The fair handicraft.

This is a handmade sculpture, created in Zimbabwe. 
It's part of a kind of handicraft that involves local populations of Africa (and other depressed areas of the planet) and, instead of classic materials, uses recycling materials like industrial waste products, auto parts, oil barrels. 
The artisans receive a fair remuneration that allows them to build a life plan. 
These products are sold in a "fair trade market", whose proceeds help the development of these populations. 

About sustainable agriculture...BIOPESTICIDES.

A growing number of farmers is realizing how important is to protect the environment, so they are starting to use biopesticides and biological control agents, such as plants, bacteria, fungi, predatory and parasitic insects. 

These methods allow to create a compendium between minimum crop losses and a greater protection of the environment. 

Of course, biopesticides are less harmful to humans and break down faster than typical agrochemicals. 

Some fungi are even good for the soil, as they liberate its nutrients which promote plant growth. 

A little known extinction...

Too often we think that the only reason tied to the man which leads a wild species to the extinction is the indiscriminate hunting and the destruction of the habitat. 
Unfortunately, a much more sneaky and hard to notice threat is represented by a wide range of animals (more or less domestic) which always accompany the men when they arrive in a new place. 

It is enormous the number of mammals, reptiles and birds that became extinct because of the arrival in their nesting places of dogs, cats and especially mice. 
Sadly, history teaches that man, even indirectly, has never been able to protect a wild place after having discovered it. 

By way of example, you may remember what happened to the Dieffenbach rail, discovered in 1843 in Chatham Island, which became extinct in less than 10 years because of the massacre of chicks by mice that had arrived with the European ships. 
The Tahiti rail, besides having been boarded on ships as "fresh food storage", became extinct mainly because of predation by cats in 1844. 
The Southern merlin became extinct in less than 60 years because of predator mammals which arrived in its habitat with the Europeans. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Help the environment: eat 0 km!

From the very first moment a vegetable is picked, its natural sugars start converting into starch. 

Each day that those store-bought vegetables spend in transit from the fields to warehouses to store shelves, they lose their natural goodness that the earth and the sun gave them. 

It is very important, when you do the shopphing, to pay attention to the place where the food you buy comes from: you should always choose 0 km food and thus, consequently, seasonal food. 

It's preferable to buy fruit and vegetables in local market instead supermarkets: generally, they are fresher and they come from nearer places. 

0 km food is very good for the environment: it's glaringly obvious that the food that comes from the immediate vicinity requires a lower consumption of fuel that, as a consequence, provokes less pollution. 

It would be a great thing if everyone cultivated something (biologically, of course!) on their own: it would be a totally 0 km way of eating! It's not a difficult thing to do: sure, it would be better having a piece of land, but also who doesn't can cultivate some fruit or vegetables in pots (now my father has a vegetable garden, but when he didn't he grew tomatoes and Chinese mandarins on the balcony!). 

So, go and create your own vegetable garden! And then send me a photo to thenorthernlightsdiary@gmail.com , maybe. 

Another horror China branded.

The latest luxury among the rich comes straight from China. 
Now to be different the trend is to organize dinners where a tiger is killed in front of a small group of people and then is torn to pieces and cooked. Some of them doesn't even wait the tiger to be cooked and drink its blood or eat its penis (thinking they have "magical" properties). 

The South China tiger is considered probably extinct. The Sumatra tiger is close to extinction and other tigers like the Siberian, the Indian, the Malaysian and the Indo-Chinese are at serious risk of extinction. 
The insane habits of these new rich are further endangering this beautiful animal species. 

The Chinese government made this illegal, but notwithstanding this, it keeps happening. 
The person who ate the (probably) last specimen of South China tiger is staying twelve years in prison; the one who ate three tigers in 2013 is spending decades in prison. 
It's not the first time that Asian "magical" traditions seriously endanger species that are already threatened or at risk of extinction (rhinos, moonbears, elephants).
When will they stop...? 

Help things change...BEE the solution!

One-third of the food we eat depends on bees, bumblebees and other pollinators. Today, they are in serious danger. 
Yes, as always it is our fault. The agrochemical multinationals are flowing into the system of industrial agriculture increasing amounts of chemicals which threaten bees and our safety. 

Greenpeace is at the forefront in this battle for the safeguarding of bees. 
Pollen collected by bees was tested and the result is unambiguous : over two-thirds were contaminated by pesticides (up to 17 different substances for each sample). 
Lots of flowers and plants sold in garden centers, supermarkets and DIY stores contain pestcides that are lethal for bees (also neonicotinoids, which are partially forbidden in Europe). 

We can change all this. 
The solution has a name, and it is ecological agriculture, able to produce healthy food for everyone without damaging the planet and the bees. Lots of farmers in Europe are already doing it. 

People from all around the world are organizing activities to inform and mobilize others on the importance of bees,
Join the movement by signing the petition of Greenpeace to save the bees : http://sos-bees.org/#petition/?GPI_action . 

Arctic: we are all involved.

Gazprom and Shell have recently started to drill in the Arctic waters. 

The greenhouse effect reduces more and more the ice layer. 

We're destroying the sunshade which stands right over the heads of everyone in the world. 

The "Arctic problem" concerns us all. It is about us all. 

The Arctic is an extremely fragile ecosystem which is today threatened: we have to stop its deterioration. 

It is home to beautiful animal species like the polar bear, the walrus, the Arctic fox, the seals, the whales and the narwhal. 

Polar bears are strongly affected by the ice melting: it often happens that they swim for miles and miles before they find some stable ice...and too often they die trying. 

Please, sign the petition of Greenpeace to help things change! http://www.savethearctic.org/. 

Greenpeace also launched an initiative to make our voices heard on the Arctic problem: it consists in reaching a high point (a hill, a mountain, a skyscraper, a panoramic point...it doesn't matter what, it only has to be high), taking a photo and then sending it to Greenpeace or publishing it on Facebook or other social networks with the hashtag #ontop to #savethearctic. https://act.greenpeace.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1844&ea.campaign.id=30943. 

So...what are you waiting for?? Go take a photo! And send it to thenorthernlightsdiary@gmail.com, I'll publish it on the blog. 

If you want to, send me an email with your opinions on the Arctic situation or with your suggestions for the topics of the posts. 

Alone we can't do much...but together we are strong! 

Quicksand.

Quicksand is a loose, light sand mixed with water. It looks no different from ordinary sand, but it won't support any weight. 
Quicksand can be usually found near the mouths of large rivers or on flat shores where there is a stiff layer of clay below ground level. 
This clay stops the natural drainage of water, so the water collects in the sand. It's a common belief that quicksand will suck you down but, in fact, it is possible to float, as long as you move slowly. 
Moving slowly enables the sand to flow around tha body and acts like water in which you can swim. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Things we lost...The Atitlán grebe.

The giant grebe was a podicipedidae native of Guatemala (Podilymbus gigas) which was discovered in 1929. 
It became extinct because of the introduction in the homonyous lake of the smallmouth bass (native of North America) for sport fishing. This fish killed the nestlings and large quantities of grabs and fish which were the main food source of the grebe. 
In 1983 there were only 32 specimens left and in 1989 the last two were sighted. After their disappearance this species was officially declared extinct. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

DANIZA: another bear sacrificed in the name of ignorance.

Daniza didn't make it. 
She died because of the anesthesia that has been given to her during the attempt of capture by the authorities of the province of Trento (Italy). 
Her death is causing great controversy and outrage. 

On the 15th of August she attacked a mushrooms seeker (who reported minor injuries) who went too close to her two cubs. 
Since then, she had been monitored and had been seriously considered the opportunity of capturing her (in a first time, even of killing her). 
The national institutions showed their incompetence in this situation. 

But, who was Daniza? 
She was 19 years old and was part of a bears reintroduction program in the Italian Alps, whose only crime was trying to defend her cubs, as every mother would do. 

WWF and other animal welfare groups are now asking for explanations. Capturing her was not necessary, she wasn't a dangerous specimen. 
Now we wonder what will happen to her two cubs, at the gates of winter. It is hoped that, at least, the authorities will be able to take care of them and ensure that they survive. 

Things we lost...Carpathian and Caucasian wisent.

BISON BONASUS HUNGARORUM 

The Carpathian wisent was a subspecies of the European wisent which lived in the Carpathian Mountains, in Moldova and in Transylvania. 
Too close to central Europe, he was hunted until the extinction. 
The last specimen was shot down in 1790 in Transylvania. 

BISON BONASUS CAUCASICUS 

The Caucasian wisent was a subspecies of the European wisent which was once widespread in the Caucasus Mountains. 
It was prey to the Caucasian tiger (extinct) and to the Asian lion (which today is extinct in that zone), as well as to bears and wolves. 
In the 17th century he still populated wide areas of the western Caucasus. At the end of the 19th century human settlements became more numerous and the wisent population was reduced to approximately 1/10. In the 60s of the 19th century the wisent population was of about 2000 specimens, which were reduced to 500 in 1917 and to 50 in 1921. 
In 1927 the last 3 specimens were shot down. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Things we lost...Pyrenean and Portuguese ibex.

CAPRA PYRENAICA PYRENAICA 

The Pyrenean ibex was a subspecies of the Spanish ibex and it is now extinct. 
Once, he was widespread in the French Pyrenees, in the Basque Country, in Navarra and in northern Catalonia. 
In 1900 there were about 100 specimens left but already in 1910 there were only 40 left. The last specimen was found dead on January 6, 2006 with its neck broken because of the fall of a tree. 
The scientists wanted to clone it but there wasn't male DNA, so they are now waiting for the technology to study a way to replace the X chromosome of the female cell with a Y chromosome of another subspecies. 

CAPRA PYRENAICA LUSITANICA 

The Portuguese ibex populated Portugal, Galicia, the Asturias and the Cantabrian Mountains. 
In 1800 it was still quite numerous but it soon suffered a meltdown because the local populations enormously hunted it in each period of the year because of its meat, horns, skin (with which they made clothes) and bezoars (formations of foreign bodies in the stomach) used to defend against "any poison". 
The last female specimen was sighted in 1892. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Keep sending me emails with your suggestions! 

To make this a better blog...

...I need your help! 

I have always thought that the best way to improve myself and get in touch with new realities is the contact and the exchange of information with other people. 
I see that many people from all around the world read my posts: Italians, Americans, Russians, Turkish, Germans, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Ukrainians, French. 
You would help me so much suggesting new ideas for the topics of the blog! Maybe talking me about situations of your own countries. 
You are free to write me in English, Italian, French and Spanish. 
So, if you want to, write me an email to thenorthernlightsdiary@gmail.com and help me to improve in quality and quantity this blog! 

Best wishes!

Chiara 

Acid as...rain!

Acid rain is one of the most dangerous and widespread forms of pollution. 
This international problem was first noticed by England and Canada. Later also in the USA, in the Scandinavian countries (Finland, Norway and Sweden) and in other countries like Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Austria and Northern Italy. 

This phenomenon has dramatically increased over the past few decades. 
Many living and non-living systems has become harmed and damaged as a result of the acid rain. They are caused by the smoke and gases expelled by factories, airplanes and cars. When fossil fuels burn the sulphures are combined with oxygen and are transformed into sulphur dioxide and some of the nitrogen in the air becomes nitrogen oxide. 
These pollutants bind to water and so chemicals fall back to the earth. 

When trees get damaged by the acid rain their leaves and needles turn brown and fall off. 
In the polluted lakes and rivers fish die and birds and mammals can be killed by eating them. 

The only solution to this problem is to save energy and pollute less (or to use renewable energy). When less "dirty" energy is used, less coal is burnt and so there will be less acid rain. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Japan, stop killing Bluefin tuna!

In Japan the Bluefin tuna is particularly prized (a single large fish can fetch more than $ 100.000). 
The large demand in this country led to aggressive fishing practices and the populations today are a tenth of what they were in the 1950s. 
The decline is faster everyday because of open-ocean pens where wild juvenile tuna are put: these animals are removed from the wild before they have spawned and this is deleterious for the survival of the species. 

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bluefin-tuna

We're destroying our source of survival. WATER POLLUTION.

As teachers have always told us since the very first years of school, water is essential for life. They taught us the water cycle, that it covers 71% of the earth's surface, that it makes up 65% of our bodies. 
Now, water is becoming increasingly polluted and this is a threat to our health, to the fertility of the soil and to the survival of wildlife. 

Water pollution is the result of human activities. 
The water we daily use in our houses and industries is taken from lakes, rivers and from the underground and, after we have used it (and contaminated it) most of it returns to these locations. 
If this waste water is not treated before it is discharged into waterways, then serious pollution will be the result. 

To prevent water pollution we should remove the pollutants before the water gets back into the environment. 
When the polluted water of the rivers arrive to the sea the nitrates and phosphates create beds of green algae and produce periodic catastrophic loss of marine life. 
In the 60s the Thames was biologically "dead"...nowadays the quality of its water is better. 

This situation is worse in the developing countries, where environmental policies are often almost non-existent and hazardous substances are used in the industrial processes and then poured out into lakes and rivers. 
Lots of people in these countries die because of the contaminated water and many ecosystems have been or are being destroyed. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post) 

GREENHOUSE effect. We have to stop it. And we have to start NOW.

125.000 years ago in Europe there were lions and elephants; at that time the temperatures were 3 Celsius degrees higher than today and forests covered Greenland. 
Soon, it may be 3 degrees hotter again but this time the change isn't happening naturally. 
This all is happening because of pollution...and it is happening very quickly. 

Pollution sends 4 main "greenhouse gases" into the atmosphere. They are: 
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- CFC (chloro-fluoro-carbons)
- Methane 
- Nitrous oxide 

CO2 is the most important greenhouse gas and it causes half of this problem. Nearly 6 billion tonnes of it enter the atmosphere every year from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, gas and oil). An extra 1,5 billion tonnes each year come from the burning of rainforest trees; normally, trees absorb CO2 but there are less day by day. 
Methane and Nitrous oxide come from fertilizers, cow's stomachs and rubbish. 
CFC are very dangerous, each one can trap 10.000 time more heat than an atom of CO2...and they don't just stay in the atmosphere, they destroy the ozone layer! 

The greenhouse effect causes enormous damage to the earth and its inhabitants: the sun's rays reflected on earth can't easily get out of the atmosphere, causing a rise in the level of temperatures; this provokes the melting of the perennial ice, causing a rise in the sea levels and the desertification of lots of areas of the planet. The oceans' temperature increase causes always more frequent devastating atmospheric phenomena. The knock-on effects produced are dreadful. 

So...HOW CAN WE STOP IT? 

- Stop using fossil fuels 

- Preserve rainforests beacuse the earth needs more trees, not fewer

- Use renewable energy, now at 20%. To slow down the greenhouse effect that number must rise to 50% in the next 15 years

- Totally ban CFCs in all the countries of the world

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Towards sustainable agriculture...

A growing movement emerged during the past two decades whose aim is to promote practices that contribute to solve many environmental and social concerns. 
Sustainable agriculture consists in reducing (but not eliminating) the use of chemical products, developing integrated farming systems. This all received considerable attention from researchers, who see it as a compromise between conventional and organic farming. 

Sustainable agriculture has within it three main goals: 
- to improve agricultural production and systems;
- to fulfil farmers' needs and lifestyle choices;
- to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 

"Sustainable rural development must become a key priority for the European Union. Public health must not be endangered. It is more important than commercial interests." (Franz Fischler, 1996)

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)