by Tom Bosschaert
Director

April 1, 2014

Tom Bosschaert

Environmental science activitsts refreeze the poles, mutated tomatoes threaten Monsanto and a gen is discovered that enables birds to emit WiFi. Read all about it in this Wormfood.

Global News: Refreezing the poles

  • A group of young environmental science activists are attempting to refreeze polar ice. With new methods of inverted heat conversion they are refreezing the poles with 1 million cm3/month.

  • With a new and controversial program China manages to reduce their carbon footprint. Officers tattoo environmental crimes on the offenders' foreheads. Neighbors, friends and colleagues shame the offenders into more sustainable behavior.

  • Underwater tablet allows dolphins to register illegal fishing. These highly intelligent animals are trained to tap an underwater tablet every time they witness illegal fishing practices, like bottom trawling, the use of poison & explosives and ghost fishing. The data is send directly to the Marine Conservation Society.

Energy & Environment: Mutant tomatoes threaten Monsanto

  • A mutated species of tomatoes threatens Monsanto. Planted by activists, these aggressive tomato plants are overgrowing Monsanto´s office buildings. To make matters worse, the plants are resistant against virtually all pesticides. The headquarter in St. Louis, Missouri, already disappeared underneath leafs and branches.

  • The first pack of wild wolves settles in the Veluwe, a nature park in the Netherlands. The wolves have a surprising positive impact on ecological value. They are key to maintaining groves of pine trees that were well on their way to localized extinction, and rebalance a stream ecosystem in the park for the first time in seven decades, Wageningen University scientists say in two new studies.

  • SoundBite, a new renewable energy system, captures sound waves from cities. This can provide 54% of Munich citizens with free, sustainable energy, according to Karl Kugel, a physicist at Munich University of Technology and developer of SoundBite.

Business & Economy: Supermarkets give healthy discounts

  • Nine Finish supermarkets start a discount program rewarding healthy choices. Shoppers buying local food, vegetables and organic eggs will receive discounts. The products involved are tagged by half green, half purple tags.

  • Natural Capital backed "Greenback" takes over Bitcoin as a virtual currency.

  • On the 30th of March flight MH370 received a fine from the French government. To fight air pollution only odd-numbered planes were allowed to fly that day.

  • The financial crisis has been suspended for lack of funds.

Science, Tech & Design: WildFi for everybody

  • Scientist discovered a gene that enables birds to emit WiFi. This discovery is beneficial to wildlife protection, according to researcher Jule Kronsburg: “I envision a world in which people love, care for and protect wild birds.“ WildFi (Wildlife WiFi) will be further developed the coming years.

  • NSA deletes all records from before 2013. Jack Smits, an NSA spokesman: "We think spying on people is bad".

  • Google, Apple, and Samsung drop all patent claims: "We´re using the money saved to improve the working conditions of our foreign employees".

Urban Environment: Russia´s surprising move

  • Advised by a strategic commission that consists of political elite of the Grand Kremlin Palace, President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged Crimea as an independent and sovereign state. Putin admitted that Russia is afraid that the claim on Crimea could leave Russia isolated for years to come. Putin now considers to fully embrace international human rights by ratifying the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

  • In an unprecedented move, the Belgian government introduces national system mapping as the primary policy strategy tool for all governmental units. The cost and time-saving measure is estimated to save 60% in governmental budgets by more efficient decision making and national economic growth in just under 2 years.

Unexpected and Intriguing: Most green person alive discovered

  • Geurt de Bakker from the Dutch capital Amsterdam claims to be the "most green person alive". He has been recycling paper and glass for 20 years, he only drinks organic wine, and uses his bicycle more than his friends do. His own Environmental Performance Measurement System (EPMS) shows that he's the most environmental person alive. De Bakker: "I used Excel to make my EPMS during a long weekend, using proven data from the internet."
  • Climate change history lesson: Archeologists said to have found traces of Noah's Ark

This bi-weekly digest is assembled from items sent to us by Except members. Have questions, comments, or news items to suggest? E-mail merel.segers@except.nl. Read past Wormfood global news reports here.

t green person alive discovered

April 1, 2014