environment Archives - Page 2 of 2

environment

The future is here!

July 3, 2017

Worms eating polyethylene and escaping from a plastic bag
CREDIT: César Hernández & Ainhoa Goñi

One of the biggest issues in our current society is the amount of plastic that we produce and waste every year. In 2015 Science magazine published a study in which stating that 8 tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year. I can imagine that the number has probably increased since then. Plastic is not biodegradable and will remain on the planet for many centuries, contaminating the land and ocean with its presence and destroying the ozone layer with the release of methane gas during decomposition.

Weeds in our closet

May 29, 2017

The fashion industry, like any other, is in constant evolution. For the outsiders, the evolution might be just in the colours or the silhouettes. But there is an evolution that might not be that obvious and it is technical and fascinating. This evolution, and sometimes revolution, comes from the textiles development. Until the 20th century, all the fabrics that were available in the market came from natural fibres that humans have been using for centuries, such as cotton, linen or wool. In 1934 Wallace Hume Carothers y J. Hill developed the Nylon, it took a further 4 years before the DuPont Corporation (a chemical company) was able to commercialise the product. After this development, the fashion industry went through a revolution in which new synthetic materials were added into the equation. Almost one century later this synthetic fibres have invaded our wardrobes, like weeds invade your garden. Leaving behind a wake of mass produced, not biodegradable materials.

environment

What are we doing to paradise?

May 25, 2017

How would you feel, if I tell you that there is a beautiful island in the Pacific Ocean that still remains fully virgin. This island is more than 5.000km away from any populated land and its beauty is so, that in 1988 was added to Unesco’s list of World Heritage Site. The ecosystem is so rich, there are 10 plants and 4 land birds that are local to the island, the sand is white and the sea water is turquoise.

Henderson Island in 1988
Henderson Island in 2016