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The Human brain contains 200 trillion synapses, our galaxy contains just 200 billion stars ! |
The world is made of leaves ! Plants replenish the atmosphere, generate the soil, and formed all our fossil fuels |
There are 300,000 species of plant on earth. Nearly 1 in 10 is at risk of extinction because of humans |
I've got a brand new combine harvester and I'll give you the key Come on now, let's get together… |
Twenty times the area of Ireland is sown with Maize each year. In 2007 almost 10% of the crop was converted to ethanol |
About 556 worker honeybees living for six weeks will gather nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey |
To make 1 pound of beeswax, bees must fly over 440,000 miles - that is more than 18 times around the world ! |
In the US, farmers lose $200 million a year from reduced crop pollination because pesticides eliminate 1 in 5 bee hives |
Pollution of the environment causes instability, disorder and serious harm to all life on earth, including ourselves |
Construction and buildings use the most energy, create the most CO2 emissions and cause most waste, and pollution |
Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years yet human activities threaten many species with extinction |
There is a fine line between a fisherman and his hook, let us hope we haven't already crossed it |
The oceans of the world provide 'free' food but almost a fifth of all fish caught are thrown overboard ! |
Coal, Oil and Gas are all formed from the fossilised remains of plants and animals - all were originally made from sunlight ! |
Growing fuels from plants is a way to make transport more sustainable - but only if it doesn't steal food from the hungry |
Our galaxy the Milky Way is one of billions It contains 200 billion stars, the oldest is estimated to be 13.2 billion yrs old |
The Natural World is full of beautiful symmetries - the Golden Mean is found in flowers, finger bones and pineapples |
Our modern diet is becoming more reliant upon industrialised food production - this will not be sustainable forever |
We can all play our small part in coping with Climate Change - even switching off lights is enough to make a difference |
Planting trees is one of the best ways of combating Global Warming - trapping carbon and enhancing the environment |
Cities, almost calming, almost sane, just below the surface a rumbling of pain (Ed Matlack 2004) |
The environmental footprint of an animal is correlated to its weight - Not us ! we have an impact equivalent to a Blue Whale ! |
The oxygen we breathe is made by plants All the oxygen on earth is converted to water and back again in a 2000 year cycle |
Rain run-off from surfaces such as roads is a major problem in Ireland - we now have as much road as we do native forests ! |
The cost of one nuclear test could fund the installation of 80,000 hand pumps in the developing world |
Sea Turtles have to be 50 years old before they can breed - six of the seven species on earth are now imperilled |
100 million sharks and rays, 300,000 Whales and Dolphins, and 100,000 albatrosses are killed each year by fishing |
Some estimates suggest there are over 13 million species on earth - so far just 2 million have been scientifically named ! |
Whales closest living relatives are Hippos ! The Minke Whale is one of the smallest, but still hunted for 'Scientific' purposes |
Coral reefs are the marine counterpart to rainforests because of the huge diversity of species found there |
The world's oceans absorb about ¼ of global CO² emissions causing them to become more acidic - dissolving coral reefs ! |
Aloe vera is one of thousands of plants that are useful to people - all medicines were once obtained from plants and animals |
A pollen grain is just the width of a human hair in diameter, but contains all the information needed to grow a giant oak tree |