd0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">trash jar</a>’ was a common way to track waste that is still being created. <h2>Shop second-hand</h2>Shopping second-hand has boomed in recent years, with the environmental and economical benefits speaking for themselves. With sites like eBay and Vinted making shopping this way easier than ever, there are rarely reasons to buy something new.&nbsp; Shopping this way fits perfectly into zero-waste living for two reasons. Firstly, when you buy something new you are essentially telling that business to keep making more of something. From your phone to your clothing, buying something new encourages further production.&nbsp; Secondly, when you buy something second-hand, you are extending the life of that item and getting more use out of the energy or resources that went into it before it ends up in landfill.&nbsp; In the UK, we have an abundance of charity shops, making second-hand shopping easier than ever before. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1689017331/Image_1_54_pic_2_fb1847fccb.png" alt="Smiling woman holding a pink top that she picked of a clothes rail in a second-hand clothes shop">RyanJLane/Getty Images Signature <h2>﻿Find a refill store</h2>In the past decade, the number of refill stores nationwide has boomed. These stores allow users to live more sustainably as they can bring their own containers and find pantry staples, as well as other day-to-day goods all free from packaging. Finding one of these locally to you can be a game changer in your zero-waste journey. One of these <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/eco-friendly-store-in-lancashire-goes-fully-vegan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">stores in Lancashire</a> recently went completely vegan, with many others following suit - meaning you can shop at a store that meets your dietary needs and your sustainability goals. <h2>Always carry a tote!</h2>This is a daily habit that many have got used to since the introduction of the plastic bag charge in many supermarkets across the UK, however it can’t be understated. Taking a tote bag around with you wherever you go can really help reduce your waste. They can be folded or rolled and popped into your main bag, or even a jacket pocket.&nbsp; It’s easy to remember your bags when you’re planning to go shopping but how many times are you out and have to buy a plastic bag for an impromptu purchase? With plastic bags taking over 1000 years to biodegrade, ensuring that you always have a bag on you can really cut down on your use of them. <h2>Soap</h2>Popular books on zero waste living, like Bea Johnson’s <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/zero-waste-home/bea-johnson/9780141981765" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Zero Waste Home</a> or Gittemarie Johansen’s <a href="https://www.gittemary.com/2022/03/my-book-sustainable-badass-is-ready-for-pre-order.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Sustainable Badass</a> go into detail about how you can reduce your bathroom waste to almost nothing.&nbsp; From your moisturiser to the way you shave, there are many alternatives to plastic-wrapped or disposable grooming options. However, for those just starting out, your soap is one of the biggest bathroom changes you can make. Whether it’s hand soap, body wash, shampoo or face wash, the soap you use often comes in plastic containers. Switching to solid soap can help save both the planet and your shelf space.&nbsp; Whether it’s a solid conditioner bar from LUSH or a run-of-the-mill bar of soap by your sink, you’ll be surprised how quickly your little bathroom bin becomes obsolete. <h2>Drinks</h2>The drinks industry relies on the concept of single-use. From cans of fizzy drinks to plastic bottles of water, there are many drinks you can grab and go. But while that drink might last you an hour or two, its packaging will, unfortunately, last a lot longer.&nbsp; Taking your own bottle for water or flask saves you money, with bottled water up to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4qJdPSznbKK1rJcDkKlWMSL/is-bottled-water-cleaner-and-better-for-you-than-tap" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1000 times</a> more expensive than tap water!&nbsp;A common argument for buying bottled water is that it tastes better? If you live in an area with soft water, like much of the North, Wales and Scotland you might not have this problem. However, water in the South, particularly places like London is incredibly hard and can be cloudy or taste off. In these cases, investing in a water filter can really help you start to embrace tap water. Filtering hard water can truly improve the quality and help you go cold turkey on bottled water. Taking your own reusable cup into coffee shops when ordering takeaway drinks also cuts your waste dramatically. For example, if you buy a coffee on your way to work everyday, that’s up to 260 coffee cups per year from one individual. Taking your own cup cuts this number down to zero. By making these small changes, in any combination, can really help make a difference. For more advanced zero-waste tips, keep your eyes peeled for upcoming content. Interested in protecting the planet? Take a look at our <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/category/environment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">environment</a> page for more articles on this topic. For more information on the paradox of sustainable fashion, consider having a ‘<a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/can-haute-couture-subvert-fast-fashion" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">couture mindset</a>’.

A variety of eco-friendly, reusable utensils such as water botttles, wooden cutlery and metal straws

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A beginner’s guide to zero-waste living

Environmentalists, vegans and eco enthusiasts are coming together to create <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesustainabilityshow/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">The Sustainability Show</a>, which will be held in Manchester Central Convention Complex on 8-9 July. This highly anticipated event redefines the way we think about green living and the future of the planet. It promises to be a game-changer in the world of sustainability, offering a unique and immersive experience for all attendees. The show made its debut in London last year, with attendees visiting from all over the UK and the world. The show was created to highlight all avenues of sustainability and make the topic much more accessible. Manchester is proud to host this event, with the number of visitors expected to increase.&nbsp; Bringing together a diverse range of companies, organisations, and speakers at the forefront of sustainable practices, the show offers a comprehensive showcase of innovative ideas and solutions. From renewable energy to eco-conscious fashion brands, attendees will have the opportunity to explore a wide array of topics on sustainability, all in one place. At the heart of The Sustainability Show are the captivating talks and panel discussions featuring renowned experts, environmental activists, and industry leaders. Covering a wide range of topics, these thought-provoking sessions will delve into pressing sustainability issues, whether more light-hearted subjects or serious climate matters. This year’s panel includes <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maxlamanna/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Max La Manna</a>, a low-waste chef and influencer, Strictly’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hamzayassin90/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Hamza Yassin</a>, Greater Manchester Mayor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nightmayor2023/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Andy Burnham</a> and many more. Those organising the show have put together various workshops and activities specifically tailored for children and families, making sustainability education accessible and enjoyable for all age groups. So, mark your calendars and get ready to be part of a transformative experience at The Sustainability Show. It's time to embrace sustainability, challenge the status quo, and collectively work towards a more environmentally conscious world. The Sustainability Show is still offering <a href="https://bit.ly/3UNIfox" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">free tickets</a>. We hope to see you there and celebrate sustainability together.&nbsp; If for any reason you won’t be able to attend, don’t fret, as The Sustainability Show will be held at Islington Business Design Centre for their London show on 21-22 October. For more news and discussion about sustainability, V-Land’s <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/category/environment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">environment</a> page has you covered.

Group of people interacting in a big hall at The Sustainability Show

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Why you shouldn’t miss The Sustainability Show in Manchester

Spring is debatably the most beautiful time of year in the UK. Across the nation, birds are tweeting, bees are buzzing, and an array of <a href="https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/a-simple-guide-to-the-wildflowers-of-britain-71271" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">British wildflowers</a> are beginning to bloom. Yet sadly, there is a rising trend spreading an eerie silence throughout the UK, one that not only restricts and harms wildlife but significantly contributes towards the climate crisis; the demand for artificial lawns. 21st-century living has presented humanity with a multitude of cheap, quick-fix options to suit modern-day life, from fast food to fast fashion. And now, anyone looking for a minimalist garden can add a ‘fast garden’ to the check-out, with a plastic carpet ready to be rolled out and installed from as little as twenty pounds per square metre. But, just as fast fashion and fast food may be cheap to purchase, fast grass comes with a multitude of more alarming costs attached. The most pressing issue is that artificial grass is made from polyethylene, a thermoplastic product. As warmer weather approaches, microplastic particles break down, polluting the soil and having devastating effects on any life that it comes into contact with. And it’s not just insect and plant life that is at risk. Artificial grass reaches significantly higher temperatures whilst absorbing radiation.&nbsp; Unlike gardens with natural<a href="https://extension.umn.edu/lawncare/environmental-benefits-healthy-lawns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);"> carbon-absorbing grass</a>, artificial lawns overheat in hot weather, making them a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6571873/A-gardener-reveals-shocking-truth-artificial-grass-summer.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">health and safety hazard</a>, especially for families with young children and animals. Even more concerning is the list of carcinogenic materials in some plastic grasses used for industrial use. A recent report found the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/10/phillies-ball-players-cancer-artifical-turf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">deaths of six Phillies ball players potentially linked to astro turf</a>. Along with being detrimental to the environment, hazardous to our health, and dangerous for children and animals, an additional issue worth noting is that artificial turf can <a href="https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/designs/a32090592/garden-features-devalue-property-value/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">reduce the value of property</a> by up to 5%. And that’s before taking into account the added costs of maintaining an artificial lawn, many of which can be found in nature writer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jackwallingtonnature/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">Jack Wallington</a>’s <a href="https://www.jackwallington.com/17-reasons-to-avoid-fake-lawns-how-bad-is-artificial-grass-for-the-environment/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">17 reasons to avoid fake lawns</a>. Garden designer <a href="https://instagram.com/capabilitycharlottegardens?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">Charlotte Howard</a> has seen first-hand how the demand for fake grass has grown and recently launched the <a href="https://capabilitycharlotte.com/artificial-grass" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">#TimeForTurf campaign</a>, seeking to debunk the myth that an artificial lawn, is a low-maintenance one. "I specialise in designing gardens for inexperienced gardeners with busy lives, dogs and kids, and I understand how tempting it can be to believe the hype about plastic grass. Most of my clients live in new-build homes with small gardens, poor drainage and dreadful soil and think the only solution is to go plastic, but by covering your space in plastic, you are just replacing one problem with another.&nbsp; The solution lies in improving the overall soil quality. This can be done with topsoil and compost, and by planting trees, shrubs and plants. These will loosen the soil and absorb the water. If there was as much money invested into educating people on how to improve soil, as there is into promoting petrochemicals, then toxic grass would no longer be trendy. I want people to understand <a href="https://capabilitycharlotte.com/TimeForTurf%20Artificial%20Grass%20Report.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">the dangers fake grass comes with</a> and hope that it becomes a thing of the past like asbestos." <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1684509616/Image_1_19_c872c1cd14.png" alt="Person cutting and fitting one of their artificial lawns ">FeelPic/Getty Images The overwhelming mass of life-harming plastic aside, preparation prior to laying artificial turf is greatly detrimental to nature, as natural grass, soil, and plant life are eradicated to make way for plastic grass. <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/04/attenborough-people-s-plan-nature-uk/#:~:text=The%20UK%20is%20one%20of%20the%20most%20nature%2Ddepleted%20countries,in%20the%20past%2050%20years." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">The UK has recently been declared one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world</a>, with a quarter of mammals at risk of extinction and the <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/save-the-earth-the-biodiversity-crisis-nobody-is-talking-about" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">biodiversity crisis</a> at an all-time high. Recent land use statistics show that the leading cause of our country's rapid decline in nature lies in agriculture, with a whopping <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-in-england-2022/land-use-statistics-england-2022#:~:text=As%20at%20April%202022%3A,Residential%20gardens'%20(4.9%25)." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">63.1% of land used for agricultural use</a>. The increase in <a href="https://www.soilassociation.org/causes-campaigns/reducing-pesticides/the-pesticide-problem/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwr82iBhCuARIsAO0EAZwkNrxv0M4hJIQi-Q-O8SuVfYGqZ2iinYAfRFjqcT3kQK7J5mKdGHQaAiPgEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">pesticides</a> has also been of great detriment to pollinators, insect life, and nature as a whole, with the <a href="https://peoplesplanfornature.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/PPFN-Report-Final%20%282%29.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">People’s Plan For Nature</a> calling for an urgent restructuring of how we grow and sustain food and the urgency to begin rewilding the UK. As a nation, the UK has lost 97% of wildflower meadows, leaving a mere 3% for pollinators. Insect life is in <a href="https://www.buglife.org.uk/our-work/b-lines/?gclid=CjwKCAjwjMiiBhA4EiwAZe6jQ-0Tkm5SFZ8QztJlHNKivHnGRVFB57gGaZBTjgLSQxvtq0-4R-1SaBoCzTMQAvD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">major decline</a>, with the lack of natural grasslands and meadows also greatly affecting small mammals. Hedgehogs are facing a <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/future-of-uk-nature#:~:text=The%20UK%20is%20one%20of,than%2040%25%20are%20in%20decline." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">population loss of 50%</a>, with many creatures we hold dear now suffering from <a href="https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/insight/how-well-are-uk-and-eu-protecting-nature" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">severe habitat loss</a>. However, even with such dramatic wildlife devastation across the UK, there is hope, as a vast 4.9% of land is in the hands of the general public; in gardens and outdoor spaces. We have an unprecedented <a href="https://www.buglife.org.uk/our-work/b-lines/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">opportunity to provide much needed safe havens for wildlife</a> complete with nutrients and shelter. And, by allowing grass to grow freely, resisting the urge to ‘weed’ and allowing wildflowers to bloom, we can provide urgently needed sustenance for wildlife across the country. And it’s not just flora and fauna that will benefit, humans can reap the rewards too.&nbsp; Grass boasts a multitude of pros, from filtering air, trapping and absorbing smoke, dust, and pollutants, to absorbing sound and reducing noise pollution. From a mental health perspective, natural spaces are proven to reduce stress and improve our general wellbeing too. In fact, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding#benefits" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">grounding for just fifteen minutes a day</a> (standing barefoot on natural ground) may help improve symptoms of fatigue, chronic pain, anxiety and depression, sleep disorders and hypertension. With so many pros in grass’s favour, and the never-ending list of cons going against artificial lawns, the option to <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/welcome-wildlife-to-your-garden/?channel=paidsearch&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwr82iBhCuARIsAO0EAZx5BCaYHFLKIlr0x2hL-jBMezUmIQZojUXGhtDBEj2r6nq9mS2Yy5gaAiALEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">rewild our gardens</a> is an exciting opportunity that everyone can benefit from. Embrace a little of Mother Nature’s wildness this spring and allow grass to grow. Better yet, go that step further and consider taking part in <a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwr82iBhCuARIsAO0EAZxwfpqNoE3Mfg06PmjFSfz-ri88bmOG5shiyhaq_5KO4UqJCp1vjeYaAn6xEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">Plant Life</a>’s <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/no-mow-may-help-nature-this-earth-day-and-let-it-grow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">no mow May</a>, to truly give wildlife a much-needed boost this spring. Join V-Land in welcoming wildlife back into our green spaces with open arms this year and every year to come. As <a href="https://www.instagram.com/davidattenborough/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 58); background-color: transparent;">Sir David Attenborough</a> so eloquently stated, “To restore stability to our planet we must restore biodiversity. The very thing we've removed. It's the only way out of this crisis we've created. We must rewild the world.” Now we’ve addressed the problems with artificial lawns, the next pressing issue is the state of our soil. To find out more on this important topic read: <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/save-the-earth-the-biodiversity-crisis-nobody-is-talking-about" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 58);">save the earth: the biodiversity crisis nobody is talking about</a>.

Garden bursting with a variety of different coloured plants and flowers 

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Is it time to ditch artificial lawns and let gardens rewild?

Historically Sheffield has been nicknamed the ‘steel city’, however it is safe to say that the city has outgrown this moniker. As of late 2021 Sheffield has been credited as the UK’s Greenest City.&nbsp; During the industrial revolution in the 19th century Sheffield was renowned for its steel production, making it the centre of manufacturing in the UK at the time. The geographic location of the city is really what supported it in becoming such a force during the rise of industry. Being surrounded by hills which supplied coal and iron, as well as woods and its seven rivers created an ideal steel manufacturing environment. And even though in a recent, comprehensive study it <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0276962" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">lost out to Exeter in terms of city centre greenness</a>, the wider city is renowned as the greenest city in the country overall.&nbsp; However, this lustrous landscape is now helping the city claim a new title. In November 2021 <a href="https://www.natwest.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">NatWest</a> and the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">University of Southampton</a>’s ‘Green Cities’ report was published which credited Sheffield as the <a href="https://www.natwestgroup.com/news-and-insights/news-room/press-releases/climate/2021/nov/sheffield-named-uks-greenest-city.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">UK’s Greenest City</a>. <h2>What makes Sheffield the greenest city in the UK?</h2>Boasting over 22,000 acres of green space, 250 parks as well as 52 square miles of national park, it’s no surprise that the city has more trees per person than any other city in Europe.&nbsp; It’s not only that these green spaces make up more than 60% of the city, but Sheffield also produces a lot of its own renewable energy. On top of this the city is taking steps to becoming net-zero carbon neutral by 2050, such as its <a href="https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/campaigns/clean-air-zone-sheffield#:~:text=Sheffield's%20clean%20air%20zone%20will,motorbikes%20will%20not%20be%20charged." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">clean air zone</a>. One of the city's most commendable actions towards sustainability is its award-winning <a href="https://www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/content/attractions/grey-to-green/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Grey to Green</a> scheme which transformed a former dual carriageway into a refuge filled with colour and nature. This verdant space is also improving the area's flood resilience and adds to the ways in which the city is responding to pollution and climate change.&nbsp; With the Peak District right on your doorstep and easy public transport access to anywhere in the city, you are never far from nature. So, it comes as no surprise that there is a plethora of vegan cafes and restaurants throughout the city.&nbsp; Even though Sheffield lost out to Exeter for the title of the ‘<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0276962" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">greenest heart of all British cities</a>’ the researchers emphasised that the wider city of Sheffield is renowned as the greenest city in the country overall. If you’re in Sheffield why not stop in at <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/hungry-for-heavenly-hummus-you-ll-adore-humpit-sheffield" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Humpit</a>, or if you feel inspired to create your own green space then check out some tips on <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/veganic-gardening-save-the-planet-with-green-manure" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">vegan gardening</a>.&nbsp;

Aerial view of Sheffield: the greenest city in the UK with a variety of high- and low-rise buildings and green spaces and trees

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What makes Sheffield the greenest city in the UK?

Following decades of campaigning from groups such as the League Against Cruel Sports, 2005 saw the Hunting Act passed by Parliament. In line with public opinion, the intention of the Act was to cast the hunting of animals such as foxes, hares and deer into the history books and ban it for good. Yet almost 18 years later illegal hunting with dogs is still happening up and down the country on almost a daily basis. <h2>Trail hunting: The smokescreen</h2>Following the passing of the fox hunting ban, hunts created the notion of ‘trail hunting’. Designed to mimic traditional hunting with dogs, hunts lay an animal-based scent trail for the hounds to follow in areas they would have traditionally hunted and where foxes are likely to live. Yet the reality of trail hunting is quite different. Whilst hunts purport to be trail hunting, they <a href="https://www.league.org.uk/what-we-do/hunting/hunting-act/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">almost never actually lay a trail</a>. Since the Hunting Act was passed, monitors attending 4,000 hunts reported that a trail was laid at only 3% of them. And where hunts do lay a trail, it is rarely followed, with hounds hunting live quarry instead. Only 0.04% of the reported hunts were deemed to be a genuine trail hunting event, where the laying of an artificial scent was not simply a smokescreen for illegal hunting. The illusion of laying and following a trail, whether it is laid or not, allows hunts to continue hunting as normal. Incidents where hunts have killed, and have been recorded doing so, are <a href="https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/investigation-into-hunt-after-fox-killed-9215429/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">simply dismissed by those involved as accidents</a>. <h2>Old-fashioned fox hunting continues</h2>The reality is that the majority of hunts do not look any different to how they did before the ban. They are generally attended by terrier men who follow the hunt on quadbikes with terrier dogs. Traditional hunting would have seen terriers used underground to find a fox if it had escaped from the hunt underground. Terrier men would place the terrier in the hole to force the fox out so the chase could continue. If trail hunts genuinely don’t try to catch foxes, why are they always accompanied by terrier men? <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1668011077/Image_1_3df1850904.png" alt="trail fox hunting with dogs, hunters on horseback in red jackets followed by dogs causing disruption on a busy road"><a href="https://www.league.org.uk/hunt-havoc/how-to-tackle-hunt-havoc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">League Against Cruel Sports</a> <h2>Hunt havoc</h2>It is not just foxes who are victims of hunting either. The League Against Cruel sports recently <a href="https://www.league.org.uk/media/filer_public/75/f2/75f25df4-9a09-4c7f-aa92-9d1c177bc153/league_hunt_havoc_report_a4_low_res_v10_-_final.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">documented the wider havoc</a> caused by hunts over the previous four years. This period saw 135 cases of “road interference” by hunts on public roads, 136 of “trespass and nuisance”, ten incidents of “railway trespass”, 32 of “harm to domestic animals’’ and 42 of “livestock worrying”. Sadly, six of the eight incidents of hunts trespassing on railway lines saw hounds being struck by trains and killed. What is more startling is that these incidents only represent incidents that monitors have attended or have recorded or that had been publicly reported in the press - hundreds of hunts are carried out each month where no monitors are present. As well as documenting the wider detrimental impact hunts have on the people and areas where they hunt, these incidents of hunt havoc add further proof to trail hunting being a smokescreen for illegal hunting with dogs. If hunts were really laying a trail, why would a trail be laid over dangerous roads and railway lines or through areas where cattle may be harmed and people’s back gardens?&nbsp;<h2>How can we stop this cruelty?</h2>It is clear that the Hunting Act in its current form is not preventing the hunting of wildlife with dogs. Only strengthening the Act, to really ban hunting, can bring this cruel ‘sport’ to an end. Getting involved in the <a href="https://www.league.org.uk/hunt-havoc/how-to-tackle-hunt-havoc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">League Against Cruel Sports</a>’ work, writing to your MP about this issue or even reporting hunt havoc if you are affected by it - these are all ways that you can help to put pressure on policymakers to strengthen the Hunting Act and help to create a kinder society.

 trail fox hunting with dogs, hunters on horseback in red jackets followed by dogs

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Trail hunting: A smokescreen for illegal fox hunting with dogs?

Climate change is a worldwide concern. Global temperatures are increasing at a rate scientists say has irreversible effects on our precious ecosystems, and the extreme weather we’ve all been experiencing lately may be our planet begging us to take action. But how? Industrial causes, transportation, and the burning of fossil fuels are by far the leading contributors of global warming, but what about the environmental impact of animal agriculture? Knowing how to deal with the climate crisis can seem like an overwhelmingly large feat, so let’s start small.&nbsp;&nbsp; Animal agriculture accounts for <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">11% of all greenhouse gas emissions</a>, which might seem insignificant compared to around <a href="https://www.c2es.org/content/international-emissions/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">70% of GHGs emitted from energy production</a>, but the overall impact factory farming has on our environment is enormous. On top of global warming, animal agriculture has an impact on our water systems, air quality, and the health of arable land. Over half of our Earth’s land is used for agricultural purposes, and almost <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">80% of this land is used for animal agriculture</a> to rear livestock or grow crops to feed them. Only 23% of agricultural land is used to grow crops that we will actually eat.&nbsp; <h2>Animal agriculture and soil erosion&nbsp;</h2>As well as taking up so much valuable land, farming also has a detrimental impact on the quality of our land; farmers need fertile land on which to grow crops, but monocropping also means that it soon becomes infertile. Monocropping is when one crop is repeatedly grown year after year on the same land, causing the soil to erode and lose nutrients needed for healthy plant growth. Soybeans are one of the world’s most monocropped plants and a surprising <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/food_practice/sustainable_production/soy/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20almost%2080%25%20of,as%20in%20cosmetics%20or%20soaps." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">80% of all soybeans are used to feed livestock</a>. As well as livestock feed, the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilisers also speed up this process of soil erosion. <h2>Animal agriculture and water pollution&nbsp;</h2>Another environmental impact of animal agriculture is how fertilisers affect our waterways. Farmers will fertilise their land with a variety of different chemicals, depending on which nutrients their crops need. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the three most common ingredients used in synthetic fertilisers. Between July and November of 2018, the amount of corn (one of the most fertilised crops) used to feed livestock was up by <a href="https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/maize-usage-in-gb-animal-feed-hits-all-time-high" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">53%</a> compared to 2017. Some of the world’s most profitable crops such as corn and soybeans are directly linked to the environmental impact of animal agriculture.&nbsp; Nitrogen is a chemical that is often used to promote plant growth, whilst phosphorus helps plants to withstand cold winter months and produce fruit and flowers. Although both can be useful in growing a healthy yield, too much nitrogen or phosphorus can actually have an adverse effect. When it rains, this excess fertiliser can find its way into our water systems or penetrate deep into underground water stores. What other pollutant finds its way into our water systems? Manure, and lots of it. A 1000 pound cow produces around <a href="https://familyfarmlivestock.com/beef-cattle-and-manure-amount-to-expect-and-what-to-do-with-it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">60 pounds of manure every single day</a>. Although livestock manure is a great natural fertiliser, the average farm produces so much that it can be hard to know what to do with it. Farmland can only absorb so much manure before the excess turns into runoff, ready to infect fresh water. This means farmers can’t apply manure to crops that are closer than <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rules-for-farmers-and-land-managers-to-prevent-water-pollution" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">6 metres from fresh or coastal waters</a>, and they have strict rules about where they can store manure. Manure gives off ammonia which is harmful to the biodiversity of farmland. Over time, ammonia can turn soil acidic and cause respiratory problems such as coughing and irritation of the nose and throat, especially if it’s not stored properly or in large amounts.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Algae blooms, a lack of oxygen and the release of powerful odours are a few ways in which runoff can affect rivers, lakes and water reserves. Most recently in New York, an <a href="https://www.wamc.org/news/2022-08-19/new-york-communities-grapple-with-harmful-algal-blooms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">algae bloom was found in the Wallkill river</a> in the New Paltz Gardens for Nutrition due to a run off of farm fertilisers and sewage.&nbsp; Algae blooms consume the oxygen found in water and so it can be hard for any inhabitants to survive, especially if the algae is toxic. Toxic algae has bacteria that can cause rashes, nausea, respiratory problems and even kill any animals that drink from the infected water. Algae (aka bacteria) also thrives in hot temperatures, and so it’s much more likely to grow as global temperatures increase. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1665329490/Image_1_22_pic_1_edit_1_cba346f5f8.jpg" alt="Image 1 (22) pic 1 edit 1.jpg"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/yvn5UBRamAM?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=view-photo-on-unsplash&amp;utm_campaign=unsplash-ios" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Liz Harrell/Unsplash</a>&nbsp; <h2>Animal agriculture and climate change</h2>Lastly, and in some ways the most daunting to think about, is the impact animal agriculture has on climate change. As one of the largest contributors, it would be a mistake to ignore the ways in which animal agriculture produces greenhouse gas emissions like methane and nitrous oxide. According to the UN, methane accounts for <a href="https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">44%</a> of all emissions caused by livestock, including the belching of cows. Of course, it’s natural for cows to belch, but as a mass bred, ruminant animal that produces between <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190806-how-vaccines-could-fix-our-problem-with-cow-emissions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">250 to 500 litres of methane per day</a>, the amount of methane in the atmosphere is a serious issue. As of April 2022, there are a total of <a href="https://ahdb.org.uk/news/more-prime-cattle-fewer-cows-in-gb#:~:text=The%20latest%20cattle%20population%20figures,same%20point%20a%20year%20ago." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">7.8 million cows in Great Britain</a>, most of which are mass bred for dairy or beef.&nbsp; At <a href="https://instagram.com/cop26uk?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">COP26</a>, several pledges were announced to encourage the collective action of almost 200 countries. One of said pledges was ‘<a href="https://www.globalmethanepledge.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">to reduce global methane emissions at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030.</a>’ Thankfully, over one hundred countries are in agreement to lower their contribution of methane, especially within the energy industry, which according to the <a href="https://www.globalmethanepledge.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Global Methane Pledge</a>, has the most potential for mitigation. ﻿If you’re interested in the impact animal agriculture has on the UK environment, check out <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/save-the-earth-the-biodiversity-crisis-nobody-is-talking-about" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">the biodiversity crisis nobody is talking about</a> and <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/rewilding-in-the-uk-with-vegan-land-movement" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">rewilding in the UK with Vegan Land Movement</a>.

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The environmental impact of animal agriculture


Plastic pollution is one of the largest problems our planet faces. It’s everywhere. On every road, river, field or playground, there will be litter within eyesight. Plastic contaminates natural water sources so severely that studies have found <a href="https://orbmedia.org/invisibles-data" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">plastic in tap water</a>, and plastic particles in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">human blood</a>. Globally, <a href="https://www.condorferries.co.uk/plastic-in-the-ocean-statistics#:~:text=PLASTIC%20POLLUTION%20IN%20THE%20OCEAN%20FACTS&amp;text=8%20million%20pieces%20of%20plastic%20pollution%20find%20their%20way%20into,trillion%20microplastics%20litter%20our%20oceans." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">8 million pieces of plastic find their way into the ocean on a daily basis</a>. A staggering 79% of plastic waste is sent to landfills or the ocean, a mere 9% is recycled, and even more concerning, the remaining 12% is incinerated, making its way into the atmosphere and inevitably, into our lungs too.&nbsp; There can be no denying that plastic is harming both the natural world and many species, including our own, with repercussions that will be felt for aeons to come. Furthermore, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">people that live in poverty are often those most affected</a>. So, what can we do to reduce plastic pollution?&nbsp; A transition towards a plastic-free society would be welcome, but with over <a href="https://www.condorferries.co.uk/plastic-in-the-ocean-statistics#:~:text=PLASTIC%20POLLUTION%20IN%20THE%20OCEAN%20FACTS&amp;text=8%20million%20pieces%20of%20plastic%20pollution%20find%20their%20way%20into,trillion%20microplastics%20litter%20our%20oceans." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">2 million tonnes of plastic packaging being used in the UK per year</a>, it’s unlikely that this will happen anytime soon. Whilst there are many brands opting to go plastic-free, they tend to be on the higher price point and unaffordable for many households, especially in the current cost of living crisis. Many people may want to live eco-friendly lifestyles, but it can be a struggle to do so, due to the affordability of products available within an average household's budget.&nbsp; Yet, whilst this makes a solution seem out of reach - there is hope. As concern rises, so do the innovative solutions to reduce plastic pollution. We recently came across such a solution that is simple for any person of any age to implement, and better yet; it doesn’t cost a penny. The solution we’re referring to, is to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ecobrick?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">join the movement</a> transforming plastic waste into <a href="https://ecobricks.org/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">ecobricks</a>. An ecobrick is quite simply, an empty plastic bottle that is used as a vessel to store single-use soft plastics, which can then be used as a building block. <h2>How to make an ecobrick</h2>• Line the base of an empty (clean and dry) plastic bottle with an easily moulded soft plastic (bread bags work great). • Using a stick, push the plastic down so it’s compact. • Store your vessel somewhere you won’t forget to use it, such as a kitchen cupboard, then, whenever you have any single-use plastics, rather than putting them in the bin, ensure they are clean and dry, then cut them into small pieces and add to the bottle, pushing down with a stick throughout the process. • Repeat the above until the bottle is full to the brim and compact with plastics, ensuring to continue to use the stick to push the plastic down for maximum density.&nbsp; • When the bottle is completely filled with cut up soft plastic and hard to touch, pop the lid on, leaving the neck empty to allow for expansion over time. • Create an account with <a href="https://www.gobrik.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">GoBrik</a>, weigh and log it, generating a serial number via the GoBrik app to inscribe on your completed ‘brick’. • Once complete, you have an ecobrick&nbsp; The brilliance of these ‘bricks’ is that <a href="https://ecobricks.org/en/build.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">we can make anything with them</a>. From <a href="https://www.ecobricks.org/modules/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">eco furniture</a>, to <a href="https://www.ecobricks.org/en/earth.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">eco houses</a>, or eco planters (seen below), the possibilities are endless. Or, if building isn’t for you, <a href="https://ecobricks.org/en/drop-off.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">find a local ecobrick exchange</a> instead. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1664106750/image_one_16_pic_2_edit2_aa7858ddc2.jpg" alt="illustrating how plant pots were made with plastic ecobricks"><a href="https://ecobricks.org/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Ecobricks</a> Ecobricks are a resourceful way to tackle household plastic waste, and encourage environmentally friendly community projects, but it is vital that we step back from buying plastic if we are to truly move away from plastic pollution as a society. Creating ecobricks is a great way to mindfully manage our personal waste, and an additional tool to help minimise plastic consumption in general, can also be found in the Four R’s. <h2>The Four R’s:</h2> <h2>Reduce</h2>Buy only what you need. If you don’t need it. Don’t buy it. Shop mindfully and try to select items that are plastic-free; i.e. instead of buying pre-cut packaged fruit and veg, select loose fruit and vegetables instead, along with being plastic-free they often cost less too. Try and implement this across your entire shopping list. If you don’t need it, resist the urge to buy it, or try to buy plastic-free where affordable.<h2> </h2><h2>Re-use</h2>Normalising second-hand shopping is a great way to reduce our reliance on plastic. It prevents items from going to landfill and reduces our carbon footprint. If you have items you no longer need; don’t throw them away. One person's rubbish is another's treasure, give unwanted items to friends / family / charity or for extra funds in these financially difficult times, list for sale on sites such as <a href="https://www.shpock.com/en-gb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Shpock</a>, <a href="https://www.vinted.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Vinted</a>, <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Ebay</a> or Facebook Marketplace. Putting something in the bin equates to more landfill and pollution. Try to re-use where possible. <h2>Recycle</h2>As per the above, avoiding putting things in the bin is vital if we’re to reduce plastic pollution. If something is broken - try and fix it. If you no longer need something, give it to someone that does. Where plastic is unavoidable in your grocery list, recycle and ecobrick the plastics. For both recycling and ecobricking, items must be clean and dry. Wipe your recycling with a damp cloth and dry before putting it in the recycling bin or ecobrick. For food waste, invest in a compost bin or leave scraps in nature spots to help struggling wildlife and insects. <h2>Repeat</h2>Once you get into the habit of this process, repeat it, and where possible, encourage others to do the same. In an ideal world, plastic would be a product of the past, but in the meantime, this is a great way to tackle the problem hands-on. So what are you waiting for? Remember the Four R’s, keep empty bottles and get ecobricking! Looking for more eco-conscious ideas? Check out <a href="http://www.v-landuk.com/article/forget-crypto-clothes-swapping-is-the-new-currency" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">clothes swapping</a> and <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/eat-plants-plant-trees-endorse-the-plant-based-treaty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">endorse the Plant Based Treaty</a>.

turtle swimming in plastic infested waters with a plastic bag stuck in its mouth

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An everyday solution to reduce plastic pollution: Ecobricks

There are so many great reasons to be vegan, but saving the oceans should be high on our lists, as we humans are affecting the seas with everything from climate change to plastic pollution. The good news is that by adopting a vegan life, we can help preserve the oceans and their amazing creatures going forward. Here are a few reasons to go vegan for the oceans. <h2>Bycatch</h2>Even if you only eat one type of seafood, the process of catching these fish has consequences for all marine animals. For every one pound of fish caught for human consumption, up to five pounds of other species are caught and thrown away — around the world, as much as 40 percent of caught fish and bycatch goes to waste. In addition, it’s estimated that fishing vessels kill up to 650,000 whales, dolphins, and seals every year. Being vegan will help save all of these animals. Learn more at<a href="https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Cowspiracy</a>. <h2>Pollution</h2>&nbsp;We’ve all heard of the<a href="https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-the-great-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch-4864171" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-the-great-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch-4864171" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Great Pacific Garbage Patch</a>, and this is just one of many regions of the ocean inundated with our trash. The fact that fishes consume this plastic is reason enough to give up eating them, but fishing itself is a large part of the pollution problem: 70 percent of plastic in the oceans comes from fishing gear, and in only one day, longline boats put out enough fishing line to wrap the planet 500 times over. And fishing-industry pollution isn’t limited to plastic: oil leaked from fishing boats coats the feathered bodies of penguins and other seabirds, which kills them by destroying their natural insulation. Learn more at<a href="https://www.seaspiracy.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.seaspiracy.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Seaspiracy</a>. Being vegan is important to the oceans not only to help keep plastics and oil out of the sea but to keep waste from animal agriculture out of the water as well.<a href="https://mission-blue.org/2015/02/whats-the-role-of-mass-animal-agriculture-in-ocean-degradation/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://mission-blue.org/2015/02/whats-the-role-of-mass-animal-agriculture-in-ocean-degradation/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Millions of gallons of manure enter our waterways and oceans</a>&nbsp;from factory farms, which not only kills fishes but also raises the temperature and acidity of the oceans. By not eating land or sea animals, we’ll help make the planet cleaner for everyone. <h2>Krill</h2>&nbsp;Krill are crustaceans that are tiny but absolutely essential for healthy oceans, and especially for healthy marine animals. Yet krill (which are used to make supplements for humans and to feed farmed fishes) are<a href="https://discoveringantarctica.org.uk/challenges/sustainability/overfishing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://discoveringantarctica.org.uk/challenges/sustainability/overfishing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">overfished</a>&nbsp;— more than 100,000 tons of krill are caught every year. And this means that polar marine animals, including penguins, seals, whales, and fishes, don’t have enough krill left to feed themselves. A<a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/10/28/study-confirms-antarctic-penguins-are-harmed-by-krill-fishing-and-climate-change" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/10/28/study-confirms-antarctic-penguins-are-harmed-by-krill-fishing-and-climate-change" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">recent study in Ambio journal</a>&nbsp;shows that when high numbers of krill are caught near Antarctic shorelines in warm years, penguin populations decrease in the following year (the farther penguins have to travel at sea to find food, the less likely they are to return to their mates in time to feed their chicks, who will die of starvation). By leaving the krill in the oceans, we ensure there will be plenty to eat for the penguins and other animals who depend on this food source. <h2>Ghost nets</h2>While plastics and oil from fishing boats cause plenty of pollution, ghost nets are uniquely harmful. Ghost nets — abandoned or discarded nets from fishing vessels — trap animals and cause them to<a href="https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-environment/ghost-nets/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-environment/ghost-nets/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">choke or starve to death</a>. If we can reduce the demand for seafood, this means fewer fishing boats out there and fewer animals —<a href="https://oliveridleyproject.org/what-are-ghost-nets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://oliveridleyproject.org/what-are-ghost-nets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">including dolphins, whales, sharks, sea turtles, rays, and seabirds</a>&nbsp;— who will be trapped, maimed, injured, and killed by abandoned fishing equipment. <h2>Climate change</h2>&nbsp;Warming oceans not only<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/20/science/australia-antarctica-krill-climate-change-ocean.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/20/science/australia-antarctica-krill-climate-change-ocean.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">threaten krill</a>, but climate change has other devastating consequences for animals who live and eat at sea. The endangered Galápagos penguin is threatened by<a href="https://www.treehugger.com/galapagos-penguin-5220507" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.treehugger.com/galapagos-penguin-5220507" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">ongoing drastic climate events</a>,&nbsp;and a recent heatwave killed hundreds of Magellanic penguins in Argentina, where penguins breed on land and temperatures reached 111.2 F in the shade in 2019 — the highest temperature recorded at the<a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2022/01/04/magellanic-penguin-heat-wave/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2022/01/04/magellanic-penguin-heat-wave/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Punto Tombo colony</a>&nbsp;since researchers began studying it 40 years ago.<a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2022/01/04/magellanic-penguin-heat-wave/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2022/01/04/magellanic-penguin-heat-wave/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">University of Washington researchers</a>&nbsp;determined that most penguins likely died of dehydration; they found 27 percent of the adult penguin bodies along paths heading out to the ocean in search of water. Being vegan helps limit the greenhouse gas emissions that affect marine animals like penguins, who breed on land. Despite the issues facing our oceans, the bright side is that we&nbsp;can&nbsp;be the change. Being vegan is a great first step — for the land, for the oceans, and for all the human and nonhuman animals on the planet. Midge Raymond&nbsp;is the author of the novel<a href="https://www.midgeraymond.com/books/mylastcontinent.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.midgeraymond.com/books/mylastcontinent.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">My Last Continent</a>&nbsp;(about a penguin researcher who becomes a rescuer when she encounters a tourist shipwreck in Antarctica) and is co-founder of<a href="https://www.ashlandcreekpress.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(46, 163, 242);">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.ashlandcreekpress.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Ashland Creek Press</a>, a boutique publisher devoted to environmental and animal literature.

Cresting wave through which a surfer can be seen

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World Ocean Day: 5 reasons to go vegan for the oceans

In 2021,&nbsp;<a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/dramatic-increase-in-public-beliefs-and-worries-about-climate-change/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">a robust survey found</a>&nbsp;a “dramatic increase in public beliefs and worries about climate change.” Google searches for the phrases “climate anxiety,” “what can I do about climate change,” and “map of sea level rise” have increased 565% to 2,600% over the last year. This increase in numbers of people suffering from eco-anxiety comes more than a decade after one of the first&nbsp;<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-09485-003" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">scientific studies on the psychological impacts of climate change</a>&nbsp;was published and almost two decades since Australian philosopher Glenn A. Albrecht first coined the term&nbsp;solastalgia: the existential distress caused by environmental damage.&nbsp; So while everyone from teenagers to working mothers to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/06/health/climate-anxiety-therapy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">seasoned psychologists</a>&nbsp;are confronting the painful realities of eco-anxiety and climate grief, what can we actually do to help ourselves find relief?&nbsp; Certainly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1786784297?tag=countryliving.co.uk-genius-20&amp;ascsubtag=%5Bartid%7C2059.a.33392156%5Bsrc%7C%5Bch%7C&amp;geniuslink=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">books</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">resources</a>&nbsp;exist, but the following five suggestions for coping with eco-anxiety and climate grief can be done for cheap or free, on your own terms, and in your own community. <h2>Plant some plants</h2>The healing and restorative powers of plants might sneak up on you. One moment you’ve clicked on a mesmerizing time lapse video of a passionfruit growing from seed, and the next you’re germinating seeds and watching them sprout in a jar of dirt beside your sink.&nbsp; Planting seeds in recycled (vegan) yoghurt pots, visiting a botanical garden or nature center, volunteering at a community garden, or even getting your own allotment are all ways to reconnect with the green, living world in a meaningful way.&nbsp; In her seminal work&nbsp;Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer says, “In some Native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us.’”&nbsp; Without saying anything, plants can bring us back to ourselves and to the land we love in an immediate way. Learning to care for them and to harvest food from them are practices that affirm our need for peace, presence, and simplicity. <h2>Bathe in the forest</h2>In Japan, “forest bathing,” or Shinrin-Yoku, is an ancient healing tradition&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17903349/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">shown to be beneficial</a>&nbsp;to human health and well being. Translating to “taking in the forest atmosphere”, forest bathing is meant to reconnect our minds and bodies to the living world. Forest bathing is not meant to be purely physical exercise, explains Dr. Qing Li, scientist and author of&nbsp;Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness. Instead, “Shirin-Yoku is like a bridge. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world.” Dr. Li writes, “The key to unlocking the power of the forest is in the five senses. Let nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet. Listen to the birds singing and the breeze rustling in the leaves. […] Place your hands on the trunk of a tree. […] Now you have connected with nature. You have crossed the bridge to happiness.” <h2>Indulge your sweet tooth – seriously</h2>Not only will growing more trees and harvesting fruit from them serve as an essential component of a just transition to a resilient climate future, but sweet, ripe fruit is packed with phytochemicals and micronutrients that offer powerful benefits to the human brain.&nbsp; Because fruits are beneficial to consume in “<a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/rethinking-fructose-in-your-diet" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">almost any amount</a>”–and because there are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU_RkeA88DY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">only positive outcomes</a>&nbsp;of eating 20-30 fruits and veggies per day–getting them into your gob is literally the sweetest thing you can do for yourself and the planet. In fact, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019743/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">meta-study conducted in 2020</a>&nbsp;confirmed that eating high quantities of fruits and vegetables “may promote higher levels of optimism and self-efficacy, as well as reduce the level of psychological distress, ambiguity, and cancer fatalism, and protect against depressive symptoms.” <h2>Raise awareness</h2>There was once a time when youth climate activists sat on the steps of their government offices alone. Sharing their despair and their hopes for the future across social media and traditional news outlets has helped increase awareness and community engagement around the climate crisis. The message remains: don’t suffer in silence. Use your own creativity and self-expression to share why you’re concerned and what you hope to do about it. Seek out opportunities to share your preferences for just and equitable solutions.&nbsp; Literary journals are increasingly featuring climate and environmental-themed issues; pop culture outlets and magazines need letters to the editor; and student and local newspapers will often solicit essays on any topic from community members. Chances are, if you’re suffering, others are, too. Speaking up and sharing your thoughts could be cathartic for you and validating for others. <h2>Seek and build community</h2>Finding like-minded people to meet, talk with, and even plan events can provide immediate and lasting relief from climate grief.&nbsp; “It’s important to remember that you’re not alone,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/climate-of-change/eco-anxiety" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">says Meg Watts</a>, an environmental activist and final year student at the University of East Anglia (UEA). “Science and society can shine a brighter light on the future of our planet and the future of our mental health. If we spend some time resourcing ourselves, taking care of ourselves, then we can turn this climate anxiety into action,” Watts explains in a video for UEA’s Climate of Change. UEA’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk/getdoc/7cc49d53-642f-4161-b2b6-392ca8dd53c1/sustain-project" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">sUStain project</a>, a partnership between the university, mental health charity Mind, and the Climate Psychology Alliance, is currently seeking volunteers “to take an active role in steering the sUStain project.” You can learn more by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/documents/20142/6646784/sUStain_UEA+student+opportunities.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">perusing the FAQs</a>&nbsp;and by visiting the Norfolk and Waveney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk/getdoc/7cc49d53-642f-4161-b2b6-392ca8dd53c1/sustain-project" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">sUStain Project website</a>. Hundreds of similar community activities and resources exist around the world: “There is,” as biologist, author, and campaigner Dr. Amy-Jane Beer explains in an&nbsp;<a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/be-more-brimstone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">essay for Butterfly Conservation</a>, “if you choose to tap into it, a network of people who will not only help make change, but also help bear us up when we struggle.” A.E. Copenhaver&nbsp;is a writer, editor, science communicator, and climate interpreter who has worked in the environmental and nonprofit sectors for almost a decade. She has ghostwritten book chapters about cities plagued by factory farming, air pollution, and automobile traffic, and she has written about migrating white sharks, threatened sea otters, and depleted Pacific bluefin tuna. Her debut novel,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ashlandcreekpress.com/books/darkgreeneuphoria.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">My Days of Dark Green Euphoria</a>&nbsp;(Ashland Creek Press, 2022), received the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aecopenhaver.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Click here</a>&nbsp;to visit her website.

Climate change protest with 'there is no planet b' poster

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World Environment Day: 5 ways to cope with eco-anxiety

Earth. What springs to mind when that word is spoken? For many, it is our home; Planet Earth. We’d find ourselves in quite a predicament without this world spinning just the right distance from the sun. For others, perhaps it’s Mother Earth. In mythical form, she has had many names throughout the ages, Gaia, Terra, Tellus, Gaea, and Great Mother to name a few. Whilst these are perfect depictions of the word earth, for this article, we are focusing on the earth itself, the ground we walk upon, the soil, or in its more commonly known terminology; mud. But, why are we talking to our readers about mud? Surely we have more pressing matters to write about? It came as rather a shock to us to learn that earth, mud, soil, or whichever terminology you prefer to call it, is presently one of the most urgent subjects that should be making headlines. Yet, as with so many critical climate change based topics, the biodiversity crisis is getting barely any media coverage at all.&nbsp; Put simply; the earth is dying. Not the planet Earth (phew), this beautiful orb that blessed each and every one of us with life, will continue to turn, evolve and adapt for aeons to come. Whether our species continues to inhabit Earth is another question entirely, and one of the most vital life sources that we need to survive the ever worrying new world that climate change is creating, is the earth we walk upon, and it is in trouble. Big trouble. Because of us. The many activities of day-to-day human life have affected the ground we took for granted in so many ways, that in multiple places throughout the planet, biodiversity within the soil is declining at an alarming rate. Soil that was once rich and fertile with nutrients, insects and microscopic organisms is now struggling to survive. But, why should we care that in some places the ground has deteriorated to dirt? From an ethical standpoint, the soil is home to an endless array of life forms with as much right to inhabit the earth as us, and from a self-preservatory perspective; soil can nurture and grow food, dirt cannot. If too much of our beloved earth turns to dirt, crop failures will become a regular occurrence and food shortages will be frequent, affecting people across the globe with potentially – and highly probable – disastrous effects. So, what has created this alarming cause of events and how do we turn it around? The main culprit is the way in which our species cultivates the land for crops. We have a rather self-destructive knack of taking from the earth, and forgetting to give back. Soil degradation is continuing rapidly from overwhelming mass agriculture, industrialisation, improper land use, and the increase of pesticide use. All of this combined has had an astronomically detrimental effect both above and below the ground, resulting in a decline in soil fertility, adverse changes to the soil’s composition from excessively increased or decreased alkalinity, acidity and/or salinity, and overall deterioration of the earth’s structural condition.&nbsp; The long term effects of excessive soil degradation will not only impact our home planet and the creatures that live upon it, but vastly affect our human way of life and the foods we depend upon to survive, both non-vegan, and vegan, if we don’t act now to try to save it. Renowned and much-loved yogi <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sadhguru/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Sadghuru</a> is trying his best to highlight the threat of soil degradation, and on March 21st he set off on a one hundred day motorbike journey as part of the <a href="https://www.consciousplanet.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">#SaveSoil</a> campaign, which is calling on policy makers to make soil regeneration a priority.&nbsp; Whilst saving the earth may seem like a daunting feat, the good news is, as with the majority of climate change concerns, the solutions to solve the problems are widely available, and in some instances, already being put into place. The main issue is that if we want our planet to continue to provide us with fertile soil to grow food, we need more people on board, and quickly. From individuals, to businesses and major corporations, we need people to be aware of the biodiversity crisis, so that we can come together and try to fix it. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1661880225/Image_101_65f65799b4.png" alt="two pairs of hands scooping up a pile of dirt with a young plant shrub in the centre of it"> Srinrat/Canva Pro We caught up with <a href="https://twitter.com/rob_percival_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Rob Percival</a>, author of <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-meat-paradox/rob-percival/9781408713815" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">The Meat Paradox</a> and Head of Food Policy at the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soilassociation/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Soil Association</a> to get the inside information on how we can help turn the crisis around, and join forces to save the earth. V-Land (V-L): Hi Rob, thanks for chatting with us today, can you give our readers a little background info on your role and expertise on this subject? Rob Percival (RP): I’d be happy to, my role is Head of Food Policy at the Soil Association, which is an environmental charity and I lead the organisation’s advocacy and campaigns focusing on sustainable organic farming and diets.&nbsp; I’m also the author of The Meat Paradox, which looks at the psychological complexities of the ‘meat debate’ exploring how the debate became polarised, particularly within the media where it is portrayed as ‘farmers vs vegans’, and the contradictions within our dietary choices and our relationship with animals, by putting them in a social and evolutionary context. V-L: What were your inspirations to write The Meat Paradox? RP: As someone who’s closely involved within the politics of meat, I witness a lot of emotions behind both sides of the debate and the contradictions that are becoming more apparent within society, for example; we claim to be a nation of animal lovers yet it’s intensively farmed animals that make up the bulk of our diet. People in the UK say they’re eating less meat but when you look at the overall consumption data, we haven’t seen a meaningful shift away from animal-based products. There seems to be some kind of split between what we say and what we do, what we value, and how we live. It’s broadly accepted that the way we eat needs to change, and a great deal needs to change in the next decade to avert the worst scenarios of the climate crisis from becoming a reality. I was keen to look at this through a psychological lens, which is what The Meat Paradox tries to do. V-L: We think it’s great that you’re approaching the subject from both perspectives and are looking forward to reviewing The Meat Paradox later this year, which ties in directly with many agricultural caused climate concerns. When it comes to the soil crisis, just how bad is it? RP: It’s bad. We have a lot of work to do in the next decade and we’re not on track. We have a food system that for the past fifty years has taken more out from the land than we give back. This overly extractive system has led us to a crisis point where we have taken so much out, that the ecosystems that support our lives are showing significant signs of strain. The soil, which should be a living medium made up of not only organic and mineral matter but also teaming with microbes, fungi and complex forms of microscopic animal life, is dying. We’re killing the soil through excessive use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and intensive farming. Insect numbers are rapidly declining, we’ve torn up many wild habitats to create fields that are more agricultural efficient, and we have a real challenge because we need to turn all of this around within the next decade. V-L: What solutions are available to avert soil deterioration and help restore the earth?&nbsp; RP: Thankfully, the solutions are available, we know how to fix this, we just need to get on and do it. Regenerative and organic farming that does the opposite of the current extractive system is the way forward; we need to put in more than we take out. Implement farming methods that don’t rely on pesticide and synthetic fertilisers, and instead nurture a more complex, agro ecosystem. The model for this is well established, and there’s a rising recognition amongst the farming sector and policy makers that this is the direction we need to go in. V-L: What would you say the biggest challenges are, and why?&nbsp; RP: We need the right government and trade policies in place to make this happen, and we need retailers to be behind the move to a more environmentally friendly way of growing our food. There’s a real buzz around the word ‘regenerative’ which is loosely defined and leaves it open to greenwashing, so this needs to be redefined. With recent events we’ve seen a cost of living crisis, spikes in fuel and gas prices which has greatly affected the farming community, for example; this has increased the price of synthetic fertilisers and the crisis in Ukraine has hit wheat prices. There’s clear evidence that the current mode of production has vulnerabilities, which gives greater evidence that the shift towards regenerative farming is beneficial. Farmers that already farm in this way are less exposed to global gas prices and future geopolitical shocks. There’s a real case for food system resilience for moving in this direction. V-L: How can consumers support this transition to an eco-friendly approach to farming going forward? RP: The three most impactful ways to help are to cut out intensively farmed meat and produce, buy organic where you can, and try to minimise food waste by only buying what you need. Those are three really important actions that everyone can take. If you have a garden or outdoor space, become ‘bug-friendly’ and eliminate the use of any sprays or pest controls and avoid purchasing any peat-based compost as this is really bad for the climate. Look after your outdoor space and make it good for bugs by allowing wildlife to grow. There are also some community supported agriculture projects that people might want to get involved with, The Sustainable Food Places Network is a great place to see what’s going on in your local area. V-L: What positive shifts have you seen in society that gives hope for the future of our beloved earth? RP: On an individual level, there’s been a rise in flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan diets, and whilst there hasn’t yet been a clear dietary shift, people are starting to see that our food choices are genuinely important – particularly in regards to meat consumption. Although we still have work to go to achieve that dietary change as a society, that’s really promising, and brands and businesses are responding to that. We work with a lot of restaurants for example who are now introducing more meat-free options to their menus, and among farmers there seems to be a real genuine buzz around regenerative farming that wasn’t there ten years ago, and recognition that systems need to change – there are lots of reasons to be positive. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, we couldn’t agree more. There is hope for humanity – tonnes of it – with more people transitioning to a vegan way of life, and inspiring stories being shared daily, of how people are doing their bit to try and save the earth.&nbsp; For more ways to help the earth from home, join the V-Land team and commit to Plant Life’s No Mow May pledge and check out last week’s feature on our top five ways to help save the bees. We also highly recommend Dave Goulston’s <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/silent-earth/dave-goulson/9781787333345" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Silent Earth</a> for a unique and compelling read and a deeper insight into insect life on the planet earth, and endorsing <a href="https://plantbasedtreaty.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">the Plant Based Treaty</a>, a landmark international treaty to put food systems at the heart of combating the climate crisis. Do you have an idea to help our planet? We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts with us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vlanduk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Instagram</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/vlandukmag" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Twitter</a>.

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Save the earth: The biodiversity crisis nobody is talking about

Today at V-Land we’re celebrating&nbsp;<a href="https://worldbeeday.org/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">World Bee Day</a>, a day dedicated to the often overlooked little creatures that play a huge role in keeping the earth a habitable place to live. Our beloved bees contribute vastly towards the pollination of nearly three quarters of plant species, helping to produce a whopping ninety percent of the world’s food supply, ensuring not only our survival, but the health and diversity of ecosystems on our planet too. <h2>Why do we need to help bees?</h2>Without the hard work of bees, and other important pollinators, the future of our planet remaining habitable for humans and animals is at serious risk. Bees face huge difficulties in maintaining their population due to mass habitat loss caused by human activity; from agricultural intensification, loss of land to urbanised areas, increased use of agro-chemicals such as neonicotinoid pesticides, and the increasingly detrimental effects of climate change, leading to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070510114621.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">global pollination crisis</a>. In the UK alone, eleven bee species have become extinct over the past century, with a further thirty-five added to the&nbsp;<a href="https://awionline.org/content/list-endangered-species" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">endangered species list</a>. Recently the EU agreed to ban neonicotinoids; a pesticide that works by disrupting insects’ nervous systems, but, unfortunately, since Brexit, that agreement was retracted with the UK Government announcing that it will reintroduce the use of the banned pesticide&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamethoxam" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">thiamethoxam</a>&nbsp;on sugar beet in England. Environmental organisations&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/rspb_love_nature/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">RSPB</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/friends_earth/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Friends of the Earth</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/buglife_ict/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Buglife</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thewildlifetrusts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">The Wildlife Trusts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/pesticideactionnetworkuk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">PAN UK</a>&nbsp;state the decision goes against the government’s green promises, and will ultimately lead to the harm of wildlife. With farmland covering a colossal seventy five percent of the UK, banning pesticides is vital in the fight to reverse nature’s decline, which many organisations are currently campaigning towards. <h2>But how can we help bees?</h2>Campaigning to end the use of agro-chemicals is an essential part of protecting the rapidly declining bee population, and there are multiple&nbsp;<a href="https://act.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/shape-future-our-countryside?_ga=2.216711632.772575661.1651156850-464890522.1651156850" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">petitions</a>&nbsp;you can sign to add your voice to the growing resistance to pesticide usage, but what else can we do to help our fuzzy-bottomed friends? Here are V-Land’s top five ways to help bees: we hope you’ll join us in trying to enact them. <h2>Participate in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/no-mow-may" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">No Mow May</a></h2>The loss of habitat is the most pressing problem facing British bees: ninety-seven percent of British wildflower meadows and grasslands have been lost in the past sixty years. The simple act of refraining from cutting our grass allows local wildflowers the chance to bloom, and feed our struggling pollinators. This not only helps bees but all sorts of native wildlife from butterflies, to birds, and insects galore. Read more about&nbsp;<a href="https://v-land.co.uk/no-mow-may-help-nature-this-earth-day-and-let-it-grow/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">No Mow May</a>&nbsp;in last week’s article, and if you succeed in the month-long challenge, consider leaving your green space to remain wild and forever-free. <h2>Support&nbsp;<a href="https://veganfta.com/2021/12/19/the-vegan-case-for-rewilding/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">rewilding</a>&nbsp;projects</h2>Rewilding is the act of letting nature be, to enable wildlife to grow freely once more, with minimal human interference.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.instagram.com/globalvegancrowdfunder" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">The Vegan Land Movement CIC</a>&nbsp;aims to buy land proposed for animal agricultural use, to give back to the earth, whilst supporting vegan-friendly rewilding projects. Their most recent success was the acquisition of a plot of land in a bidding war between two chicken farmers, thankfully, due to many generous donations, the land was purchased by The Vegan Land Movement in February 2022&nbsp;saving up to twenty thousand chickens per year from slaughter, and allowing the land to regrow wild and free. If you have anything spare to donate, you can do so via their&nbsp;<a href="https://globalvegancrowdfunder.org/vegan-land-movement-cic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Crowdfunder</a>. <h2>Plant wildflower</h2>Along with letting grass grow freely, we can give bees a helping hand by planting native wildflowers that are full of pollen and nectar for peckish pollinators.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/beebombsdorset/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Bee Bombs</a>&nbsp;are a fantastic solution to the UK’s wildflower decline and can be scattered anywhere for an almost instant mini wildflower meadow in your garden or allotment. You can also visit&nbsp;<a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Friends of the Earth</a>&nbsp;and give a donation of your choice to receive a free&nbsp;<a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/donate-save-britains-bees-get-your-bee-saver-kit-today" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Bee Saver Kit</a>&nbsp;packed with interesting bee facts, including wildflower seeds, a garden planner, a bee spotter guide, step by step handbook, and a bee postcard to send to your loved ones and spread the word to help&nbsp;save the bees! This kit is great if you have children at home, they love to give a helping hand and get so excited when the flowers bloom and bees come buzzing into the garden. <h2>Carry a bee revival kit</h2>A bee revival kit is a keyring that you can carry with you, providing an emergency solution made up of two parts sugar and one part water to revive an exhausted bee.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/beevive_uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Beevive UK</a>&nbsp;is our personal favourite with a relatable back story of stumbling across an exhausted bee but with no flowers in sight to help it. They rushed to a local cafe and after a few slurps of sugar water, off the bee flew! Their instagram is filled with customers sharing their bee saving antics and we never leave home without a trustee bee saver keyring to hand. These also make great gifts and were shortlisted for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/the.giftoftheyear.awards/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Gift of the Year</a>&nbsp;2021.<h2 class="ql-align-center"> </h2><h2>Tell your tribe!</h2>When people see friends or family trying to do something good for nature and their local community, it often has a knock-on effect. If you’re trying to do your bit to help bees, tell your tribe about it, whether it’s your loved ones over dinner, colleagues at work, or a social media post to all your friends and followers; sharing the ways you’re trying to help the bees will encourage others to do the same. Together, we can make a difference and help save the bees, this World Bee Day and bee-yond!

Bumble Bee collecting pollen from a pink flower. 

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5 ways to help save the bees this World Bee Day and bee-yond!

As it is the start of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.meatfreemay.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Meat Free May</a>&nbsp;it felt like a great time to highlight&nbsp;<a href="https://instagram.com/meatfreemonday?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Meat Free Monday</a>. We wholeheartedly encourage you to try Meat Free May, however, we recognise that not everyone will be happy with that challenge, if that is the case it shouldn’t be disheartening as small changes like Meat Free Monday are most definitely worthwhile.&nbsp; Launched by Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney in 2009,&nbsp;<a href="https://meatfreemondays.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Meat Free Monday</a>&nbsp;is a not-for-profit campaign intended to create a simple and accessible way for everyone beginning the journey to greener and healthier eating. Today Meat Free Monday lives beyond the family – it’s an idea, a movement, a weekly moment which thousands of people make their own! Individuals may feel that due to how complex and pressing an issue the climate emergency is, that making personal changes are so insignificant as to not be worth doing. However, in terms of your annual carbon footprint, skipping meat for one day a week has the same impact as not driving your car for a whole month! If all of us in the UK did Meat Free Monday for a year, we would collectively:• Save an area of the world’s forests the size of all the national parks in England and Wales combined (16,689 km²)• Save the same amount of greenhouse gases as emitted by driving 20 billion km - 134 times the distance to the Sun• Effectively create a marine reserve twice the size of Wales (41,613 km2) Meat Free Monday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://meatfreemondays.com/calculator/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">impact calculator</a>&nbsp;can help measure our planetary impact. With data from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thedarwinchallengeapp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">The Darwin Challenge</a>, the calculator works out the positive impact on the environment that an individual or household can have by eating meat and dairy-free. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1661799102/Image_1_6_dc38f5ca44.png" alt="Carbon impact calculator image by Meat Free Monday"><a href="https://meatfreemondays.com/calculator/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">Meat Free Monday</a> We can help spread Meat Free Monday’s message by finding out more on their&nbsp;<a href="https://meatfreemondays.com/why-it-matters/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">website</a>; following their&nbsp;<a href="https://instagram.com/meatfreemonday?utm_medium=copy_link" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Instagram</a>, sharing their posts and campaigns and tagging #MeatFreeMonday on recipes and social media posts. For more ways in which small changes can have a great impact check out <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/5-ways-to-help-save-the-bees-this-world-bee-day-and-bee-yond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">5 ways to help save the bees</a> and <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/an-everyday-solution-to-reduce-plastic-pollution-ecobricks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">an everyday solution to reduce plastic pollution: Ecobricks</a>.

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Meat Free Monday: Small changes can make a great impact

It is a quintessentially British trait, to keep a neat and tidy lawn and garden. As Spring returns, bringing with it ample sunshine and the odd shower of rain, the scent of freshly cut grass and the ambience of lawn mowers mowing is a regular occurrence throughout the nation. It is a little-known fact that this seemingly menial act that has become a staple activity within modern-day society, has devastating effects on local wildlife, and contributes vastly towards the rapid decline of pollinators and the climate crisis. <a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/about-us/news/real-action-needed-to-save-our-vanishing-meadows" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Great Britain has lost over 97% percent of its wildflower meadows</a>&nbsp;since the 1930s. This leaves a mere three percent for struggling pollinators such as bees, birds, and butterflies, to locate their much-needed pollen and sustain both their population numbers, and continue to pollinate our planet. With the vast majority of our beloved country being consumed by rural housing and farmland, there is little (if any) space left in Britain that remains wild and free.&nbsp; So what do we do? How can we help?&nbsp;The answer, thankfully, is simple. And better yet, it is cost-free and effort-free. If you have access to a green space, quite simply;&nbsp;do nothing, let it grow. <a href="https://instagram.com/plantlife.loveplants?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Plant Life</a>, a British Conservation charity, works nationally and internationally to save threatened wild flowers, plants, and fungi, and they are encouraging the general public to do their bit by participating in a month-long challenge aptly called:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/no-mow-may" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">No Mow May</a>&nbsp;where participants refrain from cutting their grass to allow struggling wildlife the chance to nurture and grow. This helps pollinators continue to do what they do best and pollinate our planet. Those green sprouts often mislabelled as ‘weeds’, please leave them be as well. A weed is a wildflower that has not yet had the chance to grow. Wildflowers have a unique ability to help pollinators thrive, significantly improve biodiversity both above and below the soil, bring benefits to wildlife, and help reduce carbon emissions too. Our nation was once full of an array of forgotten floral beauty from&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">tansy</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_(plant)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">hyacinth</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">periwinkle</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calluna" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">heather</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula_vulgaris" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">English primrose</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">poppies</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">snowdrops</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinthoides" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">bluebells</a>, but due to our persistence of neatly trimmed grass with not a wildflower in sight, many of these are now on the verge of becoming endangered, and if we do not change our habits, are likely to become extinct.&nbsp; A less favourable but monumentally vital wildflower is the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">dandelion</a>. This robust English treasure has become a staple diet for many of our country’s pollinators simply because it is one of the few flowers that manages to bloom before it is cut down. Many wildflowers do not get the opportunity to share their beauty with the world, as we tend to pluck them as weeds before they’ve had the chance to fully grow. <a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/no-mow-may" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">No Mow May</a>&nbsp;is a fantastic way to allow our struggling natural environment the chance to recuperate and along with being a free activity to enjoy, it is&nbsp;so&nbsp;much fun to participate in too. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1661902455/Image_114_bdc8d116b2.png" alt="butterfly on white flower"><a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/holly-blue" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">Butterfly Conservation</a> A fantastic app for identifying which variations of flora and fauna may be growing in your front or back garden, allotment or green space, is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Seek</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">iNaturalist</a>. Not only is this app completely free to use, but it is bursting with educational and fun challenges to help us fall in love with nature growing on our very doorsteps. Using the app, take a picture of the plant and/or insect/animal you wish to identify, and it will store and log your discovery whilst telling you everything you need to know about its origin.&nbsp; We’ve found some remarkable hidden wonders in our own gardens since allowing our grass to grow including the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaver_somniferum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">opium poppy</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_blue" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">holly blue butterfly</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_tiger_moth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">garden tiger moth</a>, to name a few! As the grass grows, so do the floral wonders, and then the wildlife follows, from insects and pollinators to birds and small mammals that feed on them, we are yet to see a hedgehog but no doubt one will come along soon. Join us this Earth Day and take the pledge to sign up to No Mow May and do our bit to help nature. For those that would like to do more, why not purchase a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.beebombs.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Beebomb</a>&nbsp;to give nature a helping hand, or head on over to&nbsp;<a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/beefriendly-plants-every-season?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=fundraising&amp;utm_content=FY2021-11_xmas-bsk&amp;source=FN2010051&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwr-SSBhC9ARIsANhzu15WlJKO4iTV_i6t-c-Y-Y6lLOasS2W0ynp8mLHtBLMWltZzoxN8xBIaAlMbEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Friends Of The Earth</a>&nbsp;who have&nbsp;<a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/donate-save-britains-bees-get-your-bee-saver-kit-today?source=FN2010051" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Bee Saver Kits</a>&nbsp;available in exchange for a donation of your choice. Another way to help is to sign the&nbsp;<a href="https://roadverges.plantlife.org.uk/get-involved/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Plant Life Road Verge Campaign</a>, encouraging local councils to allow grass verges to flourish and grow, and email your local council and/or MP to get them on board too.

A field of wildflowers in the British countryside. 

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No Mow May: Help nature this Earth Day and let it grow

There’s nothing more freeing than making well-informed choices in life. Whether it’s finding the right partner to spend our lives with, or what to have for breakfast, the indescribable feeling of satisfaction that arises from having made a good choice nourishes us. Making choices that question learned or taught behaviour, is also often what leads to the path to veganism. <h2>The light and love of choosing the earth</h2>We live in a time where we are strongly advised to make better choices for the future of our loved ones, humanity as a whole, and the planet. At times, it can feel overwhelming. But, rather than feel burdened with the weight on our shoulders we can accept that we are in a time that celebrates and nurtures novel, forward-thinking. The campaign towards saving the earth is innovative, creative and most importantly natural – in all senses of the word. It is one of the most positive qualities humanity has, to care and respect, to live simply, generously and effortlessly. The theme for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Earth Day 2022</a>&nbsp;is ‘Invest in our planet’ and is focused on finding solutions to combat the threat of climate change and making the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all.<h2> </h2><h2>Living as naturally as possible is one of the best things humanity can do to invest in the Earth</h2>It is hard to ignore the many ways that we have overindulged our existence here. With greater importance placed on consuming rather than connecting with the Earth – our lack of connection to nature has led to the position we find ourselves in currently. However, thankfully we can choose to step outside of the consumerist lifestyle many of us in Western civilisation have been immersed in and decide to take a step back from the hustle and bustle, and try to work with nature, rather than against it. Choosing to reconnect with nature can not only be great for mental and physical health, but it can also encourage us to make decisions that will help the planet regenerate itself. We are in a time of; if not now – then never, but this doesn’t have to be daunting, practicality is key in moving forward. <h2>Start each day with the questions:</h2>“What can I do in my daily routine to practise a more natural way of living that not only serves the planet, but allows it to operate in an organic way?” Whilst as an individual we may not be able to reverse climate change, we can certainly do our part to prevent it from getting worse. In the words of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Sir David Attenborough</a>&nbsp;“There is no going back – no matter what we do now, it’s too late to avoid climate change and the poorest, the most vulnerable, those with the least security, are now certain to suffer.” However, what we can do moving forward is try to cooperate with the earth and let it heal itself. Here are some easily adaptable lifestyle choices we can make, not just for Earth Day, but all year round.&nbsp; •&nbsp;Make conscious adjustments to our diet; reduce consumption of foods that harm the planet. Vegan-friendly foods have a lower environmental impact than animal-based produce, but there are still vegan foods with a hefty carbon footprint. A great app for checking the carbon footprint of our meal choices is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefloopapp.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">The Floop App</a>&nbsp;which launches today. Choosing organic options can also help as they don’t use harmful chemicals that pollute water or have an impact on wildlife. Organic farming only permits the use of a select few natural pesticides as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.soilassociation.org/take-action/organic-living/what-is-organic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">last resort</a>&nbsp;– this is juxtaposed to the approach of conventional farming. Ensuring food waste is minimised helps too; try to compost where possible or perhaps contact a local&nbsp;<a href="https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Food Bank</a>&nbsp;that may benefit from food and beverage donations. •&nbsp;The four R’s:&nbsp;reduce, re-use, recycle and repeat. If we don’t need it, don’t buy it. If we do need it, see if it’s available second hand ie:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/learn-more/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Facebook Marketplace</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shpock.com/en-gb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Shpock</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Ebay</a>, and/or local charity shops. If we have possessions no longer needed, give them to someone that might, one person's rubbish is another person's treasure, and if this isn’t possible, ensure to recycle responsibly. Then last but certainly not least, repeat the process; if we minimise purchases and waste, our impact on the planet will be minimised too. •&nbsp;Efficiency; Save time and energy.&nbsp;Reflect on how to utilise time and daily activities to our advantage. For example, can I change my route to work? Could I use public transport instead of my car? Reduce consumption of screen time in the evening before going to bed to create a healthier, more peaceful bedtime routine. Perhaps wake up earlier, feeling fresh with enough time to swap the car for public transport. Perhaps during that time then being able to get some work done on the commute, or spend time listening to music, reading, or returning that missed phone call. Saving time means saving energy, and with gas and electric prices on the rise, this is a huge help. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1661878404/Image_123_982bea76ad.png" alt="tree in a broken glass orb ball"><a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/environmental-protection-326923/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">ejausburg/Pixabay</a> In some ways making lifestyle changes might seem like a compromise, but in most cases it’s an opportunity to rearrange and find a more sustainable, happier approach to living. As individuals, we are not helpless or blameless when it comes to climate change, unfortunately, we will have all contributed to the damage to our environment in some way, shape, or form, but this doesn’t mean we can’t try to undo the damage and help our world heal and thrive once more. This Earth Day, join us in taking accountability for our actions and invest in our planet. Together, each action, no matter how big or small, will make a huge difference – if we all pitch in. Earth is more than capable of healing, we simply need to give our planet a helping hand along the way.

Woman laying on the ground covered in plants, flowers and a butterfly.

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For the love of Earth

Forget low carb, eat low carbon. That is the motto behind&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thefloopapp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Floop</a>, an innovative new mobile meal planner app launching this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earthday.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Earth Day</a>&nbsp;that accurately calculates the carbon footprint of our food. Our current agricultural systems create a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefloopapp.com/post/food-equity-climate-justice-why-it-s-our-problem" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">third of all human-made greenhouse gases</a>, and this ground-breaking app is a simple and effective tool enabling us to dramatically lower our food-based carbon footprints.​ The technology behind&nbsp;<a href="http://thefloopapp.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">The Floop App</a>&nbsp;enables users to log meals and then see the carbon footprint of that meal in real-life data, using advanced life-cycle assessment analytics to establish the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefloopapp.com/post/what-are-co2-equivalents" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">CO₂ equivalents</a>&nbsp;(CO₂e) produced by the selected ingredients. What’s great about this, is that it means the footprint of the ingredients will be analysed from farm to shop, allowing for the most accurate results. Along with breaking down the sustainability of our food choice in real-time data, the app provides a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefloopapp.com/sustainable-recipes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">sustainable recipe guide</a>&nbsp;with a focus on vegan-friendly options and using locally grown&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefloopapp.com/whats-in-season-now-uk-year" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">in season produce</a>. It also highlights accurately that animal-based foods are significantly less eco-friendly with a ‘high emissions’ alert on recipes with a large carbon footprint which are primarily animal-based foods. That being said, there are many vegan-friendly foods that have a high environmental impact and this app is a simplistic way to help us identify which ingredients contribute the most to climate change. Small changes to our meals can make all the difference when it comesto lowering our individual impact on the environment, or if cooking for a partner or friends and/or family - multiplying that impact and in turn creating a demand for sustainable food. What we eat could avert the climate crisis, and help restore the rapidly deteriorating natural world around us. Join the food-fight against climate change and download&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thefloopapp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Floop</a>&nbsp;today! We caught up with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefloopapp.com/contact" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Kayleigh</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefloopapp.com/about" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">the team</a>&nbsp;behind the app to find out more about how Floop works, and the inspirations behind this amazing new app: <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1661902685/Image_1er_922db92e4f.png" alt="man and two women smiling in a kitchen"><a href="http://thefloopapp.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">Floop</a> V-Land (V-L): What was the inspiration behind The Floop App? Floop (FL): Lockdown 1.0 put me back in my hometown in South Lincolnshire. I'd just flown back from Australia, which had been ravaged by wildfires, and the climate discussion was fresh in my mind.&nbsp;At the same time, we were experiencing that unusually warm Spring. Local farmers were grumbling about the lack of rain for crops and the coming summer harvest. I realised that I'd grown up close to farms, but I had no idea how our food impacts the environment and our climate. Yet, being from south Lincolnshire, which lies only a couple of metres above sea level, I was acutely aware of the risk of rising sea levels caused by climate change. I'd read broad-stroke articles proclaiming that cutting out meat and dairy was the way to cut climate change. However, when I looked for data and accessible information on the impacts of what&nbsp;I&nbsp;was eating day-to-day, I couldn't find anything in one place. There were sweeping statements about the average effects of pescatarian or vegetarian or vegan diets, but minimal breakdown beyond that. I had tracked calories and macronutrients in the past and started wondering:&nbsp; “What if you could track the carbon footprint of meals and ingredients, too?"&nbsp; And so, the idea for Floop was born. V-L: How does it work? FL: We created Floop to make learning about the climate impact of food easy. When you eat a meal, add it to Floop, and the app calculates the carbon footprint of the dish. Simply select the ingredients for your meal from an ever-growing list in the Floop app. Each ingredient has gone through a scientific analysis called a life cycle assessment. This process involves looking at each stage of an ingredient's life and understanding the greenhouse gas emissions produced. For example, with a carrot, we look at the emissions from growing and farming the carrot in the field - including the tractor that needs to plant, fertilise, and water it – to the processing in a factory, being packaged up and finally transported to the supermarket. The app calculates the total greenhouse gas emissions from all ingredients in your recipe. And because we know that 1kg of CO2e (the equivalent CO2 emissions of all greenhouse gases) is tough to grasp, we equate the values to something people know, such as miles driven in a car or boiling a kettle. As well as saving your own recipes, Floop also has a continually expanding list of in-app recipes that you can cook or be inspired by to create your own meals with more sustainable ingredients. Over the week, you can add all food you eat to Floop and track your dietary carbon footprint. You'll learn which meals are more sustainable, and it will help you identify more sustainable ingredients that reduce your personal climate impact. You can use Floop to plan your week's meals, too. Not only does this help you to organise your weekly shop, but it also fights food waste and will save money on your grocery bill. V-L: How did you come up with the fantastic name 'Floop'? FL: The idea for the app came from wanting to understand the relationship between the food we choose to eat and our climate.&nbsp; Our current global food systems have a massive impact on the environment, producing around a third of human-made greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions cause global warming, which makes growing crops and food more difficult everywhere in the world. On the other hand, if we could see the impact of the food systems, we would change our attitudes toward it. For example, eating low-carbon food, understanding what you like and don't like, and refining that further would help reduce the emissions and thus ease the pressure on growing food. You could call this a feedback loop. But instead, we started calling it a food-back loop… which we eventually shortened to Floop. V-L: What challenges did you find along the way? FL: When I came up with the idea for Floop, I had no idea how to make it a reality. I'm always trying to find ways to live more sustainably, but I'm not a climate expert. Thankfully, I was able to bring together a small but incredible team to help turn Floop into the working app it is today. <a href="https://calendly.com/blaze-thefloopapp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Blaze</a>, our sustainability lead, has a research background in sustainable business and food security, which made understanding the data from our partners much easier. And then, to help guide me on the technical side, <a href="https://calendly.com/jimfromfloop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Jim</a> had experience in the app world and could navigate the very confusing waters of turning code into something that you can touch and tap on your smartphone. V-L: Where do you see The Floop App in ten years time? FL: Science and technology are constantly evolving, and ten years can be transformative in both worlds! Floop brings science and tech together, so it's challenging to predict exactly where the app will be then. Our vision is to empower this generation to create demand for a more sustainable food future through their food choices. Right now, there's nothing out there that enables that on such a personal level. We're changing that. Considering that an iPhone didn't exist 15 years ago, there's no saying where the world will be technology-wise in a decade. But I see Floop as embracing new technologies, whatever they may be, to help anyone who wants to do their part in saving the planet to have access to the tools to do so. If that means inspiring others to take the idea and improve it, that's fine with me -&nbsp;we're here to help kick-start the conversation about food's climate impact, not control it. V-L: Anything extra you want to tell our readers? FL: Yes! Two things, actually. Floop is currently available on the <a href="https://www.apple.com/uk/app-store/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Apple App Store</a>, but we haven't forgotten Android users who will have a version of the app released later this year. Also, I'm fully aware that many passionate vegans can find it challenging to talk about the benefits of veganism without feeling they sound 'preachy' - myself included. I believe Floop can help with that, mainly because it's&nbsp;not&nbsp;a vegan app. We don't force our users to go vegan but instead make it easy to show that, generally speaking, eating plant-based food has a lower climate impact than non-vegan food. In fact, the Easy Black Bean Burger recipe you can find in the Floop app only produces 358g CO2e -&nbsp;that's the same as boiling your kettle five times. For comparison, the equivalent recipe that uses beef instead of beans creates 8.854kg CO2e -&nbsp;24.7x more! Thanks for chatting with us Kayleigh, we think our readers will be as excited to download Floop as we are. You can find Floop on <a href="https://twitter.com/thefloopapp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thefloopapp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thefloopapp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Facebook</a> too.&nbsp;﻿If you’re interested in learning more about the carbon footprint of your food check out Klimato’s deep dives into <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/you-pay-more-for-organic-food-but-is-it-more-sustainable" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">whether organic is more sustainable</a> or if <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/local-vs-seasonal-food-which-is-better-for-the-climate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">local or seasonal is better for the climate</a>.

Advertising image for the Floop app that lets you check the carbon footprint of a meal

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Unearth the carbon footprint of your dinner with The Floop app

Ten years ago, when I was a new vegan, I listened to an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ourhenhouse.org/episode-118-todays-problems-cannot-be-solved-if-we-still-think-the-way-we-thought-when-we-created-them/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">interview on Our Hen House</a>&nbsp;- an amazing vegan media organization whose podcast features animal activists, artists, and other heroes every week - with&nbsp;<a href="https://polsci.umass.edu/people/timothy-pachirat" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">Timothy Pachirat</a>,&nbsp;the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Twelve-Seconds-Industrialized-Slaughter/dp/0300192487" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Every Twelve Seconds: Industrialized Slaughter and the Politics of Sight</a>. In the interview, Pachirat spoke about his book, which is about being undercover at an American slaughterhouse, revealing the horrors of a modern cattle farm where a cow is killed every twelve seconds and showing to what lengths the industry goes to keep these violent realities from view. What struck me most about this interview wasn’t Pachirat’s descriptions of his months undercover and the gruesome realities of industrial farming but his own transformation, which happened not during his time at the slaughterhouse but while visiting a sanctuary with his daughter. In the interview, he says, “It wasn’t until I visited a farm sanctuary in Woodstock - the&nbsp;<a href="https://woodstocksanctuary.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary</a>&nbsp;- that I made the connection in a way that was personally transformative between what I had experienced in the slaughterhouse and the choice I was making in how I ate.” This sanctuary visit was transformative not only for Pachirat but for his daughter, nine years old at the time, who declared she would be vegan after that visit.&nbsp; For some vegans, it helps to be reminded of the cruelty involved in animal agriculture; knowing that we are saving animals from this violence reinforces our decision to be vegan. One friend of mine, when she first gave up meat, would watch a film like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationearth.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Earthlings</a>&nbsp;or undercover footage from&nbsp;<a href="https://mercyforanimals.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Mercy for Animals</a>&nbsp;whenever she found herself tempted to go back to her former way of eating. During the transition, it helped her to be reminded of why she’d become vegan: to prevent animal cruelty.&nbsp; Yet for some of us, watching films or undercover footage or reading about these issues can be difficult - and this is why sanctuaries offer an amazing way to reaffirm our choices. Being around pigs, cows, chickens, and other farm animals allows us to get to know them as individuals, and it’s an experience that is far more positive than heart-breaking - these are the animals who have been saved, and we get to see them living natural, happy lives.&nbsp; Below are a few ways to get involved with one of your local sanctuaries. Even if you are a committed vegan who doesn’t feel the need to affirm your vegan life, it’s still a joy to visit rescued animals. Most sanctuary animals love visitors, and for us, gaining a few new (nonhuman) friends is always a wonderful thing.&nbsp; •&nbsp;Find a sanctuary in your area and see whether if offers tours. Some sanctuaries have suspended visits due to Covid, but as things open up, you may be able to visit the sanctuary, meet and snuggle with some animals, and learn their stories. •&nbsp;Plan a sleepover. Many sanctuaries offer overnight visits on or near their property, which allows you to immerse yourself in the sounds and sights of happy animals in the early and late hours. You may even have the opportunity to accompany care managers on their chores - it’s so much fun to feed rescued animals or let them out of the barn to welcome the day. •&nbsp;Volunteer. Sanctuaries can always use a helping hand, whether assisting with the animals themselves or doing other essential work, such as cleaning or helping with outreach or social media. Most sanctuaries rely on volunteers to keep their organizations going, so whatever your contribution may be, it is sure to be invaluable.&nbsp; •&nbsp;Donate. If you have anything to spare, it will go to good use; sanctuaries have a lot of mouths to feed, and rescued farm animals usually have medical issues and expenses. Once you find a sanctuary that you know does great work, consider supporting them as you’re able; it will help them continue to save animals and educate humans. You may even be able to “adopt” a specific animal and care for his or her needs in her new forever home. Midge Raymond&nbsp;is the author of the novel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.midgeraymond.com/books/mylastcontinent.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">My Last Continent</a>&nbsp;and is co-founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ashlandcreekpress.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">Ashland Creek Press</a>, a boutique publisher devoted to environmental and animal literature. If you enjoyed this, you may like to read our article which <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/animal-sanctuaries-to-support-across-the-uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">discusses animal sanctuaries to support across the UK</a>, or find out why we think that <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/every-animal-has-a-unique-personality" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">every animal has a unique personality</a>.

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How sanctuaries affirm a vegan life

Water. It’s a wonder. It covers over half of our planet. 71% of the Earth to be precise. Up to 60% of an adult human body is made from it. We rely on it as a key source of nourishment. It sustains every living organism in the universe in some way, shape, or form. It houses, it cleans, it refreshes. It is quite simply the most diverse, multifunctional and vital source of physical energy on our planet. Water truly is a gift that keeps giving. The hydrologic cycle, otherwise known as the water cycle, is a beautifully complex and natural process that moves water in its different forms around the earth, enabling it to keep giving and sustaining life on our planet. Whilst 97.5% of the world’s water is locked in seas and oceans unsuitable for human consumption, most of the remaining 2.5% is frozen in the ice caps. Funnily enough, humans depend on a rather small amount of freshwater as a natural resource for living, but sadly, we’ve developed a social system that stops that tiny proportion from being fully utilised, and it’s having a huge impact both on us, and the planet: in many ways that we probably aren’t aware of.&nbsp; So what can we do? Is it possible for one single person to have an impact on this phenomenal macrocosm? The honest answer to this question is;&nbsp;yes. For many people, the environmental issues we face today can feel overwhelming: individual changes can feel impactless, but it’s powerful to recognise that small drops make ripples that eventually become waves – it only takes the critical mass for things to change drastically. Being mindful when it comes to water usage, can have a hugely positive impact on the water cycle and our natural environment. Making a difference doesn’t have to be difficult or a burden, often all it takes, is simply connecting with our innate human nature, such as the qualities that veganism celebrates; compassion, respect, mindfulness and enthusiasm, and with this foundation we can be safe in the knowledge that what we do, will help in time. With this in mind, we thought we’d share a few simple, often disregarded ways, that draw upon human nature which in this case enables us to contribute positively. <h2>An attitude of gratitude</h2>Compassion is part of the ethos of veganism, not just in what we say or do but in how we think, our attitudes and feelings towards people, places and things around us. A really enjoyable and wholesome way that can change our relationship with water is to simply be more grateful for it.&nbsp; This may seem like a silly thing to do, but a huge amount of research backs the practice of gratitude. Just hearing information about the impact we have on water isn’t enough to move us to do something about it, it might even cause deeper feelings of fear or uncertainty ultimately leading to a more unhealthy consumption.&nbsp; Practising gratitude is proven to help make healthier choices and unshackle us from toxic emotions that can lead to the desire to overconsume. So here’s a simple challenge – every time you buy a coffee, fill that reusable BPA free bottle or wash your dishes, use it as an opportunity to be grateful for the water that is being provided.&nbsp; Here’s a great&nbsp;<a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">article</a>&nbsp;you can read that supports the positive impact gratitude can have on mental health. <h2>Nourishment over pleasure</h2>A hot bath or a shower at the end of a stressful day is so inviting. Maybe even treating ourselves to a brand new shirt or pair of jeans is just what might beat those winter blues. It’s easy to fall into the trap of consuming purely for pleasure rather than nourishment or necessity. Overindulging is a key part of our toxic relationship with the environment, and the way we use water has a big part to play in that.&nbsp; Take moments in your day to step back from the incessant doing or stress, and reflect on making kinder choices. Aim to catch yourself while sipping that cup of tea, watering your plants or even having a shower and acknowledge whether or not you’re using water for nourishment, instead of just for pleasure.&nbsp; These small moments of reflection can build up and create a mindset that is respectful that can help heal our relationship with our surroundings, and make supporting our environment less of an afterthought and more of a lifestyle. <h2>Know what you don’t know</h2>Use today as a great opportunity to veer away from the normal way you browse or use your socials, and do a bit of reading and researching. Enjoy learning something new and revel in the thought that being better informed can help alleviate any unnecessary anxiety or inertia associated with these kinds of issues. Put yourself in a position where you feel encouraged to act and share. If you know something – you can do something. Even if it’s only for today. It’ll stick in that wonderful mind of yours and feed a healthier mindset.&nbsp; Of course, if you want to get a degree in water conservation do that too!&nbsp; There are no hard and fast rules about this and it’s important not to do any of the above with feelings of guilt. Do it out of love. Do it out of curiosity. Do it with hope for a sustainable future. Be a vegan at heart, and celebrate water rather than feeling bad about how we treat it.&nbsp; To help you along we’ve put some interesting links you can go to and start getting better informed:&nbsp; World Water Day&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldwaterday.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">website</a>, Waters Worth Saving&nbsp;<a href="https://watersworthsaving.org.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 185, 102);">website</a>&nbsp;and The Right to Water&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/video/right-water" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(102, 185, 102); background-color: transparent;">video</a>. We wish you all the luck in your water adventure and hope you can do something, even if it’s small. Finally, we’d like to thank you in advance from human to human for whatever you end up doing for World Water day 2022 no matter which new choices and changes you feel inspired to enact.