5 green things on Friday (7/10)
Here is this week's round up of green news and environmental stories from around the world:
1. Well, it's a Friday, let's start with some music! If you liked Empire State of Mind, you'll like this plastic related parody 'Plastic State of Mind'. Well, even you aren't a fan of the original, this has great lyrics (all facts) and a fun video. 'Convenience will kill you' is a good earworm. Happy listening!
2. If your mom always made you eat drumstick/moringa/nuggekai, you should thank her! Gram for gram, the leaves contain more vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more protein than eggs, and more iron than spinach! See what MoringaConnect is doing with farmers in Ghana.
Drumstick flower
3. Think ‘Blood Diamonds’ are the only conflict minerals? A lot of stuff that goes into your laptop, cell-phone or electric vehicles, could come from conflict zones where child labour and forced labour are rampant.
4. How about free anti-depressant that smells great? A soil bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae can trigger serotonin release. It’s something gardeners have always known and only recently discovered by science.
5. Here’s another reason trees deserve hugs: "They can count, learn and remember; nurse sick neighbors; warn each other of danger by sending electrical signals across a fungal network known as the 'Wood Wide Web' – and, for reasons unknown, keep the ancient stumps of long-felled companions alive for centuries by feeding them a sugar solution through their roots." Wow!
All images are by Ierene Francis.
Ierene Francis is the founder of Corvus Bags, an enterprise making cotton bags that look great and can be washed, ironed and reused for years. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram (@corvusbags) or check out their website.
