A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
An article I wrote some time ago has been shared widely on the internet, and I thought you might enjoy it today.
Of course you know about using cucumber for food, and cucumber slices for your eyes.
But here are 6 uses for cucumbers you probably haven’t heard of. Find them here.Â
Taking care of your skin is really important (it’s our largest organ). But it’s not always easy to get to a spa regularly, and it can work out pretty expensive too.
Luckily, you don’t need to. Just head to your kitchen for these yummy food facials that are incredibly easy to make – and budget-friendly too!
Sometimes the press goes too far, and doesn’t always tell the truth. And people who vandalize property deserve to be arrested. But not professional journalists who are simply doing their job – reporting.
Last week, journalists covering the Presidential Inauguration had no problem. But journalists covering the anti-Trump protest marches were hassled, and many arrested and charged with felonies. Â They face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine if convicted.
Is there a press freedom crisis in the making?
What IS being reported on though is a fabulous eco friendly building in the Taiwanese capital Taipei. Â A lot of eco and green designs look great but are not always practical or cost-effective.
But this one, by Belgian-born sustainable architect Vincent Callebaut, is not only fabulous looking, but is already under construction. Scheduled for completion at the end of this year, the 21-floor condo tower has a delightfully twisty form inspired by the double-helix structure of DNA.
It aims to limit the ecological footprint of its inhabitants, and includes rainwater recycling, rooftop solar panels, natural lighting and ventilation, and more. But best of all are the trees.
There will be 23,000 trees and shrubs (wow!) on the roof, façade and balconies as well as in some interior public spaces (more than are in New York’s Central Park). They will be tasked with absorbing 130 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. So the tower will function as a sort of habitable CO2 vacuum – wonderful!
Organic food.Â
It’s more expensive.Â
But is it really what we think it is?Â
I just love, love, love these!
New wind turbines are designed to operate like hummingbird wings. I like the look of wind farms anyway – I find they have a certain “Zen” quality (and are much more attractive than a coal-fired power plant!) – but these really are quite different.
Very cool – do you agree? Â You can see more details if you wish here at Tyer Wind.
I sometimes answer environment-related questions on Quora. Today I commented on someone who posted that wind energy was bad, because it killed birds, and because the turbines were “dangerously distracting” to him when he was driving.
I had to laugh. Cats kill considerably more birds than wind turbines. So do buildings (especially ones with a lot  of glass). Do we have people calling for a cull of all cats? Do we want to stop building? No.
Perhaps we should stop women walking on the streets (or handsome guys), because they’re distracting to drivers. Kids might run out into the road, you need to watch for them, so they’re “dangerously distracting” to drivers too. I don’t hear many calls for stopping having kids though, do you?
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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