Welcome to April's Newsletter!Hello Muscat Mums! We hope you are well, as yet another month flashes before our eyes we are somehow in April. Recently, a meeting was held and we are very lucky and happy to announce we have some new coordinators joining the team - Silvana, Olaiya and Priyal. Additionally, as many of you will know Denise is passing the baton of the toy library over to Priyal. We are sure you will join us in thanking Denise with all her efforts in cultivating a thriving and utterly wonderful library that our families have had the honour of benefiting from over the last five years under her watchful and dedicated eyes. It is not goodbye, much to our relief, Denise is staying on as a coordinator with a different role. As we are getting to grips with our new systems we value your feedback to allow us to improve and provide you with the best service possible. So please, any ideas or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact us. Your Muscat Mum Coordinators.
In Other News...Earth Day is just around the corner on April 22nd. It is a global day of celebration of what a wonderful world we live in, and how collectively we can all make changes that positively impact to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Earth Day 2024 is focusing on the monumental amount of plastic that is produced and discarded. Earthday.org is demanding a 60% reduction in plastic production by the year 2040. Many of us already have made changes to our lifestyles such as trying to reduce, reuse and recycle. Many try to sell on / donate items we no longer need, and whilst the environment may not be the primary goal for this action it certainly is a wonderful side effect. However, with everything we see and read in the news about climate change, global warming, weather conditions become more extreme and more frequent. It can therefore be hard to stay motivated to play our part, in fact at times to think “what’s the point?” During a conversation that was recently had, a very good point was raised - good news just does not sell. So, below are several good news stories to hopefully help you see that even though there’s a long way to go we are on the right path. Furthermore, to remind you of the ripple effect; in that every action we take creates waves and will make a difference. The WWF suggests that all the technology that is required to be carbon neutral already exist. For instance solar, wind and battery technologies are now affordable and growing fast. With the correct governmental backing they have the potential to half carbon emissions that are created during the production of electricity by 2030. Similarly, with the support of governments, electric vehicles could become more widespread and common place then the traditional petrol / diesel run cars. Businesses are beginning to realise that they can have an impact and be a driving force for change. It is estimated that around 50% of America’s largest businesses are trying to offset their carbon footprint. In addition, they are helping to advocate for stronger governmental support and change. However, it is not just the big companies that are doing this, some of the smallest players are also pioneering change. For example, small coffee shops that provide discount or advocate you bring your own take away cup so as not to add to the single use plastics being used. Or the businesses that plant trees for every purchase made. To those who are not buying in “fancy packaging” but reusing boxes, or reducing the amount of plastic in the packing itself. A Swedish start-up called Modvion is using Scandi design to build wooden wind towers. This is important because although wind power is green energy, the production of the turbines usually require steel (a carbon-intensive material.) Therefore, ‘net zero wind power’ is now a very real possibility. Brussels is leading the way in becoming a “10 minute city.” This means that all amenities that are essential in an urban setting will be available in ten minutes or less. El Hierro, in the Canary Islands has been declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and Geopark. Why? Because it is the only island to have successfully run purely due to the power provided from wind and water, and is predicting it shall soon be completely self sufficient and powered by clean, renewable sources. Illustrating to the world it can be done. Whilst there are many animals that are being added to the endangered and extinct lists. There are also good news stories. For example, the blue iguana (down to 15 is up over a 1000 now.) Gould’s mouse, once thought extinct numbers around 2000. The Red Kite, once extinct in England and Scotland, was successful reintroduced and is now one of the UK’s fastest growing bird species. Similarly, the Northern Pool Frog, were no longer in England by 1995. However, they are now back due to a very successful breeding and reintroduction programme. European Bison became extinct after World War I. From the 54 captive animals programmes have reinstated this magnificent animal, in the wild. Eurasian Beavers became extinct in the UK in the 16th Century. Wild Beavers were spotted in 2013, and after studying the amazing side effects we can profit from living alongside, reintroduction programmes were given the green light. The Eastern Barred Bandicoots in 2021 were moved off the critically endangered list. Similarly, due to fantastic conservation work carried out by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Echo Parakeets were downgraded from endangered to vulnerable with numbers growing to around 700 from 20. There are businesses out there that are making it their mission to ethically help the world be a better place. For example ecologi a UK based business that aims to put the planet first. It has funded the planting of over 60 million trees across the world, prevented the release of 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide through a variety of climate projects. For example, making cooking stoves fuel-efficient, various solar power projects, reforestation and mangrove planting to name a few. As you can see, there are positive changes happening all across the world, yes the world needs our help right now. However, it is not all doom and gloom. We can make a difference, what we do matters. It is important to remember that as parents we are constantly being watched, our little people will all too soon be the advocates for a world that needs our help, and they see all we do and learn from it.
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