By Amy Denton, Editor-in-Chief of GLOBUS I have recently delved into the world of eco-cleaning, and I find it fascinating! Whilst chemicals in household cleaners should be safe if used correctly, research suggests that long-term exposure to cleaning chemicals can cause respiratory issues like asthma or in severe cases could even decrease lung functionality. So,... Continue Reading →
A Quick Intro to Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change
by Amy Denton, Assistant Editor Inspired by Dr Fiona Nunan's talk entitled ‘Power-sharing for nature-based solutions to climate change', delivered at the TED Countdown event organised by TEDxWarwick and GLOBUS. Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions and policies that protect, manage and restore ecosystems to address socio-environmental challenges, and are being used more and more in... Continue Reading →
The Dangers of Voluntourism and How To Avoid It
by Faye Palmer, GLOBUS Correspondent What is voluntourism? International volunteering can be an excellent cultural exchange with many positive outcomes for both the host community and the volunteer. However, some profit-driven volunteering companies do not have the intentions of the local community at heart, which can lead to more harmful consequences than good. Voluntourism is... Continue Reading →
oil on troubled water
By Katy Greco, Assistant Editor of GLOBUS It is an understatement to say the oil has changed the world; it has built economies, revolutionized travel and transformed production. But, it has also caused wars, health crises and environmental disasters. How can something be so powerful yet so problematic?   What actually is oil?! Petroleum (AKA crude... Continue Reading →
What the frack?
Explaining fracking - and why it's a cause for concern By Katy Greco, GLOBUS Correspondent Fracking. You’ve undoubtedly heard this term (and probably giggled) but what actually is it? Well, porous, low-permeability rocks (like sandstone and shale) act as a kind of chamber for natural gases, oil and other hydrocarbons that can be used for... Continue Reading →
The Problematics of Sustainable Packaging
By Lucia Mollea, GLOBUS Correspondent The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the dynamics of consumerism and trade. More and more, people of different ages and background have started to rely on shipments and online shopping, abandoning the traditional in-person kind of shopping. While shipment was popular already before the pandemic especially for non-essential goods, online purchases have now... Continue Reading →
Flower-Buying: A Thorn in the side of Environmental Protection?
By Julie Boukobza, GLOBUS Correspondent When buying flowers, we may imagine them to come from nice locally grown flower farms, straight from the ground and bathed in sunshine. For most of the flowers you will see in your everyday shop, however, this is not the case. The UK accounts for 17% of worldwide cut flower... Continue Reading →
‘Why less is more’: Could Minimalism Help Us Lead Happier Lives?
By Virginia Thomas-Pickles, GLOBUS contributor We live in a society that constantly encourages the accumulation of new possessions. From clothes to the latest kitchen gadgets - the adverts on social media and television are endless. Most of us have cupboards overloaded with items or drawers that barely shut because they are completely stuffed with all... Continue Reading →
Eco-Tourism: A Sustainable Way to Travel?
By Naomi Harris, GLOBUS Correspondent If you’re anything like me January could possibly have felt like the longest month of the year. Okay, I do have my birthday to look forward to in February, but I miss the sun, being able to go outside without three layers on and not feeling like its time to go to... Continue Reading →
Defining Sustainability in the Digital Realm
By Angelo Balagtas, GLOBUS Correspondent As of late, sustainability has seemingly become a buzzword. It then begs the question, what is it? Searching the definition of sustainability brings up the following simple definitions: Wikipedia: Sustainability is the ability to exist constantly. In the 21st century, it refers generally to the capacity for the biosphere and... Continue Reading →
The Electric Boom – 2020, the year of Tesla?
By Lois Gilhooly, GLOBUS Correspondent It’s 2020 and, I can assure you, I haven’t fulfilled my resolution of getting a Tesla… although it wasn’t exactly likely in the first place. Apparently, however, I’m not the only one. Tesla’s share prices have soared since the 1st of November and, on the 24th January, they shot to... Continue Reading →
Calculating Your Carbon Footprint
By Gwendolyn Tan, GLOBUS Correspondent In the wake of all the newspaper headlines warning us about the impacts of climate change - predicting that the point of no return is upon us - it seems like the world we live in is extremely bleak and scary. Nevertheless, if you're determined to turn the tide a... Continue Reading →
Haircare Sustainability
By Angelo Balagtas, GLOBUS Correspondent It’s been said that your hair is your crown. It’s then unsurprising that we love to take good care of our hair. We may forget in these efforts, however, that we maybe forming unsustainable habits. In fact, did you know that a 10-minute shower can use the same amount of... Continue Reading →
Mapping Our Burning Future: Cartography and Climate Change
By Ellie Church, GLOBUS Correspondent With the oldest map known to us being dated to around 700BC, maps have certainly held their place in our society. Previously relied on for navigation, facilitating voyages and discoveries, it is a shame that technological advances are now pushing our obvious relationship with cartography to the back alleys. The... Continue Reading →
New Year’s Resolutions: The Sustainability Edition
By Aada Orava, GLOBUS Correspondent As the year and the decade end tonight, many of us have our New Year’s Resolutions ready for trial and (oftentimes, and ultimately) error. Most of the time we attempt resolutions that improve our overall wellbeing and lifestyle, such as exercise, diet, meditation and so on - you know the... Continue Reading →
Dumpster Diving – Daring, or just Dangerous?
By Gwendolyn Tan, GLOBUS Correspondent Like any other university student, I try to manage my finances responsibly. However, when I started to lead a greener lifestyle, I was taken aback by the costs involved in changing my diet - for example, the purchase of vegetarian, organic and local foods can be quite expensive...enter dumpster diving... Continue Reading →
Being a Good Ancestor: Extending the ‘Now’
By Ellie Church, GLOBUS Correspondent What do you wish your ancestors had done for you? What will our descendants wish of us? What legacy will you leave? One of the key issues behind the inertia of action on the sustainable development agenda is a democratic focus on the short term. The policy struggle to see... Continue Reading →
The Case for Electric Vehicles
By Anna Hardisty, GLOBUS Correspondent Whether or not you’re a car fanatic, it would’ve been rather difficult to avoid spotting the increasing popularity of electric cars. From snazzy adverts and subsides to the increasingly common presence of charging points at fuel stations, their rapid growth is expected to continue, with the National Grid forecasting a... Continue Reading →
Germany and the energy dilemma: to go or not to go nuclear?
By Aada Orava, GLOBUS Correspondent The question of whether or not to use nuclear power as part of the energy production sector is hardly a new one. Ever since the energy crisis of the 1970s, there has been an expansion in both the use of nuclear power, and a growth of anti-nuclear movements. However, with... Continue Reading →
Carbon Offsetting: Who are we kidding?
By Tori Keene, GlOBUS Assistant Editor Is carbon offsetting truly cancelling out our emissions, or just our own guilt? By dictionary definition, a ‘Carbon Offset’ is ‘an action or activity (such as the planting of trees or carbon sequestration) that compensates for the emission of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere’ - a... Continue Reading →