The world's biggest #meatcompany is built on #corruption and it's growing in #Australia

( #FourCorners​)
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You may not have heard of them, but JBS is the biggest meat company in the world. It controls a lot of the food you buy in the #supermarket including #beef, #pork, #lamb and #salmon.

You'll even find their meat between your #burger buns at #McDonald's.

But despite its size and reach, JBS is a #company built on #corruption and bribery; tainted by charges and accusations of malpractice and #environmentalcrimes.

While some foreign governments are holding the company to account, Australian politicians have given JBS the green light to grow.

Why?

#exposingJBS #JBS​ #labourexploitation #environmentalimpact​

How My Photo Became the Symbol of the UN Global Plastic Treaty

#editorial #features #artinstallation #awareness #benjaminvonwong #environment #environmental #environmentalimpact #installation #plastic #pollution #vonwong

A guide to the circular economy of digital devices

https://circulartech.apc.org/books/a-guide-to-the-circular-economy-of-digital-devices/

#circulareconomy #digitaldevices #guide #ecology #eletronicwaste #environmentalimpact #environmentalresponsability #environmetallyresponsible #technology #smartinnovation

2021 Environmental Photo of the Year Shows Home Destroyed by Erosion

The Environmental Photographer of the Year (EPOTY) has announced the winners of its 14th annual competition, which highlights thought-provoking images that call attention to sustainability and human impact on the planet.

This year, the annual competition's winners were announced by the environmental and water management charity CIWEM, free streaming platform WaterBear, Nikon, and engineering consultancy firm ARUP at the 26th Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland.

The contest is open to both professional and amateur photographers and is free to enter for all ages. Participants compete for cash awards and prizes across eight categories -- The Environmental Photographer of the Year, Young Environmental Photographer of the Year, The Resilient Award, Environments of the Future, Sustainable Cities, Climate Action, Water and Security, and People's Choice.

The overall winner and recipient of the Environmental Photographer of the Year title receives a £10,000 ($13,580) cash prize, an award certificate, and features across different platforms and publications.

The People's Choice award allows the audience to vote on social media and choose their top pick with votes closing on December 1, 2021. The winner will also join the 2021 jury winners and be featured in the exhibition that showcases the finalists.

The contest received almost 7,000 entries from professional and amateur photographers in over 119 countries. The judging panel consisted of high-profile experts in the field of photography, climate justice, and environmental activism.

The Environmental Photographer of the Year

The rising tide sons, Antonio Aragon Renuncio, 2019

The top prize was awarded to Spanish photographer Antonio Aragón Renuncio for his photo, titled "The rising tide sons." The image depicts a child sleeping inside his house which was destroyed by coastal erosion on Afiadenyigba beach in Ghana.

The winning image shines a spotlight on the rising sea levels in West-African countries, which was forced thousands of people to leave their homes.

The Young Environmental Photographer of the Year

Inferno, Amaan Ali, 2021

Amaan Ali from India was crowned with this year's The Young Environmental Photographer of the Year title. His work, titled "Inferno," shows a boy fighting surface fires in a forest near his home in New Delhi, India.

According to locals, forest fires caused by human activity in the area are a common occurrence due to adverse living conditions.

The Resilient Award

Survive for alive, Ashraful Islam, 2021

The photo "Survive for alive" by Ashraful Islam received the award in this category. He captured flocks of sheep searching for grass amongst the dry, cracked soil. Extreme droughts in Bangladesh have created hardships for all living beings.

Environments of the Future

Flood, Michele Lapini, 2020

Michele Lapini shot the winning photo, simply titled "Flood." It depicts a house submerged by the flooding of the River Panaro in the Po Valley, Northern Italy, due to heavy rainfall and melting snow.

Sustainable Cities

Net-zero transition - Photobioreactor, Simone Tramonte, 2020

Simone Tramonte's "Net-zero transition -- Photobioreactor" captived the judges in the Sustainable Cities category. The photo shows a photobioreactor at Algalif’s facilities in Reykjanesbaer, Iceland. It produces sustainable astaxanthin using clean geothermal energy. The image shows Iceland's shift from fossil fuels to 100% of electricity and heat generated from renewable sources.

Climate Action

The Last breath, Kevin Ochieng Onyango , 2021

"The Last Breath" by Kevin Ochieng Onyango shows a boy taking in air from the plant next to him, with a sand storm brewing in the background. The photograph is said to show an impression of the changes to come.

Water and Security

Green barrier, Sandipani Chattopadhyay, 2021

Sandipani Chattopadhyay's winning image, titled "Green barrier," shows the algal bloom on the Damodar river, India, caused by irregular monsoon seasons and droughts. Algal bloom prevent light from penetrating the surface and prevent oxygen absorption by the organism beneath, which has a subsequent impact on human health and habitats in the area.

The full gallery of all winners and runners-up can be viewed on the EPOTY website.

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Image credits: All photos individually credited and provided courtesy of the Environmental Photographer of the Year competition.

#features #inspiration #news #activism #climagechange #climate #environment #environmentalimpact #environmentalphotographeroftheyear #epoty

Photographer Sheds Light on Plastic Pollution with a Giant Floating Faucet

Photographer Benjamin Von Wong -- known for tackling environmental issues in his photographic work -- has released his latest project that raises the discussion of plastic pollution in a creative and collaborative way.

In 2016, Von Wong's photographic work brought awareness to a diverse range of subjects and issues and encouraged others to join in. The most recent project -- "Turn Off the Plastic Tap" -- further amplifies Von Wong's dedication to creatively bring attention to a global issue.

Von Wong, who is "always looking for exciting ways to make the boring problem of plastic pollution more interesting," was approached by the Embassy of Canada in France and asked if he can build an and art installation to bring awareness to plastic production.

Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com

Von Wong excitedly took on the challenge and, with the help of like-minded community members, built a three-story-tall tap that look as though ti is leaking plastic. He tells PetaPixel that volunteers were found through social media and local community organizations like Ocean Wise.

Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com

The project, as large as the tap itself, required the volunteer team to create a faucet, which was built from used ventilation ducts from a building that was about to be demolished. It was then cut, painted, and adapted to fit a manual forklift.

The participants organized and prepared the plastics by sorting them into three categories -- transparent, mixed, and black. The plastics were then tightly assembled -- using a rope that was made from plastic bottles - to create the water flow coming out of the tap.

Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com

The team photographed the art installation in several locations, such as a children's playground, container yard, recycling facility, landfill, and beach. Each one required volunteers to work closely together to help create the final shot.

For example, for the beach photo, it took the team five hours to assemble the tap along with two hours spent on capturing the image.

It wasn't an easy task to light it up so the team used mirrors to direct the light while a simple bee smoker came in handy to diffuse it and add a touch of mystery.

To further light it artificially, Von Wong and his team of volunteers brought whatever lighting they had on hand. Von Wong says that they used everything from speedlights to Godox strobes to top-of-the-line Broncolor Move Outdoor packs.

And, once the sun and clouds got into the perfect position, the shot was ready. Von Wong also used the Sunseeker app to predict the position of the sun while scouting the chosen shoot location at a beach in Oka, Canada.

The final beach shot was taken using Sony a7R IV with Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 lens at 1/250 s, f/11, and ISO 50.

Von Wong explains that the photo-taking stage took the team two weeks and the project was long from finished. They still had to pack up the installation and ship it to France so that it can be displayed in Paris on October 7.

The behind-the-scenes work such as editing, putting together press and marketing materials, building non-profit partnerships, and more takes a lot of work -- so for Von Wong, the project is still not done.

For anyone interested, Von Wong encourages artists and creative talents to participate by creating a remix of the original Giant Plastic Tap between October 4th and November 4th. Those who take part will be automatically entered into a $10,000 prize pool.

Detailed instructions on how to enter can be found here. More of Von Wong's work can be found on his website and Instagram, with additional information about the Giant Plastic Tap project available on the Turn Off the Plastic Tap website.

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Image credits: All images provided courtesy of Von Wong Production 2021 and used with permission.

#features #inspiration #news #artinstallation #awareness #benjaminvonwong #environment #environmental #environmentalimpact #installation #plastic #pollution #vonwong