July Eco-Tidbits from Turkey
Küre Mountains National Park (L) is on its way to becoming part of a protected European park network, while demonstrators in Ankara (R) were arrested for protesting nuclear power. Photos via Turkish Adventures (L) and Today’s Zaman (R).
With summer in full swing in Turkey, the season’s regular environmental woes have again come to the fore. Helicopters dropping water have become a common sigh…Read the full story on TreeHugger
World’s Largest Land Art Exhibit Opens in Turkey’s Super-Scenic Cappadocia Region
“The Gift” sculpture in Cappadocia, where hot-air balloon tours are a popular way to see the region. Photo via Andrew Rogers.
The surreal natural formations of Turkey’s Cappadocia region, where soft volcanic rocks have eroded over the eons into fanciful cones and spires, now have some serious man-made competition for tourist attention: The world’s largest contemporary land art park, comprising 10 giant sculptures made out of more than 10,500 …Read the full story on TreeHugger
May Eco-Tidbits from Turkey
Increased ferry service (left) is in the works for Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, while Kisebükü cove (right) on the country’s southern coast is threatened by development. Photos by Jennifer Hattam (L) and Etrim Günlüğü (R).
The deaths of at least 28 coal miners in an explosion and cave-in, along with the continuing controversy over building a third <a href="http://www.treehugger.com…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Relinquishment Can Be Fun! Redefining the Pursuit of Happiness to Create a Greener World
Eating like this every day wouldn’t be very good for the environment — and it wouldn’t be much of a treat either. Photo by Jennifer Hattam.
Before I moved to Istanbul, I always thought of eating seasonally as a great idea in theory, but kind of a chore in practice. How were you supposed to remember if it was OK to eat asparagus in October or oranges in April? What if you really, really wanted to cook <a href…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Getting Developing Nations on a Greener Path Without Creating a New Renewable Energy ‘Colonialism’
Family and friends pose in front of a house in South Africa with a new solar heating system. Photo by Abri_Beluga via Flickr
No matter how much it might help the environment for fewer nations to produce and consume at U.S.-style levels, slowing global development would clearly be an unworkable — and profoundly unfair — way to address the climate crisis. As environmental scientist Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker put it this morning at a conference in Berlin: “Poor and cle…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Sharing the ‘Fate’ of 28 Turkish Coal Miners
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited a coal mine in Zonguldak before this month’s deadly accident. Photo via World Bulletin.
The coal that powers some 24 percent of Turkey’s electricity — and, in lump form, still warms the homes of many of its poorest people — had a very high price last week when the bodies of 28 mi…Read the full story on TreeHugger
In Upstate NY, a Yoga Retreat With a Nutritious, Local Twist
The Garden retreat took place at a restored villa in Newburgh, New York. Credit: Emma Grady
This past weekend I escaped the urban jungle that is Manhattan and ventured to upstate New York for a yoga retreat. I had the chance to try out some yoga essentials sent over by Prancing Leopard, an organic cotton yoga apparel company that also has a lovely collection of knit and crochet artisan pieces made through their nonprofit <a href="http://www.prancingleopard.com/online-store…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Is a More Democratic Country Always a Greener One?
The Turkish parliament. Photo via Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi
The package of constitutional reforms signed by Turkish President Abdullah Gül on Wednesday dominated the news agenda in the country as it progressed through vote after vote in parliament, with politicians and the public debating the effects the changes might have on Turkey’s military, courts, and politics. …Read the full story on TreeHugger
Istanbul Chefs, Diners, and Fishermen Unite to Save Iconic Species from Extinction
Restaurants and fish shops in Istanbul display these posters to show their support for a campaign to save the bluefish. Images via Slow Food Istanbul.
When Defne Koryurek was growing up in Istanbul, lüfer (bluefish) were a favorite — and plentiful — dish. “I don’t remember ever being able to finish a whole lüfer. My mother would ask which part I wanted, the tail or the head,” she said. But over the ye…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Aww! Turkish Family Finds Abandoned Baby Grizzly Bear, Carries It to the Vet in a Cardboard Box (Video)
Photo via Hürriyet WebTV
Most little girls are lucky to get a puppy or kitten to play with; Tuba Haykır’s family adopted a baby bear they found abandoned in a nearby forest and the 11-year-old quickly became fast friends with the cub, bottle-feeding it milk every day. It’s all just too cute for words — fortunately, there’s video! — but the question has to be asked… what happens when the bear grows up?…Read the full story on TreeHugger
