NATURE
All plants, animals, insects, birds, etc. (the “gardeners of our planet”) successfully worked for eons on land and in the sea, to provide the oxygen, freshwater, minerals & nutrients that all life requires. We could never afford artificial substitutes for these “Essential Workers” and therefore many people are trying to protect them, so they can keep and rejuvenate their habitat = our living biosphere.
~ WORLD SENSORIUM CONSERVANCY (WS/C)
Is a Call-to-Action for saving our planet’s natural heritage of iconic aromatic and medicinal plants. It includes a country-database of conservation assessments in the unique World Sensorium project created by olfactory artist Gayil Nalls in 2000. Combining original research with extremely beautiful photos/videos, and insightful monthly Journal articles, its goal is to grow the scope of conservation efforts by supporting and sharing the activities and sustainability practices of individuals and communities worldwide. https://worldsensorium.com/conservancy/
And, YOU ARE INVITED TO “Plant your scent memory video” at: #myplantscentmemory
~ E.O. WILSON’s “HALF-EARTH PROJECT”
Created to enlist human support to save species and therefore ecosystems which support sustainability of all life on planet Earth. Their new interactive 3D mapping project visualizes the critical hot-spots to save and the progress that’s being done towards that goal. https://www.half-earthproject.org/inspiring-action-with-design/
~ WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY’s CLIMATE CRISIS STRATEGIES
Nature-based climate change solutions can provide up to 30% percent of the action needed by 2030 to keep global temperature rise below 2°C. Learn about them at: https://www.wcs.org/seeing-is-believing/wcs-strategies-for-the-climate-crisis
~ PLANTINGS: A MONTHLY ONLINE JOURNAL
Insightful and inspiring articles about horticulture, landscape, forests, and ecology conservation published by the World Sensorium Conservancy. https://worldsensorium.com/plantings/
~ MAPPING CITY TREE CANOPIES BRINGS MORE PLANTING
For over 25-years, Wendy Brawer, founder/director of GreenMap.Org, has taken on the challenge of charting maps of urban areas without trees and finding ways for them to be planted to increase their function as carbon sinks and to reduce urban heat. https://www.greenmap.org/about
~ MATERIAL INNOVATION INITIATIVE
The first nonprofit of its kind to connect entrepreneurs and scientists with retailers and consumers to bridge the gap between those creating and those distributing “next-gen” materials [especially to stop killing animals for their skins/fur/feathers/etc.] https://www.materialinnovation.org/
~ ASK NATURE: A TOOL FOR LEARNING FROM NATURE
A tool for asking questions to the Biomimicry Institute’s staff in order to transfer knowledge from nature to human design. A type of “Rosetta Stone between “biological blueprints” and modern design of products, processes, and systems.” https://biomimicry.org/asknature/
~ REGENERATIVE FARMING WITH ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
A whole-farm or whole-systems approach to improving agricultural management is necessary for long-term sustainability and profitability, and to meet water quality, greenhouse gas, and habitat goals. This approach requires both in-field and edge of field (EoF) conservation practices. https://www.soilhealthpartnership.org/blog-story/a-whole-systems-approach-to-farming/
~ HEMPCRETE BECOMES PROMISING BUILDING MATERIAL
And, unlike the production of concrete which directly contributes 8% of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions annually, hempcrete actually sequesters CO2. https://ensia.com/features/hemp-hempcrete-construction-concrete-crops-co2/
~ CAN MYCELIUM HELP SAVE OUR PLANET?
Not only can mycelium rejuvenate our soils, “some fungi can take apart the hydrogen-carbon bonds that hold petroleum products together, and some can clean-up nerve-gas agents, dioxins, and plastics. https://www.edrosenthal.com/the-guru-of-ganja-blog/going-underground-paul-stamets-on-the-vast-intelligent-network-beneath-our-feet
~ FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEMS MUST CHANGE TO REDUCE CO2
The latest IPCC [International Panel on Climate Change] report calls for urgent action in the way land is used. https://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/food-production-must-change-drastically-save-world.html
~ ORANGE PEELS INSTEAD OF PLASTIC CUPS?
A new juice kiosk recycles its own orange peels into the cups used by the customers. https://newatlas.com/good-thinking/feel-the-peel-orange-juice/
~ [docu-film] “THE GARDEN OF SECRETS” (20-min.)
The film explores the value of botanical gardens and the wealth of knowledge they provide. “Through millions of years of evolution, the structures and processes of organisms have resolved many of the engineering and environmental challenges facing the modern world – we just need to look, observe, and learn.” https://asknature.org/collections/the-garden-of-secrets/
~ [AUDIO podcast] “CAN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY SALVAGE THE CLIMATE?”
Beyond just recycling, several companies are “going circular” by transforming how their products are designed, used, and remade. Some are eliminating waste altogether and optimizing product reuse. https://www.climateone.org/audio/can-circular-economy-salvage-climate
~ RAY OF HOPE PRIZE
An annual $100,000 Award from the Biomimicry Institute funded by the Ray C. Anderson Foundation to support innovative climate change solutions based on the way nature works (biomimicry). https://www.raycandersonfoundation.org/news/topic/biomimicry/