Month: November 2022

Nearly 13 years ago, Avatar hit theaters. Remember that?

Known for its stunning visuals and poignant story about colonization and land exploitation, the James Cameron film went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time – bringing in over 2.9 billion dollars at the box office. 

Now, over a decade later, a sequel named Avatar: The Way of Water is slated to come out on December 16.

To drum up support, and help support a good cause, Disney has launched a new program to protect the oceans. 

What’s Disney doing?

Oceans cover over 70% of the planet and produce most of the oxygen we breathe, but less than 8% of the ocean is protected. So Disney is working to protect more waters. 

As part of its ‘Keep Our Oceans Amazing’ campaign, Disney has released Virtual Pandora Ocean, an online experience that allows people to scan in and create their own Pandoran creatures using features common to the fictional world.

The site has tidbits of information on real-life ocean habitats and organisms to help teach the people coming through. 

The biggest part, though, is that Disney is planning on donating five dollars to the Nature Conservancy for every creature created – up to $1 million to help fund the fight to protect the ocean.

The Nature Conservancy is fighting to have 10% of the ocean officially protected by 2030.

“The entire planet depends on the health of our ocean to support and sustain it,” said Melissa Garvey, Global Director of Ocean Protection at The Nature Conservancy.

“We need to do our part to protect it. That’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with Disney and Avatar on this campaign. Our mission is driven by working together with those who believe we can shape a brighter future where people and nature can thrive together.”

This article aligns with the UN SDG Life Below Water.

Some of the most common producers of waste and single-use plastics come from large food service corporations, providing things like plastic forks and spoons, to-go packaging, straws, and much more.

The fast-food giant McDonald’s is one such massive contributor – but they’ve actively been making efforts to improve their global footprint, particularly in France. 

Twitter user Juan Buis, who lives in Paris, shared a photo on social media of the silicone-style reusable packaging the fast food giant is trialling.

“Absolutely loving the design of this reusable packaging that’s being introduced at McDonalds France,” he wrote.

Why France?

In 2020, France passed something called the AGEC Law (Waste for a Circular Economy) which essentially banned many single-use plastics in the country.

Among the products banned by the AGEC Law are many containing microplastics, polystyrene fast food containers, plastic fast food cutlery used on site, plastic fast food toys, plastic packaging for mailings, plastic water bottles at public events, and certain non-recyclable plastic packaging. 

To be able to continue business in the country without breaking the law, McDonald’s started developing reusable alternatives for things like its burger boxes and plastic packaging and cutlery.

Ultimately, these packaging changes could prevent 8,000 tons of waste per year as part of the “zero plastic” strategy championed by the brand. 

“For years, a key pillar of our packaging strategy has been to reduce the materials we use by lightweighting and optimizing our packaging,” McDonald’s writes in a release. “We’ll accelerate our progress to reduce materials across our portfolio, redesigning some of our most iconic products to eliminate unnecessary packaging and increase opportunities for recovery.”

This article aligns with the UN SDG Climate Action.

Have you ever thought about hosting your own climate café?

In a bid to combat the increasing rates of eco-anxiety, Force of Nature – a nonprofit that aims to mobilise mindsets for climate action – is hosting climate cafés: safe spaces to navigate difficult conversations, and turn eco-anxiety into action.

Founded by Clover Hogan, Force of Nature wants to enable young people to take action in their own ways. With research by the nonprofit showing that 70% of young people are eco-anxious and 56% feel that humanity is doomed, they believe climate cafés can be a tool to help people navigate this fear. 

So what actually is a climate café?

They’re community-organised spaces for people to have open yet structured conversations about how to navigate difficult climate emotions, and translate these feelings into action.

Force of Nature has launched a free resource to help people host their own climate café; featuring a step-by-step plan.

They’re looking for young people to host these cafés. “We will provide you with an instruction guide on setting up a café, and support bringing it to life,” they say. 

What’s needed for a climate café?

• A venue to host the climate café (this could be an existing café, shop, community space, or even someone’s living room).
• Seats and tables.
• Hot drinks and snacks (e.g. biscuits).
• Clarity on who you want to participate in your climate café. This could be friends or strangers off the street; other young people or an intergenerational audience.
• A readiness to facilitate climate conversations. It’s up to you how long you run the café for; it could be one day or it could be for two weeks.

How are they helping?

Force of Nature is also offering micro grants to young people who want to host a climate café but face financial barriers. 

“The micro-grants are up to £150 and will prioritise cafés that are reaching groups often left out of climate conversations and for those who are most affected by the climate crisis,” they say.  

You will receive more information about the grants and how to apply once you’ve submitted your interest to host a café.

To find out more information about holding a climate café, visit: forceofnature.xyz/climate-cafe. 

This article aligns with the UN SDG Climate Action.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has given out its 2022 awards honouring those who are fighting to protect Mother Earth.

Tell me more.

The UNEP has chosen five winners of their ‘Champions of the Earth’ award, designed to celebrate people who are at the forefront of protecting our planet. This year has seen the highest number of entries since the award was created, with over 2,200 people putting their efforts forward.

So who are this year’s winners?

Three winners were honoured under the ‘Inspiration and Action’ category. 

The first is the environmental non-profit group Arcenciel, a Lebanon-based NGO that has spent two decades helping to clear the country of its waste.

The second is Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet, co-founder of Cameroon Ecology and President of the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests, for the work she has done repairing damage to forests and more.

The third winner in this category is Constantino Aucca Chutas, the co-founder of Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos, who has planted more than three million trees in Peru and protected or restored 30,000 hectares of land. 

What about the other categories?

Dr Purnima Devi Barman leads the ‘Hargila Army’, an all-female grassroots movement of people who are passionate about wildlife, which has brought back the greater adjutant stork from the brink of extinction. Dr Barman was the winner of the ‘Entrepreneurial Vision’ category.

In the Science and Innovation category, Sir Partha Dasgupta won for groundbreaking contributions to economics and showing people just how important nature and the ecosystem are to our world.

What a truly inspirational set of winners. Find out more.

This article aligns with the UN SDGs Climate Action, Life on Land and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.