AROUND THE GLOBE

Greetings from Europe

Russia A Russian fashion label is attempting to combat St. Petersburg's garbage mountains by turning it into a supply chain. Staff sift through piles of garbage to gather a variety of recyclable items, which are then turned into bespoke recycled accessories and school supplies. As the twenty-first century progresses, fashion sustainability is more important than ever, and who knows, this just may be the next big thing.

France A professional yacht racer in France has created a waste-collecting sailboat that is fuelled by the waste it collects. The garbage collected with wildlife-safe nets is fed into a sorting system before being moved to an incinerator, which shreds and melts the plastic and even uses the heat and gases to fuel a turbine to generate electricity.

Spain Ángel León, a three-Michelin-star chef in Spain known for innovative seafood is now cooking with rice from seagrass. He's incorporating the grain into cooking techniques as part of his quest to restore seagrass habitats around the world in order to not only slow global warming but also to feed the planet. Seagrass can absorb carbon 32 times faster than a rainforest, according to scientists, which makes them environmentally friendly.

Scotland A dollhouse enthusiast from Scotland, Roz MacLean, has made a living out of her hobby of making miniature food for dollhouses. She began watching YouTube videos to teach herself the basics four years ago. In her online Etsy shop she has sold everything from cake to fish and chips to full roast dinners! She uses polymer clay to create the dishes, which she forms with knives, chalk pastels, and a toothbrush to imitate the texture of delicious, tiny food.

Estonia Conservationists have produced an odd underwater scarecrow that looks exactly like WALL-E from Pixar's WALL-E. It was built to prevent birds from being trapped in fishing nets. Every year, 400,000 birds die as a result of fishing bycatch and conservationists are working to avoid this tragedy with various deterrents. So far, the buoy has had excellent success, preventing a significant number of seabird deaths.

AROUND THE GLOBE

Greetings from South America

Costa Rica While on vacation in Costa Rica, a Canadian couple came across a weak stray puppy who stole their hearts. They rescued the dog from the streets and put her in a temporary foster home with the aid of locals and a veterinarian. The couple then realised that they wanted to help more dogs get off the streets. Together with a variety of organizations, they now work on a daily basis to help street dogs find new homes in Costa Rica, but they will never forget the first puppy they saved.

Ecuador A collective of organisations, including one led by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, has raised $43 million to help rebuild degraded ecosystems in the Galápagos Islands. The archipelago is known for its native species and central role in scientists' understanding of ecology and evolution. To kick off the new project, DiCaprio handed over his social media channels to Paula Castao, a veterinarian and biologist who lives in the Galápagos Islands.

Peru Lima, Peru is a large city with a population of over 10 million people, and water scarcity is a constant concern. However, since the surrounding hills are on the coast, they are bathed in fog from the Pacific Ocean. To take advantage of this, a designer has built a massive fog-catching tower. The towering structure allows it to infiltrate the clouds, collecting more critical water vapor, and the spiral form ensures that the moisture-rich fog will directly strike every part of the structure regardless of wind direction.

Bolivia A recent exploration into the Bolivian jungles resulted in the discovery of never-before-seen creatures for field scientists, including the devil-eyed frog and satyr butterfly, which had not been seen in 30 and 100 years, respectively. They were discovered just 30 miles from La Paz, Bolivia's capital. “This truly beautiful and diverse landscape has become a safe haven for amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, and plants that haven’t been found anywhere else on Earth,” said expedition leader Trond Larsen.

Greetings from Africa

Kenya Time was running out for pregnant Judith Anyango Akala when her waters broke while her husband was at work. Since there was no other way to get to the hospital except by rowing, Anyango Akala's 12-year-old daughter piloted a boat through the night, using the torch from her mother's phone to direct them. Both mother and infant are healthy after the baby was delivered safely in the hospital.

Burkina Faso Mosquitoes are one of the world's deadliest pests, spreading diseases like yellow fever and malaria, which killed 400,000 people in 2019. Clinical trials in Burkina Faso of a new promising R21 vaccine could be successful against the disease, as it has been found to be 77 percent effective in phase 2 trials so far. Hopefully this will help prevent many deaths in the future.

Ghana Ghana is one of the countries in the world who have adapted to using plastic waste to make asphalt. Just 5% of the 5,000 tons of plastic that Ghanaians throw away each day finds its way to recycling centers and now, that waste can be used to make asphalt! According to a number of studies, waste plastic-filled roads have the potential to perform as well as or better than conventional roads.They can last longer and are more resistant to water damage, cracking and potholes.

Uganda Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana are among the countries that want to use medical supply drones to reach out to remote communities. Medical experts are using the argo drones to combat one of Africa's worst HIV crises on the 84 remote islands that make up the Kalangala District on the surface of Lake Victoria. More than 22 million Africans will benefit from a faster and more reliable delivery of life-saving drugs and supplies thanks to this groundbreaking technology.

AROUND THE GLOBE

Greetings from Asia & Oceania

New Zealand A group of marine biologists found a mother bottlenose dolphin who has adopted a baby pilot whale off the coast of New Zealand. Although dolphins have been known to adopt babies from other species, it's unusual to see it happen with such a large difference in size. Bottlenose dolphins can weigh up to 300 kilograms, but pilot whales can weigh up to two tons and grow to be six meters long! This serves to emphasize how unconditional a mother's love is.

Japan Hiroyuki Arakawa, a 76-year-old Japanese scuba diver, met wrasse fish Yoriko 30 years ago. Hiroyuki realized her mouth was injured while diving and started hand-feeding her. After she was nursed back to health they became close friends, and Hiroruki makes it a point to visit her often. “I’m not sure if it’s the nature of the wrasse or

not. It’s probably because there is a sense of trust between us. I guess she knows that I saved her… that I helped when she was badly injured. So for me to be able to do that, I am proud,” said the diver.

Thailand A district in northern Thailand has introduced a raffle campaign in which people will win a live cow every week for the rest of the year in order to boost vaccination rates. Starting June 2021, one lucky vaccinated villager in Chiang Mai province's Mae Chaem district will be selected at random every week to win a young cow worth about

10,000 baht ($319). Cross your fingers and it might be yours!

Russia/India Scientists from India and Russia have invented edible food wrappers. They're made of algae and cinnamic acid, which is derived from cinnamon. It was designed to replace one of the world's least recycled products, plastic, with natural ingredients that are both environmentally and humanly friendly. The films are also water soluble, dissolving about 90% in just 24 hours!

India When a visually disabled mother and her 6-yearold son were walking through a train station, the boy fell down onto the tracks. Mayur Shelke, a track worker who witnessed the incident, jumped down to save the boy just as the train approached. As a thank you for his service, the ministry of railways rewarded him with money, and Shelke unselfishly donated half of it to the boy he saved, to help pay for his welfare and education.

Greetings from Space

A NASA space probe has observed an intriguing steady hum deep in interstellar space. The faint, persistent humming is now proven to be a result of interstellar gas. This research will help scientists better understand how interstellar gas interacts with the solar wind, as well as how the protective bubble of the solar system's heliosphere interstellar atmosphere is shaped and modified by the environment.

Several bottles of wine that had been stored on board the International Space Station have now been returned to Earth. The bottles were brought back down after drifting 273 miles above the Earth's surface for a year. They were part of an experiment to research the changes in plants in habitats with limited gravity, light, and moisture. They have now been opened and consumed; for scientific purposes only.

99942 Apophis is an asteroid named after the Egyptian god of destruction. It was discovered in 2004 and has been classified as one of the most dangerous asteroids that could collide with Earth. Estimated to be about 335 meters across, Apophis made a flyby of Earth in March, and NASA’s scientists took the opportunity to use powerful radar observations to estimate its orbit more accurately. Their results enabled them to confidently rule out any impact risk in 2068 and long after. CROWD

SPOTLIGHT

Every month, Crowd1 leaders are working harder than ever to inspire, educate and empower others. It is because of people like them that Crowd1 is the powerful, global force that it is today. This is a chance to get to know a few of the people behind that success.

If you wish to nominate a leader for the next magazine issue of CROWD magazine, you can email us at magazine@crowd1.com.