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2021-06-25 12:10:37 Ghana takes on ambitious reforestation effort to plant at least 5 million trees

Just over a week ago, people in Ghana decided to take on the impressive initiative of planting at least five million trees under the “Green Ghana” program.

The launch of the project follows the expansion of mining and agriculture that, according to environmentalists, has led to an exponential increase in forest degradation in Ghana. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has declared Ghana as one of the tropical countries with the highest rate of forest cover loss worldwide. Right now, Ghana’s forest cover is at 4 million acres, a drastic drop from the 8.2 million recorded in 1900.

To combat the negative effects of deforestation, several religious and charitable organizations joined the reforestation effort, and the government pledged to help support the cause by distributing free saplings to anyone and everyone. Residents can pick up their free planting kits at shopping malls in big cities and can choose from a variety of fruit, crop, or ornamental plants. Even President Nana Akufo-Addo planted a memorial tree in the garden of the Jubilee House.

With the help of many eager participants, the country’s forest commission is proud to report that on the first planting day, 2.7 million saplings were planted, overshooting the initial goal of two million by that afternoon.

Hopefully, governments of other countries that are afflicted by deforestation will be inspired to take on similar projects and band together to fight climate change. Open / Comment

2021-06-24 09:55:32 Open / Comment

2021-06-24 09:55:24 Retired wind turbine blades get reincarnated into bridges and railway links

Even renewable energy has waste byproducts that become a major recycling problem for the industry. Many wind turbine blades are reaching the end of their lifespan, and plenty more are taken out of service early to be replaced by blades that can produce more energy. The blades are difficult to recycle not just because of their enormity, but because the reinforced plastic and glass fiber material that they are comprised of are not biodegradable. However, other aspects of their construction, such as the strength of the material and the hollow interior of the blades have inspired scientists to explore the blades’ potential to replace steel in construction projects like pedestrian bridges.

Cork University College in Eire, Ireland has started to investigate how sections of the blades can be incorporated into a bridge across the Middleton-Younghal Greenway. “The blades are from a decommissioned Nordex N29 turbine, 14m long,” explains Paul Leahy, lecturer in Wind Energy Engineering. “For this bridge, which has a span of 5m, we cut a short section from the blade. The blades are used as the main structural element of the bridge and are functional in the design.” According to Leahy, the blades’ gently curved shape as an aesthetic appeal to the design which he and the team believe will become a feature of interest on the greenway route. They are also looking at other products that can incorporate repurposed blades, like outdoor furniture.

Another blade recycling initiative has been adopted y the UK’s high-speed rail link contractor, Skanska Costain Strabag. Instead of using the blades to construct bridges, the rail link contractor worked with the National Composites Center to use retired wind turbines to reinforce concrete, using a process that cuts carbon production by up to 90 percent.

Parts of the blades will be used in temporary access roads, top sections of concrete walls, and ground-bearing plinths forming the base for portacabins. If the Re-Wind and Skanska Costain Strabag projects are successful, they will open the door for retired wind turbines to become an essential part of the construction industry. Open / Comment

2021-06-23 19:59:10 NFTs are bringing digital art to life

It's always been a challenge for digital artists to earn recognition and make a living, but now modern technologies help make art unique while digital.

If you love and value art, there is a Collectors Appreciation Campaign from Cryptocom.

They’re giving away USD 1,000 to NFT buyers every day between now and 2 August. Simply purchase any collectible worth USD 10.01 or more to join the lucky draws.

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2021-06-23 10:24:09 Open / Comment

2021-06-23 10:23:58 Nigerian Homes Built From Thousands of Plastic Bottles –12x Stronger Than Brick And Earthquake Strong

New Mexico is known for its adobe dwellings, Kyoto for its wooden temples, and now, in rural Nigeria, there are villages making waves for their plastic bottle houses.

Discarded plastic bottles can be found along too many miles of Earth roads—and in Nigeria, one of the most populated African countries, there are enough to create a new sustainable construction business.
In fact, there are now houses being built with discarded plastic bottles that are filled with sand and set into a wall via a lattice pattern. The homes are offered for lower prices which helps rural villages.

And, this greener construction method is strong and durable, able to withstand earthquakes—and even bullets. The walls are 18-times stronger than regular bricks.

In the central state of Kaduna, the project employs out-of-school or jobless youth filling bottles with sand before stacking them amid a glue of traditional mud technology, and securing the outside with a net. The result looks quite striking and can cost a third less than traditional housing in the region, with raw materials being almost free.

As many as 14,000 plastic bottles will go in to making a house, and staff at the Development Association for Renewable Energies are hoping to pitch the project to the Nigerian government in order to secure some additional funding and expand the enterprise. One thing is certain, the harvesting of bottles from rubbish-strewn roadsides is benefitting the neighborhood and the planet. Open / Comment

2021-06-22 23:53:36 ​​Availability of online education

Nowadays, online education is a good option for students who, for various reasons, can’t access offline education, and it's also a good option to choose when online education is far better than offline. Both technology and pedagogy make online learning have gotten considerably better over the last decade. Evidence of student success and even preference for the online classroom are mounting – and this can serve widespread benefits for all of us.

But sometimes, you may have no access to some resources. Usually, those are government censorship of online services or obstacles that private companies build. Website operators and internet traffic managers often choose to deny access to users based on their location. In addition to educational services, such platforms as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Telegram, and others do not work in some countries.

To circumvent these restrictions and at the same time have a high-speed Internet connection for video content, you need to use a VPN. With Surfshark VPN, you can securely bypass online restrictions and keep your communications safe. Everyone should be able to access the Internet in private, with no odd obstacles. Surfshark VPN stands for digital freedom and helps people secure their private data and provide open access to the Internet.

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2021-06-22 11:00:34 Open / Comment

2021-06-22 11:00:26 European Parliament votes to ban caged animal farming by 2027

Last week, the European Parliament made its stance on animal welfare clear by calling for a ban on caged animal farming, after voting overwhelmingly in favor to end the practice. The non-binding resolution hopes to change animal agriculture and reinvent the food supply chain across Europe by removing cages.

The Parliament vote — passed by an overwhelming majority voting in favor of the ban, with 558 members in favor to 37 votes against — sought to implement a ban on caged farming across the European Union. The vote followed a European Citizens’ Initiative that started three years ago, and which gathered 1.4 million signatures in at least 18 member states in support of animal welfare.

Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU and one of the citizens leading the ‘End the Cage Age’ petition told that some animals never leave their cages during their lifetime: “We have estimated, and this is a very conservative number, that over 300 million animals, farmed animals, spend most of their life or their entire life in cages in Europe, every year.”

Following the committee’s debate regarding the ‘End the Cage Age’ petition, the parliament decided in favor of the ban that aims to completely dismantle caged animal farming by 2027. Open / Comment

2021-06-21 09:57:14 Open / Comment