- Competition for the Amber Rose - on August 27, the final of the competition
Roses competition has delighted people for centuries with its beauty, variety of shapes, colors and fragrances. Artists capture them on canvases, photographs, wallpapers, fabrics and decorations. Lovers popularize knowledge about the history of these extremely charming flowers, their crops and news. The Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences - Center for the Preservation of Biological Diversity in Powsin, together with the Polish Rose Breeders Association, has been organizing annual rose exhibitions, and for three years also the international competition Warsaw Rose Trials, coordinated by Kamila Rakowska-Szlązkiewicz. - Roses love secateurs
Satisfaction with crossing species and caring for roses is much greater than the work put into their care - says Michał Kocikowski, who deals with the National Collection of Rose Varieties in the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Powsin. - Every fifth white stork is Polish
Some people love it so much that, in their opinion, it should take the place of the eagle in the coat of arms of our country. Are you sure? This is left to the subjective assessment of each individual. It is certain, however, that it is one of the favorite birds of many people not only in Poland, but also in the world. It is said to bring good luck to the hosts with which it has a nest, and to protect it from fire. For some people, it is extremely important during which activity they will see the first stork in a given year, because if it is a stork standing on the nest, it heralds a lazy year for the observer, and when in flight it bodes well for a busy year. On the other hand, when storks stop brooding in the existing nest, it is a matter of time that luck will leave this host. Some still stubbornly explain to young children that storks bring babies. A few more such beliefs could be mentioned. - Poland, a country of drought and floods
Rainy and dry summers, autumn swamps, periodic floods and inundations, but also numerous lakes, rivers, streams and swamps. Over the years, contrary to the opinions of scientists, we have got used to the fact that we will not run out of what, like what, but water. Hence the surprise that from time to time is caused by the information that Poland has renewable water resources at the level of Egypt, and therefore a desert state, where life is concentrated around the Nile. - The fourth nature and its importance in cities
In the face of the climate crisis, our cities should become oases of greenery, while many of the activities aimed at shaping nature so far are ineffective and lead to an increase in the amount of concrete in the city. Although we see more and more activities enriching the blue-green infrastructure of cities, they are usually costly. We forget that what we need most is the presence of the so-called "Fourth nature", that is, wild communities that develop spontaneously, without human interference. Polish researchers have shown that when we allow the spontaneous development of nature, it will provide us with benefits comparable to the cultivated urban greenery, and often even greater. In many European cities, projects for the restoration and reconstruction of natural habitats are already being carried out in response to climate challenges as well as social expectations. There are urban parks with the main theme of returning nature. - It is worth buying valuable natural areas
We cut forests for the construction of housing estates, warehouses, develop meadows for crops, and drain peat bogs. We are losing wildlife at a rapid pace. Privately protected areas are the answer to the greatest challenges of our time - loss of biodiversity and climate change. We have specific tools to make the entire process transparent and simple for everyone. Anyone can create such an area - companies, organizations, but also ordinary people. - Private National Parks
In Warsaw, at the headquarters of WWF Poland, a meeting of representatives of non-governmental organizations, business and journalists took place, where, among others, you could learn about examples of privately protected areas, about the experience of establishing and managing them by non-governmental organizations, private persons or business. - Climate neutrality. Is it possible?
Climate neutrality is a term that describes the balance (zero balance) between the greenhouse gases emitted and their storage or absorption by water bodies, forests or soils. Achieving climate neutrality is one of the greatest challenges related to climate protection. Is it still possible to introduce this goal in the era of intensive economic development? - Let's protect the Baltic Sea
Environmentalists sound the alarm. Climate warming, pollution and oxygen deficiency cause destructive changes in the aquatic ecosystem. We can stop this process, but decisive action is needed, both top-down, systemic and our daily. The organizer of the Naturally Bałtyckie educational program suggests how to support the protection of the Baltic waters and resources in small steps. - Why is today's slight warming worrying us so much?
Scientists, including the vast majority of climatologists, are seriously concerned about the acceleration of climate change, especially the process of warming the Earth's surface. The anxiety of researchers has become the basis for social and political activities of extraordinary intensity. The teenager Greta Thunberg has appeared in Europe, calling on behalf of young people to all the most important politicians in the world to take seriously the fight against warming. The European Union has created a flagship message to the world from the fight against global warming. In the social sphere, it is no longer a warming, but even a boil, a boil skillfully fueled by politicians and ecological ideologists. - Photovoltaic farm with a multifunctional energy storage
Two and a half years after the technological start-up of the first stage of the construction of a photovoltaic farm with an industrial energy storage in Nowa Wieś near Włocławek, Almides completed the construction of a three-part project in July this year. The capacity of the solar power plant reached 1 MW and the storage capacity was 0.5 MWh. It is one of the largest industrial solar energy storage facilities in Poland. The investment cost PLN 6 million. It was financed in half with the investor's own funds and a loan from the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Toruń. - Consumer awareness and ecology versus greenwashing
From the outset, the term greenwashing can be relatively vague as it is a word that can be safely called neologism. It refers to the English words: whitewashing, which means whitening, and green, which means green, clearly perceived as: ecological. It was first used by Jay Westervelt in 1986, in an article describing hotels that encouraged their guests to change towels less frequently, which was supposed to translate into lower water consumption, and therefore environmentally friendly operation. Many Polish internet blogs adopted a free translation of the term "greenwashing", such as: eco-friendly, green eyewash, or even an evident green lie. To put it simply, it is a phenomenon of false ecology, consisting in evoking the impression in customers seeking to satisfy their needs, in accordance with the principles of ecology and environmental protection, that the company producing given goods does it in harmony with nature and ecology. - How to efficiently exchange goods and services without cash
The sharing economy has become very fashionable for several years. It has an important ecological dimension - it allows to reduce the scale of production of many consumer goods, and thus relieve the environment with industrial activities. Splitting also saves - does each of us have to have a lawn mower or a pressure washer in the garage? Or maybe one such equipment on each street and lending it to each other is enough? - Marketable Emission Allowances
Marketable emission allowances were invented in the United States and for many years had the reputation of being an unproven American novelty outside of it. In the end, however, not only theoretically but also in practice, they have been widely recognized as an excellent instrument of environmental protection and implemented in many countries. They combine the flexibility of market decisions with strict environmental protection requirements, which should not be dictated by the results of the ad hoc market game.
AURA Ochrona Środowiska (AURA Environmental Protection) - the whole list