Many attempts are being made to create scalable carbon capture and storage technology to suck CO2 from the air, store it and then use it. But within nature there already exists a means by which this can be achieved that’s easily scalable. Planting trees represents one of the most effective, affordable and attainable means of tackling anthropogenic climate change, by capturing and storing CO2 and locking it in the soil. Research has shown that a worldwide tree planting programme could remove around two thirds of all the human-generated greenhouse gas emissions that currently exist within the atmosphere.
Of course the…
The responsibility we have for the waste we produce in our homes goes beyond separating it and throwing it in bins for collection, and it’s time we recognised that.
I recently started documenting the environmental boundaries between the natural and the industrial — a project I’ve called Industrial Borderlands. I started off by walking up and down the Lee Navigation — a canalised river that runs from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek, part of which marks the eastern border of Haringey.
When you start exploring the periphery of an urban space, the tapestry of manmade systems attempting to impose order on us — and on the environment — starts to fray. It’s here you really begin to witness the fallibility of those systems, especially…
If it’s your first time setting up a website, the various steps you must take prior to being able to make your site available to the world can be a bit daunting.
The first step is choosing a domain name — such as openeyemedia.net or chriskingphotography.com — and what follows are some of the key things you need to consider before purchasing your chosen domain name.
Choosing the right domain name.
There is a lot of competition out there, and when you do your initial search you may find your desired domain name has been taken. …
How the impact of our diet is less about what we eat, and more about how it was produced.
Walking into Morley Butchers in Crouch End, the smell immediately transports me back to my childhood in Belfast — accompanying my mother to the local butcher, parting the metal chain curtain, and walking through the doorway into a domain of freshly-prepared meat. I would amuse myself with the sawdust on the floor, as my mother bought the cheap cuts of mutton on the bone for an Irish stew, or some kidneys and liver for a mixed grill.
Andy, who’s been running Morley for the past 10 years, greets me. We start talking about the meat he has on display, the…
For tree planting to have the necessary impact on mitigating climate change we must also preserve the trees that already populate our woods and line our streets.
One of my favourite smells is that of a forest after rainfall — that distinctive blend of freshness and rejuvenation mixed with decay and decomposition. Walking through Queen’s Wood after Storm Ciara, I savour that very smell and the period of calm that follows any weather event that merits a name.
As I make my way past the Shepherd’s Hill allotments, slipping and sliding up the boggy hill on my way to the cafe, I can’t help noticing the number of trees that have fallen. …
We are in a geological epoch defined by human impact — the Anthropocene. What we do with that knowledge will shape the world forever.
I listen intently to Ed Santry, the new Nature Conservation Officer for Haringey Council, as he gives a talk on the latest Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) he’s working on for the borough. His audience are members of the Friends of Alexandra Park, a volunteer group which plays a vital role in maintaining and monitoring the plants and animals within the park, one of many such groups in the area.
He stresses how conserving those green spaces, and the corridors between them, is vital to maintaining biodiversity within the borough, and it will be one of the priorities of the new…
We all have a role to play when it comes to the issue of food waste — even what occurs outside of the household — but how do we take action against something we cannot always see?
When we think of food waste, we tend to think about what we ourselves are throwing away — that half-eaten burger, that bag of unopened salad leaves forgotten at the back of the fridge. And for good reason — we can see it, and we feel the sense of guilt and shame when we throw it in the bin. But we’re also reminded of food waste through supermarket and government- or council-funded initiatives — where the spotlight is also firmly placed on the household.
Current statistics, used to justify the focus on us, seem to validate this view. In its…
How much significance do you attribute to the best before date? And why do you trust it as an indicator of freshness?
When we buy food, we are putting our trust in the shops we get it from. By association, we also put trust in their manufacturers and suppliers. Broadly speaking, we expect the products they offer us to be of good quality and not detrimental to our health and wellbeing, and most of us wouldn’t want our food to be produced in ways that cause suffering to other people, animals or the environment — not knowingly, at least.
But what do we know about the provenance of our food? What do we know about the production of the pre-prepared soup we…
Some forward-thinking individuals are turning food that might otherwise go to waste, into a source of revenue — here’s why…
In an ideal world none of our systems — especially those providing our basic, essential needs — would produce any waste. But the food system in its current form, be it at a national or global level, produces a criminal amount of waste — much of it avoidable. The reasons for this are diverse, and ultimately a by-product of a deeply flawed and inefficient system, that has for too long been allowed to function with little or no regard for the impact of both its production processes, and the waste it produces.
Things such as the cost related to the…
Chris King
Documentary storyteller focusing on issues related to climate change and the food system
