What Is Earth Hour And How To Celebrate It In South Africa?

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Blyde River Canyon

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What is fracking and why is it controversial?

Since the natural gas reserves of the Earth are slowly fading away, people are trying to find different ways to get access to the remaining resources, and one of the recent developments in this regard comes in the form of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking.

If you are asking yourself what is fracking, then you should know that this is basically the process of injecting fluid during the drilling process that is made at a high pressure, all with the only purpose of fracturing the rocks and releasing the natural gas that is found inside them.

This technique has been applied to various wells, and these include tight oil, coal seam gas, as well as tight gas for example. In fact, fracking was firstly used back in 1947 during an experiment, and since then it has become a widely used, although very controversial way to release natural gas onto the surface. Since then, more than 2.5 million of fracturing operations have started all over the globe, although in recent years a boom has started in this regard, with numerous places being seen as feasible and ready to exploit.

And while fracking might be the answer to numerous natural gas problems that the world is currently experiencing, it’s also safe to say that this is a very controversial method, with numerous countries all over the world being against it.

The persons that agree to it, mainly the ones that are exploiting it are talking about the major economic benefits that this method offers. However, there are numerous opponents that note the downsides of fracking and the potential dangers that it can bring.

One of the major problems that fracking brings to the table is the fact that the whole process can have a negative impact on the environment. First of all, it will contaminate the ground water and make it undrinkable, a bad thing considering that there are still many people all over the world that rely on fountains and ground water to get their daily supply of the much needed liquid.

Then, there’s the problem that the fracking process degrades the air quality which is also a major downside. And as if that isn’t enough on its own, fracking will even trigger earthquakes, bring noise pollution, surface pollution and just remove the ability for the environment to repair itself in a natural manner.

If you are one of the persons wondering what hydraulic fracking is, then you can easily see this is a process that can damage the environment irreversibly. While it does have its upsides, fracking can bring some major negative consequences for the humans in that particular area, as well as the wildlife and plants.

We can clearly say that this is the gas extraction method of the future, but with so many downsides, we can expect that a new, safer method will be found soon enough!

Where did Arbor Day come from?

Arbor Day is a celebration that takes place in a number of countries around the world. Every country has its own unique take on it and celebrates it at a different time of the year - depending on how their countries are affected by the changes in seasons.

 

The Northern Hemisphere tends to have they celebrations at the beginning of the year, while the Southern Hemisphere celebrates towards the end of the year, at the beginning of Spring. South Africa celebrates Arbor Day, and to a larger extent Arbor Week, in the first week of September from the 1st to the 7th.

 

The first official celebration of Arbor Day was on the 10th of April 1872 in Nebraska, USA. The man who started the trend was Julius Sterling Morton, a Michigan native who moved to Nebraska to become the editor of a newspaper. When he and his wife built their home, they noticed a lack of trees on their property, and while many people assumed that there were none due to the fact that the property and region were not really well suited for it, Morton and his wife decided to go ahead and do it anyway.

 

The initial reasons Morton gave when he began promoting his new plan were quite different from the reasons we cite when we celebrate the day now. We celebrate Arbor Day in the 21st century in order to promote conservation of natural resources, and allowing trees to grow in abundance, which will increase oxygen production and provide us with a generally cleaner Earth. Morton, however, claimed that planting trees was not only a way to make your property look better, but it would also block high winds, provide a barrier against the harsh rays from the sun, and provide wood and fuel for building and heating.

 

On Arbor Day, the plan is to have every person plant one tree, thereby showing respect to nature by helping it sustain itself through all of the harm we’ve done. Many schools and organizations have taken to using the day to plant trees in honor of people in the community who they feel have been helpful and have had a significant impact on their lives, bringing an incredible social factor into the day on top of the great ecological advantage it brings.

 

 

How to plant a tree on Arbor Day

Arbor Day is a worldwide holiday that is celebrated at different times during the year in different regions. Having started in the 19th century in Nebraska in the United States, the day has become a popular way of giving back to nature. In order to do so, and to make sure that your planted tree will grow to its full capacity, it is important to understand how to plant the tree properly. With most plants, it may be as simple as clearing a little patch of mulch and sticking the plant into it, then re-covering it to ensure that the roots grab hold. Trees, however, need a little more care and attention than that.

 

•   The first thing you need to do is to make sure your tree and the soil you’re looking to plant it in is good enough to promote growth. You will preferably need a large section of open land with loose, fertilized and watered soil. Make sure your trees roots are not broken or clumped too much, because this will cause it to not be able to branch out and grab hold of the ground once it is planted.

 

•   Next, dig your hole, and make sure that it is at least twice as wide as the rootball of the tree, and do not make it any deeper than it had been planted previously in the growth centre you got it from.

 

•   If there is a burlap sack around the rootball, cut it off after placing it in the hole, but you can leave the sack at the bottom of the hole, since it will simply become compost over time and aid in the growth of the tree.

 

•   Fill up the hole with loose soil and a little bit of water to keep it moist. Once the hole is filled, compact the soil with your hands to make sure there are no remaining air pockets between the soil and the tree roots.

 

•   In order to ensure the straight growth of the tree, plant a stake next to it and tie it loosely to the tree. Once you are sure the tree will grow straight unhindered, cut the stake out, or leave it, and allow the tree to push it out as it grows.

 

•   Water the tree every day for several weeks after it is planted. This will allow the roots to grow and grab hold of the soil quickly, and after that, you should have a self-sustaining tree, right in your back yard!

Top 10 inspirational Leaders

 

 

Some of the most charismatic and inspiring role models in the world come from humble beginnings. We look up to them because they show us that we can do better, and even against adversity, we can accomplish what we set our minds to. When it comes to the most notable among them, we tend to idolize them for all they have accomplished, and we attempt to emulate them in any way possible. Here are 10 of the most accomplished and noteworthy Leaders in the world, living or dead, that have revolutionized the way we see the world.

 

1.    Nelson Mandela

 

Perhaps the one person who will inevitably take the top spot on anyone’s list of inspirational people, the late father of South Africa, affectionately known as ‘Tata Madiba’, is known across the globe as one of the most steadfast figures who, right up to the time of his passing, embodied the ideals of reconciliation, peace and love. The first democratically elected President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, has helped millions of people keep their dreams alive going forward into the 21st century.

 

2.    Jeff Bezos

 

While not many people unfamiliar with the tech and online retail industries will know his name, Bezos is undoubtedly one of the most innovative and successful entrepreneurs and businessmen in the world. In 2013 he bought The Washington Post, one of the world’s leading newspapers, for $250 million, and his company Amazon (best known as being the leading Online retail marketplace in the world) is innovating in more ways than one, with new tests underway that would allow the use of unmanned drones to deliver packages within as little as 30 minutes.

 

3.    Barrack Obama

 

A man who needs no real introduction, now having served two terms as the 44th President of the United States of America (and as a result, taking his place in history as the leader of the free world), Barrack Obama rose from humble upbringings, being raised by a single mother. He became a Harvard educated lawyer, and has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the War in Iraq after his election as President.

 

4.    Larry Page and Sergey Brin

 

The two men behind what is now one of the most widely used and daily recognized companies in the world (we’ve literally called the act of searching for information online ‘Googling’), and have managed to continue to innovate and maintain their place atop the ever changing tech landscape, despite being a relatively old company. The company that brought us the most trusted search engine in the world, as well as one of the most widely used mobile operating systems is even expanding its product range into high speed Internet access and its crazy sounding ‘Project Loon’, which would launch Internet connected balloons into areas with low connectivity to bring Internet access to those without advanced infrastructure.

 

5.    Sonia Sotomayor

 

The United States Supreme Court is one of the highest honors any judge could aspire to, and Sotomayor has managed to break down countless barriers in her journey that lead her to become only the third ever female Judge to serve on the Supreme Court bench, and astoundingly the first ever Hispanic on the bench to boot. Sotomayor was raised in the Bronx in New York City, a notoriously rough neighborhood, by her widowed mother and has helped turn the scales of justice to a more fair and equal system

 

6.    Elon Musk

 

Today, Elon Musk is one of the biggest names in innovation associated with the tech industry, and many people do not know that he came from humble beginnings as a South African boy who immigrated to the USA at the tender age of 17. Musk became a billionaire once the company he co-founded, became a global phenomenon which is to this day accepted as one of the most efficient and secure online payment systems in the world. That company is PayPal. Musk later invested his money in Tesla Motors, a company looking to reinvent the wheel and introduce affordable and efficient electric cars to the world. In 2014 it was announced that Tesla’s plans would be made available to any company that wishes to use them to build electric vehicles. He also made headlines by introducing plans to build the Hyperloop, a futuristic magnetic levitation transportation system that would allow passengers to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in only 35 minutes. Musk is also heavily invested in SpaceX, a company currently leading the frontier of private space travel.

 

7.    Bill Gates

 

A name that hardly needs any introduction. Bill Gates is widely considered to be the wealthiest man in the world, and is also a massive contributor to countless charitable causes around the world. His story is familiar to us all, having started Microsoft in his garage after borrowing money from a friend to buy a crucial part for his first computer, he has gone on to be the CEO of Microsoft, the world’s leading PC software company, with countless innovations under his belt that would take a good chunk of time to even list.

 

8.    Reed Hastings

 

To anyone unfamiliar with Netflix, an online video streaming service that started as a humble video rental and delivery company, it has taken the world by storm, and even though it is currently only available in a select few countries, its services are so popular that in 2013 alone, its share price rose by a whopping 260%. Netflix has also introduced some original content in the last five years, including shows that have garnered a total of 14 Emmy nominations. Not bad for an independent company whose flagship show, House of Cards, is regarded as one of the best series in the last decade. Hastings and his company are also well known for their opposition to the move by telecommunication giants ComCast’s plans to create tiers of Internet connectivity which would effectively widen the Digital Divide at an unprecedented rate.

 

9.    Sir Richard Branson

 

Branson’s name is known worldwide as being synonymous with global reach and as being the franchise that is instantly recognizable anywhere you go. The Virgin Group now consists of over 400 companies, including gyms, record labels, airline and even the brand new Virgin Galactic, set to launch within the next five years, the company plans on making space slight possible for ordinary people in the near future.

 

10.  Bas Lansdorp

 

Lansdorp never really made waves until recently, though he has been involved heavily in innovation for quite some time. The Dutch entrepreneur and successful mechanical engineer helped develop technology aimed at creating efficient, self-sustaining wind-energy. He then sold his shares in the business, Ampyx Power, and invested it in a project called ‘Mars One’, a venture that aims to establish the first ever permanent human colony on Mars in the next 20 years. Plans for the Mars One project are already underway, with applications being sorted through and brave should being chosen to take their places in history as the first colonists of the Red Planet. This is all due to a vision Lansdorp had as a student at the University of Twente in the Netherlands where he graduated with a Masters degree.

 

Written by Wesley Geyer