Fadya NAZIRKHAN – Page 2

Ethiopia: Saving Church forests to restore the arid country

Published on October 24, 2016 in Environment by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

Like necklaces, Church forests adorn the places of worship in Ethiopia. It is believed by the local communities that their presence is vital as they prevent prayers from being lost in the sky. Protecting them is now regarded not as a mere example of faith but as a sustainable solution to protect the arid country’s ecosystem and biodiversity.

Through an exquisite blend of faith and science, Ethiopia nurtures the hope to flourish. The country is endowed with a unique endemic flora and fauna as well as resources that demand to be safeguarded, especially as less than 5% of the country’s territory represent forests. Ethiopia has taken the same trend as many developing countries where immense expanses of lush forests have been replaced by land for agriculture while trees have been continuously been felled for timber.

The Church forests are more concentrated in the north of Ethiopia where vivid green spots of forests beautify some 3,500 Orthodox Tewahido Churches. The local people strongly believe that they should preserve the woods around worship places- which are home to various animals considered as God’s creatures. The tradition of keeping forests around places of worship has been shaped hundreds of years ago to imitate the Garden of Eden.

These Church forests may range from five acres to more than one thousand acres, forming green belts around the churches. Certain have withstood ages and are actually more than 1,500 years old. These forests are the remnants of the Afromontane forests. Cool and humid, they are furthermore home to fresh water springs as well as spiritual sanctuaries to the local communities. The latter moreover draw medicinal plants from these woods.

Ecologists regard the Church forests as massive seed banks for future plantations while priests have a spiritual approach towards their conservation

Both share the same vision and mission-preserve these woods that pride themselves in the rich biodiversity. This sacred landscape are also the habitat of many endangered species. Now, teams of ecologists are working hand-in-hand with priests to build rock walls around the Church forests to ensure that no one cut down the trees and also to prevent cattle from damaging the trees and plants.

To regenerate trees, seedling transplantation is equally considered. The teams are also working on ways to interconnect the Church forests through green corridors along natural stream lines which will facilitate the development of more green patches. The priests are furthermore sensitizing the people to make better use of the products of the forests that are carried out since ages for traditional activities such as the making of dyes.

In a time where Church forests may be regarded as easy resources and may attract exploitation, it is important for the people to grasp the necessity to protect these woods. The local communities are hence being taught that apart from the number of trees around the churches, it is equally important to maintain the ecological health of these trees.

Slovenia: Apitourism to save the honeybees

Published on October 20, 2016 in Environment by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

Credit: AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN/ Getty Images

It is no secret that honeybee colonies are dwindling at an alarming rate across the planet. Slovenia is setting the example by pioneering to save the honeybees through honeybee tourism otherwise known as apitourism.

Wild as well as domestic honeybees are the backbone of up to 80% of pollination happening worldwide. One single bee can pollinate up to 300 flowers daily and according to researches, 70 out of the top 100 food crops consumed by humans- which represent 90% of our planet’s nutrition- are directly related to this type of pollination.

But honeybees are dying. Scientists attribute this decline to various factors ranging from the use of pesticides and other chemicals, the destruction of their habitat or global warming.

Slovenia has taken up certain bold initiatives to reverse this trend. Already famous for its mountains, ski resorts and incredible lakes, the country is presently becoming renowned for its honeybee tourism.

Slovenia is home to about 9,600 beekeepers, 12,500 apiaries as well as 170,000 hive colonies

Beekeeping holds a special place in the country as one of the oldest traditional crafts and is considered as a national heritage. It is equally the only country in Europe to have protected its national bee-the Carnolian bee.

To further protect its bees and strengthen the beekeeping culture, Slovenia is providing the necessary framing to promote apitourism. The bee routes are the ultimate experience to be intrigued by the mystic bees and beekeeping. This niche travel has been designed to boost ecotourism in a fresh manner as well as encourage beekeepers to adopt environmentally friendly approaches and respect nature.

Slovenia is offering a wide array of experiences related to bees such as “apitherapy” which is a form of homeopathy that uses aromas from beehives to relieve asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Source: tempwebmiumusersrecovery.blob.core.windows.net

Tourists are moreover massively travelling to Slovenia for its bee products such as propolis and the Royal jelly amongst others since bee products are known since ages to have healing properties. One cannot escape from indulging in bio honey massages.

The country equally invites tourists to plunge into unique discoveries like honey trails, beekeeping classes as well as candle-making workshops. Even entering bee houses to listen to the humming has proven to have soothing effects on the mind.

The country is equally supporting city beekeeping. Ljubljana, the capital, is already home to 40 urban gardens out of which three have beehives. Beehives are popping up in private gardens too. It is no surprise that the city has furthermore been nominated as the Green Capital of Europe 2016 for its green initiatives.

Slovenian tour operators are also rallying up to promote honeybee tourism. Apitours has set the example of being a great example of a company who has embraced responsible tourism while supporting start-ups aiming at preserving the national beekeeping heritage.

Others are following by offering excursions, trainings and workshops related to beekeeping to make travels as enriching as possible in Slovenia.

Slovenia is equally on the right track to stand out as a worldwide example and be the driving force to raise awareness and change the attitude of people across the planet towards bees. It has been vehemently soliciting the United Nations to proclaim 20 May as World Bee Day to remind the planet how dependent we all are on bees.

Norway: Reviving the aesthetic pleasures of green energy

Published on October 18, 2016 in Renewable Energy by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

Renewable energy has long been associated with ugliness. Colossal noisy wind turbines, visually unpleasant solar panels…certain installations are downright considered as imposing eyesores across the world. Norway, which is already a heavy producer of clean energy, is innovating and breaking this stereotype by blending green energy with an exquisite touch of aesthetics.

Deep into the mountains of Helgeland and bordering the Arctic Circle in Norway lies a hiker’s paradise. And amidst this spectacular landscape of unique mountain ranges and forests stands an unimaginably beautiful hydroelectric power station- ØvreForsland. It stands out in complete contrast to the usual notion of a typical hulking power station and blends seamlessly into the mountainous scenery. Instead of being an eyesore, ØvreForsland enhances the natural beauty of the location with its exceptional design, sitting on the riverbed.

Designed by the Norwegian architecture firm Stein Hamre Arkitektkontor, the power plant has been inspired by the Northern Lights. Kebony wood, which is wood developed through the Kebony technology in Norway, has been used as the main cladding for several reasons. First of all, its hardwearing qualities make it resistant and sustainable too. This soft wood is treated ecologically to give it high durability and a minimal need for maintenance. At ØvreForsland, one can admire the intricate engines from outside through transparent glass panels making one with the wooden structure.

By using the Norwegian Kebony wood, the architecture firm has equally wished to increase its value in regards to other trees that are much sought after for buildings. In this vein, the objective is to prevent an unnecessary exploitation of already imperiled species. The power plant is backed up by Helgelands Kraft, a large producer of hydraulic electricity in the north of Norway.

ØvreForsland is capable of supplying 1,600 homes with hydropower and equally makes provision for a surge in demand.

Apart from this, the power station wants to win over people by its innovative aesthetics. It is considered as an added value to the existing landscape, especially by drawing attention to hydropower in a larger sense. The majestic power station aims at attracting more hikers and travelers in the area, educating them about hydropower as a renewable energy in the country and explaining how it can blend harmoniously with nature, as states Ove Brattbakk, the CEO of Helgeland Kraft:

It has been important for us to show that it is possible to build hydropower plants that are both beautiful and adapt to the surrounding nature

The company has fruitfully obtained loans for the construction of more visually attractive plants designed not only to generate renewable energy but to complement the natural beauty of their respective locations. The other station designed with the same ambitious environmental and aesthetic goals is the Bjørnstokk power station equally located in the north of Norway. This power station merges mysteriously with its background made of huge rocks left by the glaciers of the last Ice Age. Similarly to ØvreForsland, it is capable of producing 1,600 homes.

Other countries are correspondingly aiming at celebrating clean energy change through design. Designers are embracing this transition as an opportunity to express their art in an environmentally-friendly manner. In France, the Wind Tree has been designed based on biomimicry while in BMW has done the extra mile to create a solar garage allowing an electric car to be charged directly from the grids of the garage.

Even Walt Disney World is planning to rally in by setting up a solar plant in the shape of Mickey Mouse in Florida. In Australia as well as in Germany, artists are being solicited to paint existing wind turbines to transform them into gigantic artworks.

France: The first country to enact a law against food waste

Published on October 14, 2016 in Waste Management by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

It all started with the petition “Stop food waste” in Hauts de Seine in France. Gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures, it grew into a striking lobby at breakneck speed. And today, this national movement has given France the ultimate international recognizance as being the first country to ban food waste by strengthening its legal framework.

Annually, each French household throws an average of 20 to 30 kg of food, according to the report entitled “The fight against food waste: proposals for public policy” submitted by Guillaume Garot, deputy PS of Mayenne and former minister of Agro Industry and Food Security. What was pinpointed is the fact that a third of these products was never even unpacked. The new law against food waste, adopted in February 2016, came to slow down this trend.

Voted unanimously, the new legislation aims at reducing food waste in supermarkets. The latter can therefore no longer throw food or make products unfit for consumption. Bleaching unsold food and garbage bins was, in fact, a common practice adopted by supermarkets to prevent homeless people or other individuals from taking away these food products.

Under these new laws, supermarkets that extend over 400m² are required to donate edible unsold food to charities with which they will have to sign a formal agreement. The large supermarkets have a year ahead of them to review their system, counting from the date of the enactment of the law.

They now find themselves bounded to exercise better management of food supply and to review how consumers are informed about commodities, especially those which are going to be expired soon

So that it is respected as it should be, the law also makes provision for sanctions against distributors of foodstuffs who will continue to deliberately destroy edible food. In cases where these items are not edible for humans, it is proposed that the products can be recovered and converted into animal feed or into compost.

This legislation will also ensure that “10 million French eat to their heart’s content,” according to Arash Derambarsh, Municipal Councillor of Republicans of Courbevoie (Hauts-de-Seine) who launched the petition “Stop food waste.” He sought the support of President Francois Hollande and his approach has proved fruitful. The petition was presented and acclaimed at the Parliament; the law itself has been promulgated on 11 February 2016.

This new legal framework is a big step in the fight against food waste. It furthermore announces the setting up of a structure targeting the integration a well-defined program on food waste in the curriculum of the country. The objective behind is to push children to learn, from an early age, to become environmentally responsible. It also aims at encouraging companies to include measures taken against food waste in their social and environmental performance.

Nargis Latif: The fairy transforming garbage into homes in Pakistan

Published on October 11, 2016 in Sustainable development by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

Her hands are those of a fairy. Her heart- full of compassion for her people. And what makes the stunning strength of Nargis Latif is sheer benevolence. The Karachi-born lady leads an army of rag pickers in the country who help her gather inorganic waste and convert it into houses for the poor in Pakistan.

Every single day, Karachi the largest city of Pakistan, throws up 12,000 tons of garbage. Nargis Latif does not aim at stopping this. Full of wisdom, the grey-haired lady knows better. Conscious that the garbage mostly produced by big industries in the country is part of an inevitable chain of a well-anchored structure, she instead aims at converting the trash into profitable business to help the needy.

Having founded the social organization Gul Bahao which means “flow the flowers” in her language, she and her team of garbage pickers hunt for garbage in every crook. She equally collects unused and rejected material from industries. Deeply motivated to lift the needy people of Pakistan from poverty, she has been striving hard relentlessly over years:

I have always wanted to innovate and create something useful for humanity itself

Nargis Latif constantly has to overcome many obstacles. There are times when she has to borrow money. And there are times the fighter-spirited woman also has to beg for money that she uses to transform garbage into recycled houses, water tanks, furniture, fodder for livestock or even compost. There were other times when she admits even having stolen in view of enhancing the lives of her people.

The most famous of her inventions is the recycled house known as Chandi Ghar that was created in the wake of a horrendous earthquake destroying the lives of thousands of people in Pakistan. The Chandi Ghars were used as shelters. Today, Nargis Latif has built over 150 of these recycled houses across Pakistan. Most are the homes of poor nomads in the Tharparkar district.

Apart from her extreme sense of generosity and benevolence, Nargis Latif also has an ecological soul. The woman has witnessed how the industrialization of Pakistan has been creating a negative impact on the environment due to pollution. Burning garbage is a common practice in the country and with her idea to recycle it, the lady furthermore wishes to diminish pollution.

Nargis Latif and her team have equally been collecting other types of waste to create compost. Out of this compost she created “Gardens in the Air” which are two scaffoldings carrying a wide array of plants. She has moreover been putting other organic waste such as vegetable and fruit peels, to profit by converting them into animal feed in a hygienic and clean manner.

The far-sighted lady similarly nurtures the desire to enhance the life of housewives in Pakistan. She sees that the latter can easily use the compost and animal feed which are economically viable products to plant their own food crops, sell the excess, and breed cattle for meat and milk in an era where prices of food products are shooting up.

Nargis Latif is similarly trying to engage citizens to become ecoresponsible. She has set up stalls at markets where individuals may sell their dry trash. She is also urging city residents to sell their wet garbage to producers of agricultural products. Nargis Latif is correspondingly closely participating with environmental projects aiming at imparting responsibility in children in regards to the ecological welfare of the country. Today, the milestones being achieved by Nargis Latif are gaining worldwide recognizance.

Wind Trees: The wind turbines that are flourishing in the cities of France

Published on October 11, 2016 in Renewable Energy by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

Inspired by Mother Nature, the Wind Tree is an innovative wind turbine worthy to be referred to as a sculpture. Aesthetically impressive, surprisingly quiet and not really cumbersome, it is a wind turbine Made in France that can collect even simple wisps of air to produce electricity.

The idea of creating the Wind Tree sprung in the mind of Jérôme Michaud-Larivière, founder of the Parisian start-up NewWind, when he “saw the leaves shiver in the absence of the slightest puff of wind.” In fact, the young company feeds the ambition to reconcile technology and nature in its projects. Jérôme Michaud-Larivière, who is a former cinematographic writer, thought that it would be wise to try recover this unsuspected energy.

Go-getter, he launched himself ambitiously with his engineers in researches aimed at developing a vertical wind turbine, similar to a tree, which could capture the air 360 degrees through biomimicry.

After three years of research the Aeroleaf was born. Designed with small blades, it represents the “leaves” of the Wind Tree that generate electricity by capturing the slightest breath of air by swiveling on itself.

The Wind Tree contains on average 63 Aeroleafs that spin like micro turbines to generate approximately 2,400 kWh in total.

This amount of electricity generated can easily feed 83% of the electricity consumption of a French household (excluding heating), an electric car on 16,364 km a year, lighting of 71 seats on a parking lot or 15 lamps of 50W each

The Wind Tree thereby avoids 3.2 tons of CO² that would be emitted by burning fossil fuels to produce the same amount of electricity. Designed to brave the elements, the turbine’s life can be extended up to 25 years.

This new generation of wind turbines goes further than its traditional counterparts by hardly emitting any noise. Before the creation of the Wind Tree, the noisy turbines were always being placed far from residential areas. The gigantic traditional models were even considered as eyesores.

The Wind Tree comes to break this stereotype. Even if it looms with its 10m height and 8m width, with a weight of 3 tons, it integrates easily and seamlessly with any landscape, be it urban or rural. The Aeroleafs are mounted on white branches which, on their turn, emerge from a steel core. Elegant, the Wind Tree can easily beautify a city landscape.

The region of Paris, Britanny or even Germany have not delayed to acquire this innovative wind turbine. The first Wind Tree was “planted” at the Parc du Radôme, Pleumeur Bodou.

The startup NewWind which was presented at COP21 in 2015, receives many requests from large companies as well as local authorities wishing to supply electricity to municipal buildings and shopping centers, as is the case in Germany.

Ecological wind energy is already taking root in several cities. The cost of the tree remains quite high though. The industrialization phase was made possible by a fundraising campaign on Wiseed platform.

NewWind does not plan to stop here. Research is under way to improve the look of the wind turbine, make it less costly and more durable. Jérôme Michaud-Larivière, on his side, is already imagining a wooden trunk to replace the steel trunk and natural fibers to make the leaves.

Ile de France: Geothermal Energy Heats More Than 150,000 Homes

Published on October 5, 2016 in Renewable Energy by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

It is stored underneath our steps. Naturally generated and stored within the Earth itself, geothermal energy is an extremely precious resource. The department of Val de Marnes in the region of Ile de France in France has pioneered by capitalizing on it. Today, geothermal energy is providing heat at a cheaper rate to more than 150,000 homes in the area.

Source: www.punjtanenergy.com/

Non-polluting, renewable, reliable and equally sustainable, geothermal energy is proving to be amazingly advantageous. In Ile de France, drawn from the very bowels of Mother Earth, this clean energy is generating 1,373,000 MWh which is being utilized to heat up these homes. It has replaced fuel for heating, which would amount to 130,000 tons for the same task.

If Val de Marnes has gone ahead with this project it is because the Paris Basin which constitutes of the lowlands around Paris and is composed of sedimentary rocks prides itself in ideal geological conditions to support geothermal energy.

It is naturally present in the rocks and fluids underneath the crust of the Earth. Since in itself it is free and available immediately without the need to burn any fossil fuel for its extraction, it is furthermore inexpensive.

Unlike solar or wind energy, it is available 365 days a year…without exception

Even if it is found under our feet, the energy of the Earth is not necessarily exploitable everywhere. Other regions in France equally have the potential for the exploitation of geothermal energy but the geological structures are more complex for easy extraction.

For the region of Ile de France, it is synonymous to a gem- a wondrous asset waiting to be put to use. It is indeed the first renewable energy being taken advantage of in the region.

This energy has been subject to multiple experiments in terms of technical issues before it became an economically attractive heating mode, despite a highly competitive environment, thanks to technical improvements. Ile de France subsequently decided to diversify its resources in terms of energy to provide heat to houses and public buildings. It is extracted from 2,000m from within the Earth.

Today, the department has 36 operational plants with the majority located in Val de Marnes. It amounts to 40% of geothermal energy produced in the whole of France. Its network within the region is expanding like wildfire and it is expected that by 2025, more than 200,000 households will be able to rely on this type of energy.

Geothermal energy is already being utilized in over 20 countries with the United States being the leading producer. The largest cluster of geothermal power plants are located in The Geysers in California. Many American cities have a comprehensive network of pipes under roads and sidewalks with geothermal hot water flowing to melt the snow during winter.

Apart from heating homes and offices, geothermal water from deeper in the Earth are also used for growing plants in greenhouses, like in Auvergne, France. Iceland, for example, uses geothermal heat from underground reservoirs to generate electricity which is not only used to heat buildings but to ensure a cooling system as well.

Bikin: A Russian Amazon To Save The Amur Tiger

Published on October 3, 2016 in Environment by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

Majestic yet terrifying. Powerful yet endangered. The Amur tiger, also known as the Siberian tiger, which has been skimming extinction, sees its future brighten as the Bikin National Park is being set up in the Primorsky Krai in Far East Russia. Spreading over 1,16 million hectares of virgin forests, the park is the Russian Amazon.

The mission is to save the Amur tiger whose population is estimated at 523, with the majority 95% of these rare tigers living in the wild Russian Far East. In end of 2015, the Russian government signed a decree in view of creating the Bikin National Park to ensure the protection of the tiger. The virgin forests of the Bikin River Valley are the native land to approximately 10% of the Amur tigers.

The region is equally home to the Udege people who are the native inhabitants of the Primorsky Krai. They make up around 1,400 people, living on hunting and fishing.

After lengthy negotiations with the inhabitants as well as with operators of elite hunting activities, gold miners and timber merchants, an agreement has finally been made to go ahead with the creation of the immense reserve for environmental protection while balancing the maintenance of the traditional way of life of the Udege people.

Aleksey Kudryatsev has been nominated as the Director of the park. Being established, the Bikin National Park will preserve the unique panoply of extensive varieties of animals and plants. Located on the western slope of the Sihote-Alin Mountain, the Bikin River Valley is also on the tentative list to be designated as a World Heritage site.

This wide region is one of the last untouched by man in the Northern Hemisphere, boasting of infinite cedar trees.

It is in itself a complete analog of pre-glacial deciduous forests. No tree was ever felled here. Apart from its wondrous and rich vegetal assortment, the park is equally home to some 51 species of mammals including the Amur tiger, and 194 species of birds out of which some are rare and figure in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation.

While zoning the Bikin National Park, a large area has been allocated to the indigenous people of the region who will continue to live unperturbed, according to their ancient traditions.

With the setting up of the wildlife reserve, it is expected that poaching will diminish and that the endangered Amur tiger will be safer. Another nearby reserve is the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve which has been set up in 1935 to protect the native Amur tiger as well as other species such as the sable. Hunting and fishing are totally forbidden. This reserve is presently home to some 30 tigers.

The next tiger census in Russia will be carried out in 2020. The region is covered with snow for several months in winter and makes it easier for specialists responsible for tiger protection and research to make a census by following trails and counting the prints with high accuracy.

They are equipped with GPS to obligatory enter coordinates of each tiger encountered.

Nemo’s Garden: Underwater Farming To Sustain Food Production

Published on October 3, 2016 in Agriculture by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

“The imagination, give it the least license, dives deeper and soars higher than Nature goes”, rightly wrote the American essayist Henry David Thoreau.

Sergio Gamberini, the CEO of Italy’s Ocean Reef company, is the incarnation of this saying, having propelled imagination beyond limits to create Nemo’s Garden.

Who could imagine that one day we would be growing food crops under water? Sergio Gamberini, an Italian, did. Owner of two diving companies in Italy and California respectively, had the crazy idea to grow plants in the ocean while he was enjoying his holidays in Noli Bay, Italy.

And today, underwater cultivation is already regarded as a sustainable way to meet future food demands, especially in regions regularly stricken by droughts or where land is scarce.

The idea to try underwater cultivation sprouted in Sergio’s Gamberini’s mind as he wished diving to become a more interactive activity. His initial project was to anchor a type of flexible balloon containing a vase inside with a live plant, to the sea bed. To his amazement, the plant did not die and thrived.

The next step was to use the same method with seeds which sprouted in less than 36 hours. That was an incredible revelation to the Italian and urged the latter to carry out bigger projects. Today, as one takes the plunge in blue waters of Noli Bay, he is welcomed by not only bubbles of air, but a cluster of imposing spheres as well at about 10 metres below sea level.

This is Nemo’s Garden. The site, spreading over 15m², is presently home to seven biospheres about the size of an average room each.

Inside each bubble, about 60 plants are growing, sustained by hydroponics and gravity-fed watering systems. A variety of 26 different types of plants have been thriving in these magical bubbles.

Basil, garlic, radishes, beans, cabbages and strawberries are some examples just to name a few.

Qualified divers tend to the produce that do not have the same requirements as those grown in soil. Sergio Gamberini, on his side, is of view that:

The sea is auto-sustainable, a free charger and warmer

At Noli Bay which is located in the Mediterranean, the water temperature does not fluctuate much, offering stability to the plants in terms of heat.

The sea water acts as a filter on its own, cutting off all unnecessary frequencies of light penetrating the ocean. Consequently, plants grown underwater are healthier and of highest quality. Flavours, smells and taste are more intense than those of plants grown on land.

The biospheres are the ideal greenhouses as no parasite can actually reach there. So, the need for pesticides or other chemical products does not even arise.

Natural evaporation turns into fresh water inside the spheres and systematically irrigates the plants. Experiments carried out have furthermore demonstrated that these plants grow faster than their counterparts on Earth.

Sergio Gamberini has been working with agricultural experts to improve the designs and lifespan of the spheres which have been patented.

His company holds a permit from the Government to operate for five months yearly, that is from May to September. The Italian is more than ready to scale up production.

Tree Cloning To Combat Global Warming

Published on September 28, 2016 in Environment by Fadya NAZIRKHAN

Sequoia trees are the living relics of power and mystery of ancient age. Standing majestically as hoary sentinels in the Sequoia National Park in California, these trees could be the key to effective reforesting of the planet to combat global warming.

In this vein, a group of experts from the non-profit organization Archangel Ancient Tree Archive have decided to study them, archive their genetics and…clone them.

The aim behind is to reforest the planet with solid trees that have proven to stand firm through ages, surviving natural calamities.

Already, more than 170 tree species have been cloned in this manner while more than 300,000 cloned trees have been planted around the world, according to the organization.

The Sequoia is a type of redwood coniferous tree found exclusively in the Northern California coastal forests as well as in the Southwestern part of Oregon in the United States.

Some of them are almost 100m tall and 3,000 years old. The average circumference of their trunk is 8m, making them perfect to absorb a large amount of carbon dioxide.

The region is equally home to the Sequoia National Park renowned for its giant Sequoia trees and especially, the legendary General Sherman tree which is the world’s largest tree.

The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive team has already experimented cloning the Sequoia, reversing the theories of other scientific experts who claimed that same could not be carried out.

The cloning experimentation was rendered possible through funds from the National Tree Trust as well as private donors.

Jacob Milarch, the director of Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, declared that:

We feel like if it’s lived for 3,000 years, maybe their genetics is something special there

Volunteer climbers helped to clip the tips of the youngest branches. The cuttings were then sent to the Archangel’s Michigan Laboratory to be cloned. Saplings that do grow have to be monitored indoors for several years before being finally ready to put into soil.

By replicating the growth genetics of the thousands years old Sequoia, the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive created a micro-propagation system.

Thousands of cloned saplings are now being nurtured for at The Copemish- a warehouse in Michigan. They all have the DNA of the majestic Sequoia tree. Growing rapidly, most of them are ready to be planted.

By the end of this year, 1,000 cloned saplings of Sequoia and redwood will be planted in the region of Oregon. This area was chosen for its dampness to increase the possibility of growth of the trees in the natural environment.

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TO INSPIRE & TO ACT – WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER WORLD

Fadya NAZIRKHAN - page 2

Fadya NAZIRKHAN has 55 articles published.

Ethiopia: Saving Church forests to restore the arid country

Slovenia: Apitourism to save the honeybees

Norway: Reviving the aesthetic pleasures of green energy

France: The first country to enact a law against food waste

Nargis Latif: The fairy transforming garbage into homes in Pakistan

Wind Trees: The wind turbines that are flourishing in the cities of France

Ile de France: Geothermal Energy Heats More Than 150,000 Homes

Bikin: A Russian Amazon To Save The Amur Tiger

Nemo’s Garden: Underwater Farming To Sustain Food Production

Tree Cloning To Combat Global Warming

Fadya NAZIRKHAN - page 2

Fadya NAZIRKHAN has 55 articles published.

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