By safe I mean, avoiding the endangered species on your plate of food. When faced with a succulent menu, whether it is at a gorgeous ‘Michelin’ starred seafood restaurant or a local fish and chip bar, how do you know your choice is not contributing to the global ocean crisis? Which fish are safe to eat these days?
In an age of over-fishing and crashing marine stocks, it’s difficult to keep track of which fish are ethically kosher. Here the fine folks at ‘Information Is Beautiful’ have pooled and visualized the latest consensus and data from the Marine Conservation Society (PDF), Greenpeace and the SeaFood Watch to create a simple graph to help you with choosing a sustainable species from the menu.
Click on the image to enlarge
As ever, it’s a pretty grim picture but there are some pleasant surprises. For example, two species of pole caught Tuna seem to be safe. Also, who knew that mussels, clams and oysters are all good to eat? Hopefully this visual snapshot will help you enjoy a cleaner conscience and a slap-up dinner of ocean-friendly fish’n'chips.
Just what do terms like biodiversity, the Ecological Footprint and ecosystem services actually mean, and what do they have to do with our daily lives?
The film was produced by WWF for the launch of the 2010 Living Planet Report and narrated by British and actor and comic Stephen Merchant, takes a lighthearted look at a serious problem and reminds us why we need to play nice.
The license to begin construction on the disastrous Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon could be issued as early as the week of November 15. Please take a stand for the thousands of people whose communities will be sacrificed for the profit of mining, construction, and energy companies. Let the Brazilian Embassies and Consulates around the world know that you are in solidarity with the Brazilian people fighting to save their communities and cultures from destruction. Here’s what you can do:
[ Disaster ] Plans to build a highway through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park will destroy one of the world’s last great wildlife sanctuaries, a group of conservation experts has warned. The scientific journal ‘Nature’ published an article which gathers statements from 27 scientists who are asking for a re-think of the new 50 kilometer (31 mile) road that will bisect the national park causing major disruption for thousands of wildebeests and which they say will cause “environmental disaster.” Read the full story
Ecuador Signs Historic Deal To Keep Oil in the Soil and CO2 out of the Atmosphere
Ecuador have signed and agreement with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) that will open an international trust fund to receive donations supporting the government’s proposal to keep some 900 million barrels of oil in the ground. The heavy crude is found in three oil reserves beneath the fragile Yasuni National Park – the Ishpingo, Tambococha, and Tiputini (ITT).
‘The Galapagos Islands as we know them face extinction…’
Mass-market tourism has put the naturalist’s paradise and eco-tourism beacon on the UNESCO list of World Heritage in danger.
This cluster of volcanic islands 1,000km off the coast of Ecuador is regarded as one of the most important wildlife reserves in the World and is one of the primed eco-tourism destinations in the Planet. However, between the lax environmental regulations of the past and the Jessica oil spill of 2001, conservation problems have made it a controversial destination for those with a carbon conscience.
“The early model of tourism was designed to fund conservations efforts so the two things have always interlinked,” explains Toni Darton, chief executive of the UK-based GalapagosConservation Trust (http://www.savegalapagos.org/).
The national park guides repeatedly insist greater damage is done by introducing species (feral goats are
Fermín Beltrán has worked in Architecture for many years gaining a wide range of real-world design and construction experience. He is fascinated by finding alternatives methods of creating modern architecture in ways that are sustainable, elegant, comfortable and functional.
He has vast experience designing and constructing a wide array of buildings ranging from state-of-the-art music halls to social housing and even small holdings in South America. He is currently completing a Masters in Advanced Sustainability at the University of Dundee in Scotland
Change to fluorescent bulbs If every house in the United States changed all of the light bulbs in their house, that would be equivalent to taking one million cars off the streets.
