THE EARTH DAY

OUR NEXT GOAL  IS TO CELEBRATE THE EARTH DAY.

The EARTH DAY  is an annual event which is celebrated worldwide to show support for the environment.

 It was first celebrated in 1970. 

The Earth Day Network is in charge of coordinating the events that are organized worldwide.

Watch the video PLEDGE AN ACT OF GREEN, and join the campaign "A Billion Acts of Green"

You can organize anything you want. It could be  making our High School more eco-friendly by reducing the water we waste, planting a tree or using the suitable container for our rubbish.

You could also organize an act outside the school, with a group of friends or your family: riding your bikes through our Town Centre could also be a great idea! We need more cycling lanes!

Going to the beach/park/ and picking up the rubbish we find... anything you would like to do with a group of friends  that means we care for the EARTH and we are ready to take action!

The important thing is to be aware of the power we have if we do things together!

LET'S TRY!

MARCH 29th THE EARTH HOUR

A DAY TO REFLECT ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR PLANET

By Raúl Viñas 

Forests, oceans, glaciers and mountains, deserts, parks, gardens and lakes, all of them have their own life, biodiversity and even their own soul, according to some. All of them are unique and irreplaceable. Every single day, all of us admire what nature has created, perfect places we find all over the world where we would like to be. Nowadays it’s impossible for us to visit them, but we would like to travel there sometime in the future. However,  we fear that in a few years all those incredible places may disappear and with them, all the animals living there, and its exotic vegetation. 

Will we be able to enjoy them in real life, or will we have   to know about them in books and pictures?

Even though we know it is happening, experts and scientists have shown evidence, and insisted on emphasizing there’s a last opportunity to stop it, we insist on pursuing this disaster. And why? Just because of “money”.

However not everything is going in a bad direction, there are people, hundreds of thousands of people, who are using their power to change our future, and our environment. One of the actions they are supporting is, just turning off the light for one hour, it is called the Earth Hour.

This year, it was on 28^th March 8:30 PM local time and 172 countries worldwide took part in the biggest celebration of the planet in the world. We met in our town, San Cristóbal of La Laguna, in the Concepción Tower, and  the lights were turned off in some of the official buildings of the area. It was a great experience of sharing and empowering people to take action. Next time, it is going to be the 10^th Anniversary of Earth Hour. 

Will you use your power?

Earth Hour 2015 Official Video

As Barack Obama has said, we are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change, and the last generation that can do something about it.

And you?  Do you know any other way to save our world?

Watch this video. It is really interesting

ORANGUTANS IN DANGER

PALM OIL PRODUCTION IS THREATENING  MALAYSIAN  ORANGUTANS

By Irene  Cáceres

 

These furry and intelligent primates that lived peacefully in the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo are having difficult days. The deforestation caused by palm oil industry is leaving them without their habitat or means to survive.

The orangutan habitat is limited to the islands of Sumatra that are part of Indonesia and Borneo. This territory is divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. It is also the most arboreal primate. Its existence depends on the rainforest jungle where they live in the wild.

The problem is that Malaysia and Indonesia are both major producers of palm oil, these countries  have become the greatest enemies of orangutans by enabling the land for the plantations, and they are destroying thousands of hectares of virgin forest. In the past decade the population has dropped by 50%. 

Currently there are only 20,000 specimens, and it is estimated that the species could become extinct in a few years if action is not taken.

80% of Indonesian forest has been burned or cleared to make way for Elaeis guineensis, the palm species from which the oil is extracted.

Scientists have concluded that although orangutans have adapted better than expected, despite cases of malnutrition and conflict with the humans, the palm plantations do not have capacity to accommodate  large populations of primates.

When a forest is turned to agricultural land, orangutans lose living space and access to funding sources. If they don’t want to die by the deforesting, they have to migrate to seek refuge in neighboring jungles.

Besides, clashes between apes and the crop workers are more frequent. Many are afraid of orangutans and sometimes workers kill them, even though it is a protected species. Even at this present era there are people who hunt them for meat. The males have been used for centuries to combat burlesque boxing and females are prostituted.

Finally, if forest protection measures are not taken, there is no hope for orangutans.  

According to Ancrenaz "it is necessary for the palm oil industry to respect some areas of the forests where orangutans live,  so that they  may have mobility, access to food and the chance to mate with individuals from other groups".

COLTAN WAR

TANTALUM  IS SO VALUABLE THAT COUNTRIES ARE FIGHTING FOR IT

By Marcos Siverio and Amanhuy Duque

WHAT IS COLTAN?

Columbite-tantalite — coltan for short — is a dull metallic ore found in major quantities in the eastern areas of Congo. When refined, coltan becomes metallic tantalum, a heat-resistant powder that can hold a high electrical charge. These properties make it a vital element in creating capacitors, the electronic elements that control current flow inside miniature circuit boards. Tantalum capacitors are used in almost all cell phones, laptops, pagers and many other electronics. The recent technology boom has caused the price of coltan to skyrocket to as much as $400 a kilogram, as companies such as Nokia and Sony have struggled to meet demand.

HOW IS COLTAN MINED?

Coltan is mined through a fairly primitive process similar to how gold was mined in California during the 1800s. Dozens of men work together digging large craters in streambeds, scraping away dirt from the surface in order to get to the coltan underground. The workers then slosh water and mud around in large washtubs, allowing the coltan to settle to the bottom due to its heavy weight. A good worker can produce one kilogram of coltan a day.

Coltan mining is very well paid in Congo terms. The average Congolese worker makes $10 a month, while a coltan miner can make anywhere from $10 to $50 a week.

FINANCING THE CONFLICT

A highly controversial U.N. Security Council report recently outlined the alleged exploitation of natural resources, including coltan, from Congo by other countries involved in the current war. There are reports that forces from neighboring Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi are involved in smuggling coltan from Congo, using the revenues generated from the high price of coltan to sustain their efforts in the war. By one estimate, the Rwandan army made at least $250 million over a period of 18 months through the sale of coltan, even though no coltan is mined in Rwanda. All countries involved in the war deny exploiting Congo's natural resources.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

• We can try not to buy a new phone every year, we  know that the Iphone 6 will be better tan Iphone 5 but if we wait one year, there is going to be a new phone anyway.

• We can recycle our old phone  or give it to charity

SPREAD THE WORD!  SPREAD THE WORD!