"Judge me by my size, do you?"

Oie! =D

[ms-demeanor]

That poor pest control guy did not know what he was getting into, but given the state of my yard i feel like he should have known what he was getting into.

[ms-demeanor]

He was going door to door offering to spray the base of the house for pests for a discount rate because one of our neighbors signed up for pest control and he walked down my driveway (covered in spiderwebs), up onto my front porch (covered in spiderwebs), and knocked on my door (covered in spiderwebs) and said "hi, I'm John from the bug company, would you be interested in a discount service because it seems like you may have a spider problem."

And I said, "oh, no, I'm sorry, I won't be spraying for spiders, I like them. I want to encourage them."

And he gave me kind of a weird look and was like "why?" And I was honest and said that they were my pest control, they take care of my mosquitoes and and and flies, and then I kind of laughed and said that I should stop because I know way too much about spiders and if he let me go I'd talk his ear off.

And then he made his fatal mistake and asked what I knew about spiders, and if I knew what kinds of webs he'd walked past to get on the porch and what spiders were in my yard.

So then he got to hear my thoughts on brown vs black widows and why I wished there were as many black widows as there used to be but I had a big beautiful one under my patio table right now and even if I prefer black widows because they aren't invasive the same way that brown widows are i still like the brown widows and i had a lovely one who lived in my patio chair from August until the firestorm in January and she was so good and kept eating cockroaches and had made five big egg sacks and how I was so proud of her and I used to have a lot more orb weavers but their numbers never recovered after the tropical storm last year but I had a cute one on the shed that I took a picture of yesterday and of course there are tons of wolf spiders and jumping spiders and cellar spiders if you wanted to count them too and some false widows but I hadn't seen any of them this year and, well, yeah, anyway they're not actually dangerous mostly and widows want nothing to do with you but a bite wasn't pleasant but much better than a recluse bite but I almost never see recluses around here but i wouldn't, would I, because they're not called brown gregarious spiders, oh and there are black footed yellow sack spiders around and you don't want those to bite you but their little toes are so cute and I'm sorry, sorry, sorry like I said I can go off about spiders, but also I don't want to spray because I've got so many pollinators, I've got a whole wisteria vine full of carpenter bees, actually i saw a male valley carpenter bee last week, did you know they're golden and fuzzy? He was so cool! But, yes, sorry, I won't be spraying but thank you for asking, and I'm sorry I was the crazy spider lady at you!

[ms-demeanor]

Extremely adorable fuzzy little creature:

A large friend:

Look, this is basically a kitten:

A goth icon.

Strong, independent women that I don't want to fuck with.

They are delightful and they eat actual pests, I love them.

[gallusrostromegalus]

I had almost this exact conversation with the door-to-door pest control guy last summer, but about the wasps. He was outright confused when I told him that not only was he not welcome in my yard, I'd just put out some fried chicken crumbs for my paper wasps to make sure they built their hives on my property because nothing in his truck made better crop pest control than a hungry nest of Red Paper Wasps, except maybe Ichneumons but have to get rid of the lawn before those will move in-

"Red Paper wasps? Those are very dangerous! They're very aggressive!" he sputters.

"Really? They seem to be quite placid." I indicated the Fine-backed Red Paper Wasp nest about 16 inches above his head under the eaves.

He stared.

I picked up a crumb of KFC from the porch shelf with my finger and held it up. One of the ladies investigated, then landed and sat on my finger and munched happily for a few seconds before returning to the nest.

"Would you like to see the common paper wasps? They've got a great nest going on the side of the garage."

"I'm. I'm good." He said, and left.

[ms-demeanor]

Update:

Another pest control guy showed up and knocked on the door and mentioned that he does bug spraying and I just straight up said "oh i'm the crazy spider lady, I like the bugs, that's why I don't mow."

And he said "Well, do you have any rats or other rodents you need handled?"

And I said "No, we have a barn owl living out back. You should see my collection of rat skulls. Do you want an owl pellet?"

He did not want an owl pellet :(

[solarpunk-nightbird]

Heads up from a Southern Californian that it is time to buy any fans and/or KN-95 masks for the summer NOW, before the start of summer and wildfire season!!!

If you wait until your AC goes out to make sure you have enough fans, there will not be fans available for you to buy. If you wait for a wildfire, no one will have KN-95s for you to buy. They will all be sold out, especially as climate change makes summers more and more severe, and fire season longer and longer.

Other tips for keeping cool in extreme heat:

Do not ever leave a child or a pet in the car while it is off. Ever. Not "just for a few minutes," nothing. Kids have died from being trapped in hot cars in temperatures as low as 70 degrees F (21 C)

Especially if you live somewhere that doesn't typically get hot, make sure you own at least 2 tank tops and 2 pairs of shorts if at all possible. Thrift them or search them on Buy Nothing/something similar if you don't have them already. You will want the option

Cotton fabric evaporates moisture quickly and sheds heat fast. Cotton clothes are great for the heat for that reason, and if you're really desperate for relief, get cotton shirts/towels/cloths wet and either wear them or hang them up in front of a fan. The fan will blow the cooler, moist air throughout the room, cooling things down

Open windows and doors on opposite sides of rooms to create airflow

Hydration tablets and electrolyte drinks are magic for dehydration. You need to replace the salts you're sweating out. Salty trail mix is also great for this (you eat it on hiking trails for a reason)

Make sure your pets stay cool! Cold packs inside fabric can be really good for this (and for you!)

Most efficient place for a cold, wet towel to cool you down is the sides of your neck, your hands, and the soles of your feet (but NEVER put ice against your bare skin!)

Don't really expect anything of yourself between 1pm and 4pm - that is the hottest part of the day, and so it's the time you need to be the most chill (ba-dum tss). Movement creates heat (hence why you shiver, hence why exercising warms you up), so try to do as little as possible, and especially try to save errands and exercise until dusk

Many places now have heat shelters. Look them up in your area. The public library is often a spot for these, and if not, still a really good and FREE place to stay all day with AC

Plants cool things down. Standing on the grass will leave you measurably cooler than standing on the asphalt two feet away. Stay on plants, stay in the shade, and do what you can to add plants and green spaces to your area, to help keep it cool

If you live in a wildfire hotspot, try your best to get an air filter or air purifier now, because there will be none left by the time you need one

If you do end up near a wildfire zone: any smoke you can smell is smoke that can affect your lungs. Leave the house as little as possible. Duct tape the seams around windows and exterior doors to help keep out the smoke. And pack a go bag (change of clothes, toiletries, important documents, medications, spare food and water, essentials for pets or kids)

My qualifications: Lived in California their whole life, most of it in Los Angeles, and half my adult life living in buildings without AC. One time I went to a baseball game in 117 degree weather (47 C) and genuinely had a good time. I know things about keeping cool

[asphodelimago]

Heatstroke makes you worse at handling heat. The cells that handle your thermoregulation are literally getting cooked. Do not tough it out. Every time you get heatstroke, it causes damage.

Know what heat exhaustion and heatstroke look like, and how quickly you are at risk. Particularly if you are chronically ill, have/had long covid, or are taking certain medications, you may get heat exhaustion really fast. (I've gotten it in literally 15 minutes flat. It does not need to take very long - if you're beet red and have a pounding headache, that may be heatstroke, take it fucking seriously.)

If you do have known issues with heat tolerance, consider carrying around a thermometer on hot days. Check your temperature if you start feeling "off", or routinely while in the heat. If you're running a fever, you're either sick or have heat illness, get the fuck out of the heat. (Be aware that for oral temperature, you need to have not eaten/drank anything in the last 15 minutes. Armpit will do in a pinch. I am not sure how well infrared works if you're in the "clammy" stage of heat exhaustion.)

If you already have heat exhaustion or heatstroke, fans and wet towels may not cool you down sufficiently. Cold drinks, icepacks, or a cold shower/bath are faster in an emergency - they cool you directly, rather than using sweat/evaporation to cool your skin. If you have limited resources to cool yourself, focusing on pulse points/big veins can help, like putting an ice pack on your neck or the inside of your wrist. Think like a vampire.

Cotton can be ok, but linen is better if you can get it. Polyester and other synthetics are typically fucking hot, avoid, avoid. Check your clothing labels - even "obviously" cotton things like t-shirts may actually be 50%+ polyester.

An adult human can only absorb about 1L of liquid per hour. Staying hydrated in extreme heat can be very difficult, because you may be losing more than 1L per hour. Using a timer to make sure you remember to drink can help.

If water suddenly tastes disgusting, check your electrolytes. Having emergency Gatorade (or similar) on hand can be helpful, because not only does it have electrolytes, but it tastes gross and sweet and chemical to most people who aren't low on electrolytes. No shade toward people who inexplicably like Gatorade on its own merits - but if it suddenly starts tasting way better than usual, take that as a sign. The rate at which people lose electrolytes through sweat varies wildly by person, even without chronic illness in the mix.

Know what discomfort and heat-related illness look like for your pets. Providing cool water and cool places to lay down is helpful. Panting is bad, but many animals are uncomfortable well before that point. (Mine usually start laying around on the coolest ground available and refusing to play around 80F. They are, however, extremely fluffy cats.)

Know what discomfort and heat-related illness look like for anyone you're responsible for, especially children and elderly people, who are more vulnerable.

Support and patronize your local libraries; they're an invaluable resource for anyone without A/C in this fucking world, in addition to all the other great work they do.

Oh, and if you happen to be in California specifically, there's a web tool to help tell you how worried to be, and lists some resources and local cool centers. Might be handy. https://calheatscore.calepa.ca.gov/

[bluebelly-sun-serpentine]

All signs are pointing to a pretty strong ENSO event this year, which, in combo with the low snowpack this year but decent amount of rain (so decent amount of growth) may make for a bad fire season. Be prepared. All the advice here seems fairly good to me, but I’m going to add that if you’re taping windows and doors exterior doors to keep out smoke you still need to be airing each room out occasionally if you don’t want to have issues with CO2 - the way we managed this in the 2020 fires was to periodically leave a window slightly open in one room (with the rest of the place sealed), then close it back down and turn an air purifier on in that room on the highest setting. If you’re really serious about air quality you ideally want to have more than one air purifier so that you can run stuff simultaneously (something outside the door to room currently being ventilated, for instance). We also had to tape up our fireplace (we used plastic sheeting and masking tape) because like many fireplaces it was not sealed.

Plan and get your go bag together before the bad fires start - you can always add to it once things get more critical but there’s some basic shit you can put in there now so you don’t have to think about it when thinking is more stressful. I always have a go bag at least partly packed because we live in a high fire-risk area that’s basically right on top of a fault. If you have an extra supply of your necessary meds, put them in there too. My important docs, extra keys, some key mementos, and a first aid kit live in that fireproof, waterproof bag year round. During red flag warnings or actual nearby fires I put more in the bag or I put the bag in a bigger bag with other necessaries. I have family that lost their homes in previous fire seasons: make dupes of your favorite photos or copies of notes from loved ones now and put them in your bag. If you have one of a kind items you cherish but that aren’t in regular use - heirloom jewelry, handmade gifts, whatever - and they’re small enough, just store them there. If you have important digital files make a backup and put the drive in your bag. People often forget these things in the panic to save themselves, their pets, and the things they use in their day-to-day lives, but some things are not replaceable and you’d be surprised which losses cause the most pain long-term or inflame your grief.

Have a evacuation plan set up before fire season starts. I know exactly where and with whom we’re going to stay if we have to evacuate. If they also have to evacuate (in 2020 we were both under evac warnings because the lightning complex fires hit so many different places over a huge geographical area) we have a backup plan with someone else.

Re masking: not every mask is created equal. Wildfire smoke is really toxic - so is smoke from structure fires - and a surgical mask is not going to protect you. You want a well-fitted N95, and you want to wear it anytime you are outside or in a place without proper filtration. Ear loop masks KN95s tend to be a lot less reliable/less likely to provide a good fit, but if that’s the only thing you can get it’s better than nothing. Do not exercise in wildfire smoke. You should be wearing a mask even if you’re just walking around the block. If the air in your home is appropriately filtered, exercise at home. Otherwise, just wait for the smoke to clear before restarting your routine. Even an AQI of 50-80 (a lot lower than you’d see with wildfires) is not something you should be exercising in without a mask. You do not need to go on that run. You DO need to check the AQI even if it doesn’t look particularly smokey - it can be quite bad even if it doesn’t look it. If you are directly in the path of a nearby plume the AQI is in the 300-600 range just chill out. You shouldn’t really be going out even with a mask if you don’t have a really pressing reason. The ash is toxic and you don’t want that shit on your skin or clothes. I know we all need to get groceries and go to work but it’s all cumulative, so think about the ways you can minimize your exposure.

You may see firefighters going about without appropriate PPE but it’s not because they know something you don’t - they’re just embedded in a culture of terminal machismo and a lot of them die of lung and throat cancer because they don’t want to wear the equipment. My uncle spent just a few years as a volunteer firefighter working on wildfires in his early 20s and those couple of years bought him a lifetime of battling different cancers (starting in his mid-late 20s). A lot of people who stay longer don’t even get that lifetime - they die pretty young because putting the mask on felt to them like some “pussy shit” or an inconvenience on top of all the other gear weighing them down.

Mask up! I mean I’m gonna advise you do that well before fire season to protect yourself and the people around you from viral illness, but definitely mask up when the AQI is high.

[atalana]

also to share, since they were mentioned, the difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion for those who may not know (because they're not the same thing)

both might involve nausea or headaches, but the things that differ:

signs of heat exhaustion

dizzy/feeling faint

lots of sweating

skin may feel cold/clammy

weak pulse

possible muscle cramps

if you're getting these, you need to cool down as soon as you can, but you have time to do so yourself - get out of the sun, somewhere air conditioned if you can, do all the things that have already been recommended above

signs of heat stroke

if the dizziness becomes actual fainting/losing consciousness

headache is throbbing and painful

no sweating at all

skin is hot and dry to the touch, paler skin might turn red

strong pulse

confusion, difficulty speaking

if you're experiencing these, or you're with a friend who is, call emergency services, heat stroke can kill you

[questionableadvice]

~ The Woman’s Manual, by Aurora Reed, 1916

Problems with flies or other bugs? Tuck a few toads in the corners of your rooms

[underdog-arts-deactivated202401]

Word to the wise: don’t let the “hit first, ask questions later” over-protective Paladin take over when a pixie starts messing with the party … or do 😌😌

[thelovingend-deactivated2025073]

[varanusniloticus]

Pet dragon 🐲 [by Ryoko Kui]

[nn-ee-zz]

The passage of the seasons - Spring defeating Winter

Inspired by a short story in which Spring is embodied by a bring who faces winter and demands every living thing to awaken and fight to conquer a place on earth

[cartoonscientist]

things chronically outside people say:

“wait! gotta put on my sunscreen” [you’re about to walk to 7/11]

“tick season, tuck your pants”

“you know, tick season just keeps getting longer and longer with climate change”

“why didn’t you have your knife with you?”

[knocks their shoes on the sidewalk and fifty pounds of dirt clods fall off]

[going into the rain without an umbrella] “I mean, you’re gonna get wet eventually, right?”

“I hear the rockhounding in this part of the county is INSANE”

“it rained last night, and you know what that means: MUSHROOMS”

[victusinveritas]

[brazilspill]

When Trump won the first time, my mom (who grew up during the dictatorship in Brazil) was like "I wonder if they realize they've entered their first dictatorship."

[inkskinned]

y'okay can we stop pretending yet. like can we all acknowledge that eating disorders are chic again, and it's going to kill someone.

and like. do we have to keep gently phrasing things to protect naturally-thin people's feelings. in my life it has never been fashionable to be fat. "fat" is still a bad word. there has never been institutional power pushing people to gain weight; no trillion-dollar industry to "fix" skinny people. a larger body type has never been over-represented in models, influencers, celebrities. sure, people might say "i'm worried for your health," but they do it with respect and gentleness, like they're talking to a scared deer.

every single fucking time i talk about this, i have to be so careful with what i say, in case i offend even one skinny person. it is just true that skinny people have social capital across many cultures. there is a reason you almost never hear someone say "i wish i was fat," but you will constantly see people say "I wish i was thin." and yet inevitably some skinny person will tell me: i thought you wanted body positivity. it is the same fucking attitude as when a cis man says "when you say men have power, well, i've been bullied for being a man. i thought you believe in mental health awareness. don't you know men have a higher suicide rate?"

two things can be true at once: your experience being bullied for being thin was terrible. and people with larger bodies probably have it worse.

i have been big and small. i know many other people who have been big and small. trust what i'm about to tell you: being small is much easier. the world is kinder to you. people treat you better. honestly, this pattern occurs pretty much regardless of gender - my guy friends have confided that they'd rather be bullied for being thin than be bullied for being fat. if you're skinny, the pressure might be to gain weight, sure, but it's often to do so in a way that keeps you skinny - to gain muscle, specifically.

thinness is seen as innate and natural, genetic. whereas carrying any fat - that is a moral failing. it is assumed to be related to your character, your personality. i have seen people equate it to discipline, to hygiene. that bias is why we need to talk about this.

of course i want nobody to make a comment about anyone's bodies. and i think that hyper-thinness and an obsession with weight loss and a recession and a rise of conservative values... all of this is very fucking concerning. we are watching a return of "pro-ana" content, reframed as choice feminism, "health-conscious" behavior, "looksmaxxing". it's fucking terrifying.

[brightlotusmoon]

I was explaining the numb white scars on my right index finger, and someone asked "but why would you put your finger against the blade of a hand mixer" and the entire chat repeated "intrusive thoughts" and "call of the void" immediately and almost in synch. And people started talking about how they've injured themselves that way, and a few people said they learned a genuine lesson.

[weaselle]

yikes. I've almost never had that with anything -- but I have felt the siren call of the Hobart Dough Hook

This is an industrial stand mixer (often it has a grating attachment to that round top port sticking out like a pipe end on the top left of the pic) and Hobart is a very popular brand for these machines, which are often nearly as tall as a person

the thing hanging from the mixing arm into the bowl part is a dough hook

it looks like this and spins around mixing the dough

Here is a smaller one, but you can see what it looks like when it goes

So one of my first kitchens, everyone who got shown how to use the enormous 5ft tall Hobart we had, they got some variation of this speech:

"DO NOT reach into the mixer while it's on. I know, you think that now, but you're going to get comfortable around it, it's going to seem like it's moving slow, and you're going to feel like reaching in there to check the dough or something without turning it off. DON'T. DO THAT. One guy a couple years ago went to the hospital with every bone in his arm broken and a dislocated shoulder and it was from reaching into this exact machine we're using today. You're going to feel like you can reach in real quick without stopping the machine, and I'm telling you, turn it off first."

I got that speech too, and sure enough, there came a day when I felt the urge. Which i resisted. But then. Then there started to be reasons to reach in there.

Like maybe the person using the grating attachment hadn't cleaned the port good enough and a couple of strips of grated carrot fell onto the dough, where it would stay sort of oscillating on the top of the dough ball for a little bit before getting sucked down to be kneaded deep into the dough. It's a single button to stop the machine, but, for some reason it just seems like such a hassle, and you've always wanted to do it, c'mon, look how slow it's moving...

So i did. And it was fine! Altho i could see why people get it wrong, what seemed like about a 3 second window actually turned out to be less than a full second once you got your hand down there, and there really wasn't as much space as it seemed like there was, and the angle you had to go at did slow you down just a little... But now that i knew all that, i should be fine to do it as long as i was careful, right?

Then one day it happened. I must of brushed ever so slightly against the metal of the dough hook. It is shaped and moving in a way designed to draw material in toward the center and down and it tugged my hand ever so slightly in and down.

Which would have been fine but I was already touching the dough, so it tugged my fingers into the dough just enough for it to get the slightest grip on them, which tugged my hand in just enough to get caught between the hook and the dough which gripped it surprisingly hard and yanked my hand down and in a circle like having someone hold your hand tightly and spin in a circle and all my joints locked up against each other painfully so fast!

Luckily I was able to get my arm out before I suffered more than a sore shoulder, hurt elbow, and sprained wrist and sprained finger... but things went from totally fine to sheer panic faster than anything i've ever experienced.

Even so, only a week later and barely recovered, I caught myself just before i reached my hand into the dough bowl while it was on, the siren call of the Hobart singing strongly still.

So many people felt it. I heard so many close call stories. Some models like the Hobart 660 comes with this wire cage safety guard now, and I guarentee it is 100% because no matter how you warn people, they can't resist reaching in while it's running

[brightlotusmoon]

tags: #hobart is perfect size for arm of person perfect safe for to put arm in

_

This was inevitable. Thank you.

[catscraftsandcommentary]

I swear to god, moving machinery is so entrancing and once you get used to it, it can be sooooo tempting to go "oh, I can totally stick my hand in and Do The Thing, that will definitely be faster and easier than stopping production" and you might get lucky for a while but eventually, you will learn:

PLEASE DO NOT THE MACHINE, IT WILL BITE

- PSA from someone who spent 5 years in a factory operating heavy machinery

[anandasamsara]

I've reached a few times into the cutting machine to see if the blade did cut through the stickers or if i have to stop everyting to change the pressure settings. I can attest to the speed being way more than you expect even after dealing with and looking at it work very closely for almost 5 years.

Also have a few guillotine cuts, can tell you that a paper cut from a 200g paper corner is way worse than a 70g one and that it does happen way more than you'd want or expect it to, and that you should never, ever, disable the safety stoppers.

Remember, if you dont take your hands off the machinr, the machine will take your hands off. It is always thirsty for blood, do not feed it.

[kanashino1020]

[16tinyfrogs]

on watching a parent age

i saw somebody say “what if you’re gone and i haven’t become anything yet” and basically that broke me on a random thursday evening

[theriu]

OP, this is genuinely a masterpiece, three poems in one, moving and well craft. Please tell me you have submitted it to at least some poetry contests, and if not, please do so.

[16tinyfrogs]

to the person who reposted my poem a couple days ago, i read the tags and i'm so sorry for your loss. there are not words adequate to comfort you right now, but here is a piece on grief i wrote a few months ago that i hope you may relate to someday

[asmeesh]

Rejigged an old vtm character into a Garou for fun

[toastnbutter]

"I asked chatGPT" "I asked Grok" Have you tried asking Lady Athena, Goddess of wisdom? I'm sure she'd give you a better answer than AI ever will.

[yurimom]

MY FRIEND IS FINDING OUT THAT HES COLORBLIND AND WE’RE ALL HELPING HIM THROUGH IT LMAOOOOOO

[yurimom]

[yurimom]

UPDATE WE HAVE TWO COLORBLIND BITCHEZ IN THE SERVER

[yurimom]

what the fuck is going on

[alwaysabeautifullife]

On the last one Deuteranomaly and Protanomaly are identical though

[azzandra]

What I’m getting from this is that there are a lot more colorblind people in the world than even colorblind people know.

[sheepolypse]

Share to save [shame] a friend

[waywardmorgann-deactivated20240]

WAIT! DEUTERANOMALY AND PROTANOMALY IS THE SAME! IT’S THE FUCKING SAME! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?????

[audliminal]

The deuteranomaly and protanomaly ones are very similar but they are different. The purple section ranges out a little farther to the right in the protanomaly one. Not seeing the difference between might not indicate color blindness but rather difficulty with color differentiation.

[sanctuaryforalluniverses]

The green is also slightly more vivid in the protanomaly strip than it is in the deuteranomaly one.

[ninahufflepuff]

@skeletal-spire-man-aka-overfit

um

these are not the same

[skeletal-spire-man]

They’re… They’re identical…

What’s… What’s the difference-?

[i-put-the-hyper-in-hyperfixated]

welp. one of the moots has tritanomaly colour blindness!

[finicillium]

I’m not colourblind, but like, on the last one, deuteranomaly and protanomaly are identical to eachother- so are protanopia and deuteranopia-

[naviofortido]

They aren’t different?

[sofakingcurious]

I feel like I should add this

https://www.keithcirkel.co.uk/whats-my-jnd/?r=AOkgKP__79w8

[kindred-spirit-93]

DMFJKLEKDFJKLDKJDFKLDSKAL

[aeshnacyanea2000]

That quiz is diabolical, but aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[robotslenderman]

I am not gonna lie but the reds and red-adjacents were a real bitch in the last ten or so rounds.

[judogo]

Shit. That might explain some arguments I'va had with people.

[10blue10]

Solar-punk Tech

I reblogged this comic about solar-punk not long ago and it gave me the idea to make a list of solar-punk technologies that exist right now, all taken from Sam Bentley YouTube shorts.

(Btw, if you’re not subscribed to Sam Bentley, you totally should. Because why doom-scroll when you can…idk, mood-scroll? But it’s a good mood!) To me, a solarpunk future would be one where all these environmentally friendly, sustainable technologies are commonplace.

Imagine a whole world with…

Floating plant structures like The Wild Mile in Chicago, filtering and detoxifying polluted rivers: https://youtube.com/shorts/8M7sF8df2jE?si=GvN7n6XL-xAXpDl0

Recycled tennis balls made into sound dampening panels everywhere from libraries to airports: https://youtube.com/shorts/6uutX7eqgeg?si=MZD3yTzKPKENQqkq 

A type of material that destroys ‘forever chemicals’ in water 1000 times faster than current filters: https://youtube.com/shorts/wdx-ULfKe2I?si=h7fbyCWcbBenMmPQ 

A renewable energy device that generates clean electricity just by bobbing in the ocean waves: https://youtube.com/shorts/yGCiuDcRcH8?si=XUToUeLUtc9Z_Rdm 

A cellulose based plastic that dissolves in saltwater in hours, leaving no microplastics behind: https://youtube.com/shorts/EePU8negPhg?si=5S8WVD879OK28QE_

Dune thatching, a technique to prevent the erosion of sand dunes by burying old xmas trees: https://youtube.com/shorts/SmQ3VCH7aqw?si=ychFcsPNdNbS1xOO 

Straw checkerboards, a simple and low cost technique that helps to combat desertification: https://youtube.com/shorts/L9Tr4BhagDQ?si=kXxC_ukHDpjGGDLy 

Compostable sauce packets made from 100% sugarcane pulp to come with your takeaways: https://youtube.com/shorts/18wiZdtd9A4?si=WiRsJRgd2nqYWMf 

Compostable plates and trays made from sugarcane fibre to be used for takeaways: https://youtube.com/shorts/Tb-7KDpuWkQ?si=IsHNRfbCFr9Rb2Qi

Edible cutlery that you can eat (or simply compost) after your sustainable takeaway is finished: https://youtube.com/shorts/t_aom6F1dDs?si=FR3gUlch6CMbGb1b

Companies that recycle old glass into everything from chandeliers to wine glasses:https://youtube.com/shorts/_9Zy_FVbU6E?si=ILvQOT366FQvh2gT 

A black pigment made from algae that replaces ‘carbon black’ pigment made from fossil fuels: https://youtube.com/shorts/wlJAH5qd3s4?si=dHSqZte9WIPVoCbI 

Underwater ‘kites’ generating electricity by using reliable ocean currents to ‘fly’ through water: https://youtube.com/shorts/NksQVy4f0BU?si=DZsF8UzOJgiI1lLV 

Biodegradable mannequins made from recycled textile waste instead of using plastic ones: https://youtube.com/shorts/Bcbg6p-XY5U?si=P1ILBdwr0HqvvUee 

Microplastic silicone filters that catch up to 98% of microplastics in water: https://youtube.com/shorts/HxdNUdEvqhM?si=dteA2XbtybQoA34C 

Underwear specifically designed for periods that doesn’t waste plastic with old pads/tampons: https://youtube.com/shorts/Vbnt8ye0fHU?si=w0VZ-BIEY5yunNfG 

Colour changing stickers to check the freshness of food, paper packaging that can be dissolved in water and machines that turn carbon from engines into limestone pellets that can be reused: https://youtube.com/shorts/mqOKnzc297s?si=on3xm5oFsgOTQPqp

Batteries made from fungi that digest themselves after use, leaving no waste to end up in landfill: https://youtube.com/shorts/00qa4wnX-5E?si=25HnToNhJJv7-pkT 

Cardboard biodegradable cocoons that help protect and water tree seedlings so they can grow:  https://youtube.com/shorts/Tx8OnkoOhhU?si=NkF3LAWEXkcgXyie 

Paper bags made from fallen leaves in urban areas rather than actual trees: https://youtube.com/shorts/StoyKSF_1z8?si=FR-plG3BAfwR67Lp

Toys, paper and other items made from recycled cigarette butts: https://youtube.com/shorts/KFRyItBVV1A?si=NkIsOd5JnN8iwLy9 

Now I know what you’re thinking. Compostable takeaways and tennis ball soundproofing is all well and good, but what about infrastructure? What about actual buildings? Imagine a world where… 

City blocks are combined into super blocks with more walkable, safer, cleaner public spaces : https://youtube.com/shorts/r7-Ch1PXXow?si=odJJJE1Lc9YgCVfT 

Wildlife crossings like bridges and tunnels are used to reconnect fragmented animal habitats: https://youtube.com/shorts/_F3xAXK-XxE?si=0U9p4D2MdKyDzF4U

Ecoblox tiles are used on sea walls to give animals like barnacles and coral something to cling to: https://youtube.com/shorts/T6UdvxPCttM?si=x13mKMBV96gbttcp

Sugarcrete, a concrete alternative made from, yes, sugarcane waste, is used in construction: https://youtube.com/shorts/SAkhBA4rXuE?si=hEC87uO-C7UrMsAg

Rubble (from natural disasters or wars) is recycled into bricks to quickly rebuild peoples homes: https://youtube.com/shorts/hSpo3seekgg?si=UNyomj22tdYPMKmi 

Porous concrete that helps prevent flooding is retrofitted or built into new roads and pavements: https://youtube.com/shorts/9ziEXJKzNf4?si=mjxwF3G3ldq7Ds8w

Furniture is made from rice husks to avoid deforestation and the use of toxic resins in plywood: https://youtube.com/shorts/JBxyxbY27Fw?si=SKQ4FDRnKfFXOGAY 

Swathes of concrete and tarmac are replaced with urban forests full of trees, flowers and wildlife: https://youtube.com/shorts/iqIJNjsaiqo?si=bUJGSsQWHBXG7shx

Underwater sculpture parks/museums are placed in barren seabeds for corals to grow on them: https://youtube.com/shorts/XChA_vgaAtY?si=KC4bu_l-6GRDilGh

Windows are decorated with polka dots and other simple designs to prevent bird collisions: https://youtube.com/shorts/EoeK3ZXzkOk?si=1BbBjZs2yAZCp3_W 

Swimming pools are built that use natural means, not chemicals like chlorine, to stay clean: https://youtube.com/shorts/sYc6aBs8Af4?si=tmTkhhhjeNzMjXAM 

Solar panels can be installed along train tracks to power both nearby homes and the trains: https://youtube.com/shorts/880GIqvoH2k?si=cr2Vt1NZ3mYSmLHN

Unproductive land is replanted using a more bio diverse method called syntropic farming: https://youtube.com/shorts/RQloUQzIAMY?si=IJbRMonlkb9rDEuT 

Sandbags and barbed wire are used to build shelters for people after a crisis: https://youtube.com/shorts/wE6N3xi16m8?si=Nat0772RQe1pgTtg

Hot streets are shaded with beautiful crocheted canopies made by local crafters from yarn:  https://youtube.com/shorts/ZqERZLCfO1Q?si=Ry4dE1TKQvklM0yd 

High speed continental rail networks (no planes! Yay trains!): https://youtube.com/shorts/djx2zztoorQ?si=M6yWytrAijbUOr65 

‘Warka Water’ towers are used to collect clean water in dry/arid locations across the world: https://youtube.com/shorts/U-JQAddsF1U?si=zqleBTCwN4MPhrit

Buildings are made with hemp-crete, which reduces the need for concrete and thus pollution: https://youtube.com/shorts/aBrtHZ640Is?si=FOJGY-50D2qg3F5c 

Buildings are made out of blocks that work like Lego which are easy to build & use less resources: https://youtube.com/shorts/EeFBs_ZHq64?si=X-vKKN2xFmf6zHnL 

Greenhouses are built that both grow food and generate power with light filters and solar panels: https://youtube.com/shorts/L1coZb3y3Xo?si=e3XMBEjbiYlccuwF

Insulation is made from recycled coconut husks instead of burning them or using plastics: https://youtube.com/shorts/3_YuzRbymMA?si=3rsnBgFIZtDapEdc 

Sponge cities are designed that use various natural/sustainable means to reduce flooding risks: https://youtube.com/shorts/jI0p5w1Ea1U?si=TMGEESwy0RYept18 

These are just a few of the many innovative solutions to pollution and climate change that have and are being created. Click the links to learn more about each one and just check out Sam’s YT channel.