Couldn't spare a few dollars, to save a few rare tigers?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/20/ohio-wild-animals-police-hunt

With billions of dollars being spent on sending soldiers to the Middle East I am in a state of shock why they couldn't spend a bit of money on tranquilizing, not shooting, the released animals and shipping them to sanctuaries in Sri Lanka and India.

Technological error

The delay in home internet has led to a delay in my posting, yet I have ironically set myself the challenge of being interactive editor of  my university paper. In the space of a week I have set up a Twitter account and used the term tweeting twice!

Up until today my stubborness would not allow me to ask for help regarding anything to do with my shiny Mac that I am allowed to use (it even has my title on it). A lesson has been learned, after finally throwing in the towel I asked for help, and it turns out I was very fittingly given the role due to an earlier email regarding my want for an environmental section of the paper. As the paper is printed by News International, there is no space for an environmental section, not even a column (although I feel NI definitely have more printing time on their hands, what with a certain newspaper no longer in print), so no space meant I was given a few printed pages and an online page to do whatever the heck I want to do with...for the next 6 weeks that is. However this does mean that the students of UAL will be dragged kicking and screaming to the reality of the state of our planet and what we can do about it.

Now I don't want to get ahead of myself and scare everyone away, it is not an official environmental section...just yet.

The increasing trend for soya milk

The idea of being a vegan has always baffled me. Vegetarianism I completely understand, especially for environmental reasons, but what difference are you making by not eating cheese and drinking cow’s milk? Especially when your alternative is soya milk.

Soy beans are not grown in the UK and the demand for soy products in the last decade has put increasing pressure on Amazonion rainforests and contributes to mass deforestation. Brazil accounts for 27% of soy bean production. This is followed by the US which produces 35% and since 2010 93% of the US’s soy production has come from genetically modified crops. Since February this year the UK has allowed the import of GM feed for livestock, the import of GM products can’t be far behind.

Putting aside my environmental beliefs I can be realistic enough to see the idea for the need for GM products especially with widespread drought in East Africa, but I do not see the need for increasing demand on a product thats production is not environmentally friendly. And also broaching the subject of GMO’s is a whole other matter that I need to do more research on, so stay tuned.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/feb/06/genetically-modified-crops-uk

All I can offer for now is how I feel when I have to make a soya milk latte on a Sunday morning for yet another fad follower, if I could out-rightly insult customers I would tell them this is not a fad to follow, if you can’t handle dairy after a big night out, might I suggest an espresso.