Well, I certainly never thought I would live in the North, but here I am. 3 weeks ago I made the move from Falmouth to Manchester, and to say it has been a shock to the system is an understatement. Going from a quaint Cornish town to a big city has been quite an adjustment, despite having grown up in London!
The last few months have been completely manic. It's been all change, and my blog has definitely taken a back seat. Everything has been in flux; my Masters, my new job, my personal life... I don't really know if I'm coming or going! I've been working on a new science project BBC Learning, which is aiming to inspire primary school children to engage with science. This is something my own school lacked somewhat, so I am hugely excited to be a part of this. But that excitement is mirrored by anxiety. I have moved to a new city where I know absolutely no one, and have been trying to complete my Masters Dissertation at the same time. This has been an immense challenge; holding down a full time job and writing into the night. The past few months have been a huge source of stress, but I hope it will be worth it in the end. So that's where I'm at for now, hopefully the next few months will allow me to revive this blog and end the hiatus! Until next time...
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Our planet has a human population of over 7 billion people. This is mirrored by a growth in demand for food and other consumables, and has unfortunately caused a rise in the amount of waste generated worldwide. We aren’t brilliant at dealing with this waste, as Professor Margaret Bates explained in her talk on Waste Management in Uganda at the Greenbank Hotel last Monday, hosted by the Falmouth Rotary Club.
When we throw rubbish away in the UK, our bins are collected and the waste disappears from sight and mind. We have no idea where it is going, what happens to it or what impact it might be having to our environment, nor do those thoughts even cross our minds. So what happens in countries where it doesn’t ‘disappear’? Professor Bates from the University of Northampton conducted a study into waste management in 4 towns in Uganda, looking at human health, pollution and waste segregation. During her visits to Uganda, she found there was minimal segregation of waste, meaning that medical, plastic, household, electrical and organic waste was generally disposed of together. In an attempt to clear waste, many rubbish dumps would light fires, releasing toxins from burning plastics which have been found to affect fertility, have a heritable impact, and are the major ingredients in agent orange. This was occurring in areas with around 74,000 residents where children were free to play and animal grazing took place, and even had banana plantations were next door. Professor Bates described these polluted areas as “more toxic to human health than Chernobyl” and found there was an increased incidence of cancer in people living near waste points due to the carcinogens produced in burning. Waste found in these areas included medical waste such as used needles, which, instead of being incinerated, were mixed with solid waste; worrying in a country where HIV/AIDS is endemic. However, any spread of disease that may have been caused by this was simply attributed to ‘evil spirits’ by local people, rather than poor waste management. Sadly, she found that there was knowledge about why segregating waste was important, but in many cases it simply was not viable due to a lack of money and resources. For example, an incinerator was available in one town but was not greatly used, as it was too expensive to run. In some cases, it was also found that the skips used to transport waste on any given day might be used to transport food the next day. Even when there were good intentions, this was often detrimental. For example, in the creation of compost, 60% organic material and 40% plastics and other materials were used, rather than organics alone. This was then applied as fertilizer. So instead of being beneficial, it may have been polluting their land further, with these plastic build-ups leaching chemicals into the soil. Unfortunately, many local people were so desensitised to seeing rubbish in their streets and around their towns that they saw no incentive in clearing it. But by getting town councils to share best practice and teaching them techniques to improve their waste management, Professor Bates is hoping an improvement may be seen in Uganda. Only time will tell... I would like to thank Professor Bates for her brilliant talk, as well as Falmouth Rotary Club for hosting the talk. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a tad by calling myself a Country Bumpkin, I'm not quite that remote but I have moved from the Big City lights of Central London to the beautiful coastal town of Falmouth! After much kerfuffle, I am finally settled in to my cute little flat and I'm primed and ready to start a Masters in Conservation & Biodiversity at the University of Exeter's Cornwall Campus. I seem to have neglected my blog for a couple of months (the stress of moving and a cheeky family holiday can account for that) but hopefully I'll be able to post more this coming year about the course I am undertaking and the awesome research and opportunities that will arise from it (including a field trip to Kenya in January which I am ridiculously excited about!) As this post isn't strictly Biology related, I'll keep it short! Over the past week I've had the chance to wander around Cornwall before lectures start on Tuesday and I am so excited to be living in such a beautiful part of the UK. Lizard Point in particular is one of the most spectacular places I have been to in the UK, with beautiful views of the turquoise blue sea, I felt like I was somewhere in the Med! We were, however, held up by a cow traffic jam... certainly a new experience for me and not one I am used to in London! I was lucky enough to go and see Much Ado About Nothing at the famous Minack Theatre; an experience I recommend to all. Even if Theatre isn't really your thing, there's something almost magical about the atmosphere there, and again, the views are incredible! I had a little explore of Land's End too, and even went to the Tea Festival at the Pavillion here in Falmouth. All in one week! This was all in between 3 days of First Aid training, introduction seminars and a couple of trips to the local beach! You could say it's been a busy first week here in the south west! I am super excited to be getting started with my course this week and to start working towards this Masters I have been saving up for all year! Until my next entry, here's some pretty photos... |
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