FEED the World

Here in the UK it is getting extremely difficult to get a plastic bag from your local shop. The look of disgust from the sales assistant and the additional cost of buying a bag (which you are usually made aware of after you have made your purchase) makes you really question whether your really need a bag and it seems to be working by the amount of reusable bags I see people carrying around. 

I think and hope that it is only a matter of time before plastic bags are wiped out completely. Especially when you consider that most plastic bags are sent to landfill and are not biodegradable. Yes they are useful for taking your sandwiches to work or picking up dog mess but are there not other alternatives? Surely an alternative should be developed? People tend not to go shopping unexpectedly, it is usually a planned event and therefore it can’t be too hard to remember to take a reusable bag with you. 

Most of them are a fashion statement anyway. Many high street shops have designed beautiful; and trendy bags over recent years to really encourage people to use an alternative to the plastic bag and obviously make some money too. 

Whilst searching on the Internet for a new reusable bag I found a really interesting project which is selling artisan bags to raise money to feed the poor. Now you only have to read my blog to know I love a god cause, and this is no different. What a brilliant concept – you get a great bag and feel good about giving to charity. It is a really easy way to get involved. 

FEED Projects was set up in 2006 with the mission of creating a good product to help FEED the world. This is achieved with the sale of FEED bags and other accessories and then offsetting a donation to feeding the poor. 

Their website states that their “personal commitment to working against hunger is matched with a commitment to the environment and to safe and healthy working conditions for all we work with”. FEED bags are made with sustainable materials, along with fair labour production. Each bag sale is helping to 'FEED the world, one bag at a time'. 

If you want to find our more information you should follow them on Twitter @FEEDProjects or watch the video below:

Twister

Twister, quite arguably my favourite natural disaster movie, is currently on the television. It's the movie that first made me interested in Geography and it is the movie which made me realise just how powerful our planet earth really is. Its quite ironic that as I sit here watching a movie in which no one is seriously injured, hundreds of people across the ocean have recently felt the real affects of a tornado. Well not even just one...Hundreds!

Newspapers have reported April has been a devastating month for tornadoes. According to the Storm Prediction Centre there has been approximately 875 tornadoes reported throughout the United States which looks set to be the new record for April tornadoes records. The previous record was apparently set back in 1974 with a total of 267. Even I can tell that this recent activity is a huge increase to what this region usually has to deal with.

On 27th April a total of 226 of tornadoes were recorded by the Storm Prediction Centre causing significant damage in Alabama and several other states. Reporters in Birmingham, Alabama were filming one of the tornadoes and reported that "even from miles away the funnel was so wide that they could not zoom their cameras out far enough to get an entire image of the tornado".

© Storm Prediction Centre

Over 300 people were killed in this particular event where a twister is thought to have been a mile wide and recorded as a EF5 tornado with wind speeds exceeding 200mph. A local resident was reported as saying that all of the hospitals were full and people were being told not to go to them for non-life threatening injuries. As many as a million homes and businesses across Alabama are still without power and at this stage the total damage is still unknown as assessments may take weeks to complete due to the large amount of land and scale of the tornadoes.

After these tragic events President Barack Obama approved emergency assistance and search and rescue support where a state of emergency has been declared. He has also since visited communities in Alabama and said that Washington would do everything possible to help rebuild these communities.

Over the past few months alone there has been so many devastating natural disasters which really highlight how vulnerable the human species are to planet earth and although technology is increasing so we are better at predicting tornadoes, floods and hurricanes there is no way of eradicating them completely. We all need to act now to help prevent climate change.

A Royal Treat

©Katie Anderton

Tomorrow is the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate, a celebration which the majority of England have been planning for several months now. Picnics, street parties, party food and cakes have dominated conversation over the last few weeks. As people keep telling me "it is a once in a life time celebration for our generation'. 

It is all very exciting but i just cant help but think how much is this costing. Not to the economy (although that is an equally worrying subject) but how much is this costing the environment. Millions of people have travelled from all over the world to watch the wedding first hand, thousands of novelty items, many of which are plastic, have been manufactured, limited edition bottles of alcohol have been made and on top of all that many will leave the televisions on all day whilst watching the event. And remember footage starts at 6 am in the morning! 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to it just as much as the next person. I have planned my picnic, purchased some novelty bunting and spent the evening making some cakes. Have we all forgotten what this will mean for the environment? And out of everyone who partakes in tomorrow's event, how many will recycle? It was recently reported, in Time Magazine,  that experts from Landcare Research predict that the occasion will generate more than 12 times as much greenhouse than Buckingham Palace in a whole year, for the scientists out their, totaling 6,765 tons of carbon dioxide. Royal officials insist that a series of measures to reduce the environmental impact of the service are being undertaken. Flowers will be seasonal, the food will be sourced locally and guests have apparently been asked to either plant a tree or make a donation to Earth Watch which is a charity which supports research into rainforest ecology, wildlife conservation and marine science. 

Obviously everyone has a right to celebrate this joyous occasion just like i am doing but I think it is very important to illustrate the potential damage this event is having on the planet and ask that everyone accounts for their own carbon footprint and consumes sensibly remembering tomorrow is another day. I think the Royal Wedding can be successful without impacting upon the environment too much. 

©Newsweek