ASIA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Asian nGeo.ccom/JUNIOR
No. 35 Issue 3/2015
PPS 1732/04/2013 (022958)
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Annual Special 2015 2015
History • Science • Humour Careers • Eco-Minded
Hidden Scenes & Cities of Asia
With Asian Geographic PASSPORT’s unique direction, this special edition will give you more of Asia’s exceptional destinations looked at with new eyes. It will be the first collector’s edition, a travel guide for 2015–2016.
The ASIAN Geographic THE READ Special 2015 will be a collector’s piece that showcases a plethora of relevant subjects. From History, Current Affairs and General Knowledge to Eco Products, Career Maps and Humour Prose, ASIAN Geographic THE READ Special 2015 will be a must-read ust across every age grou up. p.
Moments
“Onl y w hen t he last t ree has been cut down, Onl y w hen t he last ri ver has been poisoned, Onl y w hen t he last f is h has been caught, Onl y t hen wil l you f ind t hat money cannot be eaten.” –Native Amer ican Cree Tr ibe Prophec y
k
r
“T he Ear t h does not bel ong to us: we bel ong to t he Ear t h.” –Mar lee Matlin
“We won’t ha ve a societ y i f we dest roy t he environment.” –Margaret Mead
“Conser vation is a state of harmony bet ween men and land.” –Aldo Leopold
“Tr y to l ea ve t he Ear t h a bet ter place t han w hen you ar ri ved.” –Sidney Sheldon
“Ever y drop in t he ocean counts.” –Yoko Ono
“T he onl y wa y for ward, i f we are going to improve t he quali t y of t he environment, is to get ever y bod y invol ved.” –Richard Rogers
“Climate c hange is a ter ribl e probl em, and i t absolutel y needs to be sol ved. I t deser ves to be a huge priori t y.” –Bill Gates
“I f you t hink t he economy is more impor tant t han t he environment, t r y hol ding your b reat h w hil e counting your money.” –Yoko Ono
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CONTENTS Colour Me Beautiful
Moments 01
10
Fun Facts 04
Nature’s Rainbows
4EXL¿RHIV 06
History and Heritage Eco’s Not New!
Animal Magnetism Creatures That Clean
14
Roving Reporter Series 08 Thinking Caps 38
16 Move That Body 42
Science Seeker The Power Around Us!
22
Brain Freeze 50
Attention Grabber 52
Stranger Than Fiction Nature Knows Best
30
Wiki Junior 60
For Art’s Sake! 62
Sports Zone Sustainable Sport
46 Junior Kitchen 63
Health and Wellness Why Go Organic?
For Mum and Dad A Nurturing Nature
48
58
Laugh Out Loud 64
On the cover: The fate of our spaceship Ear th is in your hands!
Chai rman Lim Geok Khoon
Editor’s Note
ASIA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Hey Kids! Pu blis her/Editoria l Di rector
Joh n Thet | thet@asiangeo.com
If you really think about it, the planet we live on is like a spaceship, keeping us alive while we whizz through space!
E DITORI AL Editor
Alice Grainger | alice@asiangeo.com
And to produce ever ything we need to keep us alive, this spaceship has to be alive itself. This is one reason she is known as Mother Ear th. But, in just a ver y shor t time, we have caused some huge changes in Mother Ear th’s system. We have been cutting down the trees, which are her lungs, and have been poisoning the water, which is like her blood. We have been digging things up, making other things, and then throwing them away - but we’ve forgotten that there is no “away”! It’s a spaceship remember? So all of our rubbish and waste has been building up and making it harder and harder for our spaceship to do what it needs to do to keep us all alive… But don’t worr y, we already know what we need to do better. In fact, most of the answers are right there in front of us – like all good mothers do, Mother Ear th herself has not only given us ever ything we need, but is also showing us the way to design things in more clever ways that will help keep ever ything alive and thriving! Aren’t mothers wonder ful? Your editor, Alice
Editoria l I ntern
Claire Wee | claire@asiangeo.com Associate Editor
Ian Seld rup | ian@asiangeo.com MARKETI NG/ADVERTI S I NG/EVENTS Advertising/Ma rketing Manager
Cassand ra Ann Dragon | cassandra@asiangeo.com Events & Ma rketing Manager
Ka rter Lee | kar ter@asiangeo.com Ma rketing Manager
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Leona rd Chen | leonard@asiangeo.com DES I GN Graphic Designer
S hel len Teh | shellen@asiangeo.com Web/IT Of ficer
Heriawan | heriawan@asiangeo.com CI RCULATION/DI STRI BUTION Senior Ci rculations / Distri bution Manager
Victor Ow | victor@asiangeo.com Ma rketing/Ci rculation Regiona l Manager
Lauren Ha rris | lauren@asiangeo.com
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Fun Facts
By being vegetarian for one month, you will save 17 animal lives and prevent 60 kg of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
The sun’s energy that falls on the planet ever y hour is equivalent to the amount of energy used by the entire human population in one year.
I
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By being a vegetarian for a year, you will save 202 animal lives, preventing 729 kg of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
GGOING GREEN!
Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle t he eart h four times.
In the past 30 years, Asia lost half of its forest cover.
In 1990, the first solar-powered plane flew hundreds of kilometres across the USA.
The avera erage person consum mes 7,000 animals in his or her lifetime.
In the past 50 years, humans have consumed more resources t han in all t r y. pre ious
Ever y year teams of people in Australia build their own solarpowered vehicles and travel from the nor th to the south of the countr y. It is called the World Solar Challenge.
Subsccribe to ASIAN Geographic or Geographic JUNIOR, and get this special SG50 collector’s edition of ASIAN Geographic as a FREE bonus copy! Visit www.asiangeo.com to subscribe!
Pathfinder
PINYASAN FESTIVAL (PINEAPPLE FESTIVAL)
June 15 - 24
Philippines Image © Teeraphon Phooma/123r f.com
This festival originated as a publicity stunt by the district of ficials to promote the Formosa as the countr y’s sweetest variety of pineapple. Ever y year, there are float competitions, dancing and fireworks, all in honour of this sweet and spiky fruit. The festival involves all kinds of activities, from pineapple peeling contests to the Pinyasan Street Dancing contest.
LAURA ABORIGINAL DANCE FESTIVAL
June 19 - 21
Australia
GION MATSURI
Image © bolina/123r f.com
This biennial gathering is a cultural festival in which Aboriginal culture is celebrated and commemorated. More than 20 Aboriginal communities travel to Cape York Peninsula in Queensland for the festival, making it a rich and culturally diverse event. Highlights are the dance per formances from the dif ferent Aboriginal communities, but there are other activities, such as stor ytelling and singing. Over 5,000 people travel from all over Australia and from around the world to witness this spectacular event.
July 1 - 31
Ima a
es
Kyoto, Japan
GOING GREEN!
Star ting in 970 AD, the Gion Festival was originally a ritual to appease the gods and goddesses af ter a deadly plague hit the distric t. Since then, it has evolved into an annual event, with 32 floats representing each of Kyoto’s neighbouring areas. The magnificent t wo-storey floats can weigh up to 1,500 kg. The floats are carefully designed and pulled by men in traditional costumes. The month of festivities, which peaks on July 17 and 24, follows the life of the floats, from their construc tion to their dismantling.
NAADAM FESTIVAL
July 6 - 13
Mongolia
Image © Miao Long/123r f.com
The biggest festival in Mongolia, Naadam is celebrates the Mongolian culture of hunting and horsemanship. Loads of activities provide a colour ful backdrop for the showcasing of three spor ts – archer y, horse racing and wrestling. More than one thousand men take par t in the wrestling event, and are awarded dif ferent titles, with the winner crowned “The Titan”. The horse racing sees horses ridden over courses from 15 to 30 kilometres long, by children between five and 15 years old. Teams of archers compete, firing arrows at targets 75 metres away. People dress in traditional costumes and spend the festival singing, dancing, and telling ancient Mongol tales.
SINGAPORE FOOD FESTIVAL
Mid to End July
Singapore An annual showcase of the fantastic diversity of food found in Singapore. From humble hawker food, to delectable restaurant dishes, the festival pays homage to the food of this nation; of Singapore’s proudest characteristics, the result of the cultural melting pot of races that call this island home.
BALI KITE FESTIVAL
Late July
n v/ F dor e
Whole villages compete against each other in this annual festival! The entire village is involved in the construction of the kites, which typically measure 10 metres long and take 20 men to lift of f the ground! The competition originates from a tradition in which locals would use kites to pass messages to the gods above. The Bali Kite Festival attracts over 10,000 spectators, and over 1,200 kites!
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Indonesia
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IT CAN START WITH YOU! By Stephanie Adams
The environment, what does it mean to you? For me, the environment isn’t just the plants and animals around me, but it’s also the people surrounding me. One way to look after your environment is to look after ever yone in it, help your parents around the house or help a little sibling with their homework – being nice will make our environment a positive one to be in. On the other hand, the environment is seen by most as Nature. I currently live in England and here there is a major problem with littering. Even with anti-littering laws and penalties such as fines, people still do it! I know that in Singapore littering isn’t a problem because of strict law enforcement and I think that is the best thing to preser ve our natural environment.
GOING GREEN! G
CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE! My school has a programme that is tr ying to help fix this problem, by teaching children about caring for the environment. The programme is called “Eco Bugs” and is sponsored by the Big Lotter y Funding. The programme was created in 2005 when four Year 11 (15–16 year old) girls decided to make a dif ference. Eco Bugs now have more than 250 students who are split into eight dif ferent groups: Energy Group, Garden Group, Litter Group, Pond Group, Transpor t Group, Recycling Group, Wildlife Group and Community Rangers. Eco Bugs is only for Year 7 students (11 year olds). Eco Bugs look after our pond, memorial garden area, and help with the recycling and litter pick.
The Eco Bugs programme also has a series of seasonal cooker y workshops on the weekend and ever ything is made from the produce that is grown in the Eco Bugs garden at school. Four years ago, when I was in Year 7, I joined Eco Bugs and I had great fun! Even picking up the litter wasn’t bad because I knew I was helping, and I was surrounded by my friends. We moved around from group to group. One week we would help with recycling, the next we were in the garden getting our hands dir ty. In 2011 the Eco Bugs programme was recognised with a Bernard Matthews Youth award in the Environment categor y.
WHY DOES IT MATTER? The environment is a precious, beautiful thing and it costs nothing to appreciate it. Think about this: The world is 46 billion years old. If we scale that down to 46 years, we’ve been here for four hours. Our industrial revolution star ted just one minute ago and already we’ve destroyed 50 percent of the world’s forests! This shows how quickly we are destroying the planet. We need to use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. Recycling isn’t dif ficult: Even if you give away something you don’t use to someone who needs it, that will be recycling and helping someone in need. Look around, this beauty called Nature, we need to protect it.
Do you want to to be an author, poet, journalist or reporter? Well now is your chance to get started! Our next issue is all about the power of the planet – natural phenomena like earthquakes, hurricanes, lightening storms, volcanoes, tidal waves and more! Send us your writing that is related to this theme and we will print the best pieces here. Stephanie Adams is 15 years old and currently lives in England. She has lived in five countries including Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Tunisia. Stephanie loves travelling and has already visited more than 20 countries; she most enjoys learning about new cultures, meeting dif ferent people, and tr ying the new food. Stephanie plans to become a journalist and travel around the world, and to help people who are less for tunate than herself.
We are interested in everything from poems and short stories, to firsthand accounts and news stories. Don’t delay! We want to hear from you today! Send your writing to alice@asiangeo.com
NATURE’S RAINBOWS There are a whole load of vibrant colours hiding in the leaves and roots, bark and seeds of plants all around the world, and people have been using them as dyes for centuries! While modern colours are made from toxic chemicals, natural ones are much kinder to the environment. All kinds of plants, fruits and flowers can be used as dyes, from beetroots to carrots, mint to chamomile. Here are some of the plants that have been making a big, colourful splash in cultures around the world for a very long time!
GGOING GREEN!
RED INDI AN MADDER Rubia tinctorum The roots of this pretty t little littl t flowering fl i plant l t have been used around the world since ancient times to make a striking red dye. A piece of cotton dyed with madder was found in India and dates to 3,000 BC, and linens dyed with madder were also discovered in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun! People have used madder for centuries to colour leather, wood, silk, wool and cotton. The colour was extrac ted using a complicated process involving all sor ts of ingredients, including sheep dung and calf blood! The most refined colours come from the innermost par ts of the roots, and for a while, madder was the most soughtterr r d u n e rl
SA PPANWOOD Caesalpinia sappan Boiling the branches of r brazilwood, tree makes an eye-catching red dye, called brazilin, that was ver y popular in the Middle Ages. It was used to dye all kinds of textiles, from batik to cotton, and was ver y dif ficult to obtain in some places. So why was the dye called “brazilin”? Well, the colour looks like glowing red embers, and glowing coals are called “brase” in Spanish, and “braise” in French. So the tree also came to be known as
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i
HENNA Lawsonia inermis This is one natural dye that most pe are already ver y familiar with. Henna rich orange, reddish brown colour tha commonly used in India, Pakistan and Middle East, for colouring and condit hair, and for creating beautiful des the skin. It is thought that people ha using henna for over 5,000 years! Henna leaves are crushed into and mixed with liquids such as water lemon juice before the colour is app the hands and feet, lef t on for a while then washed of f, staining the wearer intricate patterns that can last any w from 10 days to t wo weeks. Henna is more than just a body decoration for special occasions. It medicinal purposes, and can be used treat sores and skin diseases.
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YELLOW TURMERI C Curcuma longa The turmeric root is a power ful spice with incredible medicinal proper ties. It also happens to make a ver y popular natural yellow dye, used a lot in India. The dried roots are ground up into a powder and can then be used in cooking or for dyeing cloth. Traditionally Buddhist monks dye their robes with turmeric, as its yellow colour is associated with the sun, an impor tant religious symbol. Tumeric is also a ver y good substitute for the more expensive dye, saf fron…
SAFFRON Crocus sativus Used for over 3,500 years, saf fron is now one of the most expensive spices in the world by weight. Saf fron is used in cooking, as a per fume, in medicine and as a bright yellow dye. Saf fron consists of the central par ts of the saf fron crocus flower, the par t that the flower would use to reproduce, except that the saf fron crocus is sterile; it can only reproduce with human help, and so is not found any where in the wild. It is grown mainly in Iran and India, Spain and Greece. Only the purest white silks and linens were suitable for dyeing with saf fron and so the colour came to be used to symbolise status. Chinese Emperors used to have their robes dyed with saf fron, as did the daughters of royalty in Europe. Saf fron-dyed bandages have even been found on mummies in ancient Egypt.
FU N F A C T S Have a look at the Latin names for these planets. Do you notice that some of them have the sound “tinct” in them? The word “tinctura” in Latin means to dye or colour, and so these plants were names for their colour ful proper ties! It’s also where we get the word “tint”, which means a hint of colour.
GOING GREEN!
FFore Fo ore or o rre esstt & K Kim im m Sta S rr/W St rr/W /W Wik ikim iiki kim kki iim med ed dia Co dia Com C om o mm mons mon mo ons on o nss n
GREEN MULGA Acacia aneura With edible sap and flowers, and incredibly hard wood, Mulga has been used for all sor ts of things by Aboriginal people in Australia for thousands of years. The little flowers are also used to make a yellow dye, while a rich green colour can be made from the seed pods!
LILY OF THE VALLEY Convallaria majalis Don’t be fooled by the pretty-sounding name of this flower! This sweet-smelling plant is highly poisonous if you eat it. But boiling the leaves of this lovely lily produces a green dye, though the lef t-over water needs to be disposed of ver y carefully as it is naturally toxic. Eating this plant, or drinking water that it has been sitting in, can slow your hear t and cause serious vomiting.
INDIGO Indigofera tinctoria Another ancient one, indigo has been used for centuries. Evidence of indigo has been found with Egyptian mummies from 2,400 BC, and today the synthetic version is used to give your blue jeans their colour! Natural indigo was made from the leaves of the indigo plant, and was the oldest colour used in traditional Indonesian batik cloth. Indigo got its name from the Greeks, who called it “indikon” meaning “from India”. Surprisingly, indigo is a par t of the bean family!
TADE AI PLANT Persicaria tinctoria Crushing the leaves of this plant produces a dark blue dye. It was largely used in ancient Japan to dye fabrics such as cotton and silk. In the 15th centur y, the ruling cour t in Okinawa, Japan, demanded blue-dyed fabric as tax from the people. Commoners were not allowed to dye any of their garments this colour, as it was considered a colour fit only for royalty.
Udo d Schr S öter Sch ö /Wik öte /Wikimed /W me ia a Comm ommo mm m nss
Pall Pal P Pa allad al a adia a d n/ n/Wi n/W n //Wi /W Wiikim W kkime ime me edi dia d ia a Com Comm Co omm mm m mo ons on nss n
BLUE
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Stilt houses, commonly found in coastal regions of Southeast Asia, are built with the environment in mind. They are completely elevated, raised of f the ground on long poles. With no foundations, the ground does not need to be cleared of vegetation, or dug out, to build them and so they have minimal impac t on the land, letting the natural plants and local animals thrive beneath them. These kinds of buildings also aren’t af fec ted by, and don’t inter fere with, the tides, or any animals using the coast. Elevated in the air, homes on stilts also benefit from the natural movement of air, circulating around them, and helping to keep them cool. It is also thought that traditional stilt homes built of bamboo are safer in ear thquakes, as their struc tures are flexible and, even if they do collapse, they are built with light materials that don’t cause a huge amount of damage.
Our ancestors knew how to build smar t! T hey used t he power of Nature to keep t heir homes warm in t he winter and cool in t he summer, and some of t heir designs and materials are even being used by t he people today w ho are leading t he way to a more sustainable world.
Mud houses are incredibly energy-ef ficient. Mud is a fantastic insulator, so it helps keep houses warm when it’s cold outside, and cool when outside the temperature is rising. Making mud bricks requires only one percent of the energy used in normal bricks! The first construc tion of mud houses dates back 13,000 years! But these kinds of buildings are still used around the world, from southwest Asia to Nor th Africa and the Middle East. Mud is also becoming quite trendy. People in more af fluent places who are looking for ways to reduce their impac t on the environment are building beautiful houses out of something called “cob”, which is mud mixed with straw. Cheap to build and requiring less energy to heat or cool, it really does look like mud is making a comeback.
History & Heritage
GOING GREEN!
Yur ts are mobile homes that have been used in Central Asia for thousands of years and are still used today. In Mongolia, they are known as “gers”. They are made of animal skin and wood, and can be dismantled easily when it is time for their inhabitants to move on, leaving little or no trace that there was ever a struc ture there. These beautiful dwellings are circular struc tures, built around wooden frames that are covered with three or four layers of woolen felt and an outer layer of waterproof canvas. They are ver y strong and can stand withstand strong winds. Traditional yur ts can be kept ver y warm in the winter when temperatures drop below minus 30 degrees centigrade, and can be kept cool and breezy in the summer when the temperatures are rising.
In the right landscape, these might just be one of the smar test ways to build a house. The word “yaodong” literally means “house-cave”. And you can see why. Yaodongs are human sized “burrows”! Traditionally farmers’ houses, originally yaodongs were built underground, either by car ving shallow caves into the sides of clif fs or hills, or by digging down into the ground, to create a cour tyard, and then digging into the walls of the cour tyard to create the houses. Yaodongs are fully insulated by the ground, and are some of the most energy ef ficient houses that it is possible to build and live in. They stay lovely and cool in the summer, and ver y cozy and warm in the winter. They also don’t require much in the way of building materials, and people don’t need to clear or sacrifice much land or cut down any trees to make space for them. Archaeologists have traced the origins of the yaodong back as far as 18,000 years to the Stone Age, when people used wooden frames to stabilise natural ear th caves to use as houses. It is estimated that more than 40 million people still live in yaodongs in China today. Modern architec ts all over the world are now building incredible, modern, and highly energy ef ficient homes using yaodong principles, for people who want to live comfor table but more sustainable lives.
Animal Magnetism
CREATURES THAT
clean Considering t hat t he planet is home to nearl y nine million living species, it’s amazing t hat t he world isn’t more of a mess! And t hat’s because some animals have evol ved to essentiall y “clean up” af ter t he ot hers, feeding on waste and parasites, and making sure t hat t he environments t hey call home, and t he ot her animals t hat inhabit t hem, stay clean and heal t hy!
GOING GREEN!
DUNG BEETLE Distribution: All parts of t he world, except Antarctica Yes, these beetles really do eat dung! Specifically the solid waste from large animals like cows and elephants! Dung beetles will also live in the dung and lay their eggs in it. They prefer the dung of herbivores, animals that only feed on plants. While this may seem a bit disgusting to you, the dung beetle is incredibly valuable. It makes sure that vital nutrients, nitrogen and carbon, return to the soil. If dung is allowed to dr y out on the sur face, 80 percent of its nutrients are lost to the atmosphere, which is bad news for the plants and animals that depend on these precious substances. There are three kinds of dung beetle: rollers (yep, they roll their dung into balls), tunnellers (who bur y their prizes), and burrowers (who just live in the dung pile, wherever they find it). A dung beetle can also move dung that’s many times its own weight. One dung beetle was recorded moving a dung ball 1,141 times its own body weight – that’s equivalent to a person weighing 70 kilograms shifting a load of 80,000 kilograms! Dung beetles are also the only animals known to navigate using the Milky Way. They can be seen standing on top of their pile of dung, figuring out their location with the help of the stars…
VULTURES Distribution: Ever y continent except Antarctica and Australia, typicall y in dr y areas, like savannahs and grasslands The name “vulture” is given to 16 species of scavenging birds of prey. Vultures are often seen as ominous symbols, known to circle animals that are about to die. Vultures are scavengers, which means that they feed on decaying animals and plants, and so their function is a vital one–like the hyena, they keep the world clean by removing dead and rotting bodies. Researchers have discovered that the large intestine of the vulture contains extremely strong acid. This acid helps to break down the bacteria in their rotting food without making them sick. Most vultures have bald heads, so that bacteria from their food doesn’t burrow into their feathers and cause infections. Vultures have a superb sense of sight and smell, and can detect a dead carcass from 1.6 kilometres away!
STRIPED HYENAS Scientific Name: Hyaena hyaena Distribution: China, India, and t he Middle East As scavengers, the striped hyena will eat any dead animal or rotting fruit that it finds, but they are also hunters. Scavengers play an impor tant role in ecosystems by keeping them free of dead and rotting carcasses, breaking down this organic matter to return it to the system as nutrients, through their faeces. Even though the hyena looks and behaves more like a dog, it is more closely related to the cat family. When it feels excited or threatened, the striped hyena will raise the hair on its back, to create the illusion that they are much bigger than they really are. This is a useful strategy for defending themselves or their food from bigger animals such as lions.
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EARTHWORM Scientific Name: Oligochaeta Distribution: Global, found in soil, logs, river banks and along coasts You’ll hardly ever see these wiggly worms unless there’s a heavy thunderstorm, when they come out to move overland. Ear thworms breathe through their skin, which must be wet for them to do so, which is why they don’t make topside journeys when it’s dr y outside. Ear thworms play an extremely impor tant role keeping soil healthy. As they burrow through it, they create paths for air and water to flow though. This is extremely impor tant for plants. Ear thworms also eat the soil swallowing all the debris in it, which they digest and then expel as fer tiliser. Studies have also shown that they can clean up polluted soils, removing toxic metals and other contaminants! Considering that one of these worms can eat as mu t ts body t ver y day, these re eroes !
GGOING GREEN!
BARNACLES Scientific Name: Cirripedia Distribution: Coasts all over t he world The humble barnacle is related to animals like crabs and lobsters. All 1,220 barnacle sub-species are “filter-feeders�, which means that they get their nourishment by filtering the water for tiny par ticles. In the process they remove impurities and elements, which, if left to build up, would make the water dir ty. They basically clean the oceans. Barnacles don’t move around; they grow their shells directly on the hard sur faces they settle on. They usually live in big groups to increase the probability of some sur viving if a creature with a taste for barnacles were to show up. Predators of the barnacle are sea snails, mussels and cer tain species of star fish.
OY Scientific Name: Ostreidae Distribution: All oceans in t he world Oysters have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. However, besides being a source of food, oysters play an impor tant role in the environment. Oysters feed on phytoplankton, filtering them from the water. While feeding, oysters also filter things like excess nitrogen from the water. Nitrogen is a chemical found in most fer tilisers, and can be highly polluting in large quantities. Each oyster can live for around 20 years, and during its lifetime, can filter more than a million litres of water. Imagine what a whole bed of oysters can do! The next time you eat an oyster, do spare a thought for its contribution to the marine environment.
PACIFIC CLEANER SHRIMPS Scientific Name: Lysmata amboinensis Distribution: Indo-Pacific Ocean This compact crustacean, much like the cleaner wrasse, feeds on the parasites and dead tissue on other marine animals! They grow up to six centimetres in length and are coloured a striking red and white. These colours act as a signal to other creatures that the shrimp will clean them. The cleaner shrimp sets up a “cleaning station”, which attracts animals to its free spa. The shrimp will even venture into the mouth and gills of much larger animals like the moray eel. The Pacific cleaner shrimp is born as a male, but after a while, will function as both male and female!
SEA SPONGES Scientific Name: Porifera Distribution: In oceans all around t he world Sea sponges are animals, although they do not look or behave like most animals we find on land. There are over 5,000 species of sea sponge in the world. They are bright and colour ful, and most look ver y dif ferent from one another – some are “encrusting” and cover the rocks like a carpet, others look like big barrels, and others like trumpets. Their bodies are full of pores and channels that let water circulate through them, much like the sponges that you find in your kitchen or bathroom. Sponges live in ever y ocean of the world, and feed by absorbing tiny par ticles from the water flowing through them, getting the nutrients they need, and expelling the rest in a form that provides valuable nutrients for other sea creatures. Sponges can filter out as much as 90 percent of the bacteria in the water that passes through them. They are also ver y good at removing carbon from the environment, which is ver y impor tant for managing climate change. In a single day, one sponge can clean a volume of water 10,000 times its size!
GOING GREEN!
CLEANER WRASSE tific Name: Labroides dimidiatus bution: Found on tropical coral reefs Eastern Af rica and t he Red Sea to h Pol ynesia The cleaner wrasse is like a cross bet ween a beautician, a dermatologist (a skin doctor) and a vacuum cleaner. These little creatures have found the per fect niche, nibbling away dead skin and parasites from other fish! Wherever they make their home will be considered a “cleaning station”, to which other fish will come and line up to get regular treatments that keep them healthy. All kinds of creatures use the cleaner wrasse’s ser vices, from sharks and manta rays, to moray eels, and angelfish! Cleaner wrasse are never preyed upon by the bigger fish, as the ser vice they provide is recognised as being absolutely essential.
SEA CUCUMBERS Scientific Name: Poriff ra Distribution: In I oceans allll aro ound d t hhe wo orld ld The sea cucumber b is i the th ocean equivalent equivalent off an n ear thworm! They clean the seabed by swallowing g large quantities of sediment, filtering g ou u t the org ganic matter to eat, eat and leaving behind c ean sand d full f ll f broken-down nutrients. They are like living ec li g machines. machines r a hea d be about 2 0 0 sea cu e. But ny of
ttheir p p ons under t reat as they are wro gly considered nsidered to h medicinal proper ties and d are also o in i de demand as a culinar y delicacy. y The Th e sea cucumber has an unusual mode off d ffence. ce When it s s danger, danger it w will eject j its inter organs, confus a d stunning its potential attacker, and allowing the s a c umb r to retreat to safety. y Their organs w illl regenerate aff f weeks k .
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Science Seeker
THERE ARE INCREDIBLE ENERGY SOURCES FOUND IN NATURE, THAT WILL NEVER RUN OUT AND GIVE US CLEAN, GREEN POWER! It is amazing to think that in the last 100 years humans have managed to walk on the moon and send a robot to Mars, and build power ful computers that can fit into our pockets. However, we are creating electricity in a way that is slowly killing life on our planet! Most of our energy comes from the burning of oil, coal, and natural gas. These are known as “fossil fuels” as they were formed millions of years ago, created by layers of dead and buried animals and plants exposed to intense heat and pressure over millions of years. THE CARBON “QUILT” We burn these fuels to create steam that turns turbines that power generators. The problem is that when we burn these fuels, we release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a gas that behaves like a blanket or a greenhouse around the planet, and is causing temperatures to rise, changing the weather and climate, and creating all sor ts of problems for life ever ywhere on Ear th, from the oceans to the poles. What’s more, coal, oil and gas are in limited supply and will eventually run out. But there are so many other better ways! And people have known about them for thousands of years…
GOING GREEN!
REMARKABLE RENEWABLES! Renewable energy sources are those that will never run out, and the most common ones normally use the power that is found in the world around us – in the wind, water, sunlight and even the heat of the Ear th. But how does it work? How do we capture Nature’s power?
THE SUN The Sun is an immense furnace, so big that 960,000 Ear ths could fit inside it. It is like a huge nuclear reactor, generating a mind-boggling amount of light and heat; at its centre, it burns at 15 million degrees centigrade. (And you thought Singapore was hot!) This huge amount of energy can be captured using solar panels. Solar panels are “photovoltaic”. Photovoltaic (or “PV”) is a name for the process by which solar energy is turned into electrical energy. This happens in the silicon cells that are put together to create the solar panels, which react with light to produce an electrical current. This current is conver ted into the kind of electricity we can use in our homes and buildings. And if a building’s own solar panels produce more electricity than the building can use, it can always be channelled back into the power grid.
6,000 BC FOCUS ON THE SUN People have been using the power of the sun for thousands of years, building their homes in clever ways to make use of that big furnace in the sky. Archaeologists know that people in China around 8,000 years ago used to build their houses with the door (the only opening) facing south, so that in the winter, when the sun is low in the sky, the light and warmth would enter their homes. They also used to build overhanging thatched roofs to keep the sun of f their houses in the summer so that they would stay cool. As far back as 400 BC, the ancient Greeks also used mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy to light fires and torches. By 20 AD, there is evidence that the practice had been adopted in China.
LIMITATIONS While solar power is definitely greener than power from fossil fuels, actually making the solar panels produces some really nasty and harmful gasses and waste products. Huge solar plants can also be dangerous for migrating birds, as they reflect huge amounts of heat and light into the sky that can kill birds flying overhead.
If we covered all the roads in the world with solar panels we could generate enough power for ever yone.
FUN FACTS Silicon is made from sand! Enough sunlight falls on the Ear th ever y hour to power all of humanity’s needs for a whole year!
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THE EARTH Beneath your feet is a vast, glowing supply of infinite power! Sounds like science fiction, right? Well, if you dig deep enough, about 40 kilometres down in most places, you will find the Ear th’s “mantle” – a layer of boiling magma that the crust floats on, and it is really ver y hot indeed. It is around 900 degrees centigrade at the top and gets to about 4,000 degrees near the core at the ver y centre of the Ear th. This heat is an incredible source of energy, which we call “geothermal” energy. “Geo” comes from the Greek work for ear th, and “thermal” comes from the Greek word “thermos” meaning heat. The molten mantle means that the water and rocks deep inside the Ear th’s crust are also extremely hot! This boiling water and lava sometimes erupts from the ground as geysers and volcanic eruptions, and in the process produces huge amounts of steam. This steam can be used to turn a turbine (think of the steam shooting out of the spout of a boiling kettle!), which can power a generator, to produce electricity. In some places, water heated by the Ear th can be used to directly heat buildings during cold winters! Hot water also bubbles up from the ground in some places creating hot springs that people have been using for thousands of years.
GGOING GREEN!
In 2011, the Philippines generated around 16 percent of its energy using geothermal plants. In New Zealand, around 13 percent of their energy is comes from geothermal power.
FUN FACTS Geothermal energy was first used to generate electricity in 1904.
8,000 BC HEAT FROM THE EARTH
LIMITATIONS Geothermal energy is restricted to cer tain areas, such as tectonic plate boundaries,, where it is easier to c s .
In some places, hot water that has been heated by this boiling “lava� reaches the sur face and creates hot springs, natural pools of hot water. Since prehistoric times, people have used these hot springs for bathing, for medicinal purposes, and even to heat cities! The Maori people of New Zealand have been using hot water systems for cooking for many hundreds of years, and there is even archaeological evidence that people in Nor th America were using geothermal energy for cooking as far back as 10,000 years ago!
WATER The force of water has helped people power their industries for centuries, but in modern times we’ve taken it one step fur ther and created “hydroelectric” power, combining the force of water with the power of gravity! “Hydro” is Greek for water, and, well, we all know what electric means! A hydroelectric power plant is made up of a dam, a reser voir and an electricity generator. The dam acts as a barrier to block a river, so that water can be stored in the reser voir behind it. Electricity is generated when the dam is opened, and the water rushes down at high speeds, through a turbine in the electricity generator. Hydropower is a significant source of electricity, powering a fifth of the world!
Tidal power is another form of hydroelectric power, using the energy of the tides.
LIMITATIONS When a dam is built, a huge area is flooded to make a lake. This af fects the environment, disrupts movements of animals and can displace a lot of people.
The Three Gorges Dam in China is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, but building it displaced 1.3 million people and flooded over 1,000 archaeological and cultural sites.
FUN FACTS
If there is a drought and the reser voir runs dr y, then the plant can’t generate any power!
GOING GREEN!
Approx. 400 BC GOING WITH THE FLOW Water wheels are considered to be the first technologies that humans developed to make use of natural forces in the place of people power. Water wheels captured the energy of water flowing through rivers and streams with wooden wheel structures, which had all sor ts of functions through the centuries. Water wheels were used in water mills to turn turbines to grind grains, crush metals, and even to pump bellows to heat furnaces. They were also used to irrigate crops. Some of the first evidence of water wheels are found from the third centur y BC in the ruins of ancient Byzantium in modern-day Turkey, although some ancient Indian texts dating from the four th centur y BC describe machines that are ver y likely to be water wheels.
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THE WIND Wind is created when air is is heated by the sun. Warm air rises, causing areas of what we call “low air pressure” – the air has literally taken some pressure of f as it rises up. All processes on Ear th are about creating balance, and so air that is at a higher pressure (i.e., a bit cooler) will move in to “balance” the low pressure area. This movement of air causes the wind. There is a bit more to it, of course, but this is the general idea. Getting power from the wind is quite simple. All it needs is a windmill with sails that are turned by the movement of the air, which turn a turbine that powers a generator. Wind is ever ywhere! And the low cost of building wind turbines means that wind power is one of the fastest-growing kinds of renewable energy in the world.
GOING GREEN!
LIMITATIONS Electricity can only be generated when the wind blows, which may not always be constant. Birds and bats can also be killed when they crash into the blades of the windmill. A large amount of land is required to set up a wind farm.
500 AD HARNESSING THE WIND
New kinds of wind turbine are being invented which have no propellers!
FUN FACTS China is the world‘s largest producer of wind energy and can produce more energy than all the nuclear power plants in the USA.
In ancient Persia, almost 2,000 years ago, people began using wind power to pump water! The evidence is found in a place called Nashtifan in Iran. Reeds were woven into “mats” that were then used as ver tical paddles, arranged like ships’ sails that would spin like a merr y-go-round in the wind, turning a turbine that would pump the water. These clever Persians are also credited with being the first people to use the wind to power their grain mills. However, many claim that windmills were invented in China, and while this may be true, the earliest documentation of a Chinese windmill is from 1219 AD. By the late 1800s, more than 200 years ago, wind was being used around the world to power industries on a large scale.
Groups of wind turbines are called wind farms.
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Stranger Than Fiction
NATURE KNOWS BEST
The natural world has spent nearly four billion years on finding solutions for almost ever y single problem you can imagine, from dealing with dir t, to producing colour, to making hyper-ef ficient flying machines! Humans have now finally cottoned on to these wacky and wonder ful adaptations, and have star ted using Nature’s blueprints to find simple strategies for improving the ways we do things. This process of being inspired by the natural world is call “biomimicr y”. “Bio” means life, and “mimic” means copy; so we are basically copying the way life does things! The kinds of technologies that scientists are developing using biomimicr y are cer tainly stranger than fic tion. And as Nature also does things as ef ficiently as possible, these technologies are also of ten much more sustainable!
LILY PAD PAINT The next time you see a lake or pond, have a look at the lily pads on the sur face of the water. Under a microscope, the leaves of the lily pad are extremely rough, just like sand paper. This texture lets it to repel water and any kind of dir t. Water that flows onto the lily pad’s sur face forms little droplets that collec t any dir t or par ticles and then just roll of f, leaving behind a clean leaf. Researchers have used this as inspiration to make paint that also repels dir t that can be used to keep sur faces clean without being washed!
GOING GREEN!
SEED ZIPPERS The most common “biomimetic” technology is one you probably use all the time! Velcro was invented in 1948 by a man called George de Mestral, who noticed all the burrs sticking to his clothes af ter coming back from a walk with his dog. Burrs are plant seeds that are covered in hundreds of tiny hooks. These hooks enable the seeds to cling to animal fur, meaning that they can be dispersed over a large area, which helps the plant spread and helps its population grow. George de Mestral copied the burrs’ tiny hooks using nylon, creating the famous “zipperless zipper”, or Velcro.
BUTTERFLY COLOURS
The wings of morpho butter flies are vibrant, bright, iridescent blue. But they don’t get their shimmering colour from any pigments in their scales, they get it from the shape of the scales themselves! Butter flies need colours to make them camouflaged, to regulate their body temperatures, and for communication. These tiny scales on the wings of the beautiful morpho butter flies are shaped and arranged so that they reflec t and scatter light in
such a way that their wings appear to be blue. This means that the butter fly can use more of its energy for flying and other things, rather than on making coloured pigment. Scientists are now looking at these tiny scales, and using them to make dyes that are less toxic than the ones we now produce, and for screens for elec tronic devices like tablets and smar t phones.
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03
on on a e ot/ t/ i me ed diia
SEAWEED ANTIBIOTICS Seaweed is amazing for all sor ts of reasons. It’s a healthy food, can be used as a fer tiliserr,, and is home to thousands of species of animall and plants in the ocean. But one par ticular species of red seaweed d is also showing us how Nature deals with potential infec tions. Delisea pulchra is a seaweed that makes chemicals called furanones that stop bac teria om reproducing, not by killing them, but by inter r g with their communication! Using too many of he e kinds of antibiotics we use at the moment (the e kinds that kill of f bac teria) is causing bac teria to evolve to be resistant to drugs, and is mak n some diseases hard, if not impossible, to trea . Scientists are now tr ying to make antibiotics t h mimic these furanones, which would let us tre att infec tions safely and sustainably.
TERMITE BUILDINGS Termites are found in deser ts in places like Australia, and are famous for their ability to create large mounds, or dens, rising high above the surrounding land. The termites build these mounds in a way that allows air to circulate through them, which lets them maintain a constant, comfor table temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius, even when the temperatures outside can be as high as 40 or as low as one degree!
GGOING GREEN!
This ability to maintain a constant temperature is called thermoregulation. In Zimbabwe, an of fice building and shopping centre, the Eastgate Centre, has been designed using termite mounds as inspiration. Temperatures inside the building stay constantly comfor table and the building uses only 10 percent of the energy needed by other, more conventional buildings of its kind!
SHARKSKIN SWIMSUITS
Swimsuits that used technology inspired by sharks were so good at making swimmers go faster that they were banned in competitive swimming! Under the microscope, sharks have skin that is covered in tiny overlapping scales, called “denticles” (a word that basically means “little skin teeth”). These denticles have tiny grooves on them that make water flow ver y smoothly over their sur face. This makes sharks ver y ef ficient swimmers. Scientists managed to copy these denticles and used them to make swimsuits that helped make swimmers so streamlined they were breaking all the records! But even more usefully, this same technology is now being applied to the bottom of boats, allowing them to glide through the water more easily and therefore use less fuel. Another ef fec t of this teeny “skin teeth” technology is a sur face that stops bac teria from growing on it, which is incredibly useful in hospitals, helping to keep them cleaner and preventing the grow th of “super bugs”. 015
WHALE TURBINES S
N SOL
VI N
Humpback whales are massive! They can grow up to 16 metres long and weigh around 36,000 kilograms. But despite their huge size, they still move gracefully through the water and can make tight turns when hunting schools of fish. Scientists suspec ted that this agility was a result of the strange-looking bumps on their flippers, which are called “tubercles”. These tubercles channel the water over the whales’ flippers in such a way that it lets them “grip” it while they manoeuvre. Researchers have now found out that by adding these lumps and bumps to the blades of wind turbines, they became nearly 40 percent
G
O PR • • • • • •
•
•
GGOING GREEN!
more ef ficient! They have also experimented with adding tubercles to aircraf t wings, and have found that the decreased drag means that the planes use less fuel. The reason behind the success of these tubercles is the way they channel air through the spaces bet ween them, creating little vor tices that control how the water (or air) moves across the blades as they cut through it. From the deepest oceans, Nature has now inspired improvements in the air!
F R M S: B LE
Nature runs on sunlight Nature uses onl y t he energy it needs Nature designs its forms around t heir function Nature rec ycles ever y t hing Nature rewards cooperation Nature does best w hen it’s as diverse as possible - Nature uses w hat is has on hand Nature never produces more t han it needs, and if does, it makes use of t he ext ra Nature uses limits as oppor tunities
So, it looks like the best way to solve any problem is to ask yourself, what would Nature do? It does have billions of years of experience, after all.
Organised by
APRIL 15–17, 2016 Sunte ec, Sing gapore e The design of the ADEX logo has been seeing changes every year. This is a reflection of the chosen marine species supported in various ways by ADEX each year. In 2016, we will honour the se eah horrse Hipp pocam mpus ku uda, listed as “Vulnerable” based on a suspected population decline of at least 30%, caused by targeted catch, incidental capture and habitat degradation. Indirect evidence suggests that declines are continuing.
w w w.adexx.asiia
VOTE FOR ADEX 2017 (Iconic Marine Life) While the original logo featured the silhouette of the manta ray, this year’s ADEX logo depicts the dolphin, the marine organism that is celebrated in 2015.
Go to www.adex.asia to vote for the 2017 ADEX dedicated species Blue Whale Humphead (Napoleon) Wrasse Tuna
Media Publishers Association Singapore
CONFERENCE/EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR–ADEX 2014 (Winner)
at the
Deep sea diving and dolphins at ADEX Singapore 2015! Celebrating the sea doesn’t have to be done under water! Ever y year Singapore hosts the Asia Dive E xpo, which is a huge show where three days are dedicated to ever y thing about the ocean – exploring it, protec ting it, and taking beautiful pic tures and videos of it. It’s not only for adults, either. Ever y year, kids of all ages get involved too!
Getting WET! A whole load of children took their ver y first breaths under water this year! Closely super vised by experienced professionals, they were shown how to use the gear and were taken for their first ever scuba dive. Others tried out under water hockey, the fastpaced under water spor t that tests your limits, as you have to score goals while holding your breath.
ASIA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Art for Dolphins Creative kids got their fingers colour ful and dir ty, with famous ar tists AG Saño and Anne Adijuwono, who proved that finger painting isn’t only for babies! Enticing budding ar tists with an enchanted under water scene, the colouring competition had children put their own stamp on a whimsical image in an ef for t to win some fantastic prizes.
Brain Box! Kids and grown-ups alike had their brains bamboozled and their minds meddled with. The Kids’ Zone of fered a chance to whip the grey matter into shape with memor y and maths puzzles and 3D games that challenged players’ logic and reasoning. In total nearly 700 children and their families came out to play in celebration of the sea and in honour of the oceans’ friendliest inhabitant, the loveable dolphin!
colouring fun!
Kayla Ai, 10+ years old
ld
Thinking Caps
MEAT’S NOT GREEN AND WE’RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT ITS COLOUR… Did you know that the industr y that gets your meat on your plate is responsible for more of the climate changing emissions than all the cars, planes, trains, ships – basically for all forms of transpor t PUT TOGETHER! Today, people are eating more than t wice the number of animals than we were eating 30 years ago. In total, livestock farming is considered to be one of the three major factors causing climate change, and one of the largest contributors to environmental destruction.
A SERIOUS SYSTEM
Clearing space (and trees) for them to live on Energy needed to cook them
Energy to transpor t them to where they will be killed, and then to where they will be butchered, and THEN to where they will be eaten GOING GREEN!
But how can this be? Well, when you think about the whole system it star ts to make sense. A lot of energy is needed to raise animals for food. Think about this, farming animals means:
Growing food to feed them
Pumping water for them to drink
The energy needed to keep the meat fresh so that it doesn’t rott on the way
Dealing with their waste (that’s a lot of poo!) including methane (yup – animal far ts, a big contributor to greenhouse gasses)
Some people say that cutting down on the amount of meat you eat could be one of the most impor tant things you ever do for the environment.
EATING GREEN
CHECK OUT SOME OF THESE STATISTICS THAT SHOW THE IMPACT OF THE MEAT ON YOUR PLATE: FOUR HAMBURGERS 2,000 LITRES
30%
=
VS
=
1 KG MEAT 15,000 LITRES
ONE YEAR OF SHOWERS
=
1 KG SOYBEANS
Raising livestock uses 30% of the Ear th’s landmass!
A kilo of protein from soybeans uses up to 2,000 LITRES of water, but a kilo of protein from beef can use up to 15,000 LITRES!
VS
18% FEEDS
FEEDS
GREENHOUSE GAS
20%
22 PEOPLE
Livestock farming is responsible for nearly
18% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
1 YEAR
SAVE = 200 X + 700 KG C02
It takes around 66 SHOWERS wor th of water to produce one kilo of chicken, 92 SHOWERS for a kilo of pork, and more than 237 SHOWERS for a kilo of beef!
1 PERSON
2.5 ACRES OF LAND can feed 22 PEOPLE if the land is used to grow cabbages or potatoes, but only ONE PERSON if it is being used to produce beef or eggs!
500% MORE
AMAZON RAINFOREST
Nearly 80% of the land that has been cleared in the Amazon Rainforest is used to farm cattle.
30% LOWER
VS VEGETARIAN
If you went vegetarian for one year, you would save around 200 ANIMALS, and more than 700 KG of carbon dioxide.
80%
In the developed world, meat eaters are, on average, responsible for using 500% more water than vegetarians as a result of the food they eat.
MEAT EATER
The environmental “footprint” of a vegetarian diet is at least 30% lower than that of a meat eater!
NOT ALL MEAT IS CREATED EQUAL But it’s not really all that simple, either. You’ve got to remember that in developed countries animals are raised to put on as much meat as possible in the shor test time. But in poorer regions, especially in dr y areas, cattle and sheep are often an impor tant par t of the culture and can be the only
source of food and income for many millions of people. They are also necessar y for fer tilising the soil. In fact, the way people in places like Africa raise and eat their animals could teach the rest of the world about more environmentally friendly ways to eat meat.
It has been calculated that the world could feed t wice the number of people than it does already, if we just fed the grains that are used to feed farmed animals, to people instead.
FUN FACTS
THESE FARTS AREN’T FUNNY! On average, one cow releases bet ween 70 and 120 kg of methane gas ever y year. Methane is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide (CO2). But the ef fect of methane on the climate and global warming is 23 times higher than the ef fect of carbon dioxide! This means that if a cow is releasing 100 kg methane ever y year, that’s the same as about ,300 kg of carbon dioxide. And that’s the same mount as is released by burning 1,000 litres of etrol, or like driving fur ther than from Singapore to London!
GOING GREEN!
A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
So it makes sense that, if we want to help protect the natural world, we should star t cutting down on the amount of meat we eat. Thankfully, it is possible to get all the nutrients we need from a mostly plant-based diet. By eating plenty of nuts, seeds, beans and vegetables, we can eat green and stay healthy, while cutting down on the environmental impact of our food.
BY JUST GOING VEGETARIAN FOR ONLY ONE DAY A WEEK, IN A YEAR, YOU WILL SAVE AROUND:
315,000 LITRES OF WATER
713 SQUARE METRES OF RAIN FOREST
112 KG OF GRAIN
60 LITRES OF PETROL
GREENS ARE GOOD FOR YOU! Another benefit of eating more vegetarian food is that you will be eating more vegetables. Your parents might have been tr ying to get you to do this for years, telling you that veggies are good for you. Well, sorr y folks, but they are right! Huge numbers of scientific studies have shown that vegetarians are healthier (they suf fer less from diseases like diabetes, cancer, hear t problems, and obesity) and generally live longer then meat eaters. So, better for you and better for the planet time to think about eating green!
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Move That Body
Biking is BETTER! A BIKE IS NOT ONLY A TICKET TO FREEDOM, BUT IT’S ALSO CLEAN, GREEN TRANSPORT THAT WILL GET YOU FIT Using their ver y own pedal power, people have cycled across continents. More than a billion bicycles have been produced, and in many places, including India and China, bicycles are peoples’ primar y form of transpor t. What’s more, cycling will get you from A to B without producing all the fumes and greenhouse gases that cars, buses and trains release into the atmosphere. Making a bicycle only uses five percent of the energy it takes to make a car, and 20 bicycles can be parked in the space that one car takes up. But cycling is not only good for the planet. It’s really good for you too!
G OING GREEN!
1 2
I t boosts your energy levels! The more you exercise, the more energy you will have! Even if you’re feeling tired, you can get an instant energy boost from a shor t bike ride.
I t burns fat.
3 BENEFITS OF BIKING
It makes you happy. Doing exercise like cycling releases all kinds of “feel good” chemicals in the brain that will boost your mood and make you feel more positive.
11
7 I t will get you hooked – but in a really good way! The more you exercise, the more you’ll want to; it’s all about those “feel good” chemicals again!
4 I t saves you money, with no more bus or train fares, or petrol for the car!
You’ll be sick less of ten. Moderate exercise boosts your immune system – the par t of your body that fights of f illness.
Cycling works your major muscle groups, from your core to your legs and bum, burning lots of energy and keeping you strong and trim!
You’ll live longer. A study on identical t wins found that those who did the equivalent of just three 45-minute bike rides a week were, on average, nine years “younger” biologically!
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9 I t reduces your risk of cancer.
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8
5
6
Improves your brainpower! By building up your fitness through cycling, you boost blood flow to the brain and help build up the par t of the brain responsible for your memor y!
Keeps your heart and lungs heal t hy! Riding your bike just 32 kilometers a week will cut your risk of hear t problems by half.
10 I t’s a great famil y bonding activity!
I t helps you sleep bet ter. After an intense bike ride, by the end of the day you’ll not only be good and tired physically, but a study has found that cycling also reduces stress levels, letting you fall asleep faster and sleep better.
Before you HOP ON your bike, be safe.
Look and listen Be seen, be safe
Always stop and check for traf fic in both directions when leaving your driveway, an alley, or a curb.
Know where to go ake sure you now the rules about where you are and are not allowed to cycle. Ride in the cyclist’s lane when you can.
See the signs If you are riding on the road, stop at all stop signs and obey traf fic lights just as cars do.
GGOING GREEN!
Wear brightly coloured clothing. This helps pedestrians and drivers to spot you coming, and stay out of the way. Use hand signals, and make sure you use bike-lights, especially in the evening and at night.
Go with the flow Never ride against the flow of the traf fic.
One at a time
Car caution Don’t ride too close to parked cars. Doors can open suddenly.
Ride single-file on the street with friends.
Cross smart Cross roads at intersections; when you pull out bet ween parked cars, drivers can’t see you coming.
Hands on Always ride with both hands on the handlebars.
Head first! Wear a properly fitting helmet. This is extremely impor tant for your safety. Wearing a helmet will reduce your risk of a head injur y by 85 percent. Don’t take any risks with your brain!
Walk over Get of f and walk your bike across busy intersections using the crosswalk and following traf fic signals. 5
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Sports Zone
SUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABLE SPORT SPORT FROM SOLAR-POWERED STADIUMS, TO RUNNING CLOTHES MADE OF RECYCLED PLASTIC, THE WORLD OF SPORT IS CATCHING ON AND GOING GREEN
SUSTAINABLE STADIUMS
Uwe Aranas/Wikimedia Commons
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia uses rainwater to water the greener y within the stadium, and to flush the toilets.
ATHLETE ACTIVIST YAO O MING The world famous basketball player Yao Ming from China uses his fame to spread conser vation messages. g He is a global ambassador fo or WildAid, which aimss to stop the illegal trad de in endangered wildlife. Yao Ming hass travelled to Africa to raise awareness ab bout the illegal ivor y trade there that is killing all of the elephants. He posts a about his conser vation n journey on his blog, www.yaomingblog.com w m
G OING GREEN!
Peter 23/Wikimedia Commons
Beijing National Stadium, Beijing is heated by underground geothermal pipes. Rainwater is also collected to use as irrigation and to flush tthe toilets, and solar panels provide par t of tthe stadium’s energy.
Peellden/Wikimedia Commons P
World Games Stadium, Taiwan is the first stadium in the e world to rely complete ely on solar power! Thyagaraj Sports Complex, in India is built with eco-friendly bricks, powered by solar and pumps extra energy back into the grid, the stadium even uses high-tec systems that conser ve water!
Wikimedia W k d Commons C
Singapore Sports Hub, in Singapore, is solar powered and uses natural cooling to reduce the need for aircon! Its movable roof means that people can play come rain or ne! shin
Adam.J.W.C./Wikimedia d Commons
GREEN GARB CHOOSE ORGANIC Check the labels on any spor tswear and choose the kit that’s made from organic cotton – cotton that is grown without using toxic chemicals that are polluting the planet. Most major brands have a range of products that are made of organic cotton. cotton
You can now buy spor ts clothes that are made from recycled plastic bottles! The material is lovely and soft and kind to the planet. Check the labels and suppor t this revolutionar y technology!
RECYCLE YOUR KIT Give your shoes a new life by sending them to be recycled! They may end up as par t of a new pair of shoes, as the rubber on a running track, and as flooring for a playground! You can also donate old spor ts equipment to other people.
SHOP SMART POISONOUS PVC
FUN FACT
Choose to buy from brands that are making a dif ference, like Patagonia who donate millions to environmental groups and make clothes out of recycled plastic, Columbia who use solar power and suppor t Nature conser vation, and Timberland who are planting millions of trees and replacing PVC with recycled plastics. Do some research and find out who is making your spor ts gear and what they are doing for the planet!
Whatever you do, stay away from buying products made with PVC. PVC, or poly vinyl chloride, is a synthetic plastic used in some spor ts shoes. It’s made of petroleum, and when it degrades, it produces a chemical that is really toxic.
Health & Wellness
TO GO GREEN, AND EAT CLEAN, ORGANIC FOOD IS WHERE IT’S AT.
WHAT DOES “ORGANIC” MEAN? First, what does “organic” really mean? Well, “organic” is a rather odd name ac tually, and some people argue that ever y thing that is made from carbon-based life forms is organic. But this means that even petrol is technically organic, and I’m sure you can see why that’s not ver y helpful here… Simply, organic food is food that has been grown without using chemical fer tilisers (substances that make the soil more fer tile, almost like food for the plants) and pesticides (substances that kill insec ts and other organisms that are considered to be “pests”). Organic food has also not been “genetically modified”, which is a complex scientific process where the genetic material of a plant or animal is changed in a way that could not happen in Nature. Of ten this involves changing the genes of plants so that they are resistant to toxic pesticides, or to have “pest killing abilities” built into them.
GOING GREEN!
WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT ORGANIC FOOD? Organic food looks ver y much like the other food that you will find at the supermarket, but there are some “invisible” dif ferences. Organic food is safer: Eating organic means that you are exposed to lower levels of potentially harmful chemicals. While we do know that in high doses these chemicals are ver y dangerous, nobody knows what the long-term ef fec ts of eating small amounts of chemical pesticides might be. Genetically modified foods are also ver y controversial, as some studies have shown that they can be ver y dangerous and cause serious health problems. Some countries in Europe have banned genetically modified foods for this reason! Organic food is heal t hier: It is thought that organically farmed food contains more nutrients (the things in the food that are good for you,
helping you grow and stay healthy). Studies have shown that organic food is higher in antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that keep cells healthy for longer, and they also help in preventing diseases like cancer. Although this is obviously ver y impor tant, hardly anyone has done any serious research on just how much more nutritious organic food might be.
WHAT CAN I DO IF I CAN’T FIND ORGANIC FOOD? If you cant find or af ford organic food, don’t worr y! You can still make sure that the food you’re eating is as clean as possible. You can wash your fruit and vegetables in a solution of white vinegar and water. Simply mix three par ts of water to one par t vinegar and put it in a spray bottle. Spray your fruit and veg with the mixture and then rinse it of f. You can also soak your fruit and veg for a while in the same mixture for an extra clean.
Organic farming is more sustainable: Some of the chemicals that are used in conventional farming have been found to be quite dangerous, not only to the farmers who use them, but also to the land on which they are used. These chemicals can disturb all kinds of natural processes, killing bees and other impor tant insec ts, and polluting the ground and water.
THE CLEAN FIFTEEN AND THE DIRTY DOZEN I f you are interested in reducing pesticides in your food, you can buy organic versions of t he foods whose conventional forms have t he highest levels of pesticide residues. These are known as t he “dirty dozen” and include:
Then t here are t he “clean fif teen” – conventionall y grown crops t hat have t he least pesticides on t hem. They are:
A
APPLES STRAWBERRIES GRAPES
OES
CORN
PINEAPPLES CABBAGE
CELERY
SWEET PEAS ONIONS ASPARAGUS MANGOES
PEACHES SPINACH
SWEET BELL PEPPERS NECTARINES
CHERRY CUCUMBERS TOMATOES POTATOES SNAP PEAS
PAPAYAS
KIWI
EGGPLANT
GRAPEFRUIT
SWEET CANTALOUPE CAULIFLOWER POTATOES
Brain Freeze
THE CHIP CONUNDRUM
Duf fus loved potato chips. But when all of his friends came over to play, or there were large family gatherings, all the other kids would devour them before he could! So, Duf fus came up with a way to keep the chips for himself, but still make it seem as though he wasn’t the greedy snack hog he really was. Duf fus took t wo large bowls, one wood and one plastic, and placed them high up on a shelf so that no one could see what was inside. Then he said, “One bowl is full and the other is empty. You can have whatever is in the bowl you pick. You can pick only once. I will give you clues that you have to use to help you, no random guessing allowed, you have to tell me the reason for your choice.”
G OING GREEN!
THEN HE GAVE THEM THESE CLUES:
THE POLYESTER SHIRT I’M WEARING. AR
A COTTON SHIRT IN MY CLOSET.
C A HOLLOWW CARDBOARD TOILET PAPER ROLL.
THIS PLASTIC CUP I’M DRINKING MY TEA FROM.
THE ACRYLIC SOCKS I’M WEARING.
AN EMPTY PAPER BAG.
And then asked, “What do t hese clues have in common wit h each ot her and t he bowls?” All of the kids were stumped, except one young girl who gave the correct answer! Duf fus, reluctantly, had to hand over all the potato chips, which she sat and ate in one go! What was the answer that won her all of Duf fus’ snacks?
FOR THE ANSWER TO THE CHIP CONUNDRUM, DON’T MISS THE NEXT ISSUE! 015
Attention Grabber
GOING BACK IN TIME TO EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN THESE MONTHS, AND CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY.
THE TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTS AND MASSACRE
JUNE 04, 19899
Chinese students led a series of peaceful demonstrations, protesting for freedom of speech, a free press, and a fair governmental system. Up to a million people took par t in the protests, but on June 4, 1989, the militar y star ted shooting unarmed protestors, leaving over 300 dead, although this number varies bet ween repor ts. These protests led to increased restric tions on Chinese media, and to this day, the online search term “Tiananmen protests” is banned in China.
JUNE 12, 1898
THE PHILIPPINES DECLARES INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN The Philippines was a colony of Spain for 333 years, from 1565 to 1898. The islands were even renamed af ter King Philip II, the Spanish king who conquered the Philippines. But, af ter securing their independence from Spain, the Philippines was invaded by the USA, also in 1898. It wasn’t until af ter World War II in 1946 that the Philippines became truly independent.
GOING GREEN!
MOUNT PINATUBO ERUPTS IN THE PHILIPPINES This huge eruption produced 10 billion tonnes of magma and 20 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide, with impac ts felt on environments around the world. Global temperatures dropped by an average of 0.5 degrees Celsius in 1991.
JUNE 15, 1991 JUNE 25, 1950 START OF THE KOREAN WAR The Korean War was a war bet ween Nor th and South Korea. It was largely a battle over communism, which the Nor th suppor ted, but the South didn’t. The war eventually created the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), to politically separate the t wo countries, and it still exists. In all, the Korean War lasted about three years and claimed three million lives.
HONG KONG BECOMES PART OF CHINA The United Kingdom handed over their sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China. This ended the British reign over Hong Kong, which had been in place since 1841.
JUNE 30, 1997 JULY 20, 1919 EXPLORER EDMUND HILLARY IS BORN IN AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Jonathan Keelty/Wikimedia Commons
Edmund Hillar y is recognised as the first person ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, in 1953. |Mount Everest, situated in the Himalayas mountain range in Nepal, stands at 8,848 metres above sea level.
GOING GREEN!
THE GENEVA CONFERENCE Held to restore peace to the war-torn Indochina, the conference led to a peace treaty being signed in Switzerland bet ween French and Vietnamese forces to end hostilities bet ween both par ties. French troops eventually lef t Vietnam in Oc tober that year.
JULY 20, 1954 JULY 20, 1948 SIAM BECOMES THAILAND Siamese leaders vote to change the name of Siam to Thailand, which means “land of the free”. The Thais’ freedom is something that they are extremely proud of, as they are the only countr y in Southeast Asia to have never been colonised.
015
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For Mum and Dad
A NURTURING NATURE HELP RAISE A GENERATION OF PEOPLE WHO WILL CARE FOR THE NATURAL WORLD The fate of the environment will be decided within the next couple of generations; the future of life on this planet is ultimately in our hands and those of our children. It depends on the choices we make ever y day. Nur turing a culture of care for the environment star ts at home. Children learn by example and helping them develop good habits will ensure a generation of mindful, eco-conscious adults. Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum is famously quoted as saying, “In the end we will conser ve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.� Before we teach children about recycling, conser ving energy and water, and limiting the use of plastics, it is vital that they develop an understanding of the role of Nature as our lifesuppor t system. A love of the natural world will also go a long way to motivating them to protect it. GET OUTSIDE A love for the environment can be instilled by getting your kids out into Nature. Singapore is full
GOING GREEN!
of beautiful, well-managed Nature reser ves and parks, which will let your children experience the wonders of the natural world firsthand. These educational trips to the park cost nothing, and can also be a great family bonding experience. WHY NOT TRY SOME OF THESE: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reser ve A great place for bird watching, especially bet ween September and March, when you have an oppor tunity to spot migrator y birds like the sandpiper and plover. The Reser ve also boasts mangrove forests and mudflats, which act as sanctuaries for all sor ts of fascinating creatures like reptiles, crabs and mudskippers. w w w.sbwr.org.sg
Chek Jawa Wetlands, Pulau Ubin Forests of mangroves, and people practising traditional farming and fishing; a trip to Pulau Ubin is a trip into the past. Pulau Ubin also boasts the Chek Jawa Wetlands, which is home to an array of flora and fauna whose lives are governed by the coming and going of the tides. w w w.nparks.gov.sg
MacRitchie Reser voir Park A popular spot for Nature lovers, MacRitchie Reser voir is renowned for its scenic treetop walk. The reser voir is one of four large water catchment areas in Singapore, and creates a haven for wildlife that flourishes in its protected environs. All sor ts of recreational activities are on of fer at MacRitchie from hiking to kayaking and bird-watching. w w w.nparks.gov.sg
Punggol Park This park was developed to provide a family orientated, outdoor leisure space, and it is a per fect place to unwind with your kids. The cycling tracks make it easy and safe to cycle, and there are play zones around the park for your kids to let of f some steam. w w w.nparks.gov.sg GET PRACTIC AL Once your child has developed an understanding of and a love for the Natural world, getting them to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle will be easy! Remember, they will copy you, so you need to be the one to model the behaviours that they should adopt.
It star ts with things as simple as: • Sor ting the trash to be recycled • Turning of f air conditioners and lights in empty rooms • Saving water by turning of f the faucet while brushing teeth • Limiting your use of plastics by saying no to plastic bags, and using bags for life and refillable water bottles • Air dr ying clothes rather than using a drier • Reusing (or “up cycling”) old items Here are some fun ways you can step it up a notch and get your kids motivated about being more environmentally friendly: 1. Make your own recycling bins: Have fun with your children by decorating four large cardboard boxes with dif ferent colours and labels, one for paper, one for plastics, one for glass, one for metals. Making them themselves will help foster ownership of the process and will make them more excited about using them. 2. Grow a plant: Growing a plant from a seed will help teach your child about the wonder and value of the natural world, and the role they can play in nur turing it. It will also teach them responsibility. 3. Watch a movie toget her: There are all kinds of fascinating films out there that promote environmental awareness and teach us about the potential damage we are doing. Pixar’s Wall-E is a great example that your child will love, especially if you watch it with them and explain the parallels with modern society. As they grow you can introduce them to documentaries like Home by Yann Ar thusBer trand and encourage them to keep learning and challenging themselves ves to find out more about our planet. 4. Have meat-f ree Mondays: Help educate e your kids about where their food comes from and its impact on the environment. Help them to understand that small changes can have a big impact.
Wiki Junior
Af f luent: Having a large amount of money and owning many expensive things (rich, wealthy) Agility Able to move quickly and easily. Biennial Happening ever y t wo years. Climate Change The changing weather patterns around the world, mostly due to human ac tivity and the green house gasses being released by the burning of fossil fuels. Commemorated To do something special in order to remember and honour an impor tant event or person from the past. Conser ve To keep something safe or from being damaged or destroyed, to use something carefully in order to prevent loss or waste. Cont roversial Causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument. Conventional Used and accepted by most people, usual or traditional. Dispersed To go or move in dif ferent direc tions, to spread apar t. Diverse A lot of dif ferent kinds, forms, charac ters.
G OING GREEN!
Emissions Something sent out or given of f, the ac t of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source. Faeces Solid waste that is released from the body (poo!). Garments Pieces of clothing. Greenhouse Gas A gas that has the ef fec t of ac ting like a green house around the ear th, trapping heat against the Ear th’s sur face. Insulator A material that allows little or no heat, elec tricity, or sound to go into or out of something. Magma Hot liquid rock below the sur face of the Ear th. Ominous: Suggesting that something bad is going to happen in the future. Sterile Not able to produce children, young animals, new crops or plants. Tectonic Of or relating to changes in the struc ture of the Ear th’s sur face. Vor tices The plural of “vor tex” which mean a whirling mass of water or air, like a whirlpool or tornado
015
For Art’s Sake!
Recycled Paper Beads
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • • • • • • •
Toothpicks A ruler Clear nail polish (optional) An old magazine Scissors Thin string or sewing thread Glue
GET TING STARTED 1.
Choose some pages of the magazine that are printed with colours you like, and cut them out.
2.
Cut the pages horizontally into strips approximately 1.5 centimetres wide. You will need at least eight strips to make a bracelet, but this depends on how big your wrist is!
3.
Cut strip lengthways, diagonally, so that you have long thin triangles.
7.
Tightly roll the rest of the paper strip around the toothpick. The glue on the inside will hold the bead in place.
8. When you reach the end, you now have a paper bead! Slip it of f the toothpick. The opening made by the toothpick will be the hole for the string. 9. 4.
Take a toothpick and one of the diagonally-cut magazine strips. Roll the wide end of the strip once round it.
5.
Place the strip of paper on the table in front of you with the toothpick closest to you, and the inner side of the paper facing upwards.
6.
Cover the inside of the strip of paper with glue.
GOING GREEN!
Repeat with the rest of the paper strips.
10. You can also laminate your paper beads so that they will last longer, just apply one coat of clear nail varnish to each bead, taking care not to paint over the hole. 11. Once the varnish has dried, string the beads. Depending on how many you make, you will have enough for a necklace, or a bracelet, or even a matching set!
EASY CHICKPEA OAT VEGGIE BURGERS
Junior Kitchen
MOUTH WATERING BURGERS THAT ARE KIND TO THE PLANET Delicious and hear ty burgers that can be make lickety-split! A good source of plant-based protein and per fect for your next meatless Monday meal!
INGREDI ENTS (Makes 6-8 burgers) 1-2 tsp olive oil 1 small-medium yellow onion, diced 2 cups oats (not instant) 1/2 cup ground walnuts 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained 3/4 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice) 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp dried sage 1/2 tsp salt
DIRECTI ONS 1.
2. 3.
4.
Heat oil in a large fr ying pan. Once hot, add the onions and cook (and stir) for about 10 minutes until ver y tender and golden brown. Combine the oats and ground walnuts in a large bowl. Place the chickpeas, almond milk, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried sage in a blender and process until ver y smooth and creamy. Once smooth, pour into oats and walnuts. Add the browned onions and mix well. Allow the mixture to rest for 5-10 minutes so the oats can absorb the liquid.
5. 6.
7.
Form into 6-8 thin, flat patties. Using the same fr ying pan, add the burgers, lower heat to medium-low, and brown them for 5-7 minutes on each side, flipping them over once. Top with Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato, and avocado, and stick them in your favourite bun, and ENJOY!
15
Laugh Out Loud
Q: What are you going to do for Ear th Day? A: I’m going to recycle all my old jokes!
‘I have an obsession with wind farms.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yes. I’m a huge fan.’
Q: What kind of plant grows on your hand? A: A palm tree!
Q: Why did the leaf go to the doctor? A: It was feeling green! Q: What is a tree’s least favorite month? A: Sep-timber!
Q: Why did the gardener plant light bulbs? A: She wanted to grow a power plant!
GGOING GREEN!
Q: Why is a tree like a big dog? A: They both have a lot of bark!
Q How do ees get on the ernet? A: They log !
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