Eastern & Oriental Express Becomes 'Tiger Express' In Bangkok To Singapore Trip For Tigers

Eastern & Oriental Express Becomes 'Tiger Express' In Bangkok To Singapore Trip For Tigers

Called the ‘Tiger Express’, the excursion has teamed up with the global tiger conservation charity initiative, ‘Save Wild Tigers, to “raise awareness about the plight of the world’s last remaining wild tigers, writes Friday’s The South China Morning Post.

Will Burrard-Lucas + Tsavo Trust + BeetleCam Capture Kenya's Endangered, Magnificent Elephant Queens

Will Burrard-Lucas + Tsavo Trust + BeetleCam Capture Kenya's Endangered, Magnificent Elephant Queens

You are forgiven for thinking that F_MU1 is a woolly mammoth brought to life. Queen of Elephants, the name photographer Will Burrard-Lucas gave to F__MU1, was a rare “big tusker” elephant, one of perhaps only 30 left in Africa. This royal creature enjoyed a peaceful life for more than 60 years in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park.

These images of F_MU1, renamed Elephant Queen on WBL’s website, are among the last images captured of her. Over long periods of horrific, violent poaching in Kenya, Elephant Queen is a survivor, and she died a natural death shortly after Burrard-Lucas made these magnificent image captures for his new book ‘Land Of Giants.’

Burrard-Lucas embarked on the ambitious project in partnership with Tsavo Trust in August 2017, in an effort to promote worldwide support for the elephants of Tsavo.

In his own words, the photographer shares his story of meeting Elephant Queen for the first time:

New Survey Raises Concerns About Elephant Poaching in Botswana

New Survey Raises Concerns About Elephant Poaching in Botswana

By Ross Harvey, Senior Researcher in Natural Resource Governance (Africa), South African Institute of International Affairs. First published on The Conversation

Botswana has an elephant poaching problem. The numbers far exceed previous years according to a new survey. The survey was conducted between July and October 2018 by conservation group Elephants without Borders, in collaboration with Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

The survey reported a total of 1677 observed carcasses in the survey area of northern Botswana. The surveyors visited carcasses that were of concern – reported as possibly poached – which numbered 104 out of a total of 128 “fresh” carcasses.

Technology Is Useful, But Drones Alone Won’t Save Africa’s Elephants

Technology Is Useful, But Drones Alone Won’t Save Africa’s Elephants

Technology has made a tremendous difference in the world, in areas as diverse as health and education, and pretty much everything in between.

But is technology the weapon that will ultimately eradicate animal poaching and save various species from eradication? It’s not a silver bullet, but it certainly has potential. That’s why Vulcan – a company started by the late Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft – has produced a tech platform called EarthRanger to monitor protected wildlife areas by drawing in big data from cameras, animal collars and vehicle sensors.

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Scientists Call for Drastic Drop in Emissions. U.S. Appears to Have Gone the Other Way.

Scientists Call for Drastic Drop in Emissions. U.S. Appears to Have Gone the Other Way.

By Abraham Lustgarten , ProPublica. This story was originally published by ProPublica.

The signals are blaring: Dramatic changes to our climate are well upon us. These changes — we know thanks to a steady drumbeat of alarming official reports over the past 12 months — could cripple the U.S. economy, threaten to make vast stretches of our coastlines uninhabitable, make basic food supplies scarce and push millions of the planet’s poorest people into cities and across borders as they flee environmental perils.

All is not yet lost, we are told, but the demands of the moment are great. The resounding consensus of scientists, economists and analysts tells us that the solution lies in an unprecedented global effort to immediately and drastically drop carbon emissions levels. That drop is possible, but it will need to happen so fast that it will demand extraordinary commitment, resolve, innovation and, yes, sacrifice. The time we’ve got to work with, according to the United Nations, is a tad more than 10 years.

And so it stings particularly badly to learn from a new report released this weekby the Rhodium Group, a private research company, that U.S. emissions — which amount to one-sixth of the planet’s — didn’t drop in 2018 but instead skyrocketed. The 3.4 percent jump in CO2 for 2018, projected by the Rhodium Group, would be second-largest surge in greenhouse gas emissions from the United States since 1996, when Bill Clinton was president.

The Surprising Way Plastics Could Actually Help Fight Climate Change

The Surprising Way Plastics Could Actually Help Fight Climate Change

What do your car, phone, soda bottle and shoes have in common? They’re all largely made from petroleum. This nonrenewable resource gets processed into a versatile set of chemicals called polymers – or more commonly, plastics. Over 5 billion gallons of oil each year are converted into plastics alone.

Polymers are behind many important inventions of the past several decades, like 3D printing. So-called “engineering plastics,” used in applications ranging from automotive to construction to furniture, have superior properties and can even help solve environmental problems. For instance, thanks to engineering plastics, vehicles are now lighter weight, so they get better fuel mileage. But as the number of uses rises, so does the demand for plastics. The world already produces over 300 million tons of plastic every year. The number could be six times that by 2050.

Petro-plastics aren’t fundamentally all that bad, but they’re a missed opportunity. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Switching from petroleum-based polymers to polymers that are biologically based could decrease carbon emissions by hundreds of millions of tons every year. Bio-based polymers are not only renewable and more environmentally friendly to produce, but they can actually have a net beneficial effect on climate change by acting as a carbon sink. But not all bio-polymers are created equal.

Girl Baby Elephants Become Proxy Matriarchs At Kenya's Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

Girl Baby Elephants Become Proxy Matriarchs At Kenya's Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

Sunday night has been elephant update night for Anne. My head is swimming in new information and stories. Before I venture out, let me share this charming, empathetic story in National Geographic about Kenya’s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya.

A few weeks ago, AOC featured the entire short virtual reality film ‘My Africa’, narrated by Lupita Nyong’o and set among the Samburu people. The region of the film and this May, 2017 article includes the Turkana, Rendille, Borana, and Somali peoples — besides the Samburu. Knowledgeable about many of the civil wars that have ravaged Africa (and America) I’m not familiar with tensions in this area. The point of our story and ‘My Africa’ is how these ethnic groups are working together today to strengthen their communities while protecting the estimated 6,000 elephants, according to National Geographic, who share the land.

In fact, I pursued the article because of this beautiful image of Mary Lengees, one of Reteti’s first female elephant keepers and Shyian. Upon landing at National Geographic, I felt a poignant moment for Shaba, a little female elephant who is now the boss. So much has been written about the great elephant matriarchs, strong leaders who sleep hardly at all to protect their herd.

The notion of a baby girl elephant’s natural instincts taking hold, making her the leader and caretaker long before her time is due reminds me of stories of young girls with countless siblings — too many for mom to manage — or even orphan girls with young brothers and sisters who suddenly rise to positions of leadership, almost out of instinct.

In Africa, Concern Mounts About The Safety Of Botswana's Thriving (And Challenging) Elephant Population

In Africa, Concern Mounts About The Safety Of Botswana's Thriving (And Challenging) Elephant Population

My heart dropped two weeks ago, when global news outlets reported that about 90 carcasses of illegally killed Botswana elephants had been found around a famous wildlife sanctuary Chobe National Park. Thanks to exceptional conservation efforts mandated by Botswana’s former president Ian Khama, the country’s elephant population has swelled to an estimated 120,000  – believed to be the highest concentration of African elephants in the world.

I was embarassed, frankly, over articles that I wrote several years ago about another of Botswana’s great treasures — the adjacent to Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta — and its promise of feminine principles in new luxury lodgings and wildlife conservation in the Okavango Delta. With a love of elephants decades old and a commitment to donate 5% of our GlamTribal business revenues to elephant conservation, I’m not a Pollyanna on the plight of Africa’s elephants.

Days became two weeks, and I failed to write about the Botswana elephants, until I found a tremendous resource last night called The Conversation.com. What a goddess send!!

Ross Harvey, Senior Researcher in Natural Resource Governance (Africa), South African Institute of International Affairs picks up the story of the terrible tragedy for Botswana’s elephants.

H&M Conscious Exclusive Delivers First Fall Collection With Liu Wen | Fall/Winter 2018 Lookbook

H&M Conscious Exclusive Delivers First Fall Collection With Liu Wen | Fall/Winter 2018 Lookbook

Supermodel Liu Wen shares the first Fall-Winter collection from H&M’s Conscious Exclusive collection. Launching on September 27 online, the romantic silhouettes are inspired by ancient tapestry and include materials made from recycled cashmere and velvet, coupled with 100% organic silk.

Cecilia Brännsten, H&M group environmental sustainability manager, explains that as consumers hug words like “transparency” and “traceability’, retailers and manufacturers are pressed to innovate sustainable materials and methods.

This season the Swedish high-street giant has introduced recycled cashmere created from leftover yarn that has been respun, and velvet made of recycled polyester partly sourced from used uniforms. “We have been developing this velvet for years to get a quality we're happy with,” Brännsten explains of the brand's closed loop production efforts on these heavier materials that have finally come to fruition in its first autumn/winter Conscious Exclusive line.

Burberry Formally Gives Up Fur, Moves To Recycled Packaging & Will Stop Burning Excess Inventory

Burberry Formally Gives Up Fur, Moves To Recycled Packaging & Will Stop Burning Excess Inventory

Burberry made two announcements on Thursday, following up on its May 2018 promise to review its use of real fur in its collections. Equally important, Burberry's chief executive Marco Gobbetti responded to criticism from the general public over its practice of destroying its unsold luxury products. In a first move for the luxury brands market, Burberry will become the first company to reuse, repair, donate or recycle all of its unsaleable products. 

Gobbetti said: “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible. This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success. We are committed to applying the same creativity to all parts of Burberry as we do to our products.”

The amount of stock Burberry destroys had risen sharply in recent years, from £5.5 million in fiscal year 2013 to £28.6 million in the last fiscal year. Gobbetti also announced that the creation of a new logo triggered a need for all new packaging, shopping bags, marketing materials, and they would now use recycled materials. 

As for the company's use of fur, it's over at Burberry. Riccardo Tisci's debut collection presented at London Fashion Week on September 17 will be fur free. 

Chopard Adds Sustainable Garden of Paradise Fragrances To Growing Green Credentials

Chopard Adds Sustainable Garden of Paradise Fragrances To Growing Green Credentials

The Financial Times How To Spend It Magazine turns our focus to eco-perfumes and an interesting entry into the fragrance category by watchmaker and jeweler Chopard's Garden of Paradise fragrances. 

Chopard was the first watchmaker and jeweller in the world to enable small scale mining communities to reach Fairmined certification as well as provide training, social welfare and environmental support. With a multi-year track record of high credibility in the sustainability sector, Chopard reaffirms its commitment to honoring both the earth and its everyday laborers toiling for the luxury market by introducing the first perfumes composed of ingredients from the Naturals Together programme.

Chopard first stepped out in the sustainable luxury sector at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival with the launch of the High Jewellery Green Carpet Collection, guided by Caroline Scheufele in partnership with Eco-Age and its creative Director Livia Firth. 

Beehive Fences and Elephants: Tanzanian Case Study Offers Fresh Insights

Beehive Fences and Elephants: Tanzanian Case Study Offers Fresh Insights

When people cultivate food crops on or near wild lands it can be assumed that wild animals will eat them – what’s known as crop-raiding. Farms in the vicinity of protected areas can expect to be visited by a range of wild animals including birds, rodents, and large mammals like monkeys, bushpigs and elephants.

Because of their size, elephants are the most conspicuous crop-user and may, in addition to eating crops, trample farmers’ fields and break fences. Using nonlethal ways to deter elephants from farms is the most humane and effective defence long-term. But elephants are still being shot and killed, particularly if they threaten people or property.

Given that elephant numbers are dwindling, creative solutions need to be found to reduce crop losses and improve the chances of elephants and people coexisting.

Greenpeace Launches New Anti-Straw Campaign For Ocean Creatures | 'Trash Isles' Trailer

Greenpeace Launches New Anti-Straw Campaign For Ocean Creatures | 'Trash Isles' Trailer

Starbucks announced in early July that it will eliminate single-use plastic straws from its more than 28,000 company operated and licensed stores by making a strawless lid or alternative-material straw options available, around the world. Starbucks, the largest food and beverage retailer to make such a global commitment, anticipates the move will eliminate more than one billion plastic straws per year from Starbucks stores.

Starbucks has designed, developed and manufactured a strawless lid, which will become the standard for all iced coffee, tea and espresso beverages. The lid is currently available in more than 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada for select beverages including Starbucks Draft Nitro and Cold Foam. The lid is also being piloted for Nitro beverages in additional markets including China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition, Starbucks will begin offering straws made from alternative materials – including paper or compostable plastic - for Frappuccino® blended beverages, and available by request for customers who prefer or need a straw.

Jennifer Garner Co-Founds Once Upon A Farm, Supporting Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley

Jennifer Garner Co-Founds Once Upon A Farm, Supporting Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley

On Saturday, July 14, actor Jennifer Garner celebrated Once Upon a Farm, the new “farm-to-family” food company with a strong focus on babies and children that she co-founded with Cassandra Curtis. The event at Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett invited guests from the Hamptons crowd such as Rachel Zoe, Molly Sims, Jessica Capshaw, Estee Stanley, and their little ones to pick fresh produce, listen to live music and plant fruits and vegetables with Ron Finley, the Gangsta Gardener of the Ron Finley ProjectOnce Upon a Farm later donated the gardening plot from the event, along with $10,000 to NYC’s Edible Schoolyard.

Paper Magazine profiled Finley in Aug. 2017. The food justice revolutionary decided to get his hands dirty back in 2010 over the lack of healthy, organic food options in his LA South Central food desert neighborhood. 

"Being in South Central, the food is food-ish stuff," he explains. "We can walk five minutes in any direction and get liquor, but we can walk ten miles in any direction, and we aren't gonna get an organic banana." Finley came to the realization that cities were designed for the interests of commerce, not people: "If cities were designed for people, they would look more like forests, and be lush and beautiful, and the air would be clean." He looked at the green grass parkway he'd been dutifully maintaining outside of his home, and decided, "If they're not putting beauty in my neighborhood, I'll do it myself." The answer was radical in its simplicity: he would grow his own food. He dug up the grass, and planted flowers, herbs, and all the fruits and vegetables he'd previously had to drive miles to buy.

Ladurée Launches Hemp Macaron In LA; Now That Industrial Hemp Is Finally A Legal US Crop, Can We Make Fabrics?

Ladurée Launches Hemp Macaron In LA; Now That Industrial Hemp Is Finally A Legal US Crop, Can We Make Fabrics?

Famed Parisian patisserie Ladurée is known worldwide for its divinely delicious. sweet French sensual treats made in vibrant, intoxicating colors. Simply stated, these macarons are a feast for the eyes, tongue and amygdalae. 

On Thursday, Ladurée in will lauch a new exclusive-to-Los-Angeles macaron flavor containing hemp.

Elisabeth Holder Raberin, co-president of Ladurée USA, describes the flavor of the new L.A. macaron, a blend of white chocolate and hemp, as “a bit like hazelnut.” She says: “I love challenging my taste and I’m very curious about what people eat everywhere. L.A. is a huge market that’s very important and I see many trends here. You can find hemp ice cream and I buy hemp seeds to put on my yogurt or to use in tea. It’s healthy! When I said in Paris that I wanted to have a hemp macaron, they looked at me like, ‘What?’ They thought it was super-funny, but in the end they came up with a flavor and color that are really amazing.”

Let no one crack any hemp jokes. In fact, I have hemp protein powder in the cupboard and once had a love affair with hemp waffles. 

To clarify, writes THRsince marijuana bias has caused a lot of confusion, hemp is a variety of the cannabis plant with trace levels of THC, the main psychoactive element in marijuana, that’s been touted in some circles as a superfood rich in protein, magnesium and omega-3 and -6. And no, it won’t make you high. But at this week’s private launch party for influencers, Ladurée will serve tastings of the new L.A. hemp macaron at a “high tea” in its Beverly Hills salon, where tea will be infused with CBD oil from design-wise L.A. cannabis dispensary The Pottery.

The American government has been obsessed with controlling hemp as a crop, as Canadian farmers get wealthy. George Washington grew it at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson at Monticello for industrial purposes. Yet, as a 2005 report from the Congressional Research Service noted, the U.S. “is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop.”

Canada has been growing hemp for 20 years. Great Britain legalized industrial hemp in 1993, Germany in 1996. And now -- let the trumpets blare -- the US government finally legalized industrial hemp in June 2018. 

Many believe that hemp has a a key role in the topic of sustainability in the fashion industry. Take a read of this 2017 article: A Guide To Hemp: The Miracle Crop that Could Be the Future of Fashion

Asos Launches New Initiative With London College To Educate Its Design Teams On Sustainability

Asos Launches New Initiative With London College To Educate Its Design Teams On Sustainability

In mid-June, Asos, which sells over 850 labels including its own clothing and accessories lines, confirmed that it will ban  cashmere, silk, down and feathers across its entire platform by the end of January 2019.

"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) applauds Asos for leading the charge for compassion in fashion," director of corporate projects, Yvonne Taylor, commented. "In response to PETA's campaigns, consumers are changing the face of the industry by demanding that designers and retailers ditch animal-derived materials in favour of cruelty-free alternatives that look great without causing suffering."

Asos joined over 140 brands, including Topshop, H&M and Marks & Spencer, by halting its use of mohair after PETA released a video exposé of mohair production in South Africa in May 2018.

Alexandra Nataf Flashes Arizona Muse For Mango Committed Spring/Summer 2018 Campaign

Alexandra Nataf Flashes Arizona Muse For Mango Spring/Summer 2018 Campaign

Model Arizona Muse fronts the Mango Spring/Summer 2018 campaign. Alexandra Nataf captures Arizona, styled by Ilona Hamer./ Hair by Mark Hampton; makeup by Siddhartha Simone

Model Arizona Muse fronts the eco-friendly Mango Committed Spring/Summer 2018 campaign. Alexandra Nataf captures Arizona, styled by Ilona Hamer./ Hair by Mark Hampton; makeup by Siddhartha Simone

Arizona explains the sustainability credentials behind Mango's Committed Collection:

I love the MANGO committed collection. I am so excited to be here wearing it. This is my passion and MANGO came to me and said “Oh we would like to have you in our collection because of your interest in sustainability”. People are starting to see that this is my real interest and passion and I am really honored. I love it because the fabrics feel great, I know a lot about where the fabrics come from and I know how much better they are for our environment, our world and us. The fabrics that you use are really high quality like, Tencel, which is made from trees that were raised to be cut, so has never deforested anything and also the chemicals used in the process are never wasted, they reuse 99.7 % of the chemicals that they use for processing. And also you have chosen organic cotton, which is a totally different way of growing cotton. From my personal point of view, my decision to wear organic cotton comes from the way the farm is run, an organic farm for cotton is a totally different organization and that’s really important to the health of our environment.” – Muse for Vogue Paris on MANGO committed collection.

Arizona Muse Joins Julianne Moore In Celebrating Chopard's Move To 100% Ethical Gold

Arizona Muse Joins Julianne Moore In Celebrating Chopard's Move To 100% Ethical Gold

Chopard made a landmark announcement on March 22 that by July 22, the Swiss maison will only use ethical gold in all its jewelry and watch creations. Long-time friends of Chopard including Colin and Livia Firth, Julianne Moore and Arizona Muse joined Chopard's Caroline Scheufele and Karl Friedrich Scheufele in making the announcement. 

The commitment to sustainability is a long one. More than 30 years ago Chopard brought all its jewelry-making processes in-house in order to guarantee control of every aspect of their relationship with miners as well as promises made to Chopard clients. 

In 2013 the Maison made the decision to invest directly in artisanal gold, to increase its availability to the larger market. The company has a long-standing relationship with Olivia and Colin Firth, who champion sustainability through their Green Carpet Collections. Chopard defines “ethical gold” as gold acquired from responsible sources that have been verified to meet international best practices. From July 2018 Chopard gold will be responsibly sourced from either artisanal small-scale mines in the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), Fairmined and Fairtrade schemes, or from the RJC Chain of Custody gold through Chopard’s partnership with RJC-certified refineries.

Eye: Stella McCartney Joins Forces With Ellen MacArthur Foundation In Global Fashion Impact On Environment Study

Eye: Stella McCartney Joins Forces With Ellen MacArthur Foundation In Global Fashion Impact On Environment Study

The fashion industry turns towards London for Monday night's The Fashion Awards 2017 in partnership with Swarovski. To build excitement, several honorees have been announced in advance.

Stella McCartney Environmental Fashion Warrior

Designer Stella McCartney will be honored with a Special Recognition Award for Innovation, reflecting her commitment to innovation and for utilizing her influence to promote environmental responsibility.  

Stella will use her platform to back the Ellen MacArthur foundation campaign to stop the global fashion industry consuming a quarter of the world's annual carbon budget by 2050.

In a report published this week, round-the-world sailor and environmental campaigner Dame Ellen MacArthur exposes the vast scale of waste, and how the throwaway nature of fashion has propelled the fashion industry into a new reality of creating greenhouse emission of 1.2 billion tons a year -- larger than the combined total of international flights and shipping combined.

Other important factoids in the report reveal that:

Eye: Karlie Kloss Works Fearless Wonders For Adidas & Stella McCartney Adidas Collection

Eye: Karlie Kloss Works Fearless Wonders For Adidas & Stella McCartney Adidas Collection

Kloss is known for not faking anything she does, including her recent run in the New York City Marathon. Karlie ran the New York City marathon for the first time ever, and was sponsored by Addidas by Stella McCartney. Kloss fronted the brand's Ultraboost eco-friendly sneakers  made from recycled plastic from the ocean.

Karlie appears in the powerful new adidas Running film Fearless AF, one of six female athletes defying stereotypical arguments about women in sports.