Natural Environment Blog

The number one thing that people turn to in today’s world to deal with pain is pharmaceuticals. This is understandable, as that is the most well known solution on the market for solving those kinds of problems.

The Problem with Pharmaceuticals

The problem is that pharmaceuticals are not ideal as a long-term solution, but since that’s all people have, it becomes just that. Nearly all of the synthetic chemicals produced in that industry have negative effects on body organs, especially the liver. Due to these effects, it is all too easy to overdose, and there are actually several hundred accidental overdoses of aspirin each year which lead to fatalities, not to mention the thousands that exist from intentional overdoses.

Natural Health by Eating Right

It is up to everyone who knows the power of natural health to spread this information, so people can learn of an alternative to what has been touted as the only choice. By eating the right things, especially nutrients that have specific pain-reducing properties, you can start to feel relief without turning to pharmaceuticals. This is especially true of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis. These diseases happen because the body’s inflammatory-antiinflammatory response is malfunctioning, and often the root cause of this is something in the diet. Even when it is not, changing the diet to incorporate healing foods is a much better way to deal with pain.

The best part about this solution is that it makes you stronger over time, not weaker. Constantly taking pharmaceuticals puts a huge toll on the body that can shorten your lifespan and detract from your quality of life. Considering the unimaginable significance and importance of each moment of life, you should take every action possible to make your life the best it can be, and that means eating the right things.

Healing Foods

Foods rich in antioxidants are great for reducing inflammation, and that includes nearly every fruit and vegetable out there. Choose the fruits/vegetables that are richest in nutrients, such as pomegranates and alfalfa sprouts.

You also need to make sure you are getting a high-quality, total source of macronutrients, including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbs can be covered with sprouted bread, the highest quality bread available, whereas essential fatty acids and protein can be supplied by hemp seed. Hemp seed in itself has anti-inflammatory properties and is perhaps the greatest healing seed on Earth. Incorporate all of this together, and you have a recipe for a life of pain-free, high-quality living.

This article was contributed by Justin Kander who would like to let you know about Versativa Inspirin.

If you want to experience the revolutionary healing effects of natural foods immediately, then Inspirin is the solution for you. The product is a delicious combination of hemp seed, concentrated marine phytoplankton, whole fruits, and other carefully-chosen extracts. The effects range from helping with simple prolems like headaches stemming from stress, to immediately reducing the pain of serious diseases like fibromyalgia and cancer, as seen in these emotional testimonials. To try Inspirin, visit the Versativa Inspirin page, click “Get Started Now”, and follow the simple steps to become a preferred customer.

You can also contact Justin Kander at thehempsolution@gmail.com for more information or if you have absolutely any questions.

When people want to go green and to have a feng shui design in their house, they need to know several tips on how to build a Eco-friendly house with feng shui. Most homeowners do not think of feng shui when they are designing their home, since it is often difficult to redesign the layout of their homes. Homeowners can adopt several easy feng shui tips to build an Eco-friendly home.

Many homeowners decorate their homes with vases, candles, and pictures. The first tip homeowners need to do, is to add live plants throughout their home. People place large plants around the house, and then have several potted plants inside their home. Another way to incorporate live plants in the house is to grow aloe and herbs in the kitchen. Buy plants from local gardeners, to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping exotic plants to the home.

Homeowners who have Eco-friendly houses with feng shui allow natural sunlight to come through their windows. This increases the energy throughout the home, and the light will flow through the house. This is a great way to reduce energy costs, since the lights will not be on as often.

Another tip to keep in mind when building an Eco-friendly house is to remove furniture and other items that you do not like. This will hurt the positive energy flow throughout the house when there are items that people do not like. People who have an ugly couch or table should recycle them, or donate them to local charities. This will help keep items out of landfills, and helping the community at the same time. Bamboo furniture is environmentally friendly, and lasts a long time.

Another way to build an Eco-friendly house with feng shui is to reduce the amount of electronics throughout the house. People should get rid of the television in their bedrooms, and only have one in the living room. This will create a peaceful atmosphere when people are getting ready for bed.

Having electronics plugged into the outlet will keep a positive energy flow through to the electronics. People who are not using televisions, computers, coffee makers, and other items should unplug them when not in use. This will reduce homeowners’ utility bills, and save the fossil fuels in the environment.

When building a new home, it is important to get rid of everything that you have not used in a year or more. This will help create a positive energy flow throughout the home on moving day. People who want to remodel their current homes should host a yard sale to get rid of items that is disrupting the feng shui throughout the house. The items stay out of the landfills, and the money helps to buy sustainable and environmentally friendly furniture
for the house.

This post was contributed by Michael Schnippering. Michael is the founder of Feng Shui at Work. He is committed to the true art and science of Feng Shui. Over the years his Feng Shui practice has taken him to various parts of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Colombia and Argentina. If you’d like to learn more about Feng Shui, read Michael’ blog and follow him on Twitter @fengshuiatwork

Chris over at Fly.co.uk recently informed me of an infographic on their website. The infographic shows some interesting statistics on world carbon dioxide emissions.

For example, according to the infographic, in 2009, China produced 6,200 million tonnes of CO2 compared to 5,800 for the United States. One only needs to look at the population of these two countries to see that something appears to be out of whack.

China has over 4 times the population of the US and yet, the US emits almost as much CO2 as China. Unfortunately, this gap is bound to widen as China becomes more and more prosperous.

As one would expect, the infographic has an airline/transport spin (no doubt due to the fact that its on a flight website), so there are some interesting statistics in that area.

A copy of the infographic is below. Due to its size, I’ve resized it to fit on this blog.

You can view the full-sized infographic here.

Satellite image of the ozone hole on 24th September, 2006.

You may have heard about the “ozone hole” that’s located somewhere above us, in the Earth’s atmosphere. You may also have heard that it’s not really a good thing for us here on Earth. If you’ve heard this, you heard right.

But what exactly is the ozone hole?

The ozone hole is an area of extremely depleted ozone in the ozone layer above the Antarctic. The ozone hole is not present all year round though. It only occurs during the beginning of the Southern Hemisphere spring - between August and October. 

The problem with the ozone hole is that, it allows harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun to reach Earth. These UV rays are usually filtered out by the ozone layer, but when the ozone has been depleted (as is the case with the ozone hole), the UV rays are no longer filtered out.

Why are UV Rays Harmful?

Although in small doses, UV light can be beneficial, overexposure can cause sunburn and some forms of skin cancer. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can also cause other problems for the skin, eyes and even the immune system.

UV rays don’t only affect humans. Studies have shown that hundreds of species of plants and animals display a negative reaction to increased UV rays. There are however, some species that react positively to an increased exposure to UV light.  

What Causes the Ozone Hole?

Here are the main factors that contribute to the ozone hole:

• Stratospheric sulfate aerosols - In other words, volcanic eruptions
• Stratospheric winds
• Greenhouse gases
• Sunspot cycle - an 11 year cycle that causes variation in the UV radiation produced by the sun
• Stratospheric chlorine - coming mainly from man-made halocarbons

While we generally have little control over natural occurrences, we do have control over the man-made ones. You may have heard that chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) are causing the ozone hole to grow bigger. CFCs are a group of chemical compounds that consist of alkalines such as methane or ethane. They also have one or more halogens linked, such as chlorine or fluorine.

CFCs find their way into the atmosphere from refrigeration and propellant devices and processes.

Basically, man-made products are contributing to the increasing size of the ozone hole.

What’s Being Done About It?

Many countries have banned the use of most CFC-emitting aerosol products, such as fly spray, deodorants, and hair spray. The bans generally require that those types of products are produced in a way that doesn’t result in CFCs being emitted.

Such a ban was introduced in the U.S. in 1978, and although most CFC-emitting products were banned long ago, there are still some that are being phased out. For example, albuterol metered dose inhalers (MDIs) will not be available in the U.S. after 31 December 2008.

There is also an international environmental treaty called the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. At present, 191 countries are involved in this agreement, which is designed to phase out substances that lead to ozone depletion. There is also a belief that, as long as the treaty is adhered to, the ozone layer will recover by 2050.

Amy, reportedly weighing 22 kg is possibly the world's largest rabbit. Photo: Paul Lewis.

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, the world’s largest rabbit is a Continental Giant called Amy.

Amy, from Worcester in the UK, is more than 120 cm (4 feet) long and weighs as much as a medium sized dog.  

Her weight? Well that depends on which report you choose to believe. In February this year, the Daily Mail reported that Amy weighs two and a half stone (15 kg). But then in March, it reported that the giant rabbit weighs three and a half stone (22 kg).

Perhaps she put on 7 kilograms within a month!

In any case, whichever weight it is, this could make Amy the heaviest rabbit in the world too.

Big Appetite

Amy’s owner, Annette Edwards, says that each day, Amy goes through enough rabbit food to fill a dog’s bowl, as well as two apples, a handful of carrots, half a cabbage and fresh hay.

But Mrs Edwards insists that Amy is quite healthy and not overweight.

“She is enormous but not because she over eats on junk but because she gets plenty of exercise and eats very healthily.”

“Amy is a fussy eater, the carrots must have their green tops still on, and the hay has to be fresh and green or she won’t go near it” she continues.

Other Large Rabbits & Previous Record Holders

Herman, a German Giant, weighing 7.7 kg

There are a lot of large rabbits out there.

Here are some examples:

• Herman, a German Giant reportedly weighing 7.7 kg (although he looks much heavier than that)
• Rudi, also a German Giant, weighing 8.7 kg
• Roberto, weighing in at 16 kilograms (possibly the world’s heaviest rabbit?)
• Humphrey, weighing over 12 kg and still growing

Largest Rabbit Breed

The largest species of rabbit is the Flemish Giant. The largest Flemish Giant can grow to around 9.5 kg. The smallest weigh in at around 5 kg.

Flemish Giants are usually steel grey in colour. They are long with a large full head and the ears are long and erect.

The Flemish Giant’s diet should include plenty of fresh hay, fresh fruit and vegetables, a well-balanced dry rabbit mix and plenty of clean water.

Guinness Book of World Records

Amy or Roberto may be the largest and heaviest rabbits in the world, but they won’t be making it into the Guinness Book of World Records any time soon (at least, not for their size or weight).

Unfortunately, some rabbit owners cruelly over feed their rabbits in an attempt to get them into the record books. As a result, the Guinness World Records no longer lists the world’s largest (or heaviest) rabbit.

Did you know that in 2007, arctic summer sea ice reached its lowest extent on record?

Did you know that carbon dioxide levels are at their highest levels in 650,000 years?

And did you know that the global average sea level has risen 4 to 8 inches over the past century?

Well, if you’re into these kinds of statistics, you’ll probably be interested in NASA’s climate time machine. It’s an interactive tool that allows you to see how things have changed in recent years regarding the earth’s climate, sea levels, ice levels, and carbon dioxide emissions.

Seeing as this website is about the natural environment, I thought it would be somewhat fitting to write about building a natural shelter - a shelter made from natural resources. This is also referred to as a wilderness shelter or a survival shelter.

Knowing how to build a natural shelter can be essential to survival in the wilderness. This is especially true if you venture out in cooler climates.

Of course, if you are planning an overnight trip, you should already have your accommodation arranged (i.e. a tent, cabin, hotel…) . But if you find yourself lost on a one-day walk, then knowing how to build a shelter from natural resources could save your life.

Here are the high level steps for building a shelter:

1. Find a suitable location - such as an uprooted tree at the edge of a forest. There should be plenty of branches, leaves, and forest debris lying around on the ground. The location shouldn’t be too exposed, but at the same time, it shouldn’t be at the bottom of a valley. Close to a water supply is great.
2. Start building the shelter by placing strong, straight branches at a 45 degree angle (so that the rain can run off). If you’re using an uprooted tree, you can place them against the root. Use the thickest/strongest branches first, followed by the smaller/weaker ones. Ensure there’s a small hole that you can use to gain access.
3. Once you’ve created the framework for your natural shelter, it’s time to insulate it. To do this, place leaves and other debris on top of the branches. You’ll need plenty of leaves for this. The leaves should be at least 30 centimeters thick. This will ensure your shelter is well insulated and will keep you warm. This is one of the reasons location is important - you’ll need a location where you can find plenty of leaves and forest debris.

That’s all there is to building a wilderness shelter using natural resources.

Now, if you are somebody who loves to get out in the wilderness, I recommend that you practice building your own survival shelter. You might find that it’s more difficult than it appears. Here’s one man’s first attempt at building a natural shelter!

And if you really are interested in learning more about building natural shelters, check out this video on building a shelter in a forest. Also, here are different types of survival shelters.

CITES (which stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between the world’s governments. It was established to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of specimens. This includes wild animals and plants.

CITES exists because so many plants and animals are traded internationally. Without an international agreement to protect each species, many of these plants and animals could become extinct. Therefore, co-operation between each country is required in order to safeguard each species from over-exploitation.

The full text of the CITES convention was agreed to by 80 countries in 1973. Then in 1975 it was put in place. Back when CITES was first being considered, general public awareness of environmental issues barely existed. Nowadays, it’s an essential part of wildlife protection.

Today, over 5,000 species of animals and 28,000 species of plants are protected by CITES.

Which Species are Protected by CITES?

To see which plants an animals are protected by CITES, you can do one of the following:

• Search the CITES database. You can search by common name, species name, country, and more.
• Read the CITES appendices.

About the CITES Appendices

You’ll notice that there are three appendices. This is done because there are three different levels of protection. Here’s CITES’ explanation of the three appendices:

• Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research. In these exceptional cases, trade may take place provided it is authorized by the granting of both an import permit and an export permit (or re-export certificate). Article VII of the Convention provides for a number of exemptions to this general prohibition.
• Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. It also includes so-called “look-alike species”, i.e. species of which the specimens in trade look like those of species listed for conservation reason. International trade in specimens of Appendix-II species may be authorized by the granting of an export permit or re-export certificate. No import permit is necessary for these species under CITES (although a permit is needed in some countries that have taken stricter measures than CITES requires). Permits or certificates should only be granted if the relevant authorities are satisfied that certain conditions are met, above all that trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.
• Appendix III is a list of species included at the request of a Party that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation. nternational trade in specimens of species listed in this Appendix is allowed only on presentation of the appropriate permits or certificates.

For more information on CITES, check out the official CITES website.

Mount Aspiring National Park is located in the South Island of New Zealand, along the southern part of the Southern Alps.

Covering 3,555 square kilometers, Mount Aspiring National Park is a popular destination for bush walkers and mountaineers. The park is named after Mount Aspiring (3,033 meters), and contains a number of spectacular peaks (including Mount Aspiring).

Mount Aspiring National Park was established in 1964, making it New Zealand’s 10th national park at the time (New Zealand now has 14 national parks).

Some of the more popular walking tracks in the park include Gillespie Pass circuit, Rees-Dart circuit, various tracks along the Matukituki Valley, and the famous Routeburn Track (which crosses over into Fiordland National Park).

There are some great day walks, including a beautiful hike to Rob Roy Glacier. Many of the walks in the area are multi-day walks, where you carry everything you need on your back.

Accommodation on the multi day walks is usually at one of the huts or camp sites provided by the Department of Conservation. This accommodation is usually very basic - don’t expect luxury here. But of course, this is part of the wilderness experience and enables you to feel closer to nature. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Fiordland National Park is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand. It is located in the south west part of the South Island and covers an area of 12,500 square kilometers. Established in 1952, Fiordland National Park is a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.

Fiordland’s landscape is incredibly diverse. At any given moment, you could be staring at snow capped mountains, tussock grasslands, lush rainforests and one or more deep lakes.

Many of the peaks in Fiordland tend to be very tall and steep, and Milford Sound is home to Mitre Peak - the highest peak to rise directly from the sea (see photo).

Wildlife in the area includes dolphins, seals, mice, rats, birds, hare and deer. Most tourists to the area encounter the kea - a mischievous mountain parrot. Lucky tourists may also spot the kakapo - the world’s only flightless parrot, or the kiwi - the national symbol of New Zealand.

Most of Fiordland National Park is inaccessible by road. The only road into the park is Milford Road, or the Te Anau Milford Highway.

The area is very popular with bush walkers (referred to as “trampers” in New Zealand) and mountain climbers. There are several popular walking tracks in the area, including the Milford Track, the Routeburn Track, the Hollyford Track, and the Kepler Track. These walks take several days to complete, and some require that you organize transport to drop you off at the start, and/or pick you up at the end, of the track.

The main gateway into Fiordland is Te Anau. Te Anau is a small town with a permanent population of around 1,800. During the summer months, Te Anau can accommodate more than 4,000 people as many tourists use it as a base as they visit places like Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, or tackle one of the multi-day walking tracks.

To learn more about Fiordland National Park, check out the Department of Conservation’s website.