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Contact between the Greco-Roman Empire had been far more extensive the previously thought. Alexander the Great established contact with India by way of his aborted invasion of India in the 4th century B.C.E., followed by the establishment of a Indo-Greco dynasty in northwest India before Christ. Rome's trade route by sea to southwest India opened an exchange of goods and ideas that may have had far reaching impact upon Judaism in Israel, Christianity, and the philosophical views of the Roman Empire. Roman merchants became aware of the teachings of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The possibility that Jesus traveled to southern India by Roman merchant ship out of a Red Sea port is likely. The Apostle Thomas's voyage to India to start a Christian mission has sounder evidence to support it. India's impact upon Israel, Christianity, and the Greco-Roman empire before, during, and after the time of Christ may have been extensive.
The Seleucid dynasty controlled a developed network of trade with India which had previously existed under the influence of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty. The Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, controlling the western and northern end of other trade routes to Southern Arabia and India, had begun to exploit trading opportunities with India prior to the Roman involvement but according to the historian Strabo the volume of commerce between India and Greece paled compared to later Indian-Roman trade.
The Periplus Maris Erythraei mentions a time when sea trade between India and Egypt occurred through indirect sailings. The cargo under those situations shipped to Aden.
Eudaimon Arabia was called fortunate, being once a city, when, because ships neither came from India to Egypt nor did those from Egypt dare to go further but only came as far as this place, it received the cargoes from both, just as Alexandria receives goods brought from outside and from Egypt.
The Ptolemaic dynasty had developed trade with India using the Red Sea ports.</ref> With the establishment of Roman Egypt, the Romans took over and further developed the already existing trade using those ports.
The replacement of Greece by the Roman Empire as the administrator of the Mediterranean basin led to the strengthening of direct maritime trade with the east and the elimination of the taxes extracted previously by the middlemen of various land based trading routes. Strabo's mention of the vast increase in trade following the Roman annexation of Egypt indicates that he knew, and manipulated for trade in his time, the monsoon season .
The trade started by Eudoxus of Cyzicus in 130 B.C.E. kept increasing, and according to Strabo (II.5.12.):
"At any rate, when Gallus was prefect of Egypt, I accompanied him and ascended the Nile as far as Syene and the frontiers of Ethiopia, and I learned that as many as one hundred and twenty vessels were sailing from Myos Hormos to India, whereas formerly, under the Ptolemies, only a very few ventured to undertake the voyage and to carry on traffic in Indian merchandise."
By the time of Augustus up to 120 ships set sail every year from Myos Hormos to India. Rome used so much gold for that trade, and apparently recycled by the Kushans for their own coinage, that Pliny (NH VI.101) complained about the drain of specie to India:
"India, China and the Arabian peninsula take one hundred million sesterces from our empire per annum at a conservative estimate: that is what our luxuries and women cost us. For what percentage of these imports is intended for sacrifices to the gods or the spirits of the dead?" - Ibid., 12.41.84.
Arsinoe, Berenice and Myos Hormos constituted the three main Roman ports involved with eastern trade. Arsinoe served as one of the early trading centers but Myos Hormos and Berenice, more easily accessible, soon overshadowed it.
The Ptolemaic dynasty exploited the strategic position of Alexandria to secure trade with India. The course of trade with the east then seems to have been first through the harbor of Arsinoe, the present day Suez. The goods from the East African trade landed at one of the three main Roman ports, Arsinoe, Berenice or Myos Hormos. The Romans cleared out the canal from the Nile to harbor center of Arsinoe on the Red Sea, which had silted up. That represented one of the many efforts the Roman administration had to undertake to divert as much of the trade to the maritime routes as possible.
The rising prominence of Myos Hermos eventually overshadowed Arsinoe. The navigation to the northern ports, such as Arsinoe-Clysma, became difficult in comparison to Myos Hermos due to the northern winds in the Gulf of Suez. Venturing to those northern ports presented additional difficulties such as shoals, reefs and treacherous currents.
Myos Hormos and Berenice appear to have been important ancient trading ports, possibly used by the Pharaonic traders of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic dynasty before falling into Roman control.
The site of Berenice, since its discovery by Belzoni (1818), has been equated with the ruins near Ras Banas in Southern Egypt. The precise location of Myos Hormos has been disputed with the latitude and longitude given in Ptolemy's Geography favoring Abu Sha'ar and the accounts given in classical literature and satellite images indicating a probable identification with Quesir el-Quadim at the end of a fortified road from Koptos on the Nile. The Quesir el-Quadim site has further been associated with Myos Hormos following the excavations at el-Zerqa, halfway along the route, which have revealed ostraca leading to the conclusion that the port at the end of that road may have been Myos Hormos.
In India, the ports of Barbaricum (modern Karachi), Barygaza, Muziris and Arikamedu on the southern tip of India acted as the main centers of that trade. The Periplus Maris Erythraei describes Greco-Roman merchants selling in Barbaricum "thin clothing, figured linens, topaz, coral, storax, frankincense, vessels of glass, silver and gold plate, and a little wine" in exchange for "costus, bdellium, lycium, nard, turquoise, lapis lazuli, Seric skins, cotton cloth, silk yarn, and indigo". In Barygaza, they would buy wheat, rice, sesame oil, cotton and cloth.
Trade with Barigaza, under the control of the Indo-Scythian Western Satrap Nahapana ("Nambanus"), especially flourished:
There are imported into this market-town (Barigaza), wine, Italian preferred, also Laodicean and Arabian; copper, tin, and lead; coral and topaz; thin clothing and inferior sorts of all kinds; bright-colored girdles a cubit wide; storax, sweet clover, flint glass, realgar, antimony, gold and silver coin, on which there is a profit when exchanged for the money of the country; and ointment, but not very costly and not much. And for the King there are brought into those places very costly vessels of silver, singing boys, beautiful maidens for the harem, fine wines, thin clothing of the finest weaves, and the choicest ointments. There are exported from these places spikenard, costus, bdellium, ivory, agate and carnelian, lycium, cotton cloth of all kinds, silk cloth, mallow cloth, yarn, long pepper and such other things as are brought here from the various market-towns. Those bound for this market-town from Egypt make the voyage favorably about the month of July, that is Epiphi. - Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, paragraph 49.
Muziris represents a lost port city in the South Indian state of Kerala that had been a major center of trade with the Roman Empire. Large hoards of coins and innumerable shards of amphorae found in the town of Pattanam have elicited recent archaeological interest in finding a probable location of this port city.
According to the Periplus, numerous Greek seamen managed an intense trade with Muziris:
"Muziris and Nelcynda, which are now of leading importance (…) Muziris, of the same kingdom, abounds in ships sent there with cargoes from Arabia, and by the Greeks; it is located on a river, distant from Tyndis by river and sea five hundred stadia, and up the river from the shore twenty stadia." - Paul Halsall. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 53-54
Pliny the Elder also matter-of-factly commented on the qualities of Muziris, although in unfavorable terms:
"If the wind, called Hippalus, happens to be blowing, it is possible to arrive in forty days at the nearest market of India, called Muziris. This, however, is not a particularly desirable place to disembark, on account of the pirates which frequent its vicinity, where they occupy a place called Nitrias; nor, in fact, is it very rich in products. Besides, the road-stead for shipping is a considerable distance from the shore, and the cargoes have to be conveyed in boats, either for loading or discharging." - Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturae 6.26
Settlers from the Rome continued to live in India long after the decline in bilateral trade. Large hoards of Roman coins have been found throughout India, and especially in the busy maritime trading centers of the south. The South Indian kings reissued Roman coinage in their own name after defacing the coins to signify their sovereignty. The Tamil Sangam literature of India records mentions of the traders. One such mention reads: "The beautifully built ships of the Yavanas came with gold and returned with pepper, and Muziris resounded with the noise."
The Periplus Maris Erythraei mentions a marketplace named Poduke (ch. 60), which G.W.B. Huntingford identified as possibly being Arikamedu (now part of Ariyankuppam), about two miles from the modern Pondicherry. Huntingford further notes that Roman pottery had been found at Arikamedu in 1937, and archeological excavations between 1944 and 1949 showed that the city served as "a trading station to which goods of Roman manufacture were imported during the first half of the 1st century AD".
The Rome-India trade also saw several cultural exchanges which had lasting effect for both the civilizations and others involved in the trade. The Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum engaged in the Indian Ocean trade network, receiving an influence by Roman culture and Indian architecture. Traces of Indian influences appear in Roman works of silver and ivory, or in Egyptian cotton and silk fabrics used for sale in Europe. The Indian presence in Alexandria may have influenced the culture but scant records remain about the manner of that influence. Clement of Alexandria mentions the Buddha in his writings and other Indian religions find mentions in other texts of the period.
Christian and Jewish settlers from the Rome continued to live in India long after the decline in bilateral trade. Large hoards of Roman coins have been found throughout India, and especially in the busy maritime trading centers of the south. The South Indian kings reissued Roman coinage in their own name after defacing the coins to signify their sovereignty. The Tamil Sangam literature of India recorded mention of the traders. One such mention reads: "The beautifully built ships of the Yavanas came with gold and returned with pepper, and Muziris resounded with the noise."
Following the Roman-Persian Wars Khosrow I of the Persian Sassanian Dynasty captured the areas under the Roman Byzantine Empire. The Arabs, led by 'Amr ibn al-'As, crossed into Egypt in late 639 or early 640 C.E. That advance marked the beginning of the Islamic conquest of Egypt and the fall of ports such as Alexandria, used to secure trade with India by the Greco Roman world since the Ptolemaic dynasty.
The decline in trade saw Southern India turn to Southeast Asia for international trade, where it influenced the native culture to a greater degree than the impressions made on Rome.
The Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in the fifteenth century, marking the beginning of Turkish control over the most direct trade routes between Europe and Asia.
All links retrieved July 28, 2019.
|Part of a series on Trade routes|
|Amber Road | Hærvejen | Incense Route | Kamboja-Dvaravati Route | King's Highway | Roman-India routes | Royal Road | Salt Road | Siberian Route | Silk Road | Spice Route | Tea route | Varangians to the Greeks | Via Maris | Triangular trade | Volga trade route | Trans-Saharan trade | Old Salt Route| Hanseatic League | Grand Trunk Road|
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Let me nonetheless outline briefly what I understand by the term. I shall then go on to consider what has caused it.
Archaic globalization Archaic globalization conventionally refers to a phase in the history of globalization including globalizing events and developments from the time of the earliest civilizations until roughly the s. This term is used to describe the relationships between communities and states and how they were created by the geographical spread of ideas and social norms at both local and regional levels.
The first is the idea of Eastern Origins, which shows how Western states have adapted and implemented learned principles from the East. The second is distance.
The interactions of states were not on a global scale and most often were confined to Asia, North Africathe Middle Eastand certain parts of Europe. Eventually, technological advances allowed states to learn of others' existence and thus another phase of globalization can occur.
The third has to do with inter-dependency, stability, and regularity. If a state is not dependent on another, then there is no way for either state to be mutually affected by the other.
This is one of the driving forces behind global connections and trade; without either, globalization would not have emerged the way it did and states would still be dependent on their own production and resources to work. This is one of the arguments surrounding the idea of early globalization.
It is argued that archaic globalization did not function in a similar manner to modern globalization because states were not as interdependent on others as they are today.
Because it predated the Great Divergence of the nineteenth century, where Western Europe pulled ahead of the rest of the world in terms of industrial production and economic outputarchaic globalization was a phenomenon that was driven not only by Europe but also by other economically developed Old World centers such as GujaratBengalcoastal Chinaand Japan.
This archaic globalization existed during the Hellenistic Agewhen commercialized urban centers enveloped the axis of Greek culture that reached from India to Spainincluding Alexandria and the other Alexandrine cities.
Early on, the geographic position of Greece and the necessity of importing wheat forced the Greeks to engage in maritime trade.
Trade in ancient Greece was largely unrestricted: Maize, tomato, potato, vanillarubber, cacaotobacco Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of civilizations from China, Indian subcontinentPersiaEurope, and Arabiaopening long-distance political and economic interactions between them.
In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road served as a means of carrying out cultural trade among the civilizations along its network.
Proto-globalization " Early modern -" or "proto-globalization" covers a period of the history of globalization roughly spanning the years between and The concept of "proto-globalization" was first introduced by historians A.
Hopkins and Christopher Bayly. The term describes the phase of increasing trade links and cultural exchange that characterized the period immediately preceding the advent of high "modern globalization" in the late 19th century.
In the 17th century, world trade developed further when chartered companies like the British East India Company founded in and the Dutch East India Company founded inoften described as the first multinational corporation in which stock was offered were established.
The period is marked by such trade arrangements as the East India Companythe shift of hegemony to Western Europe, the rise of larger-scale conflicts between powerful nations such as the Thirty Years' Warand the rise of newfound commodities—most particularly slave trade.
The Triangular Trade made it possible for Europe to take advantage of resources within the Western Hemisphere. The transfer of animal stocks, plant crops, and epidemic diseases associated with Alfred W. Crosby 's concept of the Columbian Exchange also played a central role in this process.
European, MuslimIndian, Southeast Asianand Chinese merchants were all involved in early modern trade and communications, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.
During the early 19th century the United Kingdom was a global superpower. Modern[ edit ] According to economic historians Kevin H. O'Rourke, Leandro Prados de la Escosura, and Guillaume Daudin, several factors promoted globalization in the period Innovations in transportation technology reduced trade costs substantially.
New industrial military technologies increased the power of European states and the United States, and allowed these powers to forcibly open up markets across the world and extend their empires. A gradual move towards greater liberalization in European countries.
During the 19th century, globalization approached its form as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution. Industrialization allowed standardized production of household items using economies of scale while rapid population growth created sustained demand for commodities. In the 19th century, steamships reduced the cost of international transport significantly and railroads made inland transportation cheaper.
The transport revolution occurred some time between and The invention of shipping containers in helped advance the globalization of commerce. Exports nearly doubled from 8.
Many countries then shifted to bilateral or smaller multilateral agreements, such as the South Korea—United States Free Trade Agreement. Since the s, aviation has become increasingly affordable to middle classes in developed countries.
Open skies policies and low-cost carriers have helped to bring competition to the market.The Implications of Hyperglobalist Globalization on World Regions - Even though the globalization skeptics and the transformationalists both have viable interpretations of globalization, I believe that the hyperglobalist perspective is the most accurate.
Even, China, by far the largest non-capitalist economy, has undergone dramatic changes in its international economic policy orientation, and, is today the recipient of almost one-half of all foreign direct investments that go into developing nations - this is a country that essentially blocked all foreign investments until the s (United.
We often hear the word globalization in many contexts and repeated frequently as a concept to denote more trade, foreign companies and even the ongoing economic crisis.
Before we launch into a full-fledged review of the term and its various manifestations, it is important to consider what exactly we. A powerful force drives the world toward a converging commonality, and that force is technology. It has proletarianized communication, transport, and travel.
Globalization or globalisation is the process of interaction and integration between people, companies, and governments urbanagricultureinitiative.comization has grown due to advances in transportation and communication technology.
With increased global interactions comes the growth of international trade, ideas, and urbanagricultureinitiative.comization is primarily an economic process of interaction and integration that. Globalization has become a familiar enough word, the meaning of which has been discussed by others before me during this conference.
Globalization: The Concept, Causes, and Consequences. John Williamson (PIIE) The Concept. It is the world economy which we think of as being globalized. We mean that the whole of the world . | https://zozawolulekocitar.urbanagricultureinitiative.com/an-analysis-of-the-concept-of-globalization-and-its-benefits-for-the-economy-25404ee.html |
§ 19. Mr. Adley
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement following his recent visit to China.
§ The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Peter Walker)
I was accompanied on this visit by my hon. Friend the Minister for Aerospace and Shipping. The exhibition was the largest that has ever been staged by a foreign country in Peking. More than 350 firms displayed a wide range of goods particularly reflecting modern British technology. The exhibition has proved to be a major success. It was opened by the Chinese Minister for Foreign Trade and the exhibitors were paid the honour of a two-hour visit by the Prime Minister, Mr. Chou En-lai. I am sure that over the years ahead many orders will be placed with British industry as a direct result of the impact made by this exhibition. I would particularly like to express my gratitude to Sir John Keswick, president 924 of the exhibition, and to all those who contributed to its organisation.
I had a series of discussions with Chinese Ministers including a two-hour meeting with Mr. Chou En-lai. The meeting was cordial and the Chinese Prime Minister expressed the hope that trade and cultural relationships between our two countries would be increased. I had detailed discussions with the Chinese Minister for Foreign Trade and he accepted my proposal that our officials should draw up a programme for an exchange of trade missions between Britain and China over the next two years. He expressed his view that there would be an increase in British trade with China. I had further discussions with the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I also made visits to Hangchow and Shanghai where I visited a number of major Chinese industrial concerns and had discussions with those officials responsible for foreign trade in these areas. I believe that we can now look for a period of sustained growth in our trading relationships with China.
§ Mr. Adley
Is my right hon. Friend aware that all those in this country who are actively concerned with exports are very much encouraged by his personal involvement and commitment to this particular growth area of our overseas trade? May I ask him one specific question? Could he give an assurance with regard to exports of aerospace equipment to China that these will not be hampered in any way by the Americans or others trying to take advantage of previous commitments under which exports of large amounts of equipment could be categorised as strategic?
§ Mr. Walker
I believe that there is no danger of this particularly as at the moment the Americans are trying to negotiate large aircraft orders in Peking.
§ Mr. Benn
May I also congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on the success of his mission and pursue one of the points raised by the hon. Member for Bristol, North-East (Mr. Adley)? Can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that there are no restrictions on trade with China as there manifestly were 18 months ago—they were raised with me when I was in Peking—which would make it difficult for us to trade because 925 of some strategic limitations? Secondly, does the right hon. Gentleman have in mind any more formal arrangements with the Chinese, similar to those we have with the Soviet Union and many Eastern European countries?
§ Mr. Walker
On the latter question, I think there is advantage in trying to seek a constant relationship. There was no request by either the Chinese or ourselves for a more formal establishment of a commission. Certainly, if I thought that this would in any way improve trading relationships I would not hesitate to suggest such a formal relationship. The Chinese Foreign Minister will be visiting London, I hope, in the near future, and I think there will be a rapid exchange at both the ministerial and business levels. As for strategic limitations, certainly in matters of trade upon which I had discussions with the Chinese, and a whole range of industries, I do not see any particular problem of a strategic nature.
§ Mr. Wilkinson
May I also congratulate by right hon. Friend on his visit and ask whether there were any formal discussions about China's declaration of intent to purchase Concorde and whether discussions were held on the subject of routes for supersonic airliners between our two countries?
§ Mr. Walker
There were no discussions on routes, but on the subject of Concorde those remarks which were made struck me as being optimistic. During my visit I was assured that China had in no way changed her attitude to the aircraft since she signed the preliminary purchasing agreement last summer.
§ Mr. Dalyell
In what fields of trade were commissions contemplated? While welcoming the impact of the exhibition, may I ask whether a word could be put in for an exchange on agricultural technology?
§ Mr. Walker
Yes, I think that in the whole sphere of agriculture China is very interested in ways of fast developing her agriculture and this would be one of the spheres in which I would suggest an exchange. Other spheres of immense importance including mining engineering equipment. I would hope that some new firms being established in this country for offshore oil drilling off Britain 926 will realise that there will be considerable potentiality off China's coast in the years ahead and that there could well be further opportunities there.
§ Sir R. Cary
In view of what my right hon. Friend said about Concorde, can we accept that the orders for the three are firm?
§ Mr. Walker
One can never suggest, till an actual order is completed and paid for, that any order is a firm order, but certainly everything during the visit paid by myself and my hon. Friend the Minister for Aerospace tended to show that the Chinese were very interested in the Concorde aircraft and in no way had changed their view since they signed the original agreement.
§ Mr. Mason
Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us exactly what orders were achieved during the exhibition? Secondly, what are the trade prospects and in what fields as a result of the exhibition? Thirdly, is he seriously telling the House that he took the Minister for Aerospace along with him and they had no discussion about the establishment of a direct route from Heathrow to Peking involving BOAC and the Chinese Republic airlines?
§ Mr. Walker
On the latter point, there were certainly some conversations on the direct route. I am sorry, I misunderstood the question. There were discussions and these are continuing at the present time, but no conclusion was reached. As for actual orders received during the exhibition, I think the right hon. Gentleman will know from his experience of visiting China that this is not the sort of place where orders are immediately placed at the stands of the exhibition but that what happens is that those with products are invited to have talks with the various purchasing commissions. What resulted during the exhibition was that a large number of British firms were invited to enter negotiations and talks with the various purchasing commissions, and I have no doubt at all that a great deal of business will arise in the years ahead as a result. | https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1973/apr/09/china-secretary-of-states-visit |
Human beings have always moved from place to place and traded with their neighbours, exchanging goods, skills and ideas. Throughout history, Eurasia was criss-crossed with communication routes and paths of trade, which gradually linked up to form what are known today as the Silk Roads; routes across both land and sea, along which silk and many other goods were exchanged between people from across the world. Maritime routes were an important part of this network, linking East and West by sea, and were used for the trade of spices in particular, thus becoming known as the Spice Routes.
These vast networks carried more than just merchandise and precious commodities however: the constant movement and mixing of populations also brought about the transmission of knowledge, ideas, cultures and beliefs, which had a profound impact on the history and civilizations of the Eurasian peoples. Travellers along the Silk Roads were attracted not only by trade but also by the intellectual and cultural exchange that was taking place in cities along the Silk Roads, many of which developed into hubs of culture and learning. Science, arts and literature, as well as crafts and technologies were thus shared and disseminated into societies along the lengths of these routes, and in this way, languages, religions and cultures developed and influenced each other.
'Silk Road' is in fact a relatively recent term, and for the majority of their long history, these ancient roads had no particular name. In the mid-nineteenth century, the German geologist, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen, named the trade and communication network Die Seidenstrasse (the Silk Road), and the term, also used in the plural, continues to stir imaginations with its evocative mystery.
Silk Production and the Silk Trade
Silk is a textile of ancient Chinese origin, woven from the protein fibre produced by the silkworm to make its cocoon, and was developed, according to Chinese tradition, sometime around the year 2,700 BC. Regarded as an extremely high value product, it was reserved for the exclusive usage of the Chinese imperial court for the making of cloths, drapes, banners, and other items of prestige. Its production was kept a fiercely guarded secret within China for some 3,000 years, with imperial decrees sentencing to death anyone who revealed to a foreigner the process of its production. Tombs in the Hubei province dating from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC contain outstanding examples of silk work, including brocade, gauze and embroidered silk, and the first complete silk garments.
The Chinese monopoly on silk production however did not mean that the product was restricted to the Chinese Empire – on the contrary, silk was used as a diplomatic gift, and was also traded extensively, first of all with China’s immediate neighbours, and subsequently further afield, becoming one of China’s chief exports under the Han dynasty (206 BC –220 AD). Indeed, Chinese cloths from this period have been found in Egypt, in northern Mongolia, and elsewhere.
At some point during the 1st century BC, silk was introduced to the Roman Empire, where it was considered an exotic luxury and became extremely popular, with imperial edicts being issued to control prices. Its popularity continued throughout the Middle Ages, with detailed Byzantine regulations for the manufacture of silk clothes, illustrating its importance as a quintessentially royal fabric and an important source of revenue for the crown. Additionally, the needs of the Byzantine Church for silk garments and hangings were substantial. This luxury item was thus one of the early impetuses in the development of trading routes from Europe to the Far East.
Knowledge about silk production was very valuable and, despite the efforts of the Chinese emperor to keep it a closely guarded secret, it did eventually spread beyond China, first to India and Japan, then to the Persian Empire and finally to the west in the 6th century AD. This was described by the historian Procopius, writing in the 6th century:
About the same time [ca. 550] there came from India certain monks; and when they had satisfied Justinian Augustus that the Romans no longer should buy silk from the Persians, they promised the emperor in an interview that they would provide the materials for making silk so that never should the Romans seek business of this kind from their enemy the Persians, or from any other people whatsoever. They said that they were formerly in Serinda, which they call the region frequented by the people of the Indies, and there they learned perfectly the art of making silk. Moreover, to the emperor who plied them with many questions as to whether he might have the secret, the monks replied that certain worms were manufacturers of silk, nature itself forcing them to keep always at work; the worms could certainly not be brought here alive, but they could be grown easily and without difficulty; the eggs of single hatchings are innumerable; as soon as they are laid men cover them with dung and keep them warm for as long as it is necessary so that they produce insects. When they had announced these tidings, led on by liberal promises of the emperor to prove the fact, they returned to India. When they had brought the eggs to Byzantium, the method having been learned, as I have said, they changed them by metamorphosis into worms which feed on the leaves of mulberry. Thus began the art of making silk from that time on in the Roman Empire.
Beyond Silk; a diversity of routes and cargos
However, whilst the silk trade was one of the earliest catalysts for the trade routes across Central Asia, it was only one of a wide range of products that was traded between east and west, and which included textiles, spices, grain, vegetables and fruit, animal hides, tools, wood work, metal work, religious objects, art work, precious stones and much more. Indeed, the Silk Roads became more popular and increasingly well-travelled over the course of the Middle Ages, and were still in use in the 19th century, a testimony not only to their usefulness but also to their flexibility and adaptability to the changing demands of society. Nor did these trading paths follow only one trail – merchants had a wide choice of different routes crossing a variety of regions of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Far East, as well as the maritime routes, which transported goods from China and South East Asia through the Indian Ocean to Africa, India and the Near East.
These routes developed over time and according to shifting geopolitical contexts throughout history. For example, merchants from the Roman Empire would try to avoid crossing the territory of the Parthians, Rome’s enemies, and therefore took routes to the north, across the Caucasus region and over the Caspian Sea. Similarly, whilst extensive trade took place over the network of rivers that crossed the Central Asian steppes in the early Middle Ages, their water levels rose and fell, and sometimes dried up altogether, and trade routes shifted accordingly.
Maritime trade was another extremely important branch of this global trade network. Most famously used for the transportation of spices, the maritime trade routes have also been known as the Spice Roads, supplying markets across the world with cinnamon, pepper, ginger, cloves and nutmeg from the Moluccas islands in Indonesia (known as the Spice Islands), as well as a wide range of other goods. Textiles, woodwork, precious stones, metalwork, incense, timber, and saffron were all traded by the merchants travelling these routes, which stretched over 15,000 kilometres, from the west coast of Japan, past the Chinese coast, through South East Asia, and past India to reach the Middle East and so to the Mediterranean.
The history of these maritime routes can be traced back thousands of years, to links between the Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilization. The early Middle Ages saw an expansion of this network, as sailors from the Arabian Peninsula forged new trading routes across the Arabian Sea and into the Indian Ocean. Indeed, maritime trading links were established between Arabia and China from as early as the 8th century AD. Technological advances in the science of navigation, in astronomy, and also in the techniques of ship building combined to make long-distance sea travel increasingly practical. Lively coastal cities grew up around the most frequently visited ports along these routes, such as Zanzibar, Alexandria, Muscat, and Goa, and these cities became wealthy centres for the exchange of goods, ideas, languages and beliefs, with large markets and continually changing populations of merchants and sailors.
In the late 15th century, the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, navigated round the Cape of Good Hope, thereby connecting European sailors with these South East Asian maritime routes for the first time and initiating direct European involvement in this trade. By the 16th and 17th centuries, these routes and their lucrative trade had become subject of fierce rivalries between the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. The conquest of ports along the maritime routes brought both wealth and security, as they effectively governed the passage of maritime trade and also allowed ruling powers to claim monopolies on these exotic and highly sought-after goods, as well as gathering the substantial taxes levied on merchant vessels.
The map above illustrates the great variety of routes that were available to merchants bearing a wide range of goods and travelling from different parts of the world, by both land and sea. Most often, individual merchant caravans would cover specific sections of the routes, pausing to rest and replenish supplies, or stopping altogether and selling on their cargos at points throughout the length of the roads, leading to the growth of lively trading cities and ports. The Silk Roads were dynamic and porous; goods were traded with local populations throughout, and local products were added into merchants’ cargos. This process enriched not only the merchants’ material wealth and the variety of their cargos, but also allowed for exchanges of culture, language and ideas to take place along the Silk Roads.
Routes of Dialogue
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of the Silk Roads has been their role in bringing cultures and peoples in contact with each other, and facilitating exchange between them. On a practical level, merchants had to learn the languages and customs of the countries they travelled through, in order to negotiate successfully. Cultural interaction was a vital aspect of material exchange. Moreover, many travellers ventured onto the Silk Roads in order to partake in this process of intellectual and cultural exchange that was taking place in cities along the routes. Knowledge about science, arts and literature, as well as crafts and technologies was shared across the Silk Roads, and in this way, languages, religions and cultures developed and influenced each other. One of the most famous technical advances to have been propagated worldwide by the Silk Roads was the technique of making paper, as well as the development of printing press technology. Similarly, irrigation systems across Central Asia share features that were spread by travellers who not only carried their own cultural knowledge, but also absorbed that of the societies in which they found themselves.
Indeed, the man who is often credited with founding the Silk Roads by opening up the first route from China to the West in the 2nd century BC, General Zhang Qian, was on a diplomatic mission rather than a trading expedition. Sent to the West in 139 BC by the Han Emperor Wudi to ensure alliances against the Xiongnu, the hereditary enemies of the Chinese, Zhang Qian was captured and imprisoned by them. Thirteen years later he escaped and made his way back to China. Pleased with the wealth of detail and accuracy of his reports, the emperor sent Zhang Qian on another mission in 119 BC to visit several neighbouring peoples, establishing early routes from China to Central Asia.
Religion and a quest for knowledge were further inspirations to travel along these routes. Buddhist monks from China made pilgrimages to India to bring back sacred texts, and their travel diaries are an extraordinary source of information. The diary of Xuan Zang (whose 25-year journal lasted from 629 to 654 AD) not only has an enormous historical value, but also inspired a comic novel in the sixteenth century, the 'Pilgrimage to the West', which has become one of the great Chinese classics. During the Middle Ages, European monks undertook diplomatic and religious missions to the east, notably Giovanni da Pian del Carpini, sent by Pope Innocent IV on a mission to the Mongols from 1245 to 1247, and William of Rubruck, a Flemish Franciscan monk sent by King Louis IX of France again to the Mongol hordes from 1253 to 1255. Perhaps the most famous was the Venetian explorer, Marco Polo, whose travels lasted for more than 20 years between 1271 and 1292, and whose account of his experiences became extremely popular in Europe after his death.
The routes were also fundamental in the dissemination of religions throughout Eurasia. Buddhism is one example of a religion that travelled the Silk Roads, with Buddhist art and shrines being found as far apart as Bamiyan in Afghanistan, Mount Wutai in China, and Borobudur in Indonesia. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism and Manicheism spread in the same way, as travellers absorbed the cultures they encountered and then carried them back to their homelands with them. Thus, for example, Hinduism and subsequently Islam were introduced into Indonesia and Malaysia by Silk Road merchants travelling the maritime trade routes from India and Arabia.
Travelling the Silk Roads
The process of travelling the Silk Roads developed along with the roads themselves. In the Middle Ages, caravans consisting of horses or camels were the standard means of transporting goods across land. Caravanserais, large guest houses or inns designed to welcome travelling merchants, played a vital role in facilitating the passage of people and goods along these routes. Found along the Silk Roads from Turkey to China, they provided not only a regular opportunity for merchants to eat well, rest and prepare themselves in safety for their onward journey, and also to exchange goods, trade with local markets and buy local products, and to meet other merchant travellers, and in doing so, to exchange cultures, languages and ideas.
As trade routes developed and became more lucrative, caravanserais became more of a necessity, and their construction intensified across Central Asia from the 10th century onwards, and continued until as late as the 19th century. This resulted in a network of caravanserais that stretched from China to the Indian subcontinent, Iran, the Caucasus, Turkey, and as far as North Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe, many of which still stand today.
Caravanserais were ideally positioned within a day’s journey of each other, so as to prevent merchants (and more particularly, their precious cargos) from spending days or nights exposed to the dangers of the road. On average, this resulted in a caravanserai every 30 to 40 kilometres in well-maintained areas.
Maritime traders had different challenges to face on their lengthy journeys. The development of sailing technology, and in particular of ship-building knowledge, increased the safety of sea travel throughout the Middle Ages. Ports grew up on coasts along these maritime trading routes, providing vital opportunities for merchants not only to trade and disembark, but also to take on fresh water supplies, with one of the greatest threats to sailors in the Middle Ages being a lack of drinking water. Pirates were another risk faced by all merchant ships along the maritime Silk Roads, as their lucrative cargos made them attractive targets.
The legacy of the Silk Roads
In the nineteenth century, a new type of traveller ventured onto the Silk Roads: archaeologists and geographers, enthusiastic explorers looking for adventure. Coming from France, England, Germany, Russia and Japan, these researchers traversed the Taklamakan desert in western China, in what is now Xinjiang, to explore ancient sites along the Silk Roads, leading to many archaeological discoveries, numerous academic studies, and most of all, a renewed interest in the history of these routes.
Today, many historic buildings and monuments still stand, marking the passage of the Silk Roads through caravanserais, ports and cities. However, the long-standing and ongoing legacy of this remarkable network is reflected in the many distinct but interconnected cultures, languages, customs and religions that have developed over millennia along these routes. The passage of merchants and travellers of many different nationalities resulted not only in commercial exchange but in a continuous and widespread process of cultural interaction. As such, from their early, exploratory origins, the Silk Roads developed to become a driving force in the formation of diverse societies across Eurasia and far beyond.
Related links: | https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/node/249 |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural groups had been trading with each other for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in what is now Australia in the 1700s. Trade was essential to these peoples because it was a way to obtain necessary items that they did not have or could not find in their Country. Trade was also a form of social interaction with people from other clan groups. They met and shared stories, gifts, and specific cultural knowledge. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples traded among themselves and also with visitors to their lands and the surrounding waters.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples used trade routes that connected different clans throughout the landscape of Australia and the waters of the Torres Strait. Many of these trading pathways, or routes, crossed over areas that were rich with valuable natural resources. Items that were traded included kangaroo skin, pearl shells used for decoration, and stone and timber to make axes and spears used in hunting.
Ochre, a mineral, was one particularly important and valuable material that was traded regularly between clan groups. Ochre occurs naturally in many different colors including yellow, red, white, and brown. It is the most-important painting material used traditionally by Aboriginal peoples. Ochre was used to paint boomerangs, bark, and rock and as a body paint for ceremonies.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples also traded with visitors to their land. Historical records indicate that fishermen from Indonesia called the Macassans traded with Aboriginal peoples in what is now the Northern Territory for hundreds of years. As early as 1451, trading took place between Aboriginal people called the Yolngu and the Macassan. Trading between the Macassans and the Aboriginal peoples had a strong impact on the local culture of the Aboriginal peoples. Their visits are remembered through oral history, songs, dances, and rock paintings.
The Macassans visited the northern shores of Australia in search of sea cucumbers. The animals were valuable as both a food and a medicine. In exchange for the right to fish for sea cucumbers, the Macassans gave items such as cloth, tobacco, rice, axes, and knives to the Yolngu. The Macassans processed the sea cucumbers and shipped them to China and other places. There is still evidence today of the Macassans trading visits to Australia, including broken pottery and glass left at the Macassans’ camps and stands of tamarind trees that were brought by the Macassans. This evidence suggests that trading continued for hundreds of years, until the early 1900s. | https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-Trade/629048 |
Invasive species are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats. This can result in huge economic impacts and fundamental disruptions of coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems.
Why are invasive species a concern?
Invasive species degrade, change or displace native habitats and compete with our native wildlife for food, water, shelter and space, and are thus harmful to our fish, wildlife and plant resources.
Why are invasive species such a big concern for island biodiversity?
The geographic isolation of islands limits immigration of new species, allowing established species to evolve with few strong competitors and predators. … Islands are more prone to invasion by alien species because of the lack of natural competitors and predators that control populations in their native ecosystems.
How can invasive introduced species affect the biodiversity of an area?
Invasive species can change the functions of ecosystems. For example, invasive plants can alter the fire regimen, nutrient cycling, and hydrology in native ecosystems. Invasive species that are closely related to rare native species have the potential to hybridize with the native species.
Are invasive species always bad?
Are invasive species always bad? Maybe not, according to an increasingly common point of view among ecologists. A non-native species is defined as invasive if it causes substantial harm in its new range; just because a species is introduced by human action does not automatically make it invasive.
How are invasive species dealt with?
As a result, the best approaches for dealing with the invasive species is to: Create effective mechanisms to prevent their introduction in the first place. Create monitoring systems for detecting new infestations. Move rapidly to eradicate newly detected invaders.
Why should we stop invasive species?
First, invasive species can have a profound, negative impact on biodiversity. … Invasive species cause harm to wildlife directly and indirectly. Some direct threats of invasive species on native wildlife include, out-competing native species for resources, preying on native species, and acting as a disease vector.
Why are invasive species increasing?
The rates of new introductions of other organisms such as algae, molluscs or insects increased steeply after 1950, most likely as a consequence of the growth of global trade.
What are the disadvantages of invasive species?
Habitat loss and invasive plants are the leading cause of native biodiversity loss. Invasive plant species spread quickly and can displace native plants, prevent native plant growth, and create monocultures.
How do invasive species affect the biodiversity Mcq?
10. How do invasive species affect the biodiversity? Explanation: Invasive species are the non-native species that invade healthy ecosystems and threaten the survival of the native species either by attacking them or competing with them for the habitat’s resources.
How do invasive species threaten biodiversity quizlet?
They do not naturally inhabit the ecosystem. Introduced species that can dramatically change or destroy ecosystems. Rapid spread of invasive species is a major couse of global biodiversity loss. Introduced species can affect native species through competition, predation, disease, parasitism, and habitat alteration.
What are the pros and cons of invasive species?
Advantages of having been introduced include lack of specialized predators and pathogens. Disadvantages include lack of adaptation to local conditions. For example, competition from locally adapted natives may prevent or slow invasion by introduced species, especially in plants.
How do invasive species affect humans?
Invasive species can negatively impact human health by infecting humans with new diseases, serving as vectors for existing diseases, or causing wounds through bites, stings, allergens, or other toxins (Mazza et al. 2013).
Can invasive species have positive effects on the environment?
A team of scientists has discovered that human-introduced, invasive species of plants can have positive ecological effects. … “The fundamental goal is to return a natural area to its original, pristine state, with the native species occupying the dominant position in the community. | https://lcconcernedcitizens.org/ecologist/you-asked-why-are-invasive-species-a-concern-for-biodiversity.html |
With growing season upon us, many of us are eagerly planting vegetables, annuals, and perennials in our yards. However, before heading to a nearby nursery, or taking a cutting from an attractive plant, consider that some plants are more suitable for our local environment, than others.
You may have heard plants being referred to as native, aggressive, or invasive. These terms are important to know when it comes to selecting your plants, but the choices can be difficult to navigate.
“Native species are plants that have been here for such a long time that other plants and animals have evolved, and sometimes adapted, around the existence of the native plant,” explains Vern Bastable, Manager of GreenUP Ecology Park.
Ecology Park carries a wide selection of native plants, including Bee Balm, Purple Coneflower, and Wild Strawberry. In addition to providing excellent habitat for pollinators, each of these plants has edible and medicinal properties for humans. These plants are perennials, meaning that as long as they are planted properly and regularly watered, they should come back year after year.
Aggressive plants can spread quickly, moving into unintended areas of a garden, however this does not mean they are necessarily affecting the environment in a negative way. For example, the aforementioned Wild Strawberry is known to spread aggressively through its trailing root system, but its native status and fruit bearing ability make it favourable.
In addition to all the native plants and some not-so-bad aggressive plants in the province, there are plants that are invasive in Ontario. This means that they have been brought here from elsewhere in the world, commonly Europe or Asia, and have a known tendency to spread, and even outcompete, native species.
“When invasive plants are allowed to establish, they will take over the ecosystem, altering it irreversibly to the detriment of the environment, economy, and social enjoyment,” says Belinda Junkin, Executive Director of the Ontario Invasive Plant Council, “If invasive plants are allowed to spread uncontrollably, they will become a costly and difficult issue to resolve in the future.”
Invasive species outcompete native plants by growing earlier, faster and by taking in more nutrients and sunlight than native species. The Invading Species Awareness Program and the Ontario Invasive Plant Council have more information about which plants and animals are considered invasive in the province.
Some invasive species have been intentionally introduced in Ontario for food, or because they are attractive and self-sustaining in garden plots. For example, European Buckthorn was planted in fencerows and windbreaks on North American farms in the 1880s. Buckthorn produces bluish black berries. When birds eat the berries, the seeds are quickly and widely distributed through their fecal matter allowing this plant to proliferate and outcompete shrubs that are native to this area.
By contrast, other invasive species have arrived unintentionally, such as European Common Reed, Phragmites australis. It is unknown how this species arrived in North America from Eurasia. Phragmites is often seen growing along highway ditches or wetland shorelines, and can grow up to 6 metres (20 feet) tall. This invasive grass is able to spread quickly by seed and through underground shoots.
Densely packed Phragmites stems can make it difficult for slow-moving turtles to access wetlands or waterways where they live. Further, this plant emits toxins from its roots that inhibit the growth of other plant species near it, allowing it to proliferate further.
With all of this in mind, you may be wondering what you can do to prevent the spread of invasive plants in Ontario. Firstly, you can learn which plants are invasive, and be sure to research plants before you take a cutting or purchase them for your yard. The Ontario Invading Species Awareness Program and the Ontario Invasive Plant Council are great resources for learning about these species, which you may not have known are invasive. For example, Periwinkle, Goutweed, and English Ivy are frequently found at garden centres and sold as ornamental ground covers, but are actually native to Europe and Asia and are extremely invasive here in Ontario.
You can also learn what kind of soil and light conditions you have on your property, and consult the Grow Me Instead: Beautiful Non-Invasive Plants for Your Garden guide for selecting native plants that can beautifully replace the invasive options. For example, replace invasive Periwinkle with native Wild Ginger, Wild Strawberry, or Mayapple. The guide provides a great list of native swap-outs for the invasive counterparts.
Researchers are currently monitoring the spread of invasive species. You can help by reporting them online at www.eddmaps.org. This reporting app includes images, descriptions, and distribution maps to help you identify invasive species. You can also take your own pictures and use the built in GPS to quickly report invasive species, right from your location.
Get involved in invasive species removal programs through the Invading Species Awareness Program or Ontario Invasive Plant Council.
Make a donation to the Ontario Invasive Plant Council (OIPC). The provincial government has recently cut all support to the OIPC, which is the province’s primary source of information and the coordinating body for invasive plant management and control.
If you’re removing invasive species from your yard, be sure to dispose of them properly. They should not be composted but rather put in the garbage, or used as fuel for your next campfire.
You can also learn to make use of some invasive plants. If you’re pulling Garlic Mustard plants, you may later add the leaves to salads because this plant is edible! Another great use of an invasive is to make solitary bee houses from invasive, Phragmites; the stems are hollow and can be bundled to make perfect nesting areas for native bees to lay their eggs.
Enjoy your garden this summer by planting native, locally adapted species that will not only look beautiful, but will also showcase our natural heritage. | https://www.greenup.on.ca/understanding-ontarios-native-invasive-and-aggressive-plants/ |
Snapping turtles are a very large turtle with a powerful bite. Do not attempt to handle these turtles without proper safety equipment.
About This Species
Common snapping turtles are found throughout the Central and Eastern United States. In Canada, their native range extends from Southern Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia. In BC, Common snapping turtles have been found in Southern Vancouver Island – three individuals were reported near Port Alberni in 2012, and another adult was found in the same area in 2014. It is unknown how these turtles were brought to BC, they may be escaped or released pets, or they may have been used as stock animals for outdoor private ponds.
Common snapping turtles have a generalist diet – they will eat fish, other turtles, amphibians, and possibly even small rodents. They are much larger than any other turtle species found in BC, and may displace native turtles from their habitat, outcompete them for food and prey on native turtle hatchlings.
How to Identify
Fully grown adult Common snapping turtles can be between 20-50 cm long and weigh 4.5-16 kg. They are the largest turtle found in BC and can be easily distinguished from other species by their long tails and the backwards-facing triangular spines on their back ends of their shells.
Report an Invasive Species
Use the app
Help us track and defeat invasive species.
Report through this website
Use our form to tell us what you’re seeing and where.
Take Action
Common snapping turtles may be sold as pets. But remember that they will grow to be as large as a stop sign and can live for over 100 years. Do not release Common snapping turtles into the wild – if you must dispose of a pet, please turn it in to the BCSPCA.
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If you need advice about invasive species on your property or you are concerned about reported invasives in your local area, contact your local municipality or regional invasive species organization.
Don't Let It Loose
Learn about best practices
Invasive species are plants, animals or other organisms that are not native to BC, and have serious impacts on our environment, economy and society. Never release your plants and animals into the wild or dump aquariums or water garden debris into rivers, streams, lakes or storm sewers! | https://bcinvasives.ca/invasives/common-snapping-turtle/ |
Species have been moving about the planet using the ocean for millions of years. Until relatively recently, the winds and currents have mostly limited this process. But when humans took to the seas, a new way for species to travel around the globe came about.
Today, marine pests pose a significant risk to Victoria's marine environment and industries. Marine pests are highly invasive animals and plants which are not native to an area. They include a wide range of organisms, from microscopic algae to various species of sea stars, mussels, and crabs.
Marine species are most commonly introduced and spread by ballast water and biofouling. Ballast water is taken on board by vessels to maintain stability and trim. It can contain thousands of aquatic microbes, plants and animals which can spread across the globe when released. Vessel biofouling happens when marine plants and animals grow on the submerged parts of a vessel or infrastructure.
The northern Pacific seastar is a key established marine pest which found its way to Victoria via ballast water. It was first identified in Tasmania in 1986 and discovered in Port Phillip Bay in 1995. Each female northern Pacific seastar can produce between 5-20 million eggs. By the year 2000, more than 100 million of the species were estimated to be in Port Phillip Bay. The species eats a range of native animals with bivalves, like mussels and clams, being the preferred prey.
The Asian shore crab is another key species that has entered Victoria from international waters. The first Australian detection of the species was from Mount Martha in October 2020. Originally from the waters around Japan, Russia, North China and Korea, the Asian shore crab has the potential to become a major pest. It could spread rapidly and may consume and outcompete our native species.
“Approximately 100 introduced marine species are now resident in Port Phillip Bay and can prey on – or outcompete – native species for space, food and light. Monitoring is critical to determine whether their range is expanding, with new incursions requiring rapid management responses”.
The risk of introduction of marine pests via ballast water has been greatly reduced since the International Maritime Organisation’s Ballast Water Convention. Since 2017, it has required all international vessels to manage their ballast water. Yet, the introduction and spread of marine pests via biofouling remains a significant risk.
Members of the community have a strong role to play in helping reduce the spread of marine pests and in protecting Victoria’s marine environment. Moving vessels and marine equipment from areas with marine pests to new locations can significantly increase the risk of spread. Vessel owners can help stop the spread of marine pests by always remembering to check, clean and dry.
- Check your vessel and equipment for any attached animals and plants – remove them. Do not return marine pests to the water.
- Clean your vessel and equipment after use with freshwater.
- Dry your vessel and equipment thoroughly before moving to a new location.
The Victorian Government's Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions is working closely with other Australian jurisdictions to reduce the risk of marine pest introduction and spread.
If you suspect you have seen a marine pest you can report the species via www.vic.gov.au/marine-pests or email reports to [email protected].
You can read more about invasive marine species in the State of the Marine and Coastal Environment 2021 Report. | https://www.ces.vic.gov.au/state-of-reports/state-marine-and-coastal-environment-2021-report/stories/preventing-marine-pests |
Every species of plant or animal has a native home – somewhere that it has existed for thousands of years. Non-native invasive plant species are plants artificially introduced to an area that is beyond their known historical range. They have no natural control mechanism in that area and flourish without the predators, parasites, diseases, and competitors of their native range.
Plant species are classified as “invasive” when their growth is aggressive and they reproduce rapidly, causing major changes to the habitats where they have become established. They alter these habitats and displace native species, even driving some rare species toward extinction. Because many native animals are dependent on native plants for food and shelter, they may have trouble adjusting their specialized diets to the invasive plants, causing populations to decline.
Isn’t it Just an Evergreen?
As children, we are taught that any plant that remains green and does not lose its leaves in winter is an evergreen. While this is true in some cases (holly, pine, Ashe’s juniper), non-native invasive plants can withstand our mild winters and flourish without the competition of native plants in the colder months.
I Like Seeing Some Green in the Winter Landscape, Why Should I Care?
They impact the health and regeneration of forests, spreading throughout the understory and suppressing the growth of other understory plants and reducing seedling development. This in turn reduces the number and variety of forest wildlife.
The U.S. spends more than $130 billion annually to eradicate and block entry of non-native invasive species (University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, February 2015). This figure does not include volunteer labor involved in invasive species eradication.
What Non-Native Invasive Plants Are in Arkansas?
According to the state report of the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, the top 10 Abundant Invasive Plants (by number of reports) in Arkansas are (greatest to least): Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), privet: [Chinese (Ligustrum sinense), Amur (Ligustrum quihoui), Japanese (Ligustrum japonicum), and glossy (Ligustrum lucidum)], sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), shrubby lespedeza (Lespedeza bicolor) , tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus), mimosa or silk tree (Albizia julibrissin), kudzu (Pueraria montana), Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), chinaberry (Melia azedarach), and bush honeysuckle: [(Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), sweet-breath-of-spring (Lonicera fragrantissima)].
Want to learn more about invasive plants? Try this ANHC enews article from 2010. You can also learn more about using native plants in your garden here. | http://www.naturalheritage.com/blog/spotlight-on-non-native-invasive-plants |
The Joe's Pond Association monitors the pond for invasive species, and Eurasian Milfoil has NOT invaded Joe's Pond. The most recent biological survey, conducted in August, 2009, found no invasive species. The Association's inspection team, which is housed at the boating access area, is active throughout the summer. Also, the Association encourages users of the pond, members and nonmembers, to report suspicious plants. Pam Hebert is the JPA Director of Water Quality and Safety. Normally, when Pam sees a plant, she can determine whether it is an invasive species. If she can't, she will forward specimens to experts at the state of Vermont. Bring specimens you find to the boating access area or Pam can be reached at 684-3655.
The following species were found in Joe's Pond during the 2009 biological survey. These species are
indigenous and are NOT nuisance species:
Big-leaf Pondweed;
Bladderwort;
Clasping Pondweed;
Coontail;
Fern-leaf Pondweed;
Muskgrass;
Northern Milfoil;
Quillwort;
Tapegrass;
Waterweed;
White Water Lily.
The following information was taken from The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources website:
Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) is a non-native aquatic plant that currently infests a number of Vermont lakes, including the state's largest, Lakes Champlain, Memphremagog and Bomoseen (view map). This plant is known for its rapid growth and ability to spread, which can lead to significant problems within a lake. Commonly found in shallow bays and along the shoreline, milfoil forms dense beds that can seriously impair the recreational use of a lake, reduce the availability of fish spawning grounds, outcompete beneficial native plants, and otherwise alter a lake's natural environment.
The growth and spread of Eurasian watermilfoil is a threat to all our lakes and ponds. Once Eurasian watermilfoil has infested a lake there is no known way to eradicate it. Lake managers can only seek to control it by integrating the most effective, economically feasible, and environmentally sound methods available
Eurasian watermilfoil is not native to North America but originates from Europe, Asia and northern Africa. As an "introduced" species to this continent, Eurasian watermilfoil has no natural controls (insects, bacteria, fungi) to keep its growth in check. In North America it has the potential to completely infest lakes once introduced. Native types of watermilfoils rarely attain such extensive growth.
Eurasian watermilfoil stems can reach the surface in up to 20 feet of water, growing up from the lake bottom each year from a fibrous root system. Milfoil grows and spreads extremely quickly, forming dense surface mats. Unlike most native aquatic plants, which are usually associated with particular water qualities, Eurasian watermilfoil will grow readily in many types of lakes, as well as on almost any lake bottom type: silty, sandy, or rocky.
The presence of Eurasian watermilfoil often brings a change in the natural lake environment. Over time, it may outcompete or eliminate the more beneficial native aquatic plants, severely reducing natural plant diversity within a lake. Since its growth is typically dense, milfoil weed beds are poor spawning areas for fish and may lead to populations of stunted fish. Although many aquatic plants serve as valuable food sources for wildlife, waterfowl, fish, and insects, Eurasian watermilfoil is rarely used for food. Commonly found in shallow bays and in bands along the shoreline, dense surface mats of milfoil can also make fishing, boating and swimming virtually impossible.
Eurasian watermilfoil reproduces almost exclusively by the breaking off of fragments which can drift away, sink, develop roots, and grow into new plants. A fragment just a few inches long is capable of starting a new plant. This fragmentation occurs both naturally and as a result of human activity. Within a lake, wind and waves may break plants loose, allowing them to drift into new locations and root. Boating activity through dense milfoil beds also contributes to the fragmenting and spread of milfoil plants. | https://www.joespondvermont.com/invasive.php |
INVASIVE NON-NATIVE SPECIES
For many years, plants or animals have been brought to our shores by people through a range of different pathways, such as the movement of boats, equipment, goods or stock. These movements arise from both international trade and recreational and leisure activities. Where these species have a negative impact on our native wildlife or people’s well-being or the economy they are termed invasive. It is important to have protocols in place to detect and then respond to invasive species in our coastal and marine environments. The best line of defence is to try to prevent these invasive non-natives arriving in the first place by having appropriate biosecurity measures in place.
Examples of non-native invasive species around the UK include:
- Wireweed (Sargassum muticum) – an olive-brown seaweed, with tough wiry stem, that is over 1m in length and found in shallow areas and rock pools. Native to the north-western Pacific shores it was unintentionally introduced with commercial oysters to other countries and has spread from there by natural dispersal or fouling on boats. It can outcompete native species, be a nuisance to people enjoying recreational activities such as swimming and kayaking and can foul fishing gear.
- Carpet sea squirt (Didendum vexillum) – is a marine invertebrate which is capable of forming large colonies. Originally from the North west Pacific it is most likely to have been introduced to other areas by attaching to the hulls of boats or through the movements of stock for aquaculture. It can cover and significantly alter the species composition of sediment layers and can overgrow mussel beds and foul aquaculture gear.
- Slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata) – is a limpet about 5cm in length which is often found in stacks or chains which are made of several individuals. This species is native to Canada and the Eastern coast of America and is most likely to have been imported with American oysters. It can outcompete native species by reducing the amount of hard surfaces they have available to attach to and can have an economic impact on fisheries and mariculture when heavily infested, fouled shells have to be cleaned.
Organisations such as Biosecurity for LIFE are working to raise awareness of the threat of invasive predators, such as rats, mink, stoats and feral cats which can be devastating for island seabird populations. Their aim is to put in place systems to prevent their accidental introduction to islands. | https://www.seabird.org/threats/invasive-non-native-species |
National Invasive Species Awareness Week is here this year from February 22-26. The goal of this week is to raise awareness and identify solutions to invasive species at the local, state, tribal, regional, national, and international levels. It is a great time to get involved in your local environment to protect indigenous native species of all types of plants and wildlife.
What Are Invasive Species?
Invasive species are living organisms that are not native to an ecosystem and can cause harm to the environment, the economy, or even to human health. Invasive species do not need to necessarily come from another country. They can come from the same country but from different areas. For example, lake trout are native species to the Great Lakes, but they are an invasive species in Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming because they compete with native cutthroat trout for habitat and other resources like food and oxygen.
How Do Invasive Species Spread?
Usually, invasive species are spread by human activities, and most of the time their spread is unintentional. Every day, humans are improving travel and trade; that is how most species are spread. For instance, ships can carry aquatic organisms in their ballast water. Smaller boats may carry them on their propellers. Insects and bugs can burrow into wood, shipping palettes, and crates that are shipped around the world. Invasive species can even be pets that are released into the wild. Burmese pythons have become a huge problem in the Florida Everglades because they have been released as pets. Since they have no natural predators in that area, their population has boomed and has caused other native species populations to decline.
Examples of Invasive Species
Invasive species are more prevalent than you may think. Tree of Heaven, for example, was introduced to the United States as a landscape specimen. Now it is established throughout the US and outcompetes native species for resources and disrupts balanced ecosystems. Furthermore, Tree of Heaven is the host tree for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that is threatening our agricultural industry.
How Can I Help?
Fighting invasive plants and animals may seem like a big challenge, but even the home gardener can do their part to help. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has published some helpful tips to follow when hiking, boating, and gardening to help prevent the spread of invasive species. Want to know what to look out for? The US Department of Agriculture has curated comprehensive lists of invasive species by region or state. You can help battle invasive species in your own backyard by safely removing and reporting invasive plants you find. And remember, the best defense is a good offense. A well-established native garden that utilizes living mulch (groundcovers that fill the space between larger plants) instead of traditional sterile mulch can help keep invasive plants from establishing a foothold.
Shop our native plants to fill your garden with natives and help fight off invasive species!
This article was originally published on February 27th, 2019 by American Native Plants. | https://www.directnativeplants.com/its-national-invasive-species-awareness-week/ |
Ireland’s inland Waterways are an important tool for wildlife, it is home to rich biodiversity including trees, plants, lock gates, invasive species, bats, insects and more! Let's talk about biodiversity on Ireland's Waterways...
It’s good to know that many of our wild creatures - including all of our birds - have protection under law. There are two ‘layers’ of law protecting our wildlife. Our national laws date from 1976 in the Republic of Ireland and 1985 in Northern Ireland, they give protection to almost all species of wildlife including many plants. Laws have created our Nature Reserves and many protected sites called Natural Heritage Areas and Areas of Special Scientific Interest. One of the European laws provides protection for the most important sites across all of the European member states. These are the Special Areas of Conservation.
Creepy-Crawlies and Little Creatures: Very few invertebrates are protected by Irish law but there are exceptions. These include some tiny water snails and the Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Eurodryas aurinia). This butterfly is now a rare species in Ireland that depends on one plant - devil’s-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis)- for food. It has been recorded along a number of our waterways. Because removing habitat can have great impact on bug populations, the least damage we do, the better.
Towpaths allow for very substantial grassland areas to occur along the canals and inland waterways. These are important areas for wild plants. While the majority of the species occurring here are grasses, numerous flowering plants are also at home here. Many of these would be familiar to most of us. In the spring, creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) can be in great abundance. Although common, they shouldn’t be underestimated for their importance to pollinating insects such as bumblebees. They are a source of early nectar for these vital bugs when there are few other sources yet available. Clovers (Trifolium spp.), yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and silverweed (Potentilla anserina) are other plants contributing bright colour to our towpaths.
The waterways offer hundreds of kilometres of habitat for aquatic and amphibian species. The slow flow and gentle gradient of the waterways have allowed for a diverse and rich fishery to develop over the couple of centuries since they were created. Just about all of the coarse fish (i.e. not Salmon or Trout) found in Irish lakes occur within our canals. These include voracious predators such as perch (Perca fluviatilis) and pike (Esox lucius) - the latter often growing to 10kg or more in weight.
Invasive or Alien species are plants or animals that have been introduced, usually by people, outside the areas where they would naturally occur. Alien species can sometimes become ‘invasive’ when they spread rapidly and outcompete the native flora and fauna, pushing out native species and this can lead to serious consequences for native habitats. Invasive species present one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide.Invasive species can be particularly problematic in aquatic systems. They can have a negative impact on recreational and amenity use of waterways, as well as threatening native ecosystems. Curly waterweed (Lagarosiphon major) is a species from Africa that has taken over large stretches of still-water habitats (luckily not yet found in our inland navigable waterways), displacing native waterweed and preventing other plants from developing. Parrot’s Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), a South American Plant, can also take over a waterway or lake and choke it entirely.
Over 625 primary level students across Ireland and Northern Ireland have participated in Biodiversity Week workshops through Waterways Ireland’s Education Programme . A hugely interesting event; Biodiversity Week is one of seven different Education programmes organised free of charge by Waterways Ireland both in the classroom and on the water throughout the school year.
The seven workshops involving schoolchildren from 15 schools have taken place in Naas on the Naas branch, Drumshanbo on the River Shannon, in Toomebridge on the Lower Bann, Mosstown on the Royal Canal, Ballyconnell on the Shannon-Erne Waterway, Robertstown on the Grand Canal, Killaloe on the River Shannon and Enniskillen on the Erne.
Well done to eveyrone that took part! | https://www.waterwaysireland.org/biodiversity-on-irelands-waterways |
A lobster-like crustacean (3), the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) is named for the conspicuous white, oval patch at the base of each claw where the two parts of the pincers meet (4) (5). This marking, which is usually edged with blue, is a key characteristic used to identify the signal crayfish (4).
The signal crayfish can grow up to a maximum length of about 18 centimetres (2) (3), and has rather robust, broad claws (3) (4). The upper surface of this species is usually brown to greenish-brown, while the lower surface is often a contrasting bright orange or red. The signal crayfish has a distinctly smooth ridge running along the middle of the rostrum (4).
Young signal crayfish resemble the adults (5).
There are three known subspecies of the signal crayfish: Pacifastacus leniusculus leniusculus, Pacifastacus leniusculus trowbridgii and Pacifastacus leniusculus klamathensis (2).
A highly aggressive and voracious predator (3), the signal crayfish is known to grow large enough to predate on some fish species (9), including the bullhead (Cottus gobio) and stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) in Britain (3) (10). In addition, the signal crayfish feeds on frogs and invertebrates, and has even been recorded eating individuals of its own species (3) or occasionally feeding on nematode worms (7). Although the signal crayfish tends to show a preference for consuming animals (8), this species is omnivorous, and so also eats vegetation (2) (3).
The signal crayfish is a nocturnal species (2), and is known to take shelter under rocks and boulders, within tree roots or in burrows and cavities within banks (6). In the winter, adult signal crayfish shelter in burrows and enter a state of torpor. These burrows are formed of many inter-connecting tunnels, and can be up to two metres deep (5).
The signal crayfish is an extremely successful competitor, particularly within its introduced habitats. A large and hardy species (10), the signal crayfish is more active and aggressive than other crayfish, and often has larger pincers. In addition, this species is thought to be able to tolerate relatively high temperatures, and may also be less vulnerable to winter conditions than native crayfish species (2).
The signal crayfish has a relatively high reproductive potential (2), with the female of this species laying between 200 and 400 eggs in the autumn (3) (5). The female then carries the eggs around under her tail through the winter until the spring (3) (5), when the eggs hatch (5). Once hatched, the young remain attached to the female’s tail until they are released in May or June (5). Signal crayfish reach sexual maturity at about 2 or 3 years old (5), and can live for up to 20 years (3) (5).
The signal crayfish is known to grow faster than any of the native European crayfish species (2) (4). It was this quality, in addition to its resistance to crayfish plague, which made the signal crayfish an attractive commercial species and a popular replacement for disease-ravaged native crayfish populations in Europe (4) (10). Unfortunately, the signal crayfish is a carrier of crayfish plague, and is thought to be responsible for passing the deadly disease to the white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) in the UK (3).
In the UK, the signal crayfish is known to be predated by otters (Lutra lutra), American mink (Mustela vison) and predatory fish such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and European eels (Anguilla anguilla) (5).
The signal crayfish is native to North America (2) (4) (5) (6) (7), where it occurs in the cool, temperate regions of the north-western United States and south-western Canada (2). This natural range includes the southern part of British Columbia in Canada, and parts of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah and Montana in the United States (7) (8).
However, the signal crayfish has been widely introduced outside its natural range (6). Since being introduced to Sweden and Finland in the 1960s for aquacultural purposes when native crayfish species were struck down by crayfish plague (2) (3) (6), this species has spread. Through escapes and deliberate introductions it has become established in the wild in most northern European countries (6), including Great Britain, France and Spain (3) (4). The signal crayfish was also introduced to Japan several times between 1926 and 1930 (8).
The signal crayfish occurs both in still and slow-flowing freshwater environments (2) (4) (5) (7), including rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and canals (2) (3) (4) (5). This species is also known to be able to tolerate slightly salty water (4) (5).
The signal crayfish is usually found in water along the shoreline of the various aquatic areas it inhabits, often over stony bottoms or other substrates which can provide hiding places (2).
The signal crayfish is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).
The signal crayfish is not currently considered to be a threatened species in its native range. Where it has been introduced, either deliberately or accidentally, this species is considered to be highly invasive (6).
Although the introduction of the signal crayfish to Europe bolstered the continent’s commercial crayfish industry, it unfortunately also brought with it a host of problems. The most severely damaging effect has been through the signal crayfish’s role as a vector for crayfish plague, which has now been transported across Europe, most likely through the aquaculture trade and the transport of infected fishing gear (10). The signal crayfish is itself immune to crayfish plague, but as a carrier of the disease (3) it has contributed to the dramatic decline of populations of highly susceptible native European crayfish (3) (6), including the British white-clawed crayfish (3).
The signal crayfish has also had a negative impact on the white-clawed crayfish and many other European crayfish populations as a result of its highly aggressive and competitive nature (10). The signal crayfish is capable of displacing entire populations of native crayfish, as well as many fish species, through its ability to outcompete them for food and shelter (3) (6) (8) (10). A voracious predator, the signal crayfish also preys upon local and endemic species in its adopted aquatic habitats (3) (5) (9), including the bullhead and stone loach in Britain (3) (10), negatively affecting food webs (5). Also feeding on aquatic plants, the invasive crustacean can cause severe damage to vegetation (5).
Signal crayfish burrows are known to cause significant damage to stream and canal banks, which increases flooding risks and displaces threatened riverside species such as Britain’s water vole (Arvicola amphibius). In addition, the presence of signal crayfish burrows can destabilise structures built near the edges of rivers (3) (5) (9).
In the UK, some water regions have reported a worrying increase of 43 percent in the occurrence of this species between 1997 and 2001 (5). It has become well established in England and Wales, particularly in south-eastern regions (5), and is known to be capable of spreading downstream at a rate of 1.2 kilometres per year (6). Commercial fisheries in the UK have already been affected by the signal crayfish feeding on fish eggs and competing with salmonids for shelter (5).
No specific conservation measures are currently known to be in place for the signal crayfish in its native range. However, as a highly invasive species there are steps being taken to prevent its further spread in its non-native range (3) (11).
Legislation was passed in Britain in the mid-1990s to forbid people from keeping exotic crayfish species, but this was not effective in preventing the further spread of this aggressive invasive crustacean (3). The British Government is now encouraging anglers to kill any signal crayfish they catch (3), and there are suggestions that, as an edible species, the signal crayfish should be caught to be eaten (9). The release of the signal crayfish into the wild is now illegal (5).
Control of the signal crayfish is considered to be difficult, particularly once the species has fully established itself in an area. In such instances, it is thought that trapping the animals may be the only control option, although in the UK a licence is currently required to carry this out (9).
English Nature and the Environment Agency are currently working together on a research and development programme to investigate the best methods of eradicating non-native crayfish from the UK. Part of this work has involved the production of a crayfish identification leaflet, and future work will include searching for non-native crayfish populations and keeping records of finds, so that an effective eradication programme can be designed and implemented (11).
Find out more about the signal crayfish:
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
[email protected]
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Daily life has changed beyond anything I could have imagined barely a month ago. Coronavirus has had a huge impact on all of us, from children being home-schooled through to vulnerable older people who need someone to do their shopping for them so they can stay safe at home. I’m so grateful to all those key workers who are keeping the country running, from the Police to the NHS. And that includes our brilliant colleagues across the waste and recycling sector, who are working hard to ensure that everyone’s rubbish still gets collected.
One of the new realities I’ve been particularly concerned about is seeing local charities, mostly run by volunteers, struggle to get food to those most in need. Food that will make a real difference to families who cannot afford to feed themselves, to older citizens, and for those too ill to shop. This is a problem that we simply have to solve.
But this is also an incredibly hard time for those involved in the retail, manufacture and sale of food. In the very short term, the hospitality and food service sector has been hit very hard by closures, resulting in large stocks of surplus food requiring rapid redistribution - especially fresh and chilled products.
As a result, many businesses have been in touch with WRAP to offer surplus food. Our role has been to ensure these businesses know who can distribute this surplus to people who urgently need food. This is our new reality, and how we can help reinforce the redistribution of food at this time. Our connections helped SA Brain, the brewery and hospitality company, to redistribute surplus food to more than 60 organisations across South Wales in the last few week.
And if any business finds itself with multiple pallets of surplus food and cannot find a recipient, they can email [email protected] and we will try to make those connections with redistribution organisations.
Food redistribution has been growing rapidly over recent years. Last year, we reported it had nearly doubled between 2015 and 2018, with an additional £81 million of food helping those in need. So, the networks are there, and during this pandemic they are operating as lifelines for many.
But we can all do more, and we are.
I’m proud to announce that WRAP has been working to develop the Covid-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant, in partnership with Defra, and that today we launch phase one; with phases two and three online from Thursday 9 April.
We’re allocating £3.25m to help accelerate and increase the supply of food to not-for-profit redistribution organisations in England. And potential applicants can register their interest immediately.
We’re starting with micro operations for whom a few thousand pounds will make an enormous difference and bring extra storage, better transport, equipment and so on. The idea of new fridges or a van may seem quite inconsequential, but this can make all the difference to a small group of volunteers trying to get food to the community. Within days we’ll offer a similar scheme to medium sized organisations, and will also help larger operators, who need money to unblock their own bottlenecks.
This is not new territory for WRAP. Two years ago, a similar fund helped redistribute the equivalent of six million meals to people in need; beneficiaries including His Church and FareShare Yorkshire.
The Covid-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant will build on this foundation and ensure greater access to surplus food, and prevent good food going to waste. It will increase access to food donations by helping open more logistical collections. It will help organisations with their storage, sorting, labelling and repackaging of food and, most importantly, it will ease the onward distribution to end beneficiaries. In short, it will more food reaches more people in need – fast.
Today, we are asking all food producers and retailers to carry out some important actions to increase the amount of food that is available for redistribution.
We want them all to review their current approach to food surplus and consult with our new guidelines, produced in association with Defra and the Food Standards Agency. These are being finalised at the moment, and fast tracked for publication. They will help to identify ANY surpluses that are not already going for redistribution, and help remove any unnecessary constraints within their businesses, or on their suppliers.
In short, all suitable food that is surplus should be made available for redistribution, including branded products as well as fresh, ambient, chilled and frozen foods. Companies should temporarily relax any internal guidelines that have previously prevented them donating food which is past the ‘Best before’ date – and redistribution operators should now accept this food.
It’s far, far better that surplus food be redistributed for human consumption than used in animal feed or sent to anaerobic digestion or some other waste route. But it’s important to remember that only food that is safe to eat, and of good quality should be redistributed – but there is plenty of that out there.
We live in uncertain times, but I’m proud that WRAP has been able to make a real difference to the redistribution of surplus food to those in need. | https://www.wrap.org.uk/blog/2020/04/banking-food-sector-help-those-need |
Cutting food waste while improving food security and environment in Ukraine
An average Ukrainian generates 250-300 kilograms of waste per year; and this number is expected to rise. At that, up to 60 percent of solid municipal waste is composed of organic waste, including food waste. The current methods of waste management in Ukraine – mere collection of mixed waste and landfill disposal - have a detrimental impact on the environment. Therefore, the issue requires immediate attention.
In 2014–2017, Ukraine adopted the National Waste Management Strategy until 2030 as part of its commitment under the Association Agreement with the EU. The Strategy envisages a gradual transition from landfill waste disposal to a comprehensive waste management system, including sorting and segregation of waste for further recycling, processing and burial in the EU-compliant sanitary landfills.
With most waste accumulating in densely populated urban areas, cities must be at the forefront of tackling the problem. However, the challenges that municipalities are facing due to lack of technical and financial capacity and low policy priority hamper the efforts.
FAO initiates action in two major cities of Ukraine
In 2019, FAO started a pilot project in two cities of Ukraine – Kyiv and Lviv – aimed to assist the Ukrainian Government in reducing municipal food waste management in line with the National Waste Management Strategy and relevant policies.
In doing so, FAO partnered with the All-Ukrainian Environmental League to study the municipal solid waste management practiced in the two cities. In addition, food losses and waste at retail, HoReCa and consumer levels were assessed, as these contribute significantly to the municipal waste generation. It was estimated that food waste makes from 20 to 55 per cent of all solid municipal waste. The findings were used to feed recommendations for the government of Ukraine, local authorities, and non-governmental organizations to advance the municipal solid waste management system.
While the sector requires structural reforms, FAO and the All-Ukrainian Environmental League focused on the reduction of food waste in households and food businesses and the improvement of food security situation of vulnerable groups in Kyiv and Lviv through an educational program and food recovery and redistribution activities. The latter include a so-called "Feed Your Neighbour" initiative, which through a network of volunteers recovers food surpluses from local food companies and redistributes it to food-insecure groups and individuals. The All-Ukrainian Environmental League established partnerships with a number of food producers, retailers and food service companies to support a care centre for elderly people in Kyiv and a homeless shelter in Lviv, as both institutions rely on donations to meet immediate needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged.
To facilitate and expand the reach of this initiative, the All-Ukrainian Environmental League is working to develop an online platform for registration of surplus food available for collection from businesses. Thus, the platform would connect the potential food donors - farmers, retailers, and businesses in the HoReCa sector – with food banks, civil society organizations, and municipal social care institutions to claim donations for redistribution to their food-insecure beneficiaries.
In addition, the All-Ukrainian Environmental League is working on the adaptation of educational materials that will be used in primary and secondary schools of Kyiv and Lviv to educate children on food waste reduction. The package of educational guides “Do Good: Save Food!” was developed by FAO in close cooperation with International Food Waste Coalition to shape and promote a more sustainable consumption among children. For, educating young people – the future consumers - would bring about the behaviour change required to stem food waste problem.
The guides seek to promote awareness of the economic, social and environmental consequences of wasting food, advantages of preventing food waste, actions that children can take to reduce food waste and good habits that they can develop and introduce to their friends, families and communities to reduce food waste.
The package comprises four teaching manuals targeted to children of different age groups and includes games, quizzes and other interactive activities to help improve knowledge and understanding of children, but also empower them to start acting differently now.
About the project
This project is implemented under FAO’s regional SAVE FOOD Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction with the support of the Multidisciplinary Fund.
The SAVE FOOD Initiative of FAO aims to guide and facilitate collaboration between the private sector, governments, research, and civil society to improve the general impact of interventions through joint planning and implementation and efficient use of resources. SAVE FOOD takes a multi-disciplinary holistic, integrated approach, to ensure that food loss and waste reduction is technically, economically, environmentally and socially acceptable, feasible and cost-effective.
FAO’s Multidisciplinary Fund (MDF), being part of the Programme Work and Budget in 2018-19, were funding initiatives to strengthen collaboration across disciplines and organizational boundaries and to encourage formulation of creative measures that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of delivering Regional Initiatives and the work of FAO Strategic Programs at country level. | https://www.fao.org/europe/news/detail-news/en/c/1379528/ |
The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on food systems has exposed the fragility of food security and nutrition in cities in Pakistan, and other countries around the world. Rafia Haider, a member of the Pakistan Administrative Service, makes the case for governments, NGOs, and other food systems stakeholders to coordinate efforts to ensure vulnerable people can access nutritious food in times of crisis.
Food and Nutrition security is a challenge for Pakistan, with 36.9% of the population being food insecure and 20.5% being undernourished (National Nutrition Survey, 2018). Provincial governments have worked hard to improve this dire situation by, for example, working on projects to prevent stunting and wasting among children with dedicated Integrated, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Healthcare and Nutrition Programmes, providing nutritional supplements and medical care.
However, the global COVID-19 pandemic has had an additional huge impact on household income especially in urban centres of Pakistan. Intermittent lockdowns, closure of various industries, and the implementation of other restrictions from time to time has disrupted the income of many households who rely on daily wages. This inconsistent income pattern has had a direct impact on the nutritional security of the region.
Government actions to alleviate COVID-19 impacts
During and after the countrywide lockdown in April 2020, the government took steps to address the situation, based on the issues facing those who struggled to access and secure nutritional food for their families. Some key interventions were:
- The district administrations played a crucial role in providing administrative oversight for all policies developed at the national or provincial level. During this time all government tiers, from national to city, worked together to deliver the newly developed polices to provide nutrition to many vulnerable groups.
- Uninterrupted food supply from farms to major urban and rural food markets was supported throughout the country during the lockdown, with the help of district administrations and provincial Agriculture and Food departments. Comprehensive planning was done for this by city districts, provincial departments of Food, Agriculture and Industry as well as the National Food Security Division. This included the direct liaison of Agriculture and Food departments with suppliers and wholesalers, to ensure sufficient supplies from farms got to the markets. This was overseen by the National Food Security Division who ensured a regular supply between provinces. In addition, the city district administrations developed farmers markets in major cities to provide direct market access to low-income farmers to increase their incomes, without involving a middleman.
- Aiming to alleviate poverty brought on by COVID-19, the government launched its flagship initiative Ehsaas Programme, which provided necessary cash support to vulnerable populations and supplemented household incomes. This was delivered through district administrations and provided eligible families with disposable income and enabled them to provide nutritious food for their family.
An active NGO sector
The government on its own cannot support and sustain long term poverty alleviation and food & nutrition security efforts without support. Pakistan, however, has a vibrant NGO sector which receives sizeable public donations that tend to peak during the holy month of Ramzan. These NGOs work to provide food/meals through their own setups or in high footfall places such as hospitals, prisons, bus stands, or even the new Panahgahs (shelters for travellers) established by the government. However, there is no central coordination of these NGOs, who tend to work independently and in isolation from each other – which often means that multiple organisations are working in the same area or with the same target group.
Other NGOs focus primarily on limiting and preventing food waste, and take unused or spare food from major food chains and markets to distribute to vulnerable populations.
The case for coordination
To ensure that nutritious food reaches, and is accessible to, the most vulnerable communities, a joint approach between government and NGOs working in the same field and area will make sure resources are used most effectively, where and when they are needed.
For this to work, a formal link can be established between the city policy makers with markets and NGOs to plan and execute projects aimed at provision of food to vulnerable populations. District administration can:
- Set up district level groups with representation from government departments (including health and agriculture departments), market vendors, food chains and stores, NGOs working in the field of food provision and waste management, and regulatory bodies such as the food authorities would be able to work together to focus and direct the effort to where it is needed headed by the district administration.
- Use this group to plan and execute initiatives and target the work of the NGOs to minimise overlap in the field or with vulnerable groups.
- The district administrations can get additional support by engaging the district food authorities and developing special courses and training sessions. These courses may focus on quality assurance, storage and transportation management, as well as hygiene.
Working together the group can divert precious food resource, in the form of potential waste from big food chains, to vulnerable populations, and provide nutritious food to vulnerable groups.
Small scale initiatives of this kind with district administrations working with a few NGOs are present in different cities. However, a comprehensive planning needs to be in place by city governments and administrations to channelize interventions by the public and non-governmental sectors for the benefit of all, while ensuring food safety, nutritional security and dignity for the vulnerable populations.
About the author
Rafia Haider is a member of the Pakistan Administrative Service and has 8+ years experience in public health, administration, food safety regulations and municipal functions. | https://foodactioncities.org/highlights/participatory-approach-resilient-urban-food-markets-pakistan-during-covid-19/ |
The Food Bank of Lincoln was founded in 1982 with the help of a number of concerned local citizens to help gather and distribute food to hungry people in southeast Nebraska. The Food Bank gathers, stores and redistributes surplus food, which comes from wholesalers, retailers, corporations, restaurants, civic, church and school groups, and individuals throughout our area. These donations are distributed to over 180 non-profit programs in sixteen Southeastern Nebraska counties. In 2008, the Food Bank distributed over 4.2 million pounds of food. | https://portal.goldenvolunteer.com/organizations/food-bank-of-lincoln-lincoln-ne |
As part of our commitment to our donors, we have created this page to clearly outline our activities, community impact and outcomes. We also have included our financials to ensure we are transparent with donor dollars.
The Ottawa Food Bank was formed in 1984 when several small community food banks decided to work together and pool resources to help the most vulnerable in our community. Our organization has grown significantly since that time and now functions as the City’s only central food collection, warehouse, and distribution centre, providing 12 - 14 tons of food daily to a large network of front-line member agencies.
What we do
The Ottawa Food Bank provides food to those in need throughout the city. The Ottawa Food Bank’s role in the community is to collect, purchase, grow, and distribute food to partner agencies who, in turn, provide food and support to clients each month.
A client can visit a food bank once a month and we provide between three- and five-days’ worth of food. We also provide baby items, such as diapers, formula and baby food to new parents.
Every dollar goes further
In addition to securing millions of dollars worth of donated food, we also purchase about $1.7 million of food every year to meet the need.
Because we buy food in such large quantities and have amazing food industry partners, we can make every donation go further. This means every dollar donated is $5 worth of food delivered to the community.
Hunger count over last three years
|Number of clients||Year||Difference over previous year||Percentage difference over previous year|
|38,397||2017||N/A||N/A|
|37,542||2018||-873||-2%|
|39,078||2019||1,554||4%|
Methodology: The Hunger Count survey is sent out to food banks in February of each year by the provincial association, Feed Ontario. The data collected is generally demographic information, such as age, sex, household make up. It also includes some optional psychographic questions such as source of income, education, and housing type.
The Hunger Count tracks data in March, every year, so that we can identify trends and issues in food banking in Ottawa. March is chosen as it is an unexceptional month, without predictable high or low use.
Data is collected from our agencies using a database called Link2Feed. Data collected through Link2Feed is non-identifiable and the Ottawa Food Bank is not privy to clients’ individual private information.
Food outputs over last three years (reflected in pounds)
|2015-2016||2016-2017||2017-2018||2018-2019|
|5,905,450||5,075,075||5,494,175|
(including the two main shelters)
Distribution Numbers by Category (lbs.)
The Ottawa Food Bank has a commitment to fresh and nutritious food. Here is the following food distribution by pounds:
Total = 5,434,675 lbs.
Volunteer Support
Volunteer Hours
Total Volunteer Hours = 14,705
Volunteer Information:
During the pandemic, we had to eliminate some volunteer roles and reduce volunteer opportunities by over 50%. Even though there was a significant decrease in opportunities, there was only a 14% decrease in the number of volunteer hours donated to the Ottawa Food Bank! This truly illustrates the dedication of our volunteers – fewer people gave more of their time to meet the needs of the community.
- 1,842 volunteers donated a total of 14,705 hours of
their time between October 1, 2019, and
September 30, 2020.
- Due to proximity concerns, we had to temporarily
suspend both truck assistant and reception volunteer
opportunities.
- During the pandemic, volunteer opportunities for
Ottawa Food Bank volunteers were created at a
number of community food bank programs across the
city to assist with client services.
Click below to learn more about becoming a volunteer.
Financial Information
Fund contribution sources for 2019-2020 (chart). Click here to review our complete Audited Financial Statements.
Revenue
Total Revenue = $30,332,551
Expenses
Total Expenses = $20,779,283
It is expected Canada will see ongoing job loss and a slow return to work for many of those employed by the gig economy. The uncertainty of the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the Organization in two equally important ways: the number of clients may increase over several years, and community support may begin to lessen as normalcy returns to the community.
The Organization’s ability to continue to operate and meet its local food demand is dependent on its ability to collect donations and raise funds. During the 2019-2020 fiscal, the Organization successfully raised and spent close to $3 million to meet the increased emergency service due to the pandemic. These additional expenses included Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), increased cleaning supplies, an increased number of boxes, additional staff, more fresh food, and home delivery expenses.
The Organization received Covid specific and one-time funding, such as substantial support from the provincial government in the form of emergency hampers. These hampers significantly reduced the Organization’s food budget. It also received substantial one-time funding support from Food Banks Canada and the federal government. Neither of these supports are expected to continue in the next fiscal or beyond the pandemic.
The Organization will need to maintain increased support to the member agencies for many months to come, even after the pandemic ends. The Organization raised an additional $9.5 million to address the uncertain long-term costs of COVID-19. While the increased surplus funds are significant, these funds have been earmarked to address the increase in clients at member agencies and corresponding expenses, as well as a possible reduction in community support in the next 12-24 months.
Click below to view our Audited financial statements.
2017-2018 Activities and Impacts
KickStart After 4
No school supply is as critical as a healthy snack or meal. The KickStart After 4 Program provides and delivers thousands of healthy nutritious snacks per month to children at after-school programs in Ottawa. KickStart ensures that children from food insecure families receive healthy snacks that provide the energy to thrive in physical and mental activities every day.
Just a little bit of good food can do so much. Over the last two years, the Ottawa Food Bank has worked with our dietician to identify snack items that could have the biggest nutritional impact for children. We made a significant investment in the quality of food we provide through this important program.
Outputs
Number of Participating Agencies:
Outcomes
Children have access to a healthy snack each school day. Our snacks provide a serving from each food group. This important end of day snack ensures children have nutrient-dense food to help them with homework and being active. Many of the after-school programs also provide a homework club or cooking class.
The Summer Lunch Program
The Summer Lunch Program is one of our most important programs for children. When school is done in June, so are the school meal programs. Many of the children who receive a meal through a school breakfast or lunch program are left with no resources over the summer. Without this program, many children would be going without regular meals.
Outputs
Number of Participating Agencies:
Outcomes
Children in low-income communities have access to a nutritious meal every day during the 7-week program. This alleviates the burden on families, already struggling to make ends meet.
Baby Basics Program
“Nutrition and access to healthy food from a young age play a crucial role in a child’s physical, intellectual and emotional development. For kids to reach their full potential, we need all families in our region to have access to healthy food, nutrition information and support to provide a balanced diet for their children.” – Dr. Lindy Samson, Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Officer at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
With 5% of food bank clients being babies under the age of two, our Baby Basics Program is important to struggling parents across the city. Baby supplies continue to be some of the most expensive products to purchase and least donated item.
Outputs
(includes formula, food, and cereals)
Outcomes
This program ensures the nutritional needs of at-risk infants are met. This also reduces stress on families, as parents often will sacrifice eating for themselves to make sure their children can eat. Providing baby essentials removes the difficult decisions for parents, like choosing between food and paying the heating bills.
Community Harvest Farm
In 2010 the Ottawa Food Bank started an 8-acre community farm program, Community Harvest. The land is donated to us by a local family and hundreds of volunteers help plant and harvest the crop each year.
We grow 16 different varieties of fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and watermelons. Most of our produce goes from farm to table in less than five days.
Outputs
to the community from our farm
Outcomes
Free vegetables and fruits available to families for who could not otherwise afford fresh produce. Ensure families receive important vitamins and nutrients.
Food Recovery
In July 2017, the Ottawa Food Bank hired a coordinator dedicated to recovering food from local grocery stores, farms, and manufacturers. We have seen tremendous results, and since this position started our recovered food has increased dramatically. But more importantly, the quality of the food has improved. We worked with our grocery store partners to identify the most needed items and reduced recovery of items not necessary for a balanced diet.
The Ottawa Food Bank has continued to expand our protein recovery program, One More Bite. This past fiscal year saw an impressive increase in meat products donated as a result. Meat is frozen at the store, several days before its best before date. Our refrigerated trucks transport the products safely back to our warehouse where it is relabeled, and then from there we distribute it all to the community. Thank you to our grocery store partners for supporting this initiative.
Outputs
from grocery store partners
(totaling $5,463,250)
of that,
(totaling $2,808,585)
Outcomes
High quality meat, produce, and dairy are distributed to the community. This high-quality food ensures families have access to free, nutrient dense food. This also means hundreds of thousands of pounds of food were diverted from waste. | https://www.ottawafoodbank.ca/hunger-in-ottawa/charity-intelligence/ |
COVID-19 has pushed many Marylanders into food insecurity for the first time in their lives. Hear from Jennifer, a travel agent who lost her income due to the pandemic, as she visits a drive-thru pantry at the Community Crisis Center in Reisterstown.
Feeding Children
Since kids have lost access to free meals due to school closures, we’re distributing “Grab & Go” meals prepared in our Charles T. Bauer Community Kitchen to students at select sites that typically host Maryland Food Bank Summer Clubs.
Building Back Up Boxes
We’ve set up an off-site location to build Back Up Boxes, 30-pound packages of shelf-stable, nutritious foods than can be easily packed, transported, and distributed wherever the need is in our state.
Strengthening Communities
The South Baltimore Gateway Partnership joined forces with the Maryland Food Bank to distribute food to those in need during the pandemic. Watch as organizations involved in the partnership share how they are managing COVID and distributing food to the communities they serve.
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Response Statistics
This pandemic is a crisis unlike any other. The good news is that the Maryland Food Bank is built for this; our employees, volunteers, and community of Network Partners are on the front lines every day, ensuring our neighbors have food during this challenging time.
June 2020 Summary
The Maryland Food Bank supports 350 Network Partners statewide that collectively provide more than 1,200 distribution points with much-needed food for their local communities. With 77% of current Network Partners operating across the state, we’ve also added temporary partnerships to help fill the gaps where more assistance is needed.
6M
Pounds of Food
was distributed in June 2020, an 124% increase over June 2019
Nearly
$3.05M
was spent on food in June 2020, compared to $428,000 in June 2019 - a 613% increase
Surge in Need
The need for food assistance continues to grow, as Marylanders desperately seek support from food distribution sites across the state as well as government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
229
Temporary Partnerships
were activated since March 2020 to respond to the increased demand
1,771
Food Orders
were placed across our Partner Network in June 2020, a 45% increase over June 2019
208
SNAP Applications
were processed by our SNAP Outreach team in June 2020, a 110% increase over June 2019
Maryland Food Bank Impact
Maryland Food Bank continues to focus on providing food to everyone we can through a variety of efforts.
46,355
Back Up Boxes
were distributed in June 2020 across central Maryland
66,500
Grab & Go Meals
were delivered (13K+ a week) to kids at 20 sites in June 2020
287
Pantry on the Go
events were hosted in June 2020, compared to 140 POTG events in June 2019, a 105% increase
Feeding America Estimates
According to Feeding America estimates, which looked at the impact that increases in unemployment and poverty due to COVID19 will have on food insecurity…
An Additional
17M+
people nationwide will be food insecure in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, for a total of 54.3M people
18M
Children
of the estimated 54.3M people will be food insecure
980,000
Marylanders
may find themselves food insecure as a result of this crisis, 339,000 of which are children.*
38%
Of People
served by the Feeding America Network since March are new to receiving charitable food support
* Maryland Food Bank believes these numbers will actually be higher due to the fact that Feeding America only accounts for those who are living below the Federal Poverty Line, and does not recognize Marylanders living just above that line yet still struggle to afford the very basic necessities of life, as reflected in our Maryland Hunger Map.
“We are using every solution we can think of to keep the flow of food going into communities that need it most.”
“We are using every solution we can think of to keep the flow of food going into communities that need it most.”
What You Can Do
Our primary concern is making sure we have enough nutritious food to meet the growing need – both today, and for the foreseeable future. You can help ensure the safety net is there for those who may be facing food insecurity for the first time.
Donate
Help us meet the increasing need for food throughout this crisis
Volunteer
We need 13- to 60-year-olds to help sort food and perform various tasks
Latest News
Nutrition Matters: August Update from the Educational Garden
In the latest installment of “Nutrition Matters,” MFB’s director of nutrition Kate Long takes readers on a tour of the Partner Garden – a special area in our larger Education Garden that is devoted to teaching our Network Partners how gardening can help strengthen their communities.
Why SNAP is Critical During Times of Crisis
SNAP is an invaluable tool in the fight against hunger. Learn how a dedicated team of three MFB employees are helping some of Maryland’s most vulnerable populations access critical SNAP benefits.
Gleaning Wisdom: It’s Farm to Food Bank Season!
In her most recent blog post, MFB’s Farm to Food Bank Coordinator Amy Cawley shares the latest updates on how cool weather, rain, and COVID-19 is affecting the work of the Maryland farms and farmers that make up the Farm to Food Bank Program. | https://mdfoodbank.org/maryland-food-banks-covid-19-response/ |
Neighbourly, the social network for social good, has published the results of a survey of charities and volunteer organisations across the UK which regularly distribute surplus food to those in need.
The survey is published to coincide with the start of a review of the ‘Guidance on the application of date labels to food’ which commences today at a cross industry workshop hosted by the Food Standards Agency and Neighbourly with representatives from the Food Foundation, WRAP, food charities and major UK food retailers.
Conducted in June 2016, the survey gathers the views of 218 charities and volunteer organisations involved in distributing surplus food to those in need. Collectively, these organizations help to feed over 30,000 people every week, equivalent to 1.56 million meals per year. The survey provides a telling snapshot of the sector’s needs, but also highlights the lack of comprehensive national data covering the UK’s surplus food redistribution sector and its capacity to meet current demand.
Organisations responding included staff & volunteer led charities, housing associations, foodbanks and other community led groups. The results reveal the striking challenges that confront these charities and provide an insight into the problems of tackling food poverty in the UK today.
The primary uses of food surplus were for emergency food provision (54.6%) or regular hot meal provision (33.5%), illustrating the dependency of large numbers of people on the capabilities and infrastructure supporting food charities, and on donations and support from the commercial sector. Organisations cited peaks in demand arise from benefit delay (71.7%), unexpected financial crisis (70.7%) and cold weather (49.0%). School and Christmas/New Year holidays were also major factors.
Despite being relied upon by 30,000 people every week, the survey revealed many of these organisations lack essential capabilities needed to deliver meals consistently and in times of peak need: 47.8% of organisations need more storage space; 40.7% need transport to collect donations; 36.8% lack refrigeration capabilities; 33.0% need better funding; while 28.7% need a more regular supply of contributions. Notably, lack of volunteers and retention of staff were markedly less of an issue.
In line with increasing awareness of the need to provide healthy balanced diets, the willingness to accept fresh food donations was high at 94.9%. However, probably because of the capacity issues highlighted above, while bread (98.1%) and vegetables (96.2%) were almost universally accepted, the numbers accepting dairy (68.1%), food ‘on the go’ such as sandwiches (63.3%) and meat (59.5%) were much reduced. This may point to the lack of capabilities identified earlier (refrigeration, transport), or simply the greater concerns around the safe handling of these fresh foods. The Neighbourly Food service allows charities to request not only food donations but also related help, such as volunteer drivers to deliver food.
The review which started this week will explore whether any improvements in food safety labelling and guidance, or better education around it, might increase the volume of surplus fresh food donated and used by the voluntary sector.
Steve Haines, leader of the Neighbourly Food programme, comments: “This survey gives an accurate snapshot of the heroic efforts of groups across the UK in getting surplus food to those who need it most. Food surplus redistribution is a win-win for society. But we need to address the huge gaps in both capability and capacity. We need to help these charities and community projects get whatever is needed – whether that means funds, volunteer drivers to deliver food, consistent food donation supply, or the right tools and infrastructure – in order to better serve those in need.”
Neighbourly connects charities which need help to businesses that want to make a difference. Since launch in December 2015, Neighbourly Food, the Neighbourly platform’s food redistribution service, has worked with charities and retailers across the UK to help share 231 tonnes of surplus food to help people across the country. The Neighbourly Food service is free to charities and causes.
Read the whole article here
Related Articles
Freshfel Europe is pleased to announce the election of Mr. Stephan Weist as President and Mr. Salvo Laudani as Vice-President to the Freshfel Board
AREFLH presented the 4th edition of its Regio'Com guide as part of a conference organised at Macfrut with the support of the Emilia-Romagna region.
The fresh tomato sector will meet for the second time on June 14./15. at the European Tomato Forum in Düsseldorf. Do not miss this Networking- and Information platform. | http://www.froutonea.com/en/reports/UK-food-charities-fresh-produce |
We organize volunteer trips to local farms to harvest high-quality fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. We distribute the nutritious produce to agencies serving families facing food insecurity.
Together, we can build a sustainable supply chain of healthy produce from local farms to people in need.
Gleaning is the act of collecting surplus crops from farmers' fields. In ancient times, landowners invited peasants onto their fields after the main harvest to take what was left over. Gleaning was a method of improving food security for the poor.
Today, Boston Area Gleaners practices the same method. Since 2004, we have organized groups of volunteers to harvest surplus crops from local farms. We distribute the high-quality, nutritious fruits and vegetables to food banks, pantries, and meal programs.
Why do crops go to waste?
Farming is unpredictable, so farmers plant extra to ensure they will have enough produce to sell throughout the year. When crops flourish, farmers might not be able to sell all of the food.
Up to 20% of the food grown on farms is never harvested. Many farmers would donate this surplus, but cannot afford the labor to harvest and distribute it.
Volunteer: Check out our volunteer page for opportunities to help out.
Contribute: Support our work by making a donation.
Reach out to us: Looking for other ways to help? Email us.
CAN COMMUNITY OR CORPORATE GROUPS VOLUNTEER?
Yes! Please visit our service workday page to learn more about scheduling a service workday for your group.
HOW MUCH FOOD DOES BOSTON AREA GLEANERS GLEAN EACH YEAR?
In 2017, we gleaned over 635,000 pounds of 60 crop types from 50 farms in eastern Massachusetts. We distributed these nutritious fruits and vegetables to our partner hunger relief agencies that serve our food-insecure neighbors.
Since we began 2004, we have gleaned over 1.8 million pounds of fresh, local produce for the benefit of people in need. By 2019, we hope to capture 1 million pounds of crops every single year.
Who are Boston Area Gleaners' partners?
We currently partner with over 70 farms in eastern Mass, and the list is growing. If you are a farmer who wants to donate produce, click here to learn more.
With the help of our partner agencies, gleaned produce is distributed to 500+ hunger relief organizations in eastern Mass. If you work for a hunger relief agency that would like to receive produce, please click here.
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We expect that the board and staff of our organization will consist of people who are committed to addressing food insecurity. Given the diversity of people impacted by food insecurity, we aspire and make every reasonable effort to develop a board, staff, and volunteer base that reflects that diversity. We believe that such diversity will strengthen our organization, enhance our decision making and accountability to the mission, and build and broaden the community of volunteers and funders, whose participation is so essential to our shared success. | https://www.bostonareagleaners.org/about-us.html |
The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired communities across the city to develop and implement solutions to urgent problems confronting Seattle’s neighbors. One of the most urgent problems is food insecurity. In 2019, Feeding America estimated that over 250,000 people in King County didn’t have enough food to lead healthy lives. Since then, the pandemic has made the problem even worse.
One promising approach to addressing hunger in the community is through food rescue—taking good, nutritious, surplus food and getting it to those experiencing food insecurity. Plus, food rescue has the added benefit of protecting the environment by keeping uneaten food out of landfills, where it creates greenhouse gasses like methane that contribute to climate change.
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has announced the award of $50,000 to two organizations dedicated to addressing food insecurity through food rescue innovation. The funds, part of SPU’s Seattle Water and Waste Innovation funding program, will support the awardees’ efforts to innovatively reduce consumable in a meaningful way.
City Fruit, a nonprofit that harvests fruit from public and private urban fruit trees for food banks and meal programs, was awarded $25,000. They will use the funds to support their annual harvest and scale up their operations to increase the amount of fruit they collect and distribute to the community.
For All, a nonprofit that recovers surplus food from grocery stores and distributes it through programs like Meals for Kids and the Free Burrito Project, was also awarded $25,000. For All will use the funds to scale up and stabilize their operations through added volunteer and staff support, as well as review its grocery rescue process to identify barriers to waste reduction.
Both awardees fill unique gaps in Seattle’s food rescue system in Seattle, and SPU looks forward to working closely with them to help guide the future of food rescue in Seattle. | https://tdpelmedia.com/seattle-public-utilities-awards-50000-to-support-food-rescue-innovation |
Facilitate food sharing: Redistributing unopened food served through the school meals program to those in need can minimize food waste. While both the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and the National School Lunch Act allow and encourage schools to donate surplus food to local organizations or families, school faculty and staff must pay careful attention to local health code regulations. Contact local health officials to understand any existing regulations at the district, county or state levels.
- Make a strong plan. Food donation programs often rely on a strong community partner willing to collect and distribute unopened food. To ensure that trash does not contaminate donations and that food is held at the correct temperature for safety, school personnel should clearly instruct students on how to sort food waste and designate a monitor for food collection.
- Make it work for breakfast. Even for schools with successful food share tables or donation bins in the cafeteria, different strategies are helpful for breakfast after the bell programs with service in instructional spaces. Though cafeterias generally collect all donations in one place, classrooms typically benefit from several collection points. Furthermore, whereas sorting is a student responsibility in most cafeterias, teachers are often responsible for correctly sorting items in classroom-based service. Finally, to facilitate the quick transport of food from the classroom to refrigerators, schools should establish and communicate clear staff roles and procedures that take into account the building layout, kitchen equipment and custodial contracts.
Schools significantly impact resource use in their communities. A breakfast after the bell program is a great opportunity to show students that their future and the future of the environment matters. | https://www.aft.org/breakfast-blueprint?page=16 |
This week the UAE Food Bank started to distribute meals and refreshments to Dubai workers, as the non-profit organisation set out to support those in need as part of the ‘Summer of Giving’ campaign. The food bank is a charitable initiative which collaborates with hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, farms and food manufacturing companies to collect surplus food and take it to those who need it, in the UAE and beyond.
The ‘Summer of Giving’ campaign was launched by the UAE Food Bank to provide support for labourers in Dubai, as a team of volunteers were filmed on Sunday handing meals to those from accommodations in Al Muhaisnah 2. Meals and cold drinks will also be distributed to the RTA’s housing in Al Warsan, as the team continue to help appreciative workers across the UAE.
Here the Dubai Municipality shared footage of the UAE Food Bank in action (see below):
What is the UAE Food Bank?
Still a new concept, the UAE Food Bank was introduced in 2017. The organisation seeks to eliminate food waste in the UAE, and help the less fortunate –by working with local and international charities. The UAE Food Bank further wants to spread the principle of charity and values of social responsibility, as we fully support the good purpose behind the organisation #UAEFoodBank.
- Tags: | https://www.expatwoman.com/ewfood/uae-dining/uae-food-bank-hands-out-thousands-meals-dubai-labourers |
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercy and Memorial Hospitals partnered with Sonder and CityServe have committed to distribute 11,000 meals over 10 days to the most vulnerable populations in the area.
Dignity Health Bakersfield in April announced its partnership with Operation BBQ relief and Sonder Resarant to provide 35,000 meals over a two week period to the homeless and those experiencing food insecurity in Kern County.
Starting May 20, Bakersfield Homeless Center, St. Vincent de Paul, The Mission of Kern County and various churches in underserved and rural areas will receive over 1,000 meals a day for distribution through May 31.
“CityServe feels extremely blessed to be part of this outreach into our community,” says Robin Robinson who is responsible for community development and church engagement for CityServe in Kern County. “To be part of feeding Kern County and to be able to see food go into areas where food insecurity is so large during this time of pandemic. This project is a blessing to our community.”
“Health comes first beyond the walls of the hospital as our outreach programs fundamentally alter the healthcare dynamics for high-risk, underserved populations by providing basic needs services, including food, directly to residents in need in our community,” adds Regional Director for the hospitals’ Special Needs and Community Outreach Department Donna Winkley. “We are committed to building healthier communities. By partnering with CityServe and collaborating with The Mission at Kern County, Bakersfield Homeless Center and St. Vincent de Paul, we will be able to supply nutritious food, which is a high priority.”
This partnership is made possible through a $75,000 donation from Dignity Health. | https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/partnership-continues-between-dignity-health-bakersfield-sonder-restaurant-cityserve-to-feed-kern-countys-underserved |
Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain is supporting a national proposal to address the critical economic saturation of American dairy, pork and poultry products, while simultaneously providing much-needed nutritional assistance to Americans facing hunger due to job loss and other economic hardships.
“Every day Louisiana producers go out of business,” Strain said. “The current national oversupply is causing dairy, pork and poultry producers to build up unprecedented debt,” Strain said.
“The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has offered a solution to assist our producers and help people who are being affected by the economic downturn.”
Strain, who attended the NASDA conference in mid-September, said the NASDA plan would take a portion from the extra inventories of these food industries to reduce supply and use it to provide nutritious, protein-rich food to those unable to afford them.
Strain said as of July 2009, nearly 36 million Americans participate in the nation’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — an increase of more than 21 percent over a year ago. As of August 2009, more than 740,000 Louisiana residents participate in the SNAP program, according to the state Department of Social Services.
“Removing the surplus from the market and putting it into food assistance programs would quickly stabilize prices for these foods and allow producers to break-even or better on their farms,” Strain said. “The aid will be distributed through food assistance programs, which could include food banks, school lunch programs, SNAP and foreign military food assistance in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq.”
NASDA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association that represents the commissioners, secretaries and directors of the state departments of agriculture in all fifty states and four U.S. territories. As regulators of significant aspects of our nation’s agriculture industry, NASDA members are actively involved in ensuring the safety of an abundant food supply, protection of animal and plant health, stewardship of our environment and promoting the vitality of our rural communities. | https://www.farmprogress.com/strain-help-farmers-feed-hungry |
Government of India is implementing some of the world's largest food security and nutrition programs under the National Food Security Act 2013. They include Public Distribution System, Integrated Child Development Services scheme, Mid-Day Meal Scheme and other state-level programs to fight hunger and malnutrition. IFBN can collaborate to strengthen these schemes through technology-based efficient and transparent supply chain management solutions. IFBN can also ensure last mile delivery to the unreached through its network of partner organisations and stakeholders to fight hunger and malnutrition in the country.
Also food losses and food waste in the supply chain including surplus on the shelves and warehouses of Governments and food industry results in wastage of critical national resources and also adversely affects the environment. IFBN can withdraw these surplus grains and packaged food timely and distribute them efficiently to those in need through its network of food banks and non-profit organizations. | https://www.indiafoodbanking.org/get-involved/contributors/government |
Clallam County Prepared Food Rescue
Clallam County’s Food Rescue program is organized by partnering agencies and community meal programs to safely collect surplus edible food and puts it onto the plates of those in need and preventing good food from going into the landfill. We work closely with your business and our partnering agencies to get donated food transported safely and efficiently.
Why Donate and Rescue Food?
- Save on disposal costs & protect our environment
- The most expensive way to manage surplus food is throwing it away.
- Land-filling food waste has huge environmental impacts including the generation of greenhouse gases that contribute to our global climate change.
- Provide fresh, nutritious foods for local residents
- 1 in 6 Clallam County residents do not have a secure, consistent source of food.
- Food donations may be tax deductible
Donate with Confidence
State and federal Good Samaritan laws protect you or your business from liability when you donate food that you believe is safe and edible. | https://extension.wsu.edu/clallam/waste-reduction-program/prepared-food-recovery/ |
The California Community Foundation (CCF), in partnership with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), is issuing this request for proposals (RFP) for nonprofit organizations that are advancing community-centered strategies that grow the supply of housing in a sustainable and equitable way.
View the webinar to review this RFP held on Monday, February 1, 2021 at 10:00am PST.
- Background & Problem Statement
California faces a tremendous challenge in meeting our collective housing needs. Throughout the state, we have failed to create enough housing to meet our growing demand, which in turn has led to price increases that everyone feels. When we do create housing, it is too often targeted to higher-income households, leaving the bulk of our workforce competing for an aging housing stock. This production imbalance most likely leads to unnecessary real estate speculation and displacement in communities of color. In addition, the development of housing at all income levels – higher-end and affordable – often faces opposition from fear that new development will negatively impact neighborhoods. Anti-growth stakeholders tend to exercise political power disproportionate to their actual numbers. Addressing these systemic issues not only requires bold action in Sacramento that reforms our complex land-use system, but it also underscores the need for local voices that are not always plugged into the decision-making process to champion responsive or new ways to grow our housing supply.
The California Community Foundation (CCF) is partnering with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and other foundations to fund the development of community-based policies and plans through a “Call for Collaboration” that help cities and counties reach aggressive new housing targets set by the administration of Governor Gavin Newsom. These targets call for 1.3 million new housing units across the six-county SCAG region (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties), planning for more than 40% affordable to households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income.
- “Call for Collaboration” Initiative Description
In July 2020, the SCAG Regional Council voted on a resolution to work in partnership with others to close the gap of racial injustice. In a parallel move the Regional Council unanimously agreed to set aside $1 million towards this “Call for Collaboration” program from their allocation of the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) grant from the State of California to develop and support deeper community engagement in planning activities and programs that accelerate housing production throughout the SCAG region. There is a wide range of activities that are eligible for funding with these planning grants. These activities include programs and plans designed to promote pro-housing policies, streamline the housing approval process, develop community support for new housing and remove barriers to new housing development. All activities must show a nexus supporting increased housing production.
Building from the ideas and successes of housing innovation challenges across the region, the Southern California Call for Collaboration focuses on making ideas into reality through strategic partnerships and empowering community based organizations to bring voices to the table that are often left behind, but are also the most impacted by the policies in question. This initiative will fund innovative and strategic models, diverse community-driven approaches, and new partnerships and coalitions to shape and execute a vision for growing our housing supply in a sustainable and equitable way. Strategies such as promoting racial equity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and design or financing innovation in the planning and development of housing are encouraged.
The program will fund about 16 grants through two opportunities that are further described in Section III:
Partnership Programs: Awards of up to $125,000 to support the expansion and/or implementation of existing plans, initiatives, and/or partnerships that promote equitable growth strategies.
Spark Grants: Smaller, capacity-building grants of around $50,000 (1) to seed new models of collaboration and engagement to support community-driven approaches and partnerships that promote equitable growth strategies.
Selected grantees will also benefit from a small amount of training and technical assistance from a team of housing, planning, and legal experts that will advise them on the development of their plans, provide unique data analysis, advice on legal contracts and other documents (like by-laws, etc.), or other organizational support as needed.
Spark Grants are targeted to a maximum of $50,000 but grants of up to $75,000 may be considered based on the proposed scope and funding available.
- Grant Terms and Initiative Timeline
Links:
Examples of initiatives and partnerships that this RFP can fund are:
- Support for CBOs to engage in local planning processes, e.g., cities’ housing element updates and implementation, developing community-based frameworks for new specific plans and overlays that facilitate sustainable infill and affordable housing development (infrastructure financing tools, right-sizing parking requirements, and visualizing context sensitive multi-story developments.)
- CBO engagement in developing plan(s) or policies upzoning commercial corridors or low-density neighborhoods with value-capture strategies, including an educational and community organizing action plan.
- Helping a public entity partner with a non-profit developer(s) and other CBOs to develop a city-wide permit streamlining ordinance that expedites the entitlement and permitting process for affordable or supportive housing.
- Supporting CBOs in developing and/or implementing a framework and organizing agenda for a new, local Affordable Housing Trust Fund or Community Land Trust.
- Development of policies to affirmatively further fair housing for lower-income households in areas of opportunity.
- Spark Grants are targeted to a maximum of $50,000 but grants of up to $75,000 may be considered based on the proposed scope and funding available.
- Equitable growth strategies identified in the 2020 SCAG Connect SoCal Plan include, for example, development accessible to jobs, services, recreational and educational facilities, transit-oriented and mixed-use development, housing and housing supportive infrastructure development in Priority Growth Areas and High Quality Transit Areas (HQTAs). Additional examples of equitable growth strategies included in the EJ (Environmental Justice) Toolbox of the plan and applicable to planning for new housing development include capacity building community engagement workshops and techniques, community-based home ownership options, inclusionary zoning, resilient energy efficient design, use of renewable energy sources, acoustical site design, and plan and site design incentivizing active transportation.
- Application Questions
Interested parties should submit the following information for consideration:
1. Organization: Introduce the lead organizational applicant and primary organizational partners (if any) for this proposal and the history of the partnership. Describe the experience and capacity of the participating organizations and individual team members to carry out this project. In the attachment section, be sure to include the following:
- Biographies of senior leadership and program staff that will be working directly on this project.
- IRS W9 form indication that the Lead applicant is incorporated in the county(ies) in which the grant activities will take place.
- If the proposal is a collaboration of multiple entities, include letters of support from each organization indicating their commitment and support for the initiative in the attachment section.
2. Proposal: Identify the funding opportunity for which the Applicant is applying (Partnership Grant or Spark Grant). Provide a complete description of the proposed project and how it will be carried out. Include at least three goals you will seek to accomplish with this grant. In the narrative, be sure to describe how the initiative aligns with the eligible activities as described above.
3. Short Term Objectives and Outcomes: In this section, describe how you are planning to evaluate and report on the progress of this project. Make sure to state objectives to achieve the proposed goals of the project and include metrics for which your organization will measure and report on the grant’s outcomes. In this section, please also include a projected timeline for grant-funded activities with benchmarks and milestones.
4. Long Term Outcomes: How will the proposed project result in the production of new housing in a sustainable and equitable way in the long-term? Why do you believe the strategy will be successful? What challenges do you foresee and how do you plan to address them? Include any past experience, research, or case studies that support your strategy.
5. Geographic Targeting: In which of the six SCAG counties is your proposed scope of work located? In which community/ies or sub-county geographies will your proposed project focus? Describe the demographics of the communities you are planning to target, the landscape on housing affordability, and the barriers to increasing housing production, especially affordable housing. Include an analysis of the other stakeholders, both supporting and opposing your proposed project, and the decision-makers you will need to work with to be successful.
6. Community Engagement: How does your project reflect the voices of the communities that will be impacted? Describe how your proposal will advance racial equity and prioritize marginalized communities. How will staff continue to collaborate and seek input from these communities?
7. Budget: Applicants should include a detailed budget for the project, along with a narrative describing each of the project’s line items. Access Sample Budget Template
8. Training and Technical Assistance: Selected grantees will benefit from a small amount of training and technical assistance from a team of housing, planning and legal experts, depending on funding availability. Describe the type of supplemental training and technical assistance you would like to receive from this program, and how that would enhance the outcomes of your project.
Required Organizational Attachment Checklist
– Agency Operating Budget (current fiscal year)
– Organizational Chart
– List of Board Members with Demographics
– Bios of Key Staff
– IRS W9 Form
– Letters of Support from Partnering Organizations (if any) (note that a formal resolution is not needed)
– List of Funders (for organization)
– Strategic Plan (most current)
– Financial Projections (2 – 5 years)
– Most recent Audited Financial Statements
- Evaluation and Selection Process
This is a competitive grant process. A review panel comprised of experienced staff from CCF, SCAG and other funders/experts will evaluate the application narrative and required documents to determine which proposal is likely to have the most significant impact or innovation in the SCAG region. Applicants may receive a video call and/or other type of communication from CCF staff as part of the review process. It is the goal of the funders to identify qualified applications in each targeted County. Proposals will also be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Questions
Questions regarding the RFP can be emailed to housing [@] calfund [.] org. Only questions emailed, no later than February 5, 2021 at 5:00pm, will be answered – CCF and SCAG staff are not able to respond to questions through any other way. An FAQ document will be added to the online application portal with all questions submitted and answers.
- Apply Now
To apply, please login in via Nonprofit Connect and select the “SCAG Equitable Growth Initiative RFP” application.
Note: Username and password is required to access the online portal. For detailed instructions on how to register, please click here.
For questions, please contact Francisco Covarrubias program manager, housing, at
fcovarrubias [@] calfund [.] org. | https://www.calfund.org/nonprofits/open-grants/call_for_collaboration_2021/ |
Search or browse below to see past awarded Field of Interest grants. You may search by recipient organization name, project name, or city. Additionally, in the sidebar you may filter the grants displayed by year, interest or grant amount.
British Columbia's Women's Hospital and Health Centre Foundation
Exploring Marginalized Women's Physical Activity and Inactivity in BC - Development Phase
BC Women’s is requesting seed funding to support, in partnership with Promotion Plus (PPlus), BCCEWH's development of a community-based research (CBR) and knowledge exchange project on the social determinants of physical activity and inactivity for marginalized women in BC. The need for this project developed from previous research, knowledge syntheses, interventions, and policy dialogues conducted by BCCEWH and PPlus, all of which identified the need for community-engaged explorations of how to improve marginalized women’s opportunities for physical activity and health promotion. This pilot project focuses on a series of community consultation processes to inform the development of a more comprehensive proposal. During this development stage, our goals are to: 1) establish a Provincial Advisory Committee (PAC), 2) identify three diverse communities as sites for Participatory Action Research (PAR) projects, and 3) formulate a Community of Practice (CoP) inclusive of diverse women, service providers, policy-makers, and researchers interested in ongoing province-wide knowledge development, mutual learning, and action. These activities will provide the necessary groundwork and relationship building with community-based stakeholders across BC to inform the submission of a full research proposal and undertake a more robust community-based participatory research project.
$10,000.00
2010
Society for Affordable Housing Education, Awareness and Development
Surviving not Thriving: The Systemic Barriers to Housing for Women Leaving Violence
The Shedding Light on the Barriers to Housing for Women Fleeing Violence Photovoice project (Shedding Light) was previously funded by the BC Medical Services Foundation and was successfully completed as of March 2010. This community-based, feminist participatory action research project was conducted in four communities across BC and engaged forty-five diverse women in photo-taking, interviews and focus groups in order to share their experiences of seeking housing after leaving violence. The purpose of the current proposed project is to professionally produce an advocacy report that maximizes the impact of photo- and text-based data generated by participants to effectively translate the knowledge generated from the Shedding Light project. The provincial and community-based organizations who partnered to facilitate Shedding Light will use this report in their advocacy and awareness-building efforts with the ultimate goal of addressing barriers to housing and improving access to housing for women who have left violent relationships.
$10,000.00
2010
University of British Columbia Development Office
2009-2010 Vancouver Foundation First Nations Scholarship
Vancouver Foundation First Nations Scholarship: annual scholarship(s) for a graduate student(s) in the Health Sciences. Established by Dr. John H.V. Gilbert, for a First Nations student enrolled in a professional degree program in Health or Human Services. Students wishing to be considered for the award should apply to the Institute for Aboriginal Health, 429 - 2194 Health Sciences Mall, UBC by the November 30 deadline. The award is made by nomination of the selection committee, Institute for Aboriginal Health.
$5,000.00
2010
University of Victoria - Faculty of Human and Social Development
Knowledge Translation of Barriers to Safe Drinking Water in BC Aboriginal Communities
This application is to fund an extension to work on issues related to access to safe drinking water that has been completed by Darlene Sanderson PhD within six separate Aboriginal communities in remote areas of British Columbia. The project is one of community-focused participatory research directly involving members of the communities whose health is affected by lack of access to safe water. For example, one of the communities in which a workshop was held has been on a boil water advisory for the last sixteen years. Activities: The funds will be used to capture the outcomes of six workshops conducted within each of the Aboriginal communities.Dr. Sanderson will analyze data drawn from the workshops and then compare findings from the analysis to findings from a literature search and an environmental scan in order to identify high impact actions that could be taken at local levels to address particular issues relating to access to safe water. Findings will be recorded in reports to each of the six Indigenous communities and made available to them. This stage of the project will build on the momentum generated during the workshops within each of the communities; develop greater understanding of issues around health and access to safe water;and provide community members with the opportunity to take a direct stake in the process of moving knowledge to action. | https://www.vancouverfoundation.ca/grants/search-grants?f%5B0%5D=field_gt_amount%3A%5B0%20TO%2010000%5D&f%5B1%5D=field_gt_field_of_interest%3AHMER&f%5B2%5D=field_gt_year%3A2010 |
The COVID-19 pandemic’s public health and economic impacts have disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income communities. As the impacts of the pandemic continue to unfold, community stakeholders and policymakers need information to inform the development and targeting of policies that prevent widening racial and economic disparities.
In response, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborated with the Urban Institute’s National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership to make funding opportunities available to support organizations across the country and help ensure community leaders had the local data and community information needed for equitable COVID-19 response and recovery. As part of these initiatives, the Institute for Housing Studies (IHS) collaborated with Chicago organizations to engage stakeholders and residents in Chicago neighborhoods that saw disproportionate impacts from the pandemic. Read more about these collaborations below.
About the Collaboration
During the first few months of the pandemic, IHS published analyses and data products exploring the potential housing and economic impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis on Chicago communities and individuals. Building on this work, IHS collaborated with a variety of local organizations and community members on two projects that sought to inform how organizations and stakeholders can remain responsive to the emerging challenges and impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Communities United (CU) - Communities United is a grassroots, community-based organization that develops leadership among youth and families in Albany Park, Austin, Belmont Cragin, Roseland, and West Ridge. One of CU’s initiatives includes Renters Organizing Ourselves to Stay (ROOTs), an affordable housing preservation strategy that works with local partners to acquire foreclosed 2 to 4 unit rental buildings, keep them affordable, and stem the displacement of low-income families across Chicago.
With funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, IHS collaborated with CU to engage youth and families in CU's five core Chicago community areas to identify core housing, economic, and community development challenges that emerged or became more pronounced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, CU’s core community areas were among the hardest hit neighborhoods in Chicago. A large share of residents in CU communities were more likely to be employed in occupations at-risk of COVID-related layoffs and subsequently, are at greater risk of eviction and housing insecurity.
Above: Communities United organize against evictions. (Source: Communities United)
Elevated Chicago – Elevated Chicago is collaborative that uses equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) strategies to advance community priorities around racial equity, arts and culture, climate change resiliency, and public health in several Chicago neighborhoods. As part of the ongoing Healthy Chicago Seed Grant Program, the Chicago Department of Public Health and Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC) provided six community-based organizations with funding and support to lead locally-driven activities and solutions aimed at improving walkability in Elevated Chicago eHub communities (half mile radius around six CTA train stations). Participating Seed Grantees included Foundation for Homan Square, Garfield Park Community Council, Latinos Progresando, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, and South East Chicago Commission.
For communities of color in close proximity to transit stations, the economic downturn resulted in declining levels of walkability and accessibility due to small business closures, significant cuts in public transit service, and more. In partnership with Elevated Chicago, PHIMC, and Rudd Resources, and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, IHS tapped into the ongoing work of Seed Grantees and walkability stakeholders to identify data needs that have emerged during the pandemic and assist in the development of community-driven narratives of walkability.
Left: Community members help assist beautification efforts in Washington Park. (Source: South East Chicago Commission, Washington Park Chamber of Commerce, 2020) Right: North Lawndale community members engage in a neighborhood walkability assessment. (Source: North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Walkability Assessment, 2019)
The Community Engagement Process
During both of these projects, IHS and project partners sought to learn how 1) place-based impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were unfolding at the neighborhood level, 2) community-based organizations, practitioners, and policymakers were attempting to remain responsive to emerging community needs in the short-term while working towards long-term goals, and 3) community challenges and priorities could be communicated through data and storytelling to promote equitable investment. To gather information on these issues, IHS worked with project partners to engage community residents and other stakeholders. Community engagement activities included:
Virtual convenings of stakeholders and community organizations. CU and IHS convened CU’s youth organizers and leaders, key housing stakeholders, and a youth advisory group to discuss how the impacts of COVID-19 were unfolding in their communities and the ways data can support their organizing and capacity-building efforts. In partnership with Elevated Chicago, PHIMC, and Rudd Resources, IHS helped convene Seed Grantees and practitioners implementing walkability initiatives to discuss how their ongoing work has been impacted by emerging community needs and changing neighborhood conditions as a result of the pandemic.
Surveys to gauge challenges and priorities of residents and community members. For these partnerships, two surveys in English and Spanish were disseminated to identify key challenges and emerging priorities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of CU’s youth organizers, an online survey was distributed to community members in CU’s five core communities to identify key housing and economic challenges facing youth and their families. With the help of Healthy Chicago Seed Grantees, an online survey was shared with community members that live, work, and visit neighborhoods surrounding Elevated Chicago eHubs to identify walkability barriers, perceptions, and shifting priorities.
What We Learned
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, community members are grappling with the heightened impacts of ongoing challenges and highlight the importance of neighborhood assets. Survey findings illustrate that youth and their families in CU’s core communities face the impacts of ongoing gentrification- and disinvestment-related pressures in their communities that have been amplified by the pandemic, including pronounced housing and economic insecurity, mental health challenges, and community-wide impacts of violence. In Elevated Chicago eHub communities, residents are experiencing declining levels of walkability due to factors such as small business closures, challenges with pedestrian safety and traffic, and lack of access to green spaces.
How do community members and stakeholders see their communities emerging from the economic and public health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic? In CU’s core communities, youth and their families expressed a need for greater affordable housing options, employment opportunities, and community resources. While the pandemic has changed walking behavior, Elevated Chicago stakeholders identified key priorities to improve walkability to and from CTA train stations based on neighborhood-specific conditions. For example, stakeholders in eHubs experiencing affordability pressures expressed preventing small business closures while stakeholders in eHubs experiencing disinvestment hoped to attract new neighborhood investment that is accessible by walking.
Tapping into the expertise of community-based organizations, stakeholders, and local residents can foster community-informed programs and initiatives. As a grassroots organization, the perspectives and lived experiences of Black, Latinx, and immigrant youth and families in CU’s core communities directly inform CU programs and campaigns. CU’s Rethinking Safety Campaign was developed by youth directly impacted by gentrification and disinvestment in their communities seeking to improve access to mental health services and community resources, a critical issue expressed during the community engagement process. For Elevated Chicago partners, information on changing community walkability needs and perceptions surrounding eHubs can help policymakers and practitioners develop more tailored strategies and inform Seed Grantees’ neighborhood-level walkability initiatives.
Accessible data can help identify community needs and advocate for additional resources. Data will play an important role to guide equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for Chicago communities by identifying neighborhood-level challenges, helping community-based organizations advocate for resources, and allowing stakeholders to evaluate the impact and success of programs and investments.
Using takeaways from the community engagement process and survey findings, IHS developed data products to aid CU and Elevated Chicago with their ongoing initiatives and laid the groundwork for future data development. For CU, IHS created a data dashboard of housing, socioeconomic, and COVID-19 related vulnerabilities to support their community outreach and ongoing campaigns. To support future walkability investments, IHS summarized key data sources and methods practitioners and researchers can use to assess and measure neighborhood walkability using local Chicago and national data sources and resources. This preliminary framework will be used to guide additional development of data indicators that measure and track neighborhood walkability.
Community-driven narratives can guide equitable place-based investments. Another important theme that emerged during the community engagement process emphasized that dominant narratives in the media do not always reflect the experiences of local residents and risk overlooking existing neighborhood assets. To link day-to-day experiences with data, Rudd Resources and project partners recorded narrated walks of community members from Logan Square’s Blue Line eHub, a neighborhood experiencing displacement by gentrification, and Washington Park’s Green Line South eHub, a neighborhood experiencing displacement by disinvestment. These narrated walk videos used key data points to underscore community narratives. The goal of these walks was to provide community perspectives that contextualize place-based walkability barriers and reframe opportunities for future investment.
Above: David Anthony Geary, Chicago artist and Washington Park resident, gives a walking tour of current conditions and community assets surrounding Elevated Chicago's Green Line South eHubs. (Source: Rudd Resources, Elevated Chicago, 2020)
What's Next
Collaborations are critical to IHS’s applied research model by connecting our work to local policy and practice. Community engagement shapes IHS’s data development and research so that it better reflects community specific challenges and priorities.
IHS will continue to work with Elevated Chicago partners and Communities United in the coming year. IHS, Elevated Chicago, PHIMC, and Rudd Resources presented project findings to Elevated Chicago’s Leadership Council to spark conversations about how to advance ETOD and its policy plan and improve pedestrian infrastructure as communities emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. IHS and CU will continue to collaborate by using project findings and resources to conduct community outreach and document the housing experiences of Black and Brown communities across CU's core community areas.
To keep up-to-date on future updates, new analyses, and blog posts and information about our work, sign up to receive our emails, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or follow us on LinkedIn. | https://housingstudies.org/blog/community-engagement-collaborations-COVID19/ |
Meet the PKG IAP 2020 Fellows!
PKG Fellows receive funding to pursue passion projects in public service all over the world. Awarded Fellows work either individually or as a part of a team, on solo projects or with service agencies in their area of interest.
Below is a list of our 2020 IAP Fellowship recipients, who come from all across the Institute and whose projects target social impact areas such as: health; environment and climate change; economic security; and urban development.
Ivana Alardin (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, ’21)
Ivana will be working in San Juan this January with the Foundation for Puerto Rico, a non-profit based on the island that “works to transform Puerto Rico to a destination for the world by driving economic and social development through sustainable strategies.” She will be working with the Whole Community Resilience Planning Group to help build a dashboard to inform residents of the island about how vulnerable to natural disasters their area of the island is. She will mainly be acting as a Data Analysis intern, scraping and cleaning data to help the team build this dashboard.
Daniela Cocco Beltrame (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Daniela will be working with the Zimbabwe Homeless People Federation and Dialogue on Shelter, who support low-income urban communities plan and implement their own solutions to the challenges of land tenure security, adequate housing and infrastructure provision. Last summer, as part of their Anti-Eviction Strategy, she analyzed spatial and socio-economic data about 37 settlements, including their eviction experiences. She will now develop and pilot a participatory communication process to present the gathered information to the communities. She will also share her experience in Latin America in forums and meetings to advocate for the end of forced evictions.
Mariam Dogar (Biology, ’20)
Mariam will be working with an NGO called Faros to support their efforts at their Horizon Center in providing workshop training, design teaching, and socio-emotional skill-building to unaccompanied refugee minors from Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and elsewhere. She will be creating projects and helping to form the curriculum that the center can use for years to come. Mariam began this work last summer with D-Lab and is very excited to return and build more sustainable class programs for the initiative.
Daniel Engelberg (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Daniel will be working with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), the regional planning body for Philadelphia in order to support their long-range planning efforts. As communities in the Philadelphia area face increasing uncertainty from climate change, economic turbulence, and political changes, planning must better account for these uncertainties. Daniel will introduce the long-range planning team to new modeling approaches for planning under uncertainty and will examine their current scenario planning process for this purpose. The end objective is to help DVRPC transform long range planning into policies that communities can support and rely upon.
Claire Halloran (Materials Science and Engineering, ’20)
Claire will be working in the Office of Colorado State Representative Chris Hansen to support their efforts in developing energy and environmental policy. She will be outlining policies to incentivize electric utilities to join a regional transmission organization and strengthen the state-level transmission authority. She will also be interfacing directly with constituents to address their concerns and conducting short-term research on policies that the Representative will be voting on.
Mel Isidor (Urban Studies and Planning, ’21)
Mel Isidor is an interdisciplinary designer passionate about urban planning through creative mediums—including photography, ethnographic research, graphic design, mapping, and illustration. Through the PKG fellowship, she is building a website for the ongoing research initiative A Voice at the Table. The project explores the role affirmative spaces play in promoting community building, empowerment, and resilience for Black womxn in Roxbury, MA. At large, the project seeks to empower the Black womxn’s narrative in the urban planning and design industry.
Hanna Kherzai (Economics, ’20)
Hanna will be working with Greek NGO Faros’ Horizon Center to help develop future programming for their Women’s Center and Boys’ Center. Faros works with vulnerable refugee populations, including women and unaccompanied minors. She will help train teaching staff/teach students about woodworking, 3D printing, and soldering/electronics. The integrated use of this design curriculum aims to empower refugees and improve their socio-emotional health, giving them employable skills and confidence.
Kevin Lee (Urban Planning, G)
Economic inequality and environmental catastrophe are two of the most urgent challenges of our time. While the Green New Deal has attracted much attention from both political aisles, largely ignored has been its call for investments in job training, to help low-wage workers transition into an increasingly technology-driven green economy. To assess the viability of several innovative workforce development models intended to support low-wage workers (especially immigrants, who face additional barriers to skills acquisition), Kevin will be working with the UCLA Labor Center, a national leader in low-wage labor and employment policy. This project will primarily involve mixed-methods research assistance and development of public-facing educational materials, to be disseminated at an upcoming summit for workforce development policymakers and practitioners across California.
Nina Mascarenhas (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Nina will be working with the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) of the Mystic River Watershed Association. In the absence of regional governance bodies in Massachusetts, watershed associations facilitate cooperation between municipalities in building climate resilience. Nina will be working to collect qualitative data on the challenges that municipal planners – especially in lesser resourced communities of the Mystic River Watershed – foresee in the adoption of climate adaptation measures. The aim of this work is to inform collective decision-making in the RMC around the implementation of regionally important strategies such as resilient zoning.
Kenyatta McLean (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Kenyatta will be working with BlackSpace, a NYC based non-profit, to build out a curriculum and framework for urbanists seeking to ensure work done within the built environment is both critical and just. She will use the BlackSpace manifesto of 14 design/planning principles as the project’s grounding base. Kenyatta hopes to help BlackSpace continue to develop tools connecting everyday practice to ideas and values centering marginalized people.
Artur Mendonca (Management, G)
Artur will work with Artemisia, a non-profit organization pioneer in the support and promotion of social impact businesses in Brazil. He will help them develop an acceleration program for social impact business focused on healthcare. He will create frameworks to help Artemisia choose which type of social impact business to accelerate, how to access product feasibility and how to better support the social entrepreneurs.
Catalina Monsalve Rodriguez (Undecided Math/Computation, ‘23)
Catalina will be working in Bogota, Colombia in Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas, helping them educate the communities in Colombia that have been affected by land mines in the country. She will be creating presentations to find donors for existing projects, monitoring projects that are already happening, and supporting the creation of new projects.
Michelle Mueller (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Michelle Mueller will be working in San Juan Puerto Rico with ENLANCE Caño Martin Peña, a community organization implementing a plan to restore a tidal channel within the San Juan Bay Estuary. Homes built in the wetlands have experienced environmental and health hazards which has been exacerbated with climate change and natural disasters. ENLANCE’s efforts connects ecology, health and housing in an effort to seek environmental justice and community resilience. Michelle will be working with ENLANCE to help tell their story though data analysis and research for their next phase of work.
Prathima Muniyappa (Media Arts and Sciences, G)
Prathima will be working with the Living Bridge Foundation in Pynursula, Meghalaya. She will be field testing a pilot app to crowdsource indigenous ecological knowledge. She will work closely with the Khasi community documenting their knowledge of building living root bridges and arbor architecture.
Arnav Patel (Mechanical Engineering, ’21)
Arnav will be working in Soroti, Uganda, on developing a fruit dryer capable of operating without sunlight and utilizing biomass combustion effectively without affecting the taste and quality of fruit. This endeavor is a continuation of a group project started in a D-Lab course with community partner, Betty Ikalany, CEO of Appropriate Energy Savings Technology (AEST) and Teso Women Development Initiative (TEWDI) in Soroti. Developing more efficient and capable fruit dryers has the potential to decrease food waste, improve local economy, and continue a pattern of innovation in agriculture in the area. Arnav’s team hope to complete a prototype that will yield favorable results and give more direction for this project moving forward over the next year.
Jasmine Qin (Integrated Design & Management, G)
Jasmine has been working on co-designing solutions with partners in Puerto Rico to create and pilot system solutions to improve community disaster resilience in the face of climate change. As part of her masters thesis, she will be working with communities, municipalities, and humanitarian organizations to test and improve concepts with goals to strengthen social linkages, incorporate local knowledge, and improve collaboration in disaster management on the island.
Jack Reid (Media Arts & Science, G)
Jack will be working with the Instituto Pereira Passos in Rio de Janeiro to support their efforts in providing useful data to the various Rio city government offices to inform sustainable urban development. To this end, government officials will be user testing a prototype model that he is developing that will improve understanding of the dynamics at the interface of urban development and mangrove forests. In addition to receive feedback on his model, he will also be conducting interviews with government officials, local community members, and university researchers to better understand the needs of the community and to inform the development of future versions of the model.
David Robinson (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
David will be working with City Life Vida Urbana (CLVU), a longstanding tenant’s rights organization in Boston, to write a report about the disproportionate impact of evictions on Boston’s low income majority non-white neighborhoods. David has been working on this project since April 2019, conducting geospatial and statistical analysis of Boston Housing Court records from 2014-2016 to examine the relationship between eviction rates and the demographic characteristics of neighborhoods where they occur, including race, class, gentrification and building development. The final phase of this project will involve working with CLVU’s communications manager and a graphic designer to develop a compelling report that can be used to inform anti-displacement policy, support local anti-displacement organizing efforts, and inform the public narrative on displacement in Boston.
Jonars Spielberg (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Jonars will be working in rural communities in Senegal studying how farmers and government officials interact. His project will try to understand: 1) how farmers gain access to the information, services, and products they need to sustain their agricultural activities; 2) how government officials responsible for implementing agricultural programs and policies make decisions and allocate resources; and 3) how farmers and government officials build relationships, and what the nature of those relationships are. By better elucidating how policies are actually implemented in practice, and what conditions and factors determine who gets what when, his goal is to inform the design of more effective and more equitable policies in the future. Jonars also has a Fulbright Scholarship for this work.
Vanessa Toro Barragan (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Vanessa Toro Barragan will support CoLab and its local partners in the Colombian Pacific in co-designing a curriculum framework drawing from key concepts and learnings emerging from the Pacific. The group will conduct an analysis of inclusive regional development. Knowledge production and regional analysis will be conducted through interviews of government staff, local leaders, and CoLab staff; review of workshop materials; and attendance of key government meetings. The final documents will respond to these key questions: What are the existing local civic and innovative strategies and how are they leveraged in the Pacific in order to transform traditional government planning practices towards inclusion?
Kiara Wahnschafft (Mechanical Engineering, ’21)
Half of Nairobi’s population has minimal to no access to safe sanitation, leaving individuals prone to disease and harming the city’s productivity. Kiara will be working with Sanergy, a company that is providing non-sewered solutions for waste management, on the Future Initiatives team. She will be helping to develop technically viable and financially effective models for waste management and recycling, testing her solutions in Sanergy’s waste treatment pilot. The aim of the work will be the optimal design and financial analysis of a waste management site.
Gabriela Zayas del Rio (Urban Studies and Planning, G)
Gabriela will be working with Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña, a community-based organization in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The organization has been leading an ecological restoration project in eight adjacent communities that live near a highly polluted channel. Their aim is to protect natural habitat and reduce flooding while simultaneously improving public health outcomes. Gabriela will be supporting their efforts by analyzing existing data and producing maps on the socioeconomic distribution of public health benefits resulting from ongoing ecological restoration. | https://pkgcenter.mit.edu/2019/12/09/pkg-iap-2020-fellows/ |
Laurence E. Lynn, Jr.
Sandra Newman
John Tuccillo
Avis Vidal
Don Villarejo
Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research strives to share HUD-funded and other research on housing and urban policy issues with scholars, government officials, and others involved in setting policy and determining the direction of future research.
Cityscape focuses on innovative ideas, policies, and programs that show promise in revitalizing cities and regions, renewing their infrastructure, and creating economic opportunities. A typical issue consists of articles that examine various aspects of a theme of particular interest to our audience.
Susan M. Wachter, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
Since 1994, when HUD established the Office of University Partnerships (OUP) within the Office of Policy Development and Research, the Department has created programs to move college faculty, staff, and students out of their ivory towers and into the grassroots of their inner-city neighborhoods. Through dedication and hard work, institutions of higher education and their community partners are breaking down the barriers of distrust that have historically separated them, transforming a divide into an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation. In the past 6 years, one such program, HUD’s Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC), has provided seed money for community-building efforts to 119 colleges and universities in 37 States.
The articles in this issue add to the growing library of literature demonstrating the emergence and importance of the university-community partnerships while illustrating their maturing role along with their inherent strength and diversity. HUD is proud to help facilitate the continued growth of these partnerships.
I would like to thank David Cox, former director of the Office of University Partnerships and COPC grantee at the University of Memphis, for bringing us this lively symposium that demonstrates the successes and the challenges of applied research. Everyone interested in community development should benefit from the insights in this collection of articles.
David N. Cox, University of Memphis
The Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is designed to help 2- and 4-year colleges and universities develop and sustain effective community partnerships. Administered by HUD’s Office of University Partnerships (OUP) in the Office of Policy Development and Research, COPC is a peer-reviewed, competitive program that provides 3-year grants of up to $400,000 to help universities, colleges, community colleges, and technical institutes play an active and visible role in community revitalization.
Congress created the COPC program in 1992. A first set of 15 grants was awarded in 1994. By 1999, 106 higher education institutions in 36 States had joined the program. COPC-initiated partnerships involve all types of institutions of higher education (IHEs)—from community colleges to private universities—neighborhood residents, community-based organizations, local government leaders, private developers, and other parties who have a stake in a neighborhood’s future. While individual activities differ from one COPC to another, the overall aim of the COPC program is the same: increasing citizen capacity to improve the physical, environmental, social, and economic conditions of urban neigh-borhoods. As described by the first OUP Director, Marcia Marker Feld (1998), the grant program
encourages IHEs to apply their considerable resources to partnerships with faculty, staff, and students in tandem with community leaders to attack urban problems through creative technical assistance, capacity training, action-oriented research, program delivery, and the development of common agendas among sometimes conflicting groups.
Because they can bring myriad resources to local community-building efforts, colleges and universities are in a unique position to help their neighborhoods change for the better. With the help of distinguished faculty, experienced staff, and enthusiastic students, these IHEs are creating new urban development strategies and applying them, along with tested strategies, to the challenges facing local communities. They are also using their influential roles as neighborhood employers, investors, and developers to contribute directly and tangibly to community revitalization efforts. In return, these institutions receive substantial benefits, including the means to fulfill their own missions of teaching, research, and service. Through engagement in their communities, universities provide undergraduate and graduate students with learning experiences that offer academic enrichment, meaningful research opportunities, and competence in their chosen field. They also help to ensure their own long-term viability by improving the quality of life in the neighborhoods that they call home.
As reported by Victor Rubin in this issue of Cityscape, the body of knowledge about university-community partnerships is small but growing rapidly. Through the first 5 years of the COPC program, information generated by COPCs began to appear in a variety of media. Academic journals such as the Journal of Planning Education and Research and Metropolitan Universities Journal: An International Forum provided early program descriptions and reports. COPC project descriptions can also be found in regular OUP publications such as Colleges and Communities—Partners in Urban Revitalization, Law School Involvement in Community Development, and the three-volume University Community Partnerships—Current Practices. OUP maintains a Web site at http://www.oup.org with national information as well as links to various COPC grantee Web sites. Individual COPC sites produce newsletters and reports and announce upcoming workshops. Many of their sites are linked through the OUP Web site.
Each of these efforts contributes to the accumulating knowledge about community improvement being produced by COPC community-university partnerships. In part then, this issue of Cityscape adds to that body of knowledge. Taken individually, the following articles provide varied examples of the activities, outcomes, and analyses produced by the COPC program. When viewed as a whole, however, the articles can also provide readers with a valuable perspective on the range, scope, contributions, and enormous potential of community-IHE partnerships as well as the many challenges that colleges, universities, and community partners face to begin them.
Diverse Programs, Common Threads
Whether they are working with community partners to create jobs, support small businesses, increase access to healthcare, improve education, or expand the supply of affordable housing, all COPCs have common characteristics that define how they operate and relate to neighborhood partners. Across the board, COPC programs:
- View their communities holistically. The COPC program places relatively few restrictions on the types of outreach, technical assistance, information exchange, and applied research activities that COPCs and their community partners pursue. It does require, however, that COPCs undertake multifaceted activities that focus on a specific target area and address at least three community problems simultaneously. This approach forces the COPC to address community problems through coordinated, rather than piecemeal, action.
- Focus on bringing about permanent change in both the IHE and the community. The comparatively small COPC grants encourage universities, colleges, and local partners to seek and secure funding from other sources, both in the local community and the IHE. Requirements that each grantee raise matching funds that equal 50 percent of the cost of proposed research and 25 percent of the cost of proposed outreach activities helps ensure that successful COPC activities continue to impact local communities long after Federal funds have been spent. In addition, COPCs are encouraged to integrate community outreach into the university’s teaching, research, and service. This integration might involve making permanent curriculum changes that expand service-learning opportunities, modifying the university’s organizational structure to facilitate partnerships, or amending faculty tenure and rewards systems to recognize community service and applied scholarship.
- Work with communities instead of on them. Above all, a COPC’s goals and priorities reflect those of neighborhood residents—not the university’s perceptions of what would be best for the neighborhood. To ensure local control over outreach activities, each COPC has a community advisory committee that consists of neighborhood residents, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and university or college representatives. These individuals work together to identify local needs and develop strategies that are responsive to those needs. They also work in partnership with other community stakeholders to ensure full local participation in the revitalization process.
Articles in This Issue of Cityscape
Examining COPC Issue Areas
Each of the articles in this issue of Cityscape illustrates a different aspect of the widely diverse COPC program. The issue begins with a set of four articles that focus on major issue areas in which COPCs are bringing about neighborhood change: housing, education, community planning, and support for families and youth.
Wim Wiewel and Frank Gaffikin begin the issue by describing university-community partnerships that are designed specifically to address the lack of affordable housing in local communities. Using the COPC at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) as an example, the two authors outline the varied ways in which COPCs can and do play an active role in the housing field. For example, UIC students provided residents of two Chicago neighborhoods with technical assistance on home improvement, documented the spread of gentrification in the COPC target area, and worked as research assistants in local housing organizations. UIC’s Neighborhoods Initiative (UICNI) also enlisted the help of existing university programs to train community organization staff, provide grants to homeowners who could not afford to keep their houses up to code, and participate in a citywide affordable housing campaign.
UICNI carried out all of these projects in close consultation with a community-based steering committee and in partnership with city, private companies, and community-based organizations. It is the nature of these partnerships that Wiewel and Gaffikin examine next, outlining their strengths and weaknesses and delineating exactly what makes them work. COPC partners do not need to agree with or even like each other very much, say the authors. They only need to acknowledge honestly their different interests and cultures, agree on the specific tasks at hand, assert their commitment to the partnership, and be willing to compromise when necessary. Partnerships that rank equity alongside economy and efficiency may become part of a new form of governance that reshapes old-style, distant bureaucracies, Wiewel and Gaffikin predict. Such partnerships illustrate that what can be achieved by different parties acting cooperatively is greater than the sum of what each can achieve acting separately.
Ira Harkavy continues the examination of COPC issue areas with his description of the democratic cosmopolitan civic university, a new type of university committed to educating young people so they can function as active, informed, intelligent, and moral citizens in a fully democratic society. Harkavy calls on all IHEs to make it their highest priority to help develop an effective, integrated, and genuinely democratic American schooling system that ranges from pre-kindergarten to higher education. He bases his proposal on the work of William Rainey Harper and John Dewey, early 20th-century educators who identified the university as the strategic institution capable of creating a genuinely democratic society.
Since 1985, the University of Pennsylvania has been engaged in partnerships with West Philadelphia schools to do just what Harkavy is proposing. A central component of this work has been the development of approximately 100 academically based community-service courses that involve faculty members and graduate and undergraduate students in projects largely designed to improve schooling in the university’s neighborhood. Penn’s work, which Harkavy describes in his article, is being replicated nationwide through grants from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund.
The 13-year process through which the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed the Urban Extension and Minority Access Program (UEMAP) is the subject of Kenneth M. Reardon’s article. This initiative was launched to provide technical assistance to East St. Louis-based organizations engaged in community revitalization efforts, to train neighborhood residents and municipal officials in basic community planning and development techniques, and to offer undergraduate and graduate planning and design students hands-on urban research, planning, and development experience. Since the initiative began in 1987, UEMAP has evolved into one of the Nation’s most widely respected community-university development partnerships, largely because of its willingness to repeatedly reframe its community planning approach to overcome unanticipated obstacles. Reardon describes the process UEMAP followed in devising its approach to sustainable community development in East St. Louis and outlines how the process helped UEMAP develop a highly effective model of community planning practice in the city’s poorest neighborhoods.
Richard S. Kordesh of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) concludes the discussion of COPC issue areas by describing and analyzing the formation of Esperanza Familiar, a family education and support initiative in Chicago’s Pilsen community. The initiative, a partnership between UIC and a local Community Development Corporation, aims to empower Pilsen families by building their capacity to care for their own members, solve their own problems, and strengthen their community. In particular, Kordesh’s article focuses on the social learning network established by the project through its assessment, planning, and early implementation stages in fall 1998. Through this relational network, participants and researchers gather knowledge relevant to their shared interests and feed that knowledge simultaneously into diverse domains, such as university seminars, parent education workshops, and steering committee meetings. The author argues that network analysis can reveal some of the important, underlying dynamics in complex university-community partnerships, helping diverse partners achieve diverse objectives.
Partnership Strategies
Each COPC employs its own strategies for developing and maintaining meaningful and long-lasting partnerships with community members. These strategies often involve a concerted effort to gain the trust of neighborhood residents who may be suspicious of the university due to misunderstandings about its motives or a past history of unsatisfactory interactions.
Two articles in this issue of Cityscape describe university efforts to engage young people in community-building activities, both as a way to gain the trust of neighbors and ensure the long-term viability of COPC activities. In the first article, Marc Smith and Thomas M. Vetica write about efforts at the University of Florida in Gainesville to use youth programs and the arts to organize neighborhood associations and build relationships with local community development corporations. The COPC’s multifaceted approach has neighborhood children performing in an African dance troupe, university artists-in-residence conducting neighborhood programs and classes, and teenage photographers documenting and discussing their community’s positive and negative qualities. Smith and Vetica say these and other programs have garnered local support for the COPC, attracted neighborhood parents to community-building activities, and created forums in which other issues can be discussed and the roots of neighborhood organization can be established.
Robert H. Wilson and Miguel Guajardo present an overview of more formalized efforts by the Urban Issues Program (UIP) at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) to work with young people in El Cenizo, an unincorporated subdivision, or colonia, outside Laredo. The youth activities were part of a larger initiative, coordinated by Texas Rural Legal Aid and the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, to improve housing and infrastructure and to enhance governmental performance in El Cenizo. Wilson and Guajardo describe this larger initiative, which enlisted UIP students to serve professional internships in El Cenizo from spring 1996 to summer 1998. As part of the initiative, UT students enrolled in a graduate-level, service-learning course worked with El Cenizo teenagers on a 1998 project aimed at building the capacity of teens to participate in local affairs. Guided by the university students, teenagers developed a leadership training conference for local residents; gave public presentations on development, governance, and infrastructure; created a community newsletter; and produced a bilingual handbook on local issues. Wilson and Guajardo suggest that while young people have a keen understanding of community needs, they lack the political strength, standing, and experience to articulate these needs effectively and to advocate for them in the existing political system. Engaging young people in the community development process may be critical to long-term leadership development and capacity building in El Cenizo, they maintain.
Not all university-community partnerships get off to a good start, as Golden Jackson makes clear in her article about the COPC at The Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus. Despite OSU’s efforts to build an impressive administrative structure that supports community engagement, the partnership between the university’s COPC and its primary neighborhood partner fell apart shortly after grant funds were awarded. Jackson takes an objective look at mistakes made by both the university and its partner during the grant-writing process and describes both parties’ successful attempts to repair their rift. With the support of HUD staff, partners agreed to work collaboratively on an entirely new COPC work plan within the bounds of the original proposal. Having institutional structures in place to support partnerships is important, says Jackson, but success only comes to those who focus on the partnerships themselves and display a sensitivity to cultural differences, control issues, and communication.
Larry Keating and David L. Sjoquist provide a model for community partnerships that helped the Atlanta, Georgia, COPC avoid similar conflicts with partners. Their article describes a tripartite partnership among Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and the Community Design Center of Atlanta (CDCA), a nonprofit organization that provides technical assistance to low-income neighborhoods and nonprofit Community Development Corporations. As a COPC partner, CDCA functions as an intermediary between the two universities and the local community. It fulfills this role well because it is external to the two schools but represents—and has indepth knowledge of—the COPC target community. CDCA helps ensure that the partnership between the universities and the community is equal and that control of COPC projects is shared. It facilitates negotiations between the universities and community so the interests of all are served in a balanced way. Because of its close ties to neighborhood residents, CDCA has also helped the universities win community trust.
Jerome Lieberman, Jerry Miller, and Virginia Kohl describe another tripartite partnership taking place among the Florida Community Partnership Center (FCPC) at the University of South Florida, community-based organizations, and public housing authorities (PHAs). Convinced that PHAs have an enormous impact on their neighborhoods, FCPC decided early on to collaborate with the Tampa and St. Petersburg Housing Authorities to enhance outcomes for public housing residents and their neighbors. Lieberman and colleagues outline the COPC’s successful efforts, despite bureaucratic challenges, to work cooperatively with the regional HUD office in Jacksonville and to form collaborative relationships with the local PHAs. They emphasize, however, the importance of forging primary and initial partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) before reaching out to supportive agencies. Because CBOs are more representative of and sensitive to residents’ priorities and concerns, their involvement is essential if activities in impoverished neighborhoods will succeed and if other partnerships are to be effective.
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Neighborhoods Initiative (UICNI) also has enjoyed fruitful working relationships with CBOs in the city’s Pilsen and Near West Side neighborhoods. However, as Loomis Mayfield and Edgar P. Lucas, Jr., report in their article, good working relationships do not always translate into successful projects. Mayfield and Lucas present a case study of the UIC Hiring and Purchasing Program, a collaborative effort by UICNI and two CBOs to establish an ongoing process through which the university would hire more community residents and award purchasing contracts to local businesses. Despite official university support, a proposal to hire 30 residents and award 9 new purchasing contracts to neighborhood businesses was almost impossible to implement within the university’s bureaucracy. After 3 years of effort, the university had hired only two residents who had been referred by UICNI and awarded no new local vendor contracts.
Because partners in the UICNI project had a strong working relationship and had already enjoyed other successes, they were able to transform their hiring/purchasing failure into an important learning experience, report Mayfield and Lucas. As a result, they gained a new appreciation for the difficulty of changing university policy, were able to set more realistic expectations for certain kinds of projects, and remained convinced of the benefits of university-community collaborations.
Impacting Communities
Despite the challenges involved in developing community-university partnerships, COPCs have proven repeatedly that successful partnerships can provide tremendous benefits to local neighborhoods. These benefits are clearly illustrated by Burton Dean, Jerome Burstein, Linda Woodsmall, and Judith Mathews, whose article describes a business incubator through which 267 business students at San Jose State University (SJSU) in California have worked in teams to assist close to 100 existing and start-up businesses. While most incubators provide centralized, shared office space and services, SJSU’s Incubator Without Walls offers services both at the university and at the business site. The program provides real-world business experience for students while simultaneously supporting local small businesses that do not have the financial resources to hire the business advice, training, marketing tools, and organization implementation that they desperately need.
Alice Shumaker, B.J. Reed, and Sara Woods report on a similarly successful COPC effort at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). UNO initiated a broad-ranging urban outreach initiative 6 years ago when its department of public affairs (DPA) became a partner in Pulling America’s Communities Together (PACT), a national youth violence-prevention initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. As a result of the PACT process and its positive outcomes, DPA began rethinking and broadening its role in providing outreach services to the Omaha metropolitan area. Several initiatives followed and have subsequently been expanded with COPC funds. They include the Neighborhood Builders initiative, an ongoing leadership training program for current and future leaders of Omaha’s neighborhood associations; the South Omaha Family Mentoring program, which provides support to local Latino families; Project Impact, a strategic crime intervention, interdiction, and prevention effort; and Safety Net, a multidisciplinary team approach to developing comprehensive, neighborhood-based school safety strategies.
Evaluating Success
The final two articles in this issue of Cityscape try to help COPCs, and those who observe them, answer the ultimate question: How do we measure a COPC’s success? Stanley Hyland presents a methodology for evaluating whether outreach activities have contributed to quality-of-life changes in inner-city neighborhoods. Following this, Victor Rubin provides an overview and classification of the primary methods currently being used to evaluate and assess university-community partnerships themselves.
In his article, Hyland outlines various methods for evaluating neighborhood change. Using a geographic information system mapping project coordinated by the COPC at the University of Memphis as an example, he concludes that any evaluation of neighborhood change must assess the complex relationship between structural neighborhood change variables—such as the creation of jobs and houses—and community-building change variables, such as the creation of neighborhood identity and vision. Analyzing the interrelationship of these two sets of variables provides evaluators with a framework for assessing and understanding both anticipated and unanticipated outcomes, he says.
Rubin begins his article by suggesting that university-community partnerships are qualitatively different from other community development strategies. Therefore, any attempts to evaluate COPC programs must measure and interpret the novel and essential characteristics of their partnerships. The very nature of university-community partnerships will continue to create interesting challenges for evaluators who seek to determine the extent to which they are productive vehicles for community development, employ strategies to sustain outreach activities over the long term, and enhance students’ learning and faculty members’ teaching and research. Rubin concludes his article by warning that those who try too hard to quantify partnership outcomes may very well limit their ultimate success.
Conclusion
The articles in this issue of Cityscape are intended to help readers understand what has been accomplished thus far in the area of university-community partnerships and what potential these partnerships have to revitalize the most troubled of this Nation’s inner-city neighborhoods. Clearly, partnerships between universities and the neighborhoods they call home have evolved over the past 5 years and will continue to evolve. Many challenges lie ahead, particularly as universities and colleges strive to fine-tune their day-to-day working relationships with key community stakeholders. IHEs and those with whom they work have a good deal left to learn. However, as Victor Rubin so wisely comments in the final article of this collection, “Learning, not coincidentally, is what higher education is supposed to be about.”
Reference
Feld, Marcia Marker. 1998. “Community Outreach Partnership Centers: Forging New Relationships Between University and Community,” Journal of Planning Education and Research 17,4:285–290.
Developing a Framework for Understanding University-Community Partnerships
by David N. Cox
Community-University Partnerships for Affordable Housing
by Wim Wiewel, Frank Gaffikin, and Michael Morrissey
Higher Education’s Third Revolution: The Emergence of the Democratic Cosmopolitan Civic University
by Lee Benson and Ira Harkavy
An Experiential Approach to Creating an Effective Community-University Partnership: The East St. Louis Action Research Project
by Kenneth M. Reardon
Esperanza Familiar: A University-Community Partnership as a Social Learning Network
by Richard S. Kordesh
Youth, the Arts, and Community Outreach
by Marc T. Smith and Thomas M. Vetica
Capacity Building and Governance in El Cenizo
by Robert H. Wilson and Miguel Guajardo
Challenges of Institutional Outreach: A COPC Example
by Golden Jackson and Ronald B. Meyers
The Use of an External Organization To Facilitate University-Community Partnerships
by Larry Keating and David L. Sjoquist
Creating Linkages Among Community-Based Organizations, the University, and Public Housing Entities
by Jerome Lieberman, Jerry Miller, and Virginia Kohl
Mutual Awareness, Mutual Respect: The Community and the University Interact
by Loomis Mayfield and Edgar P. Lucas, Jr.
Incubator Without Walls (IWW): A University-Business Partnership for Neighborhood Redevelopment
by Burton V. Dean, Jerome S. Burstein, Linda J. Woodsmall, and Judith C. Mathews
Collaborative Models for Metropolitan University Outreach: The Omaha Experience
by Alice Schumaker, B.J. Reed, and Sara Woods
Issues in Evaluating Neighborhood Change: Economic Development and Community-Building Indicators
by Stanley E. Hyland
Evaluating University-Community Partnerships: An Examination of the Evolution of Questions and Approaches
by Victor Rubin
Notes
Persons With Disabilities Assisted Under the Section 8 Mainstream Set-Aside Program
by Deborah Devine
Social Experiments in Housing
by Mark Shroder
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Cityscape is published three times a year by the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Subscriptions are available at no charge and single copies at a nominal fee. The journal is also available on line at http://www. huduser.gov/periodicals/cityscape.html.
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CATALYST is a consortium of five equal partners that complement each others capabilities and create synergies that enable the project to fulfill its mission.
The Academy for Educational Development (AED) is known domestically and internationally for its work in the areas of formal and non-formal education, training, and human resources development, and is a recognized leader in behavior change communication (BCC) and social marketing. AED focuses on the application of behavioral research and communication methodologies for interventions in health, nutrition, family planning, STI/HIV prevention, environmental education and programs for adolescents. Community participation is a major strategy used by AED to promote behavior change as well as program sustainability. AED also works to increase the capacity for informed decision-making among clients and communities by effectively addressing cultural barriers to healthy practices by utilizing community participation, mass media, and social marketing approaches. This strategy improves community awareness, increases dialogue between partners, and increases knowledge about healthy FP/RH practices.
CEDPA's mission is to empower women at all levels of society to be full partners in development. CEDPA's strategies for empowerment include building the capacities of development institutions and networks, mobilizing womens participation at the policy level, linking FP/RH services and womens empowerment, and making youth an integral part of the development agenda. CEDPA works with a global network of over 5,000 alumni and 134 partner organizations in the population and development sectors worldwide and has broad experience in the delivery of community-based FP/RH services linked with other womens development initiatives to increase the status of women. In addition, the organization has extensive expertise in training, capacity building of NGOs and community based networks, provision of RH services to adolescents and young adults, and working collaboratively with local and international organizations as well as donor agencies.
Meridian Group International, Inc., a woman-owned small business, works with the commercial sector and creates innovative public-private partnerships. The agency has particular expertise in the introduction of products into markets and influencing commercial companies to collaborate with the non-profit and public sectors. The director of Meridian pioneered collaborative private-public sector partnerships with organizations such as Schering, Wyeth, Organon, Pharmacia & UpJohn, and Gedeon Richter. Meridian has also spearheaded innovative commercial partnerships in the important emerging area of corporate social responsibility, helping a wide range of businesses incorporate FP/RH into their workplace code of ethics as well as their community outreach programs. Meridian s expertise of creating partnerships encompasses work with social marketing programs, private sector health insurance, service provider networks and business building activities related to micro enterprise development programs.
Pathfinder Internationals experience designing, managing and monitoring large projects spans four decades and three continents. The organizations particular expertise lies in the broad areas of service delivery, including community-based and clinical services, in urban and rural settings, and through private/public sectors. Pathfinder works with local community groups to design programs that are client-centered to improve access and quality of services, and to develop systems to ensure adequate supplies of contraceptives. The organization also pioneered the concept of bringing FP services to clients with its community-based distribution (CBD) programs. In some countries CBD has been linked with income generation activities and community development initiatives. Pathfinder also has extensive experience in scaling-up FP/RH services to increase the number of people served and expand geographic coverage and links with other groups. Pathfinder also works with a special focus on the needs of young people.
PROFAMILIA/Colombia is the major provider of FP/RH services in Colombia and is a recognized global leader for its clinical, outreach, adolescent and male programs. The agency has proven to be highly successful in the area of sustainability, demonstrating the need for efficiency, high-quality gender sensitive services, and expertly managed diversified programs to reach greater self-reliance. PROFAMILIA has extensive experience in south-to-south collaboration, through which it provides short-term technical assistance in a variety of FP/RH areas, to both governmental and non-governmental institutions. PROFAMILIA also has extensive experience with health sector reform in Colombia both at the policy and implementation level. Lessons learned while assisting the Colombian government design legislation for health sector reform, as well as knowledge on how to improve NGO involvement and create partnerships among all sectors, are invaluable in ensuring the right to FP/RH services. | http://rhcatalyst.org/Partners.asp |
Public housing is low-income housing operated by a local housing authority. Public housing was first provided in the 1930s to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities. There are many types of public housing ranging from scattered single-family house to high -rise apartments. There are approximately 1.3 million households living in public housing units managed by more than 3,300 housing authorities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers federal aid to these local housing agencies to manage the affordable housing for low-income residents. HUD furnishes technical assistance in planning, developing, and managing the developments.
Public housing is development-based assistance. This means that assistance is "attached" to a specific housing development that is owned by a public housing authority (PHA). When a vacancy occurs in that development, the PHA offers it to prospective tenants. As long as they live in the apartment the assistance "stays " with them. When the next family moves in, they receive the assistance. Public housing is available for renters who qualify and is contingent on availability.
Section 8 housing
The Section 8 housing program is also a federal program, through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It subsidizes housing in the private housing market with certificates or vouchers issued through a PHA. Section 8 assistance is tenant-based. Tenant-based assistance goes with the tenant wherever he or she moves. With the certificate or voucher the tenant finds rental housing on the private housing market and a PHA agrees to assist them with the rent. The housing must meet certain basic quality standards and rent must be reasonable. Public housing and Section 8 programs account for 4.3 million subsidized units in the United States.
In rural communities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides rental assistance programs, home improvement and repair loans and grants, and self-help housing loans to low income individuals and families through the Rural Housing Service (RHS). Rental assistance ensures that elderly, disabled, and low-income residents of multi-family dwellings pay no more than 30 percent of their income for housing.
Manufactured housing
A manufactured home (formerly "mobile home") is a transportable, factory-constructed home. They are more affordable than conventional homes and offer many of the same amenities. Owners of manufactured homes rent or buy land on which to place a home. PHAs can subsidize homes for qualifying renters or buyers.
Housing initiatives focusing on home ownership
Cooperative housing
Cooperative housing, (also known as a "co-op"), is a democratic living environment where tenants cooperatively own the building(s) in which they live. Tenants usually form a not-for-profit cooperative organization to which each person or family contributes monthly to pay operating expenses. A co-op is managed by a board of co-op members. Residents buy a membership in the co-op, but the cooperative owns the building(s), land, and common areas. Residents live there as part of membership benefits and pay a fixed amount each month to cover expenses including mortgage, property taxes, maintenance, insurance, utilities, and reserves.
Housing co-ops come in forms ranging from single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses, garden apartment, mid- and high-rise apartments, fraternity and sorority houses, dormitories, rural communities, land subdivisions with sites and utilities, and manufactured homes. More than one million U.S. families of all income levels live in homes owned and operated through co-op associations. Cooperative housing is used in rural areas to provide easier to manage home ownership for seniors. This frees up single-family homes for younger families while maintaining independence for healthy seniors.
Advantages to cooperative housing are:
- Reasonable monthly charges for taxes and operating costs
- Tax deductions
- Ownership equity
- Members can jointly exert influence on tax rates and utilities prices and obtain improved services from local government
- Savings due to shared costs of ownership and not-for-profit status
- Community control
- Cultural diversity
- Shared maintenance responsibilities
- Ownership reduces vandalism and improves shared security
Disadvantage to cooperative housing:
- Difficulty in financing due to membership consisting of very low-income residents
- Many low-income co-ops must define minimum income limits for potential members in order to remain financially viable
Community Land Trust (CLT)
A Community Land Trust is a democratically controlled, non-profit corporation with an open membership and an elected board of trustees that makes it feasible for low-income families to be homeowners. A CLT typically acquires or holds land, but sells off commercial or residential buildings on the land. Without property, land cost is minimized or eliminated, making housing more affordable. Community land trusts develop affordable housing, commercial space, and parks while promoting home ownership, historic preservation, local control, and neighborhood revitalization.
CLTs operate in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The modern CLT model was developed in the 1960s by community activists wanting democratically controlled institutions that would hold land for the common good and make it available to individuals through long-term land leases. Many rural CLTs ensure access to land and housing for low -income people and preserve family farms. Urban CLTs often deal with combating the negative effects of speculation and gentrification.
Land speculation and gentrification often result in displacement of low-income residents. Speculation involves a developer buying up property to sell at a high profit for business or new residential development. Gentrification involves many individuals coming into a deteriorating neighborhood, buying property at a low price, rehabilitating it, and residing in the neighborhood. As the rate of gentrification increases, the face of a neighborhood changes radically and property values increase. This sometimes inspires residents to sell the properties at a large profit.
Typically, a CLT project has five or more sources of funding that may include commercial mortgages and construction loans, HUD loans and grants, a state housing finance agency, private foundation loans and grants, tax credits, and pension fund investments. CLT projects must meet strict requirements for housing quality; energy efficiency; historic preservation; handicapped accessibility; lead, asbestos, and other environmental requirements; and levels of affordability. Entire communities benefit from this thorough approach to development.
Community Development Corporation (CDC)
A Community Development Corporation is a nongovernmental development organization run by professional staff and citizen boards. Often the board members live in the community they serve, have a personal interest in improving it, and have intimate knowledge about how to do it. CDCs are funded from private, corporate, and government resources. They create opportunities in their communities through commercial, industrial, and residential initiatives. More than 2,000 nonprofit CDCs exist in the U.S.
Nonprofits are the groups usually most willing to invest the time and work in saving and building affordable housing, and have provided effective solutions to the housing problem. The main problem with relying completely on private developers to supply and restore publicly subsidized housing is that often there is conflict between public goals to provide housing and private interests to profit at taxpayers' expense.
Community Development Block Grants
The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 authorized the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs). The goal of the program was to rehabilitate the nation's deteriorating urban areas, build community leadership, and empower low-income people to take charge of their neighborhoods and their futures.
A CDBG offers funds to a locality on a competitive basis. They were designed to unite neighborhoods, business leaders, and government in building affordable housing, spurring economic development, creating jobs, and providing essential social services in disadvantaged communities. Twenty years and $60 billion later, the program has been judged as a partial success. Projects revitalized many neighborhoods, but low -income advocates had to wage continual battles to get funding and keep it targeted on needy neighborhoods. After some local governments used CDBG money for projects of questionable benefit to the poor, the program was amended to require that 70 percent of CDBG programs must benefit low- and moderate-income citizens. | https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/implement/physical-social-environment/affordable-housing/tools |
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Men’s Discussion Group – Development, Property Values and Gentrification
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pmFree
Members & guests–free. To register, please scroll down or call the Village office at 773.248.8700.
This presentation is by Sarah Duda of the Institute for Housing Studies (IHS) which is an applied research center situated in the Real Estate Center at DePaul University. IHS’s mission is to provide housing and community development practitioners, government agencies, and community-based organizations with reliable, impartial, and timely research and data about the state of affordable housing and neighborhood economic health. IHS’s research helps housing and community development practitioners understand often rapidly changing conditions in local housing markets, influences policy decisions, helps measure the impact of policy interventions, and raises awareness of emerging affordable housing and place-based community development issues.
As an illustration of the work that the Institute does, our speaker, Sarah Duda, will give a presentation on the impact that the opening of the 606 Trail had on property values in the vicinity of the trail. The presentation will include a discussion of the impact that the trail had on gentrification and on the residents who lived in the area and were forced out as property values changes.
For those of you not familiar with the 606, it is an old rail line that has been converted into a linear park. It runs along Bloomingdale Ave (1800 N), from Ashland Ave (1600 W) on the east to Ridgeway Ave (3750 W) on the west. The 606 has the elevated Bloomingdale Trail as its centerpiece, connecting to four neighborhood parks at ground level, an observatory, art installations, educational programming, and other amenities. Set above city streets, it’s a new way to explore Chicago on trails for biking, running and strolling. The 606 also connects parks, people, and communities; what once physically separated four neighborhoods now knits them together and attracts visitors from throughout Chicago and beyond.
We will also look at the impact that the Obama Library is having on property values and gentrifications in the Jackson Park area.
The Men’s Discussion Group meets every second Wednesday of each month, featuring different topics and guest speakers. It is open to men who are Village members and their male guests.
- Reservations required for all events.
- For virtual programs, links will be sent to registered attendees via email the day before the event.
- For in-person programs, The Village Chicago aims to match participating members by request to Village events when other members who are attending the event are able to provide transportation. When registering, please let the Village office know if you are able to drive or would like a ride to an event. | https://thevillagechicago.org/calender-events/mens-discussion-group-development-property-values-and-gentrification/ |
The Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation is seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to provide strategic management, leadership, policy development, program, and staff oversight. The Executive Director will provide staff support for the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation as well as the board of the Friends of Southwest Virginia (a 501c3 nonprofit) and ‘Round the Mountain: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Network (a 501c3 nonprofit). The Executive Director will oversee the staff implementation of the priorities and vision of these boards. A key focus is working with local and regional partners to develop and implement programs and projects that will achieve economic impact at the community level and help to diversify the overall economy of Southwest Virginia. Also, the position participates in and supports SWVA economic and community development organizations, events, and initiatives to promote the inclusion of creative economy goals and the SWVA brand. The position works and coordinates with the Crooked Road which is a separate entity closely aligned with the mission of the Foundation. A major role of the Executive Director is to manage the staff and develop and maintain partner and contractual relationships that operate the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace. This is a state position within the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and includes state benefits. DHCD provides administrative support to the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation.
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is committed to creating safe, affordable and prosperous communities to live, work and do business in Virginia.
Considerable knowledge of tourism, facilities management, community development, marketing and board management. Working knowledge of state and federal programs designed to provide community development, and community economic development. Skilled in strategic and nonprofit management. Ability to foster and promote collaboration across a range of community, regional, state and federal organizations and to work within an outcome framework. Considerable knowledge and experience in program and policy development, personnel management and overall financial and budget management. Ability to research and analyze complex issues and to develop and implement innovative solutions, policies, and programs. Ability to operate at a higher policy level with frequent interaction with senior state and local executives and legislative policy makers. Considerable knowledge of managing diverse and complex programs and budgets. Demonstrated ability to design and conduct public information sessions, training workshops, and conferences as well as make technical and complex presentations. Demonstrated ability and skill to negotiate sensitive issues, resolve problems, and effectively communicate both orally and in writing with all levels of government officials, nonprofits, client groups and the public. Strong interpersonal skills. Ability to work in a collaborative environment. College degree in public administration, nonprofit management, urban and regional planning, community or economic development, public administration, business administration, tourism development, marketing or related field. Advanced degree preferred. Experience indicating possession of above knowledge, skills, and abilities. An equivalent combination of training and experience will be considered in lieu of educational requirements. Considerable knowledge and ability in planning and coordination the work of diverse organizations and partners.
Valid driver’s license and travel when necessary are required.
DHCD is an equal opportunity employer who values diversity in the workforce. All qualified applicants are afforded equal opportunities without regard for race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, political affiliation or disability. Reasonable accommodations are available to applicants with disabilities, if requested, during the application and/or interview process.
If accommodations are needed with the application and/or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Office at 804-371-7080.
This website will provide a confirmation of receipt when the application is submitted for consideration. Consideration for an interview is based solely on the information within the application.
Please refer to your RMS account for the status of your application. You will be required to respond to position specific questions at the end of this application. | https://www.philanthropyjobs.com/jobdetail-295191-Executive%20Director,%20SWVA%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Foundation/Friends%20of%20SWVA |
The adverse impacts of climate change are increasingly becoming manifest in the New York metropolitan region. Superstorm Sandy in 2012 (Sandy) served as the proverbial wake up call for the region resulting in 91 deaths1 and over $65 billion in damages across its path,2 bringing New York City (NYC), the region’s thriving economic engine, to a grinding halt for days. Tunnels and bridges shut down, wastewater treatment plants spilled billions of gallons of untreated sewage into the sensitive estuary system, and today, more than six years later, many neighborhoods are still working to recover.
Outside the context of extreme storms like Sandy, heavier precipitation events, compromised water and air quality, warmer temperatures, and sea level rise are increasingly taking their toll on communities, aging infrastructure, and stressed natural systems. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment highlights, all of these adverse impacts disproportionately affect low-income communities, which comprise about one-third of the population of the NYC metropolitan area (NYMA).3 These communities are limited in their adaptive capacity to cope with such stressors—much less adapt.
Regional Plan Association (RPA) is a nearly century-old research, planning and advocacy organization that promotes the 31-county NYMA’s prosperity, sustainability, health, and equity. Since the 1920s, RPA has developed groundbreaking long-range plans to guide the growth of the region. RPA’s recently-released Fourth Regional Plan made climate change one of its key research pillars, with about one-third of the plan’s recommendations directly tackling the issue.4 The process to develop the plan was heavily influenced by the perspectives of local community-based organizations, which RPA integrated into the planning process with philanthropic support from the Ford and JPB foundations. Local community-based organizations—many without a core environmental mission or the capacity to integrate the latest climate change research into their work—are increasingly faced with addressing the impacts of climate change in their day-to-day work.
Building on the partnership model pioneered as part of its Fourth Regional Plan, RPA calls on financial institutions to invest in regional-local partnerships between research and planning groups and local community-based organizations. Greater proliferation of such pairings will result in a virtuous cycle of regional research driven by local experience and local community development informed by regional data analysis and trends, which would advance better and more equitable policies and higher quality of life in all of our communities.
Advancing Climate Solutions for the NYMA
Since the 1920s, RPA has developed groundbreaking long-range plans to guide the growth of the NYMA. Ideas and recommendations put forth in these plans have led to the establishment of some of the region’s most significant infrastructure, open space, and economic development projects, including new bridges and roadways, improvements to the transit network, the preservation of vital open space, and the renewed emphasis on creating sustainable communities centered around jobs and transit.
RPA’s general research approach around a given topic typically involves compiling and analyzing relevant publicly-available data in concert with in-depth research into trends and best practices, guided by stakeholder input, in order to develop recommendations for innovations and policy changes at all levels of governance. The organization promotes its findings and recommended actions through a dedicated effort to build strategic alliances, communicate, and advocate for them.
The organization has been focused on the topic of climate change since the release of its Third Regional Plan: A Region at Risk,5 which warned about the potential impacts of failing to curb our greenhouse gas emissions. As this and other similar warnings went unheeded and the threat of climate change impacts started to become a reality, the organization increasingly focused its environmental efforts to conduct research and communicate the need for climate solutions, including adaptation and mitigation.
One of the goals of RPA’s work is to make complicated topics easier to understand for decision-makers, stakeholder organizations, and the general public. Our work to mainstream the issue of climate change has evolved over the years from an issue associated with other projects, to one that we provide strategic advice on, to a featured issue of our research and advocacy, including America 2050,6 a national planning program which focused on the need to address greenhouse gas emissions through improved land use decisions, regional compacts, and better transportation options. RPA has produced and led research on over a dozen major climate related initiatives in the NYMA covering everything from managed retreat to climate finance.7
A Virtuous Cycle: Regional Policy Research and Local Community Experience
As a research-based organization focused on the long-term prosperity, sustainability, health, and equity of the NYMA, one of RPA’s core strengths lies in the analysis of regional data to identify trends and build the case for improved policies and wise investments. At the same time, the region’s many community-based organizations work hard every day to improve the lives of community members at the local level, while providing educational and other related services for them.
All too often, these processes—regional planning and community development—proceed in parallel with very little intersection. The end result can be a damaging disconnect between regional policy formulation and the local community experience and, at the same time, community development proceeding without the benefit of research trends and findings. Absent the input of individuals, particularly the region’s most economically distressed residents and communities of color, valuable insights are lost and there is an inherent risk of repeating the planning and policy mistakes of the past.
Namely, policies that have perpetuated inequality between people of different races, ethnicities, abilities, incomes, ages, genders, and other social identities, including: unequal access to financing; restrictive covenants; blockbusting; redlining and racial steering; environmental injustices with disparate impacts; urban highway construction that tore apart immigrant communities and communities of color; and transportation that served only some parts of the population, all perpetuated an unequal society. Recognizing the importance of the local informing the regional and the regional informing the local, RPA has found ways to create a virtuous cycle between the two approaches in recent planning efforts, including the development of our Fourth Regional Plan and a project aimed at implementing some of the resilience measures proposed by the plan at a neighborhood scale, called “Equitable Adaptation.”
The Fourth Regional Plan
The purpose of RPA is—once a generation—to research and produce a long-range plan with recommendations for new or improved policy and planning as well as investments into regional infrastructure, and to then advocate for the implementation of those recommendations. Over the course of its history, RPA has sought the engagement of stakeholders at many different levels to inform the research of its regional plans, from surveys and focus groups to Emmy Award-winning promotional videos. As it embarked on its most recent plan, the organization set out to reach deeper into communities than it ever had before with a new model of community engagement focused on including constituencies that have traditionally been underrepresented in planning processes. With support and guidance from the Ford and JPB foundations, RPA collaborated with organizations that have members or networks representing low-income individuals and communities of color, as well as other underrepresented constituencies. Collectively, the Fourth Regional Plan partner organizations represent over 50,000 low-income residents and residents of color in the region.
In the first phase of our multi-year collaboration, partners held dozens of workshops and surveyed more than 1,500 individuals and families from underrepresented groups around the region. Community partners surveyed individuals on busses, knocked on doors, held focus groups and larger workshops to learn that the most important challenge for low-income residents in the region is battling a growing sense of instability. Job insecurity, unsafe housing conditions, capricious evictions, lack of access to quality food, health care and other services, ever increasing cost of living, and racial discrimination combine to make the day-to-day feel unpredictable for the region’s low-income communities. These residents expressed the desire to be more meaningfully included in decision-making processes with the potential to improve their quality of life and provided critical stories that shaped the plan.
In the second phase, partner organizations brought community leaders to RPA to participate in strategy and solutions sessions around draft recommendations directly with RPA research staff. RPA and a nonprofit community planning group, Hester Street Collaborative, created visuals and activities that communicated Fourth Regional Plan findings and preliminary proposals. These enabled the gathering of input on preliminary community development, resilience, and infrastructure recommendations. Community leaders used the same tools to communicate fourth plan findings and preliminary recommendations at community workshops around the region. Participants critiqued RPA’s proposed mechanisms to revitalize communities while protecting against residential displacement, to protect vulnerable residents from rising sea levels, and to connect less dense areas. The process yielded many insights for RPA and community participants and strengthened plan proposals in their early stages to improve quality of life for low-income residents.
In the third phase and beyond, RPA and community partners shifted to implementation of Fourth Regional Plan recommendations that most strongly support improved quality of life for low-income residents in the tri-state region. RPA and partners focus work on building local capacity such that underrepresented constituencies become better equipped to advocate for more inclusive land use and planning, allowing for the construction of more affordable housing, better connectivity, and more environmental resilience. RPA and partners also jointly wrote an equity agenda for the NYMA, committing to continue collaborating in the future, in order to promote the equitable implementation of the Fourth Regional Plan.
Soon after its release, RPA, in partnership with Make the Road New York (MRNY), worked together to focus implementation of the plan at the local level in Central Queens. MRNY is a community-based organization with a mission to build the power of Latino and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services in the neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, and Corona in the New York City borough of Queens. Tackling issues of equity and climate change, the project, Equitable Adaptation, has built on the comprehensive community engagement process initiated as part of the Fourth Regional Plan with the purpose of improving the adaptive capacity and community resilience of Queens’ communities, in particular, those low-income communities of color whom MRNY serves.
Equitable Adaptation solidified RPA’s and MRNY’s working relationships and married RPA’s research and planning capabilities with MRNY’s on-the-ground knowledge and community organizing prowess to uncover the ways that climate change affects low-income households and communities of color and to increase the capacity of community organizers and community members to tackle its detrimental causes and effects. RPA had already carried out mapping analyses of such issues as storm surge and sea level rise flooding, urban heat island impact, and how they affect these communities. The organization’s demographic analyses had also indicated that these communities were among the region’s most ethnically diverse, had much higher levels of non-citizens than average, and had higher levels of poverty than surrounding neighborhoods. But working together with MRNY, through surveys of residents, stakeholder workshops, and local insights of community leaders, a deeper level of analysis was achieved that allowed the two groups to move beyond traditional policy recommendations. For example, the joint effort revealed that the obvious impacts of coastal storm-flooding and sea level rise experienced by waterfront communities are felt differently by more inland, low-income communities of color like East Elmhurst and Corona. In these communities, the impacts of climate change are experienced more as a domino effect that impacts a resident’s ability to get to work or school, their physical and mental health, and their safety. The project’s final report issued recommendations that reflected the multi-dimensional level of analysis, grouping them according to:
- Personal Adaptation, including small actions that individuals and families can take to cope with the stress of climate change and its direct and indirect effects;
- Collective Resiliency, focusing on the opportunity to build the capacity of MRNY as a community-based organization by adapting or enhancing existing programs and applying a resilience lens; and
- Community Advocacy, which identifies the cross-cutting, co-beneficial policy improvements that local residents and stakeholder groups such as MRNY can advocate for to help adapt their community and others like it to the effects of climate change.
The two organizations were recently awarded additional funding by New York Community Trust to carry out a subset of the actions recommended in the project’s report. Such funding will continue to support the virtuous cycle this project has brought about.
Funding the Virtuous Cycle
The two examples described above could not have been possible without generous philanthropic support. The missions of the three foundations that supported RPA’s work with community-based organizations were well-aligned with what the collaborative of groups set out to do. The unfortunate truth, however, is that in the long history of RPA, these collaborations comprise but a small percentage of the funded opportunities the organization has achieved. The value of such partnerships—to both the organizations involved as well as to greater society from the concepts and proposals that emerge from them—far exceed the investments to make them happen.
Going forward, RPA calls on financial institutions, under the umbrella of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) community development activities, to expand investments into such regional-local partnerships. These investments would expand the virtuous cycle in more places and help to add capacity to local organizations and expand the body of knowledge to regional organizations, resulting in better policies and actions that improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. As financial institutions consider such investments, they should look to other models that have, to varying levels of success, enabled such virtuous pairings. Two examples include the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and the 2011-15 Sustainable Communities Initiative Regional Planning Grant Program.
Wells Fargo Regional Foundation
The Wells Fargo Regional Foundation awards both planning and implementation grants for Neighborhood Planning initiatives to “support long-term, resident-driven neighborhood revitalization” in Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.8 Grants are awarded primarily to local community-based organizations. However, they require the participation of planning consultants. The majority of projects employ private planning firms, but RPA in 2012 partnered with two local organizations—St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society and Cooper’s Ferry Partnership—in Camden, NJ to carry out a neighborhood plan for East Camden. St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society’s local knowledge plus Cooper’s Ferry Partnership’s outreach strength, along with RPA’s research and planning expertise, resulted in an award-winning neighborhood plan called My East Camden which today is being implemented. This financial-institution-backed grant program has many notable qualities which could be replicated by other institutions.
Sustainable Communities Initiative: Regional Planning Grant Program
Between 2011 and 2015, a cross-section of federal agencies, including the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among others, collaborated and offered funding to support regional and local planning efforts to help communities integrate housing, transportation, infrastructure, and environmental goals into a vision for a better future under the Sustainable Communities Initiative. Under the initiative, a Regional Planning Grant Program supported locally-led efforts that encouraged collaboration between diverse regional interests. In 2011, RPA received a grant through the program and led the New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium which was comprised of nine cities, two counties, and five regional entities focused on connecting communities, focusing growth in centers and integrating planning to achieve economic, equity, and environmental goals. Key advisors to the undertaking included local transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental justice and community organizations. Project outcomes included New York City’s waterfront planning resilience approach, a housing strategy for Long Island and local smart growth initiatives for communities in Connecticut and the Hudson Valley. The program demonstrated the value of funding local efforts with a regional lens.
Conclusions
RPA’s efforts to improve the prosperity, sustainability, health, and equity of the NYMA through regional planning and policy recommendations are ambitious yet built on a legacy of success. As the adverse impacts of climate change worsen, the effects on residents of local communities and the organizations that serve them will require changes to the way we plan and invest. Integrating community development and regional planning across scales and populations is key to advancing our collective adaptive capacity and community resilience.
Financial institutions should consider expanding investments into regional-local partnerships, like those in the NYMA and others across the country. Through such investments, regional planning organizations, like the Metropolitan Planning Council in Chicago and SPUR in San Francisco, as well as university-led planning centers, could become better informed as they develop and advance policy, while community-based organizations increase participation in planning processes and benefit from expanded capacity. Adaptation requires an informed and engaged populace. Informing without engaging and engaging without informing are the hurdles that we must cross in advancing equitable and just climate adaptation.
1. Centers for Disease Control. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Sandy—October–November 2012,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2013).
2. National Hurricane Center. “Costliest U.S. Tropical Cyclones Tables Updated,” National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (2018).
3. U.S. Global Change Research Program. Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II (Reidmiller, D.R. et al. [eds.]), (2018). doi: 10.7930/NCA4.2018
4. Regional Plan Association. “Fourth Regional Plan” (2017).
5. Regional Plan Association. “3rd Regional Plan: A Region at Risk” (1996).
6. Regional Plan Association. “America 2050” (2005).
7. Regional Plan Association. “Where to Reinforce and Where to Retreat” (2015); Keenan, J.M. “Regional Resilience Trust Funds: An Exploratory Analysis for the New York Metropolitan Region,” Regional Plan Association (2017); and Keenan, J.M. “Regional Resilience Trust Funds: An Exploratory Analysis for Leveraging Insurance Surcharges,” Environment Systems and Decisions, 38(1) (2018), pp. 118-139. doi:10.1007/s10669-017-9656-3
8. Wells Fargo Regional Foundation. “Mission”. | https://www.frbsf.org/community-development/publications/community-development-investment-review/2019/october/investing-in-the-virtuous-cycle/ |
How We Will Accomplish Our Objective
We will promote active involvement of HHS grantees in support of comprehensive community development networks. Our strategy will include:
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continuing investment in community-based organizations, such as Community Action Agencies, that plan, coordinate, and link a range of categorical federal, state, local, and private assistance in a manner responsive to local needs.
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offering priority funding to Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, Native American communities, and other distressed communities pursuing comprehensive strategic plans for revitalization, through grant criteria in various HHS programs.
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encouraging health and human service programs to play a lead role in comprehensive community development efforts, such as Healthy Start involvement in community development programs.
We will strengthen the economic infrastructure within distressed communities to establish the foundation for a stable environment. Our strategy will include:
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encouraging participation in interagency "new market" initiatives to spur private investment in distressed communities through financial assistance to programs that target job creation for low-income individuals (e.g., financial and technical assistance to private employers, self-employment/ microenterprise programs, and business development programs).
2.7 implementation strategies
- Supporting Community Development Networks
- Economic Infrastructure Development
- Developing Community Institutions/Civic Capital
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leveraging HHS-funded programs (such as federally funded health centers, which generated nearly $3 billion in economic activity within distressed communities in FY 1999) to serve as catalysts for community economic development through job creation and utilization of local markets.
We will enhance the capacity of community-based institutions and development of civic capital to enable communities to collaborate more effectively, amass sufficient resources, and create synergies in addressing mutual difficulties and challenges. Our focus will include:
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providing training, technical assistance, and related instructional materials to community-based organizations, to support planning, program development, resource identification and coordination.
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sponsoring programs that develop community leadership and empower residents to participate in the design and implementation of programs that best meet local needs, such as in the areas of substance abuse prevention and treatment, mental health, HIV/AIDS services and treatment, and child development.
|HHS Agencies contributing to this objective:
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ACF
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establishing performance measurement scales and systems that assess and correlate family, organizational, and community well-being.
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providing technical assistance and funding to low income communities and provider organizations in the communities to develop health care delivery systems and priority primary care services.
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providing financial incentives to encourage low-income individuals to save for purchasing homes and starting businesses. | https://aspe.hhs.gov/report/hhs-strategic-goals-and-objectives-fy-2001/objective-27-improve-economic-and-social-development-distressed-communities |
In August of 2012, the College of Architecture and the Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning appointed Dr. John Cooper as an Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Director of both CHUD and HRRC. His appointment in all three units facilitates high impact educational experiences by engaging students and faculty in deepened commitment to:
- capacity building,
- community development, and
- disaster recovery
in minority and low-income communities across the state, creating opportunities for extended and substantive interactions.
Service
CHUD's service and engagement strengthens and establishes relationships with:
- internal and external funders to garner support for research and program activities
- local governments
- community-based organizations
that could benefit from the knowledge generated through research and program activities
CHUD provides a solid foundation to link, coordinate, and integrate the efforts of multiple stakeholders, to create a single cohesive critical mass that pools, leverages, and shares resources within local, regional, state, national, and international public/private partnerships.
CHUD pursues initiatives, programs, and projects of common interest and benefit to all, especially those that enhance both the quality of life for people and the quality of the place in which they live.
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To empower and enable communities to be active participants and contributors in finding solutions to their problems, to satisfy their pressing needs themselves, and to realize the opportunities they have. | http://chud.arch.tamu.edu/Outreach/Community%20Engagement/Community%20Engagement.html |
EQWIP HUBs is a global network of innovation spaces where youth develop market-relevant skills and gain access to the mentorship, networks, technology and capital to transition to the workforce or to launch a new wave of youth-owned enterprise. Hosted by local Partner Organizations in 12 urban centers across Bolivia, Ghana, Indonesia, Peru, Senegal, and Tanzania, EQWIP HUBs is a unique platform for youth peer-to-peer collaboration.
EQWIP HUBs is a joint project of Canada World Youth (CWY) and Youth Challenge International (YCI), two world-renowned catalysts of innovative youth development and global exchange solutions, with generous funding support from the Government of Canada.
The Role:
EQWIP HUBs is looking for Facilitation & Training Assistants who will collaborate with local staff and partner organizations to develop and strengthen the project’s educational plans that support youth access to employment and business opportunities.
As Facilitation and Training Assistant, you will support the HUB Training Coordinator in planning and delivering youth employment and entrepreneurship training programs. This includes onboarding of youth participants, planning and logistics, co-facilitating training as required, supporting peer-to-peer learning and coordinating workshops with partner organizations.
As a volunteer you will:
- Coordinate and support delivery of training workshops
- Support logistical arrangements for facilitation such as scheduling, preparation of materials, communications with participants, arranging travel, and coordinating facilitators
- Co-facilitate workshops and provide support to youth participants as necessary
- Provide support to local youth participants in using the online platform for registration and training activities
- Collaborate with the Youth Engagement Coordinator and the HUB trainers towards outreach/promotion efforts and reviewing targets to recruit youth participants for training programs and workshops
- Assist with the screening and selection of youth participants for Core Training programs
- Support administrative tasks such as tracking and submitting attendance
- Support data collection activities for monitoring and evaluation aspects of the project
- Apply capacity building principles in the development and implementation of all activities
- Develop, document and share all tools and materials developed with partners and country staff
- Contribute to gender equality objectives of the project by ensuring the participation of women in all activities
- Additional responsibilities and tasks may be assigned based on HUB and Partner Organization priorities.
Qualifications and skills
- Post-secondary degree or equivalent professional experience in education, social sciences, community development, youth work/studies
- Commitment toward youth engagement, cultural diversity, and volunteerism
- Knowledge of adult education principles and/or experience facilitating training using participatory methods
- Knowledge of or experience with entrepreneurship, or employment skills training considered an asset
- Experience with blended learning and e-learning considered an asset
- Experience in selected country or region would be an asset
- Able to thrive as part of a team, in person and remotely
- Require minimal supervision and to manage multiple priorities
- Excellent interpersonal, communication (oral and written), and organizational skills
Terms and Conditions:
You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for this volunteer placement.
Most costs related to this placement are covered. EQWIP HUBs offers the following conditions that cover basic living expenses while in-country. They include:
- Support and guidance prior to departure and while on assignment in country
- Online pre-departure training
- In-country orientation and briefing upon arrival in-country
- Language training in-country where required
- Return international flights and visa costs
- Health and emergency insurance
- Modest monthly living allowance while overseas. This allowance covers communications, housing and food costs and other typical monthly living expenses
Volunteers contribute to youth innovation
Successful applicants undertake to fundraise prior to departure. Volunteer contributions support the Youth Innovation Fund which provides small grants to local youth business start-ups. Fundraising goals are between $2,950 and $3,900 and based on placement length. | https://www.eqwiphubs.org/placements/facilitation-training-assistant/ |
Northeast Park Hill’s history is rich with culture, family-owned restaurants, and local youth sports, especially within the Black community.
In the past several decades, however, the neighborhood has faced its challenges. Economic disinvestment has forced countless families to leave and left remaining families without basic services and amenities. This has resulted in displacement, lower educational outcomes, fewer job opportunities, a lack of access to healthy foods, and one of the highest rates of youth gun violence in the Denver Metro Area.
In 1970, 88% of the neighbors were Black. Now less than 43% of the residents in Northeast Park Hill are Black. The average annual income in the neighborhood is around $58,000 compared to almost double that in nearby North Park Hill and South Park Hill. The cultural heritage of Northeast Park Hill is slowly disappearing as more and more Black families are displaced due to a lack of affordable housing.
The neighborhood spans from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. north to Interstate 70 and from Colorado Blvd. east to Quebec Street. It is a food desert, which is defined as communities in urban areas that are more than one mile from a supermarket where they can access fresh, healthy food. The neighborhood lost its grocery store when the Dahlia Shopping Center, once one of the largest Black-owned shopping centers in the country, began to suffer and was eventually redeveloped after decades into affordable senior housing with the help of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority.
In addition, the 2019 Denver Public Health’s Youth Gun Violence Report, showed the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood has one of the highest concentrations of youth gun violence in the Denver Metro Area. The report identifies lack of economic opportunity, high levels of poverty and lack of community connections as contributing factors to this violence.
We believe that the 155-acre property known as the Park Hill Golf Course could be a unique opportunity to address many of the needs of Northeast Park Hill residents. The property is large enough to provide both the open space and the economic, housing, and lifestyle opportunities that can empower our Black community.
We recognize that there are people that want the area to become a 155-acre park. We understand the need for parkland in a growing city and the positive effects open space has on public health. However, we also recognize the privilege inherent in demanding that it be placed in a community with so many other needs that have a direct impact on public health like access to healthy food, affordable housing and economic opportunity.
As community members and co-developers of the Park Hill Golf Course, we believe the dialog on environmental equity that needs to take place in Northeast Park Hill is bigger than just open space. There is room for balance, and we need to address climate change as an intersectional issue. We also need to recognize the research that shows the negative impacts that green gentrification can have on low-income communities.
As a social enterprise, we believe everything we do should lead and empower communities to create solutions for sustainable wealth. And as developers, we believe development can be environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, and economically prosperous if done through asset-based community development.
We need to focus on the people, not the property, and we need to make sure that the most recent voices or those that come from a privileged position are not the loudest voices. Equity demands that we amplify the voices of those who have been marginalized in the past.
That is exactly why we decided to step into our partnership with Westside Investment Partners as co-developers at the Park Hill Golf Course. At the golf course we have enough land to support the needs of the community and create a new regionally sized park. Through asset-based community-led development, we can empower communities to engage and create smart, equitable growth through collaborative urban planning.
In the clubhouse alone, we’ve been honored to connect and support organizations like Sisters of Color United For Education, Bondadosa, and The McBride Impact without even developing the land, but we see a larger opportunity here to help the community at large.
We believe the Park Hill Golf Course project could provide economic revitalization to uplift the Northeast Park Hill community, and we want to involve our community in reimagining what else it could be.
Some have suggested that there are other locations that can be developed, that the neighborhood just needs to wait. But the time is now, and we believe this property can be more than a golf course.
Norman Harris and Ty Hubbard are co-founders of The Holleran Group a collaborative partnership of community-driven African American real estate developers, brokers, financial and community relations professionals. | https://parkhillgolfcoursereimagined.info/denver-post-op-ed-denvers-northeast-park-hill-doesnt-need-a-golf-course-it-needs-opportunity-and-housing/ |
Three steps to leverage data and technology to help low-income residents
Many local organizations help people with limited resources achieve upward mobility and stability. Some of these groups, which span the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, possess untapped data and technology skills that could make a more significant impact if they were combined and deployed strategically.
The Civic Tech and Data Collaborative—guided by the Urban Institute’s National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), Living Cities, and Code for America—brought together local government officials, civic technologists, and community data organizations across seven cities to explore harnessing data and technology to benefit low-income residents. The collaborative demonstrated three steps cities should take to successfully leverage data and technology to improve the lives of residents with limited economic resources.
1. Build intentional, lasting relationships across sectors.
Organizations working to improve communities often stay in their lane and don’t recognize data and technology as powerful tools. Champions for equity should expand their networks by mapping their civic tech and data ecosystem to uncover groups with common interests, create new connections, and identify gaps in knowledge. Potential collaborators include advocates, city and county government, tech volunteer groups, data experts, and community members.
Fostering meaningful relationships takes time but builds a foundation for groups to surface issues where data and technology can part of a solution and forge partnerships to pilot new approaches.
In Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University’s Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development fielded a survey of local data and tech organizations that led to new alliances, culminating in two successful years of Cleveland Data Days. These events comprise trainings, workshops, and inspirational speakers for an audience of diverse stakeholders to build community and broaden capacity for innovative data and tech collaboration.
2. Commit to shared core principles.
Setting forth common principles is the first step in activating organizations to join forces to improve their communities. Our cities had government, tech, and data groups that were dedicated to collaborating in new ways and designing tools explicitly to benefit low-income communities. Coordinated by the NNIP partner organization Rise, CivTech St. Louis convened an advisory group with players from diverse sectors to set priorities for their local collaborative. They adopted a vision to empower citizens with tools and data that lead to more effective government, a more engaged community, and a more equitable society.
This mission statement guided the development of YourSTLCourts.com, a website that enables residents to better navigate the local judicial system by looking up their own tickets and warrants. Responding to user input, the website includes a texting option to receive court information and provides information about court expectations and community service options.
3. Draw on strengths and assets from across sectors.
Mapping community resources provides a portrait of the collective skills and tools that communities can put to work. Through collaborations, different sectors help each other develop new skills and exchange ideas about fresh strategies. Additionally, collaboratives should make space for residents to engage early and consistently with the development of tools intended to benefit them. Bringing data and technology expertise into government services increases agencies’ capacity to communicate with and deliver services to residents.
In Boston, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (the NNIP partner) and the city’s Division of Youth Engagement and Employment came together to redesign key program elements for the city’s youth employment program, including the application interface, how youth are assigned jobs, and how the agency communicates with applicants. As a result, the number of youths hired increased 20 percent from 2016 to 2017.
In Washington, DC, the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development and Urban–Greater DC, with decades of knowledge of affordable housing preservation, partnered with Code for DC, which contributed its ties to tech volunteers and experience with user-centered design. The creation of an affordable housing preservation decision tool offered a proof of concept for the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development for teaming up with volunteers and relying on open-source technology.
Our local collaboratives recognize that data and technology are not appropriate for solving every civic issue, and tools alone don’t overcome larger systemic and resource challenges. But investing in civic tech and data collaboration can cultivate a broader set of allies that care about the well-being of low-income residents and can support advocacy efforts to tackle policy issues.
Illustration by Jamie Jones/Getty Images. | https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/three-steps-leverage-data-and-technology-help-low-income-residents |
James Webb helps discover life on Earth-like exoplanets
In a new study, scientists have developed an effective way to investigate habitability and discover life on exoplanets with the help of future observations by James Webb.
TRAPPIST-1e is one of seven planets in the "Trappist-1" system, which orbits a relatively cool M-dwarf star 39 light-years from Earth. . The fact that all the planets in this system are thought to be rocky worlds with the same size as Earth has made the TRAPPIST-1 system the main focus of the search for life beyond the solar system.
- simulation of sunset in different planets; Worlds with colorful sunsets
During the next year, this star system and planet TRAPPIST-1e, considered one of the most "potentially habitable" exoplanets discovered, will be the subject of an important part of the studies " James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The new research used a computer to simulate the climate of TRAPPIST-1e. This planet is roughly the same size as Earth but has 40% less mass and is located in the "life belt" of its parent star, where the temperature is suitable for liquid water.
- All about the discovery of Earth's seven sisters
In addition to investigating how the climate of the simulated exoplanet reacts to the increase in greenhouse gases, especially the effect of carbon dioxide on conditions Extreme weather and rate of climate change, the research team compared it with Earth. Two parameters that, according to "Assaf Hochman" (Assaf Hochman), who led the study, "are very important for the existence of life on other planets and are now being studied in depth for the first time."
Researchers found that the atmosphere of TRAPPIST-1e Compared to Earth, it is much more sensitive to greenhouse gases. This means that increased greenhouse gases in TRAPPIST-1e's atmosphere could lead to more severe climate changes than on Earth.
Such sensitivity could be due to TRAPPIST-1e's gravitational lock to its parent star. In such a case, one side of the extrasolar planet always faces the star and is constantly bombarded by the star's radiation, unlike the Earth, which rotates around itself at a different speed when it rotates around the sun, and all its directions are exposed to sunlight.
Huchman said about James Webb's role in such studies: "The established research framework, along with observational data from the James Webb Telescope, allows scientists to better assess the atmospheres of many other planets without the need to send astronauts to visit them up close. .
A subject that, according to him, helps to make informed decisions about possible planets suitable for human habitation or even finding extraterrestrial life.
Scientists even believe that studying the climate change process An Earth-like exoplanet, including TRAPPIST-1e, could also help to better understand our planet's current and future climate changes. | https://safirsoft.com/news/other/james-webb-helps-discover-life-earth-like-exoplanets |
The “potentially habitable” exoplanet boasts an atmosphere that allows for liquid water to exist on the surface. Astronomers have dubbed the alien world K2-18b and its atmospheric conditions were unveiled in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Dr Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy said the exoplanet’s atmosphere is just right to support life.
He said: “Water vapour has been detected in the atmospheres of a number of exoplanets but, even if the planet is in the habitable zone, that doesn’t necessarily mean there are habitable conditions on the surface.
“To establish the prospects for habitability, it is important to obtain a unified understanding of the interior and atmospheric conditions on the planet – in particular, whether liquid water can exist beneath the atmosphere.”
The exoplanet K2-18b sits about 124 light-years or 728,949,550,000,000 miles from Earth.
READ MORE: NASA officials ‘baffled’ after space cameras catch UFO following ISS
Although the planet is too far for any spacecraft or probe to reach, space telescopes and ground-based observatories can still study its atmospheric conditions.
Astronomers determined the planet is about 2.6 times as wide as Earth about 6.6 times as heavy.
The exoplanet was initially considered to be a ‘mini-Neptune’ or a planet shrouded in a thick envelope of hydrogen, water and a core of rock and iron.
If the atmospheric hydrogen is too thick, the temperatures and pressures on the water layer would be too great to support life.
But Dr Madhusudhan and his team have confirmed the hydrogen is not too thick and is just right for life to exist on the planet.
The researchers have also found other elements in the atmosphere, such as methane and ammonia.
Study co-author Matthew Nixon said: “We wanted to know the thickness of the hydrogen envelope – how deep the hydrogen goes.
“While this is a question with multiple solutions, we’ve shown that you don’t need much hydrogen to explain all the observations together.”
The researchers found the hydrogen accounts for about six percent of the planet’s mass.
The Cambridge researchers hope to refine their results and observations with the aid of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
The NASA observatory is scheduled to launch in March 2021.
How are scientists looking for life on other planets?
A key way in which astronomers could one day prove the existence of aliens is by searching for so-called biosignatures.
Sarah Stewart Johnson from Georgetown University said: “The more we explore the solar system and distant exoplanets, the more we find worlds that are really foreign.
“So our goal is to go beyond our current understandings and find ways to explore the world of life as we don’t know it.
“That might mean thinking about a spectrum of how ‘alive’ something might be. | https://newsflash.one/2020/02/27/alien-life-hopes-uk-scientists-eye-a-potentially-habitable-planet-for-evidence-of-ets/ |
We present occurrence rates for rocky planets in the habitable zones (HZ) of main-sequence dwarf stars based on the Kepler DR25 planet candidate catalog and Gaia-based stellar properties.
We present occurrence rates for rocky planets in the habitable zones (HZ) of main-sequence dwarf stars based on the Kepler DR25 planet candidate catalog and Gaia-based stellar properties.
tau Ceti is the closest single Sun-like star to the solar system and hosts a multi-planet system with four confirmed planets.
Membraneless compartments--models for a potential step in the early evolution of cells--have been shown to persist or form, disappear, and reform in predictable ways through multiple cycles of dehydration and rehydration.
Chemists studying how life started often focus on how modern biopolymers like peptides and nucleic acids contributed, but modern biopolymers don't form easily without help from living organisms.
The "Big Bang" may have started the universe but it's likely that littler bangs played a key role in life on Earth, say Albion College physics professor Nicolle Zellner and chemistry professor Vanessa McCaffrey.
The discovery of thousands of highly irradiated, low-mass, exoplanets has led to the idea that atmospheric escape is an important process that can drive their evolution.
Most of our current knowledge on planet formation is still based on the analysis of main-sequence, solar-type stars.
The detection of phosphine (PH3) has been recently reported in the atmosphere of Venus employing mm-wave radio observations (Greaves et at. 2020). We here demonstrate that the observed PH3 feature with JCMT can be fully explained employing plausible mesospheric SO2 abundances (~100 ppbv as per the SO2 profile given in their figure 9), while the identification of PH3 in the ALMA data should be considered invalid due to severe baseline calibration issues.
The photochemical haze produced in the upper atmosphere of Titan plays a key role in various atmospheric and surface processes on Titan.
Humankind's next giant step may be onto Mars. But before those missions can begin, scientists need to make scores of breakthrough advances, including learning how to grow crops on the red planet.
In the night of January 16, 2018, a fireball meteor streaked across the sky over the Midwest and Ontario before landing on a frozen lake in Michigan.
NASA scientists identified a molecule in Titan's atmosphere that has never been detected in any other atmosphere. In fact, many chemists have probably barely heard of it or know how to pronounce it: cyclopropenylidene, or C3H2.
TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, was launched in 2018 with the goal of discovering small planets around the Sun's nearest neighbors, stars bright enough to allow for follow-up characterizations of their planets' masses and atmospheres.
We report the first detection on Titan of the small cyclic molecule cyclopropenylidene (c-C3H2) from high sensitivity spectroscopic observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA).
We propose a classification of exoplanet atmospheres based on their H, C, O, N element abundances below about 600 K. Chemical equilibrium models were run for all combinations of H, C, N, O abundances, and three types of solutions were found, which are robust against variations of temperature, pressure and nitrogen abundance.
Australian scientists have developed a new type of sensor to measure and correct the distortion of starlight caused by viewing through the Earth's atmosphere, which should make it easier to study the possibility of life on distant planets.
A gas-phase formation route is proposed for the recently detected propargylimine molecule. In analogy to other imines, such as cyanomethanimine, the addition of a reactive radical (C2H in the present case) to methanimine (CH2NH}) leads to reaction channels open also in the harsh conditions of the interstellar medium.
Transit observations have found the majority of exoplanets to date. Spectroscopic observations of transits and eclipses are the most commonly used tool to characterize exoplanet atmospheres and will be used in the search for life.
Context: ALMA observations of Venus at 267 GHz have been presented in the literature that show the apparent presence of phosphine (PH3) in its atmosphere. Phosphine has currently no evident production routes on the planet's surface or in its atmosphere.
For the first time, researchers have mapped the biological diversity of marine sediment, one of Earth's largest global biomes. Although marine sediment covers 70% of the Earth's surface, little was known about its global patterns of microbial diversity.
Earth's history knows catastrophes which are unimaginable for humans. For example, around 66 million years ago an asteroid impact marked the end of the dinosaur era. Long before however, 252 million years ago at the boundary between the Permian and Triassic epochs, Earth witnessed a far more extreme mass extinction event that extinguished about three-quarters of all species on land and some 95 percent of all species in the ocean.
Titan harbors a dense, organic-rich atmosphere primarily composed of N2 and CH4 , with lesser amounts of hydrocarbons and nitrogen-bearing species.
Organic molecules formed the basis for the evolution of life. But how could inorganic precursors have given rise to them?
We design and train a neural network (NN) model to efficiently predict the infrared spectra of interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with a computational cost many orders of magnitude lower than what a first-principles calculation would demand.
We recommend that the planetary science and space exploration community engage in a robust reevaluation concerning the ethics of how future crewed and uncrewed missions to the Moon and Mars will interact with those planetary environments. This should occur through a process of community input, with emphasis on how such missions can resist colonial structures. Such discussions must be rooted in the historical context of the violent colonialism in the Americas and across the globe that has accompanied exploration of Earth.
Mammals and birds today are warm-blooded, and this is often taken as the reason for their great success.
Following the announcement of the detection of phosphine (PH3) in the cloud deck of Venus at millimeter wavelengths, we have searched for other possible signatures of this molecule in the infrared range.
Bacteria are a dominant form of life that inhabit every environment on Earth. This includes human bodies, where they outnumber our cells and genes and regulate our existence for good or bad.
We provide a new framework to model the day side and night side atmospheres of irradiated exoplanets using 1-D radiative transfer by incorporating a self-consistent heat flux carried by circulation currents (winds) between the two sides.
Amino acids are considered to be prime ingredients in chemistry, leading to life.
The Sun has been found to be depleted in refractory (rock-forming) elements relative to nearby solar analogs, suggesting a potential indicator of planet formation.
The nearby star ϵ Eridani has been a frequent target of radio surveys for stellar emission and extraterrestial intelligence. Using deep 2−4 GHz observations with the Very Large Array, we have uncovered a 29 μJy compact, steady continuum radio source coincident with ϵ Eridani to within 0.06 arcseconds (≲2σ; 0.2 au at the distance of the star).
Isolated dense molecular cores are investigated to study the onset of complex organic molecule formation in interstellar ice.
Recent advances in our understanding of the dynamical history of the Solar system have altered the inferred bombardment history of the Earth during accretion of the Late Veneer, after the Moon-forming impact.
Observations of exoplanets and protoplanetary disks show that binary stellar systems can host planets in stable orbits. Given the high binary fraction among stars, the contribution of binary systems to Galactic habitability should be quantified.
The detection of exoplanets in high-contrast imaging (HCI) data hinges on post-processing methods to remove spurious light from the host star.
From life on other planets to virtual classrooms this thesis spans a wide array of research topics all based on how we see other worlds. Our understanding of everything from moon phases, the planets in our Solar System, and exoplanet atmospheres come from our interpretation of light and one day, our knowledge of light will be used as evidence for the discovery of life on another planet.
The aim of this study is to investigate the chemical evolution from the prestellar phase to the formation of the disk, and to determine the impact that the chemical composition of the cold and dense core has on the final composition of the disk.
High above our heads, even beyond 120,000 feet up, scientists have found tiny organisms called microbes. These high-flyers were swept up from the ground by winds and storms, or spewed out through volcanic processes.
With the discovery of TRAPPIST-1 and its seven planets within 0.06 au, the correct treatment of tidal interactions is becoming necessary. The eccentricity, rotation, and obliquity of the planets of TRAPPIST-1 are indeed the result of tidal evolution over the lifetime of the system.
The agency's newest rover will use the first ground-penetrating radar instrument on the Martian surface to help search for signs of past microbial life.
Superflares may provide the dominant source of biologically relevant UV radiation to rocky habitable zone M-dwarf planets (M-Earths), altering planetary atmospheres and conditions for surface life.
As our ability to undertake more powerful Searches for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) grows, so does interest in the more controversial endeavour of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI).
NASA's telescope on an airplane, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, has provided a new glimpse of the chemistry in the inner region surrounding massive young stars where future planets could begin to form. It found massive quantities of water and organic molecules in these swirling, disk-shaped clouds, offering new insights into how some of the key ingredients of life get incorporated into planets during the earliest stages of formation.
Planets form and obtain their compositions in disks of gas and dust around young stars. The chemical compositions of these planet-forming disks regulate all aspects of planetary compositions from bulk elemental inventories to access to water and reactive organics, i.e. a planet's hospitality to life and its chemical origins.
Ultraviolet light from giant stellar flares can destroy a planet's habitability. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will help astrobiologists understand how much radiation planets experience during super flares and whether life could exist on worlds beyond our solar system.
For the time being, Earth remains the best and only example of a habitable (and inhabited) world.
Earth is not necessarily the best planet in the universe. Researchers have identified two dozen planets outside our solar system that may have conditions more suitable for life than our own. Some of these orbit stars that may be better than even our sun.
Photosynthesis is an ancient metabolic process that began on the early Earth, offering plentiful energy to organisms that utilize it, to the extent that they can achieve global significance. The potential exists for similar processes to operate on habitable exoplanets and result in observable biosignatures.
We examine the effect of varying background N2 surface pressure (labelled as pN2) on the inner edge of the habitable zone for 1:1 tidally locked planets around M dwarfs, using the three-dimensional (3D) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) ExoCAM. In our experiments, the rotation period is fixed when varying the stellar flux, in order to more clearly isolate the role of pN2.
In the past decade, the analysis of exoplanet atmospheric spectra has revealed the presence of water vapour in almost all the planets observed, with the exception of a fraction of overcast planets.
Non-linear behavior in interstellar chemical models has been recognized for 25 years now. Different mechanisms account for the possibility of multiple fixed-points at steady state, characterized by the ionization degree of the gas.
Data from Martian meteorites suggest the planet may have two hydrogen reservoirs beneath its surface, according to a recent study by NASA's Astromaterials Exploration Research and Science (ARES) Division and a team of planetary scientists. The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, could shed light on how Mars formed and evolved.
The detection of liquid water by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) at the base of the south polar layered deposits in Ultimi Scopuli has reinvigorated the debate about the origin and stability of liquid water under present-day Martian conditions.
We have collected transit times for the TRAPPIST-1 system with the Spitzer Space Telescope over four years.
Catherine Neish is counting the days until her space launch. While the Western planetary geologist isn't space-suiting up for her own interstellar voyage, she is playing a key role in an international mission - dispatching a robotic drone to Saturn's moon Titan - set to blast-off in 2027.
We announce the discovery of two planets orbiting the M dwarfs GJ 251 (0.360±0.015 M⊙) and HD 238090 (0.578±0.021 M⊙) based on CARMENES radial velocity (RV) data.
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Exoplanet WASP-76b has become an even more exotic target for future studies. Astronomers detected large discrepancies between the predicted atmospheric models and observational data.
Spectroscopic observations of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76b by the Gemini North ground-based telescope have helped astronomers determine that its atmosphere may be much hotter or more extended than models predicted. In addition, there could be powerful upward winds raging inside it.
What new data did astronomers collect about the exoplanet with iron rains?
Exoplanet studies
Over the past decade, spectroscopic studies of exoplanet atmospheres using ground-based observatories have helped make many discoveries. Such include the registration of various atoms and molecules, the detection of winds, clouds, haze, and the study of the process of the loss of a gas envelope. This allows us to seriously expand our knowledge of the diversity of exoplanets in the Universe and understand the mechanisms of their formation and evolution.
ExoGemS
One of the current major programs for the study of exoplanet atmospheres is called ExoGemS, and it is being carried out on the eight-meter Gemini North telescope. It is devoted to spectroscopic studies of the atmosphere of more than forty known exoplanets of various masses during transit over the disk of parent stars.
Expected results
It is expected that thanks to the program, scientists will be able to better understand the relationship between the properties of exoplanets and their atmospheres.
WASP-76b
A group of astronomers led by Emily K. Deibert from the University of Toronto has published the results of an analysis of data from observations of ultrahot Jupiter WASP-76b in the framework of the ExoGemS program.
Characteristics
This exoplanet is about 640 light-years from Earth and orbits its F-type star in 1.8 Earth days while in tidal capture. The planet has a mass of 0.89 that of Jupiter and a radius of 1.85 that of Jupiter, and its effective temperature is more than 2,200 Kelvin, which allows rain to form from iron.
Previous observations
Previous observations from 2018 estimated that the temperature of the outer layers of the exoplanet on the daytime side is 2693 kelvin while on the night side it drops to 1795 kelvin. At the same time, iron rains are practically not observed in the terminator region (day-night boundary), while it is registered on the dayside.
What causes this phenomenon?
This is due to the fact that there are no clouds on the daytime side of the planet and there are many atomic iron vapors in the atmosphere, which are carried by powerful winds to the night side. There, in turn, the processes of vapor condensation and the formation of clouds from iron droplets take place. Thus, the idea that iron droplets can rain on the night side of WASP-76b and other similar exoplanets has been fully confirmed.
New data
The researchers detected the presence of ionized sodium (Na I) and ionized calcium (Ca II) in the atmosphere of WASP-76b, and when comparing observational data with models, a large discrepancy was revealed between the predicted and observed absorption line depths – in practice, they turned out to be much larger.
Conclusions
This can be explained by the fact that the exoplanet’s atmosphere extends further than the models suggest, which, in turn, may be associated with updrafts at high altitudes, increasing the concentration of calcium ions, or the atmosphere of WASP-76b is significantly hotter than previously thought. Further observations should help refine the WASP-76b atmospheric models.
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Sources:
• Deibert, E. K. (n.d.). Detection of Ionized Calcium in the Atmosphere of the Ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76b.
• ESO. (n.d.). Eso Telescope observes exoplanet where it rains iron.
• EurekAlert! (n.d.). Extreme exoplanet even more exotic than originally thought. Ю
• Friedlander, B. (2021, October 5). Spectrum reveals extreme exoplanet is even more exotic. Cornell Chronicle.
• Wall, M. (2021, October 5). Bizarre, scorching exoplanet WASP-76 b may be even hotter than we thought. Space.com. | https://curiosmos.com/exoplanet-where-iron-rains-studied-by-astronomers/ |
When a distant planet appears as a point of light in a telescope, it’s hard to imagine what things are like at the surface. Does rain fall? Is the atmosphere thick, or dissipating into space? How constant is the sunlight on its surface?
Telescopes today are only just beginning to answer that question and get us closer to understanding where extraterrestrial life might exist. As planets transit across the face of their stars, it’s possible for astronomers to figure out what chemicals are contained in the planet atmospheres, and to make predictions. However, until now only hot giant planets are observable.
Francois Forget, a senior research scientist with the Meteorological Dynamics Laboratory of the Pierre Simon Laplace Institute in Paris, is part of a group trying to create a model for how planetary atmospheres behave on smaller, rocky planets like Earth, based upon observations in our own solar system. He acknowledges it is limited – we know little about such planets farther in the universe – but the model is a start to learning more about other planets.
"It’s very ambitious," Forget said. "It’s designed in a way so we can simulate, as much as we can, a planet with any kind of atmosphere around any kind of star, and with this tool explore the range of planets we can have."
His latest work concerning climates on terrestrial exoplanets, carried out with his colleague Jeremy Leconte, is a synthesis of this experience, along with a survey of the research literature. The paper, called "Possible climates on terrestrial exoplanets", is available right now on the prepublishing site Arxiv, and in press with the Proceedings of the Royal Society.
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View of the possible inner planets of the Gliese 581 system along with their star, a red dwarf. Credit: Lynette Cook
The "punchline" of the research, as Forget put it, is what factors control the composition of a planet’s atmosphere. Studying all sorts of planets will help scientists learn more about life and habitability in distant worlds.
Life in strange places
What is the climate on a planet – and in particular how life-friendly it is- depends on three factors: the atmospheric composition (including the presence or absence of an ocean), its parent star’s variability, type and distance away from the planet, and the type of planetary rotation.
This can lead to life in unexpected places. Perhaps a star is smaller and weaker than our own sun, but the planet is at a shorter distance than the Earth is to its sun. Since that star’s rays have a shorter distance to travel to the planet’s surface, they could warm it to a similar extent as the sun does on the Earth.
Or maybe a planet is roasting right next to a star, tidally locked so that the perpetual day-facing side is too hot to support life. On the night side, however, the atmosphere surrounding the planet could permit pockets of liquid water.
These are all scenarios that Forget and Leconte are considering. A key figure in their paper looks at the different types of atmospheres that are possible depending on the mass of the planet, and its temperature.
"This is very highly speculative brainstorming on what kind of cocktail of atmosphere we can have on a terrestrial planet," Forget said."We don’t know quantitatively where we should put the boundaries between the various types of atmospheres. Also, keep in mind the physical processes that actually control the composition of the atmosphere are extremely difficult to model and simulate and calculate."
The research, however, shows that different kinds of planets tend to have specific sorts of atmospheres.
A gas giant, for example, is so huge that its gravity can hold on to the light elements of hydrogen and helium, which were likely the original elements in the solar system when the sun and planets were just coming together from a gas cloud. Earth likely had these elements in abundance in its atmosphere at the beginning, but lost them over time as the planet’s mass is much smaller. A recent Nature Geoscience paper also showed that Mars likely had hydrogen in its atmosphere when it was young.
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Artist’s impression of sunrise over CoRoT-7b, a planet 70% larger than Earth. At the time of its discovery in 2010, it was the smallest known exoplanet. Today, rocky exoplanet finds are common in planetary searchers. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
By contrast, Earth- and Mars-like planets likely would have more carbon dioxide and nitrogen in their atmosphere, the graph shows. Oceans of liquid water are possible. If the planet receives a little too much starlight, however, there can be a runaway greenhouse effect.
"The star light heats up the water, putting more water vapor in the atmosphere, which enhances the greenhouse effect and amplifies the heating," Forget said.
Eventually, all the oceans can be vaporized. Because the Sun’s luminosity increases with time, this will eventually happen to the Earth. Fortunately, not for another billion years, according to another recent study by Leconte and Forget. Venus being closer to the Sun, received even more sunlight, causing the hydrogen and oxygen atoms contained in the water to escape and leaving carbon dioxide molecules behind; this created Venus’ notoriously thick and stifling atmosphere.
Planets farther away from a star similar to our sun (say, at Jupiter’s distance) would see the carbon dioxide freeze out and collapse on to the surface, although nitrogen can still remain until planets are beyond the equivalent distance of Neptune in our own solar system.
Glancing at Gliese 581
As Forget’s team refines the model it is also applying the research to current exoplanet discoveries. One notable set was several planet candidates found in recent years around Gliese 581, which is about 20 light-years away.
Astronomers initially felt that Gliese 581c was potentially habitable, but changed their minds after follow-up research, Forget explained. "Initially, the astronomers were very excited about 581c, but very quickly they interacted with climatologists like me who said it cannot be habitable. It is way too close to the star and there will be a runaway greenhouse effect," he said.
A United States-led team discovered Gliese 581g in the center of the star’s habitable region, but that planet has been called into dispute by others who said the discovery was a fluke in the data and not an actual planet. Another planet, Gliese 581d was thought to be too cold as it receives less than a third of the stellar energy Earth does while being so close to its dwarf star that it is likely tidally locked, with one side perpetually facing the star. (That’s similar to how the moon’s rotation behaves around Earth, Forget pointed out.)
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The atmosphere of exoplanet HD 189733b streams away at speeds of 300,000 mph, according to observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab
"With another member of the team, Robin Wordsworth, we applied our model to the planet and found it was quite easy to show that, with a reasonably thick atmosphere, it still has warm enough temperatures for liquid water, so it’s not impossible that it was habitable," he said.
As for Gliese 581c – the planet that initially excited astronomers – Forget and Leconte are not altogether ruling out habitability. There could be different climate regions on the planet, with a spot at the edge of the night side still cool enough for liquid water.
Two motivations drive Forget’s team to learn more. The first one is to prepare for observations for a time when telescopes can pick out more about small exoplanet atmospheres, whatever they are: hot, temperate, or very cold. Also, they hope to "make progress on these never-ending questions on habitability, are we alone in the universe, and so on," he said.
"We have no observations at all about atmospheres on terrestrial planets, yet we know there are a lot of terrestrial planets everywhere; a very high fraction of stars have these planets," he added. And when those results come in, Forget’s team hopes to be ready to learn more about if life could exist in those places, and how. | https://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/what-would-a-rocky-exoplanet-look-like-atmosphere-models-seek-clues/ |
Similar to Jupiter, exoplanet HD 189733b is a gas giant that circles its star, named HD 189733A, at a distance of only 3 million miles and completes an orbit every 2.2 days. Using Hubble, scientists were able to show that at least 1,000 tons of hydrogen gas was escaping from the planet’s upper atmosphere every second at speeds greater than 300,000 mph, making HD 189733b only the second-known “evaporating” exoplanet at the time.
“Astronomers have been debating the details of atmospheric evaporation for years, and studying HD 189733b is our best opportunity for understanding the process,” said Vincent Bourrier, a doctoral student at IAP and a team member on the new study.
In April 2010, the researchers observed a single transit using Hubble’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), but they detected no trace of the planet’s atmosphere. Follow-up STIS observations in September 2011 showed a surprising reversal, with striking evidence that a plume of gas was streaming away from the exoplanet.
The researchers determined that at least 1,000 tons of gas was leaving the planet’s atmosphere every second. The hydrogen atoms were racing away at speeds greater than 300,000 mph. The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. Swift is operated in collaboration with several U.S. institutions and partners in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Japan. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages both missions.
Be the first to comment on "NASA Data Reveals Significant Changes in Exoplanet’s Atmosphere" | https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-data-reveals-significant-changes-in-exoplanets-atmosphere/ |
PASADENA, Calif. – NASA’s Kepler mission Monday announced the discovery of 461 new planet candidates. Four of the potential new planets are less than twice the size of Earth and orbit in their sun’s “habitable zone,” the region in the planetary system where liquid water might exist on the surface of a planet.
Based on observations conducted from May 2009 to March 2011, the findings show a steady increase in the number of smaller-size planet candidates and the number of stars with more than one candidate.
“There is no better way to kick off the start of the Kepler extended mission than to discover more possible outposts on the frontier of potentially life-bearing worlds,” said Christopher Burke, Kepler scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., who is leading the analysis.
Since the last Kepler catalog was released in February 2012, the number of candidates discovered in the Kepler data has increased by 20 percent and now totals 2,740 potential planets orbiting 2,036 stars. The most dramatic increases are seen in the number of Earth-size and super Earth-size candidates discovered, which grew by 43 and 21 percent respectively.
The new data increase the number of stars discovered to have more than one planet candidate from 365 to 467. Today, 43 percent of Kepler’s planet candidates are observed to have neighbor planets.
“The large number of multi-candidate systems being found by Kepler implies that a substantial fraction of exoplanets reside in flat multi-planet systems,” said Jack Lissauer, planetary scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. “This is consistent with what we know about our own planetary neighborhood.”
The Kepler space telescope identifies planet candidates by repeatedly measuring the change in brightness of more than 150,000 stars in search of planets that pass in front of, or “transit,” their host star. At least three transits are required to verify a signal as a potential planet.
Scientists analyzed more than 13,000 transit-like signals to eliminate known spacecraft instrumentation and astrophysical false positives, phenomena that masquerade as planetary candidates, to identify the potential new planets.
Candidates require additional follow-up observations and analyses to be confirmed as planets. At the beginning of 2012, 33 candidates in the Kepler data had been confirmed as planets. Today, there are 105.
“The analysis of increasingly longer time periods of Kepler data uncovers smaller planets in longer period orbits– orbital periods similar to Earth’s,” said Steve Howell, Kepler mission project scientist at Ames. “It is no longer a question of will we find a true Earth analogue, but a question of when.”
The complete list of Kepler planet candidates is available in an interactive table at the NASA Exoplanet Archive. The archive is funded by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program to collect and make public data to support the search for and characterization of exoplanets and their host stars.
Ames manages Kepler’s ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., managed Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., developed the Kepler flight system and supports mission operations with JPL at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore archives, hosts and distributes the Kepler science data. Kepler is NASA’s 10th Discovery Mission and is funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.
JPL manages NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program. The NASA Exoplanet Archive is hosted at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology.
For information about the NASA Exoplanet Archive, visit: https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/index.html .
For information about the Kepler mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/kepler . | https://www.shamskm.com/nasas-kepler-discovers-461-new-planet-candidates/ |
Presentation #1223 in the session “Open Engagement Session C”.
Microphysical and dynamic processes occurring within clouds significantly influence numerous large-scale dynamic, energetic, and chemical processes occurring within the atmospheres of nearly all Solar System planets. It is expected that these same atmospheric processes heavily influence the radiative energy balance of exoplanets. The most observationally relevant manifestation of this phenomenon is that clouds can inhibit the ability of remote sensing techniques to probe an underlying surface and/or the deep atmosphere. In past observations of the sub-Neptune GJ 1214 b, a high-level optically opaque cloud layer is painted as a hinderance in the characterization of its atmosphere (Helling 2020), whereas the presence of clouds in this atmosphere allude to fundamental atmospheric processes occurring at the macro- and micro-physical scales. Ultimately, as observational facilities and exoplanet data become more detailed, the sophistication of our understanding of fundamental exoplanetary atmospheric processes must also evolve. However, complex atmospheric modeling becomes expensive with increasing sophistication, suggesting it is pertinent to develop atmospheric models that are accurate but not too computationally expensive to utilize.
One-dimensional planetary atmosphere models offer a powerful and computationally efficient approach to exploring a broad range of planetary and atmospheric conditions. This characteristic of one-dimensional atmospheric models is used extensively in exploring the habitability of exoplanets in the form of the inner and outer edges of habitable zones (Kasting et al. 1993; Kopparapu et al. 2013). Unfortunately, many such one-dimensional models lack a physical treatment of clouds. According to Shields et al. (2013), the influence of cloud condensates can strongly influence the habitability of terrestrial planets around red dwarf stars, and Kopparapu et al. (2013) suggest that exploring their effect on computed habitable zones around main sequence stars is critical in understanding the full extent of the habitable zone.
For example, instead of terrestrial planets succumbing to a runaway greenhouse on the inner edge of the habitable zone, clouds could scatter enough incoming radiation back into space to balance the energy in the atmosphere in a more temperate manner which could increase the likelihood of habitability (Shields et al. 2013). For planets at the outer edge of the habitable zone, fractional or total cloud coverage on their disk, in some cases, could have profound impacts on surface temperature and, thus, their potential habitability (Pierrehumbert et al. 2016).
Here, we improve and generalize a widely-used, one-dimensional planetary climate model to include a microphysical treatment of clouds and condensation properties. The CLIMA model (Kasting 1988; Kopparapu et al. 2013) — which is one of the most commonly applied one-dimensional terrestrial atmospheric radiative-convective equilibrium models — lacks a realistic treatment of water vapor and carbon dioxide condensate clouds. To improve this model, and to broaden its range of applicability, we have incorporated a well-known one-dimensional cloud model (Ackerman and Marley 2001) via a two-column (clear versus clouded) treatment of the atmosphere (Marley et al. 2010).
The most well-known terrestrial planet whose climate heavily depends on the influence of clouds is Earth. Thus, we present a validation of our new climate tool against Earth. In past applications of the Kasting et al. (1993) and Kopparapu et al. (2013) climate model to Earth, the influence of clouds is hidden by tuning the albedo of the surface to a rather unphysical value (roughly 0.3). In order for our partially-cloudy climate model to reproduce an Earthlike temperature-pressure profile, the planetary surface albedo is adopted to a more realistic 10%, roughly corresponding to a realistic average surface albedo for Earth.
In light of the large diversity of known exoplanets, there is need to explore a wide range of planetary and atmospheric conditions. Using our newly-developed cloudy-clear climate model, we will investigate a range of insolations, surface gravities, atmospheric compositions, and cloud properties for rocky worlds. Each simulation can be executed in a matter of minutes, allowing the exploration of a wide range of atmospheric compositions that correspond to the myriad exoplanet examples in our universe.
In summary, clouds substantially impact the climate and atmospheric structure of worlds throughout our Solar System, from giant planets like Jupiter to smaller bodies such as Earth, Venus, Mars, and Titan. Furthermore, a critical feature of habitable planets, like our Earth, is that a substantial fraction of their visible disk is obscured by clouds. Thus, not only do aerosols play a key role in the radiative balance of nearly all Solar System planets, but clouds are also expected to significantly sculpt the spectral appearance of many (if not all) Earth-like exoplanets. Our novel one-dimensional terrestrial planetary atmospheric structure model, with its new treatment of clouds, is well-suited to broad explorations of exoplanetary climates. | https://baas.aas.org/pub/2021n3i1223/release/1 |
Q: Let’s start simple: what is an exoplanet?
A: Since 1995, we have known that many stars other than the Sun have their own “solar systems,” with the majority of stars hosting one or multiple planets. Exoplanetary systems come in all shapes and colours, meaning that they are very diverse. Astronomers have discovered planets ranging from gas giants to smaller, rocky planets. Some planets orbit far away from their star like the gas and ice giants in our Solar System, and some orbit very closely, with surface temperatures greater than 1000°C.
Q: Why do you think it’s important and exciting to study exoplanets?
A: The discovery of the existence of exoplanets has evolved as a major branch of astronomy in the past two decades. We now know of the existence of thousands of exoplanets, and this has shown that planets may even be more common than stars in our Universe! This ubiquitous presence of planets all around us begs the question of whether it’s possible for extraterrestrial life to exist. This is a major driving force behind the continued search for exoplanets and the detailed study of those that we’ve already discovered. But besides the exciting prospect of discovering life, the exoplanet population also gives us a unique window into understanding our own Solar System and the possible outcomes of the same planet formation processes that have made our Solar System the way that we see it today — essentially, studying exoplanets can help us understand how we got to be here.
Q: Your research looked at one exoplanet in particular: Beta Pictoris b. Why did you choose to look at this system?
A: Beta Pictoris b is maybe the most famous directly-imaged exoplanet, meaning that astronomers have managed to actually take a snapshot of the planet rather than infer its existence through its indirect effect on its star, as is most commonly done. Beta Pictoris b orbits a bright star about 70 light-years away from Earth, is in a system about 20 to 25 million years old and has a fairly hot surface, about 1700°C.
Beta Pictoris b is one of the easier (but still challenging) planets to image directly because it’s young and hot enough to be observed at infrared wavelengths. When stars and planets form in a large disk of gas and dust, known as the protoplanetary disk, the material from which the planets form is very hot. This means that newborn planets start off with very high temperatures, and throughout the first tens of millions of years of their lives, they slowly cool down as they radiate this heat away, making these planets visible at infrared wavelengths. This is the class of planets that we can directly image, and Beta Pictoris b is a typical example of such a young planet, which is why we chose to observe it — and, indeed, why it is one of the most famous directly imaged exoplanets.
Q: How did you observe Beta Pictoris b and what were you aiming to find?
A: We used existing data of the planet from the SINFONI spectrograph on ESO’s Very Large Telescope located at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. Our aim was actually to test out the instrument — to investigate to what extent an adaptive-optics-assisted integral field spectrograph like SINFONI can be used to study an exoplanet’s atmosphere.
SINFONI is a special instrument. Not only does it perform the high-contrast imaging necessary to separately image the planet from its brighter host star, but it also simultaneously generates a spectrum of each pixel in that image at a high enough resolution. This allows us to see absorption lines in the spectrum of the planet. These absorption lines are what tell us about the chemicals in the planet's atmosphere, and also about the planet's temperature and other physical parameters. In fact, our new technique relies on the fact that the planet's spectrum has absorption lines that are not present in the star that it orbits. This helps us disentangle the planet from its much brighter star, effectively increasing the contrast on top of the already high-contrast imaging from SINFONI. The instrument was not actually designed to be used in this way, so we’re the first to apply this technique.
The only other instrument in the world that can currently perform this type of research is the OSIRIS spectrograph at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. It is very similar to SINFONI but is located at a much more northern latitude, meaning that SINFONI and OSIRIS can access complementary parts of the sky.
Q: So what did you and your team find out?
A: First of all, our analysis of the existing dataset confidently shows the presence of water and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of Beta Pictoris b. This in itself is not a new result because both species were known (and expected) to be present. However, it is the first time that a high-contrast imaging instrument has been used to directly detect these absorption lines in an exoplanet’s atmosphere, thereby uniquely and robustly confirming their presence.
Q: Did you face any challenges during your research?
A: Our analysis was quite challenging because these observations were experimental. SINFONI is not tuned for these kinds of observations, so when the data was initially taken in 2014, it was quickly deemed too challenging even for the detection of the planet, let alone a measurement of its spectrum. In the case of this dataset, our method is more sensitive to the planet, but we also had to overcome the fact that the instrument is simply not designed to image a very faint planet next to a very bright star. This is why we strongly advocate that future, SINFONI-like instruments (such as the planned HARMONI instrument on ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope) should be outfitted with a coronagraph, which blocks out much of the starlight, making such observations even more powerful.
Q: What do you personally find most exciting about this research?
A: This is a clear example of using an existing dataset and instrument in a completely new way and finding exciting results. I think that there is no reason why the same analysis and observations couldn’t have been carried out 10 years ago, achieving the same results — and something similar is true for the entire field of exoplanets! The first exoplanets could have been discovered with technology that was already available over a decade earlier if only astronomers had taken the possibility of the existence of hot Jupiters seriously. That’s why I sometimes wonder what other new discoveries or applications of existing facilities are still hiding under our noses right now.
Q: What might this research lead to in the future? And what are the next big steps in the field?
A: The strength of our signal spells good news for the future, when new instruments will come online that are similar to SINFONI but much more powerful in terms of contrast and spectral resolution. For instance, our result came from over two hours of observations with SINFONI, but we calculated that the same result could be obtained using the Extremely Large Telescope in only 90 seconds — for a planet like Beta Pictoris that is five times closer to its host star! In this sense, our result is a clear demonstration of this analysis technique and should encourage ongoing development of these future instruments, especially for making them suitable for the high-contrast imaging of exoplanets.
Numbers in this article
|70||
|
Number of light years Beta Pictoris b is away from Earth
|90||Number of seconds it would take the ELT to complete the same measurement|
|1700||Temperature, in degrees Celsius, of the surface of the planet|
|20-25 million||Age of the Beta Pictoris system|
Biography Jens Hoeijmakers
Jens Hoeijmakers is a postdoctoral scientist working at the Geneva Observatory and the Center for Space Habitability in Bern, Switzerland. He did his undergraduate, Masters and PhD education in the exoplanet group led by Ignas Snellen in Leiden, The Netherlands. His main focus is the characterisation of exoplanets’ atmospheres, mostly hot Jupiters, which are still very enigmatic and poorly understood. Besides exoplanets, he likes travelling (being an astronomer has its advantages — though not all trips go to desert mountain tops), as well as cooking, the stock market and science fiction movies. | https://www.eso.org/public/unitedkingdom/blog/sinfoni-of-exoplanets/ |
The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI; http://nexsci.caltech.edu) at the California Institute of Technology supports the exoplanet scientific community as part of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program. NExScI is part of the operations team for the new precision radial velocity instrument NEID (http://neid.psu.edu) on the WIYN telescope for the NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research (NN-Explore) Program. NExScI is responsible for long term operation of the NEID data reduction pipeline and the associated data archive, as well as for community support in the use of this new powerful radial velocity resource. NEID is expected to see first light in 2018.
NExScI also collaborates with the W. M. Keck Observatory to operate the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA; https://koa.ipac.caltech.edu) which will provide a community tool for the reduction of precision radial velocity data acquired with the HIRES instrument. NExScI will deploy an existing high-precision radial velocity pipeline to support analysis of observations acquired to support follow-up observations of potential new exoplanets discovered by the KEPLER, K2 and TESS missions. Additionally, NExScI operates the NASA Exoplanet Archive, the Exoplanet Follow-up Observation Program website, and the LBTI Archive.
IPAC/NExScI is seeking an applications developer to support development and operations of these new radial velocity capabilities.
Job Duties:
Install, maintain and enhance the NEID instrument pipeline after delivery by the NEID instrument team
Design and develop an archive for the radial velocity data acquired with NEID
Design and implement an interactive user interface to the NEID and HIRES instrument pipelines for the international astronomical community
Participate in systematic testing of HIRES and NEID services and resolve defects found by such testing
Design and utilize testbeds to validate and stage upgraded versions of the HIRES and NEID software for operational release
Maintain and update a metrics reporting system for NEID usage
Other duties as assigned
Basic Qualifications
– Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Astronomy, or equivalent experience in a related field
– Three years of professional software development experience
– Strong communication skills
– Ability to work as part of a team
Preferred Qualifications
– Knowledge of scientific programming
– Expertise with Unix-flavored development environments, including the C language
– Experience with Python, Jupyter Notebook and JupyterLab
– Experience with the use of containers, such as Docker, and container management services such as Kubernetes
– Familiarity with astrophysics archives and astronomical calculations
– Experience with developing automated tests
– Experience with user interface testing
– Experience with the SQL database query language
Required Documents
– Cover Letter
– Resume
To apply, please use the following link:
https://chm.tbe.taleo.net/chm03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=CALTE... | https://jobregister.aas.org/ad/4d045946 |
Thanks to largely Kepler Space Telescope the number of confirmed extrasolar planets has grown exponentially over the last decade. And with next-generation missions like Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) already in orbit, more candidates are being discovered and confirmed planets all the time – many of them are also new and exciting!
In fact, one of TESS's latest discoveries contains a three-plane system that orbits a star (L 98-59), which lies about 35 light-years from Earth. One of the planets, known as L 98-59b, is between the sizes of Earth and Mars – making it the smallest exoplanet discovered by TESS to date. The discovery also highlights the sophisticated TESS and doubles the number of small exoplanets considered worthy of follow-up studies.
The paper describing the discovery appeared in the latest issue of The Astrophysical Journal . The international team behind the discovery included several NASA researchers as well as researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, and several universities and observatories from around the world.
Veselin Kostov, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the SETI Institute, was the lead author of the discovery paper. As he explained in a new NASA press release:
"The discovery is a great technical and scientific accomplishment for TESS. For atmospheric studies of small planets, you need short paths around bright stars, but such planets are difficult to detect. system has the potential for fascinating future studies. "
As the name confirms, TESS chases for exoplanets using the method known as Transit Photometry (also Transit Method). This involves observing distant stars for sudden dips in illumination, indicating that a planet passes in front of the star (ie, transiting) relative to the observer. By observing the magnitude and frequency of the dips, researchers can determine the existence of planets as well as their circulatory period and size.
While this method is currently the most effective way to detect and confirm exoplanets, which accounts for 3087 of the over 4,000 discovered so far. But it is not very effective when it comes to spotting smaller rocky planets like Earth. The fact that TESS could not find one, but three rocky planets orbiting L 98-59, is a testament to the sensitivity and ability of its instruments.
These planets (designated L 98-59b, c and d) are about 0.8, 1.4, and 1.6 times the size of the earth and orbit their star very quickly with a period of 2.25, 3.7 and 7.45 days. As Jonathan Brande, a co-author and astrophysicist at NASA Goddard and the University of Maryland, explained:
"If you have more than one planet orbiting in a system, they can gravitationally interact with each other. TESS will observe L 98-59 in sufficient sectors, so it may be able to detect planets with orbits about 100 days, but if we get really lucky, we can see the gravitational effects of undetected planets on those we know. "
Mens L 98-59b represents a new record for TESS, which is about 10% less than the previous record-holder it discovered, it's not the smallest exoplanet discovered to date. This record goes to Kepler-37b, a rocky exoplanet located about 210 light-years from Earth, which is only about a third of the Earth's size and 20% larger than the moon.
However, the discovery of L 98-59b is made more impressive when considering the fact that it orbits an M-type (red dwarf) star that is about one-third the size and mass of our Sun. This star is significantly less clear than Kepler-37, which is a G-type (yellow dwarf star) -like with our Sun – though L 98-59 is particularly bright as a red dwarf goes.
Combined with the fact that it is relatively close to our solar system, the discovery of a three-plane system around L 98-59 makes it an attractive candidate for follow-up observations. M-type stars are the most common type in the universe, which accounts for three-quarters of the stars in the winter street alone.
Recent studies have also shown that they may be the most likely place to find rocky planets that orbit within the star's habitable zone. Because of this, scientists are eager to learn more about the planetary systems that form around this type of star. These also include whether rocky planets orbiting red dwarfs would be able to maintain their atmospheres given the amount of radiation they would be exposed to.
Unfortunately, none of these planets circulate within the L 98-59's habitable zone. In fact, L 98-59b, at a distance from the mother star, receives as much as twenty-two times the amount of radiant energy that the earth comes from the sun. Meanwhile, L 98-59c and d receive approx. Eleven and four times as much radiation as earth.
But everyone occupies the "Venus Zone", the area distances, where a planet with an earth-like atmosphere could experience a continuous greenhouse effect, and transform it into a Venus-like atmosphere. Based on its size, L 98-59d can be either a Venus-like world or a mini-Neptune – like a rocky core surrounded by a dense gaseous envelope.
Whatever the case, there is still a chance that these planets may be potentially habitable, and ongoing research will answer vital questions about these and other rocky worlds that are near red dwarves – such as Proxima b and t
"If we saw the sun from L 98-59, transits of Earth and Venus would lead us to believe that the planets are almost identical, but We know they are not, we still have many questions about why the Earth became habitable, and Venus did not. If we can find and study similar examples of other stars like L 98-59, we can potentially unlock Some of these secrets. "
Fortunately, TESS will have the opportunity to observe the system many times before the end of the month. Currently, TESS monitors 24 x 96 degree southern sky regions (aka Sectors) for 27 days at a time. When its first observation year ends in July, the L 98-59 system will have appeared in seven of the 13 sectors that make up the southern sky.
It hopes that this will allow astronomers time to refine what they know about these three confirmed planets, and perhaps to find more worlds in that system. Considering that all three circuits with the star's "Venus zone", something that bugs outside is likely to be in its habitable zone.
These observations will also go a long way towards creating a catalog of rocky planets around nearby, bright stars. When the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) takes place in 2021, it will use its advanced infrared imaging capabilities to gather information about the planet's atmosphere and characterize it.
Since four of the TRAPPIST-1 worlds orbits within their star's HZ, they are considered to be leading candidates. Kostov's team suggests that the L 98-59 planets are too. These combined efforts will effectively bring us a step closer to determining if there are any habitable planets in our cosmic neighborhood. | https://infodol.com/planet-hunting-tess-discovers-its-smallest-exoplanet-to-date/ |
# HD 189733 b
HD 189733 b is an exoplanet approximately 64.5 light-years (19.8 pc) away from the Solar System in the constellation of Vulpecula. Astronomers in France discovered the planet orbiting the star HD 189733 on October 5, 2005, by observing its transit across the star's face. With a mass 16.2% higher than that of Jupiter and a radius 13.8% greater, HD 189733 b orbits its host star once every 2.2 days at an orbital speed of 152.5 kilometers per second (152,500 meters per second; 341,100 miles per hour), making it a hot Jupiter with poor prospects for extraterrestrial life.
The closest transiting hot Jupiter to Earth, HD 189733 b is a subject of extensive atmospheric examination. Accordingly, scientists have extensively studied the exoplanet's atmosphere with high- and low-resolution instruments, both from the ground and space. As a result, we discovered the planet had an unusual rain of molten glass. HD 188733 b was also the first exoplanet to have its thermal map constructed (possibly to be detected through polarimetry), its overall color determined (deep blue), transit in the X-ray spectrum, and carbon dioxide confirmed in its atmosphere.
In July 2014, NASA announced finding very dry atmospheres on three exoplanets (HD 189733b, HD 209458b, WASP-12b) orbiting Sun-like stars.
## Detection and discovery
### Transit and Doppler spectroscopy
On October 6, 2005, a team of astronomers announced the discovery of transiting planet HD 189733 b. The planet was then detected using Doppler spectroscopy. Real-time radial velocity measurements detected the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect caused by the planet passing in front of its star before photometric measurements confirmed that the planet was transiting. In 2006, a team led by Drake Deming announced detection of strong infrared thermal emission from the transiting exoplanet planet HD 189733 b, by measuring the flux decrement (decrease of total light) during its prominent secondary eclipse (when the planet passes behind the star).
The mass of the planet is estimated to be 16% larger than Jupiter's, with the planet completing an orbit around its host star every 2.2 days and an orbital speed of 152.5 kilometres per second (341,000 mph).
### Infrared spectrum
On February 21, 2007, NASA released news that the Spitzer Space Telescope had measured detailed spectra from both HD 189733 b and HD 209458 b. The release came simultaneously with the public release of a new issue of Nature containing the first publication on the spectroscopic observation of the other exoplanet, HD 209458 b. A paper was submitted and published by the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The spectroscopic observations of HD 189733 b were led by Carl Grillmair of NASA's Spitzer Science Center.
### Visible color
In 2008, a team of astrophysicists appeared to have detected and monitored the planet's visible light using polarimetry, which would have been the first such success. This result seemed to be confirmed and refined by the same team in 2011. They found that the planet albedo is significantly larger in blue light than in the red, most probably due to Rayleigh scattering and molecular absorption in the red. The blue color of the planet was subsequently confirmed in 2013, which would have made HD 189733 the first planet to have its overall color determined by two different techniques. These measurements in polarized light have since been disputed by two separate teams using more sensitive polarimeters, with upper limits of the polarimetric signal provided therein.
The blueness of the planet may be the result of Rayleigh scattering. In mid January 2008, spectral observation during the planet's transit using that model found that if molecular hydrogen exists, it would have an atmospheric pressure of 410 ± 30 mbar of 0.1564 solar radii. The Mie approximation model also found that there is a possible condensate in its atmosphere, magnesium silicate (MgSiO3) with a particle size of approximately 10−2 to 10−1 μm. Using both models, the planet's temperature would be between 1340 and 1540 K. The Rayleigh effect is confirmed in other models, and by the apparent lack of a cooler, shaded stratosphere below its outer atmosphere. In the visible region of the spectrum, thanks to their high absorption cross sections, atomic sodium and potassium can be investigated. For example, using high-resolution UVES spectrograph on VLT, sodium has been detected on this atmosphere and further physical characteristics of the atmosphere such as temperature has been investigated.
### X-ray spectrum
In July 2013, NASA reported the first observations of planet transit studied in the X-ray spectrum. It was found that the planet's atmosphere blocks three times more X-rays than visible light.
### Evaporation
In March 2010, transit observations using HI Lyman-alpha found that this planet is evaporating at a rate of 1-100 gigagrams per second. This indication was found by detecting the extended exosphere of atomic hydrogen. HD 189733 b is the second planet after HD 209458 b for which atmospheric evaporation has been detected.
## Physical characteristics
This planet exhibits one of the largest photometric transit depth (amount of the parent star's light blocked) of extrasolar planets so far observed, approximately 3%. The apparent longitude of ascending node of its orbit is 16 degrees +/- 8 away from the north–south in our sky. It and HD 209458 b were the first two planets to be directly spectroscopically observed. The parent stars of these two planets are the brightest transiting-planet host stars, so these planets will continue to receive the most attention from astronomers. Like most hot Jupiters, this planet is thought to be tidally locked to its parent star, meaning it has a permanent day and night.
The planet is not oblate, and has neither satellites with greater than 0.8 the radius of Earth nor a ring system like that of Saturn.
The international team under the direction of Svetlana Berdyugina of Zurich University of Technology, using the Swedish 60-centimeter telescope KVA, which is located in Spain, was able to directly see the polarized light reflected from the planet. The polarization indicates that the scattering atmosphere is considerably larger (> 30%) than the opaque body of the planet seen during transits.
The atmosphere was at first predicted "pL class", lacking a temperature-inversion stratosphere; like L dwarfs which lack titanium and vanadium oxides. Follow-up measurements, tested against a stratospheric model, yielded inconclusive results. Atmospheric condensates form a haze 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) above the surface as viewed in the infrared. A sunset viewed from that surface would be red. Sodium and potassium signals were predicted by Tinetti 2007. First obscured by the haze of condensates, sodium was eventually observed at three times the concentration of HD 209458 b's sodium layer. The potassium was also detected in 2020, although in significantly smaller concentrations. HD 189733 is also the first extrasolar planet confirmed to have carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.
### Map of the planet
In 2007, the Spitzer Space Telescope was used to map the planet's temperature emissions. The planet+star system was observed for 33 consecutive hours, starting when only the night side of the planet was in view. Over the course of one-half of the planet's orbit, more and more of the dayside came into view. A temperature range of 973 ± 33 K to 1,212 ± 11 K was discovered, indicating that the absorbed energy from the parent star is distributed fairly evenly through the planet's atmosphere. The region of peak temperature was offset 30 degrees east of the substellar point, as predicted by theoretical models of hot Jupiters taking into account a parameterized day to night redistribution mechanism.
Scientists at the University of Warwick determined that it has winds of up to 8,700 km/h (5,400 mph) blowing from the day side to the night side. NASA released a brightness map of the surface temperature of HD 189733 b; it is the first map ever published of an extra-solar planet.
### Water vapor, oxygen, and organic compounds
On July 11, 2007, a team led by Giovanna Tinetti published the results of their observations using the Spitzer Space Telescope concluding there is solid evidence for significant amounts of water vapor in the planet's atmosphere. Follow-up observations made using the Hubble Space Telescope confirm the presence of water vapor, neutral oxygen and also the organic compound methane. Later, Very Large Telescope observations also detected the presence of carbon monoxide on the day side of the planet. It is currently unknown how the methane originated as the planet's high 700 °C temperature should cause the water and methane to react, replacing the atmosphere with carbon monoxide. Nonetheless, the presence of roughly 0.004% of water vapour fraction by volume in atmosphere of HD 189733 b was confirmed with high-resolution emission spectra taken in 2021.
### Weather and rains of molten glass
The weather on HD 189733b is deadly. The winds, composed of silicate particles, blow up to 8,700 kilometres per hour (5,400 mph). Observations of this planet have also found evidence that it rains molten glass, horizontally.
### Evolution
While transiting the system also clearly exhibits the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect, shifting in photospheric spectral lines caused by the planet occulting a part of the rotating stellar surface. Due to its high mass and close orbit, the parent star has a very large semi-amplitude (K), the "wobble" in the star's radial velocity, of 205 m/s.
The Rossiter–McLaughlin effect allows the measurement of the angle between the planet's orbital plane and the equatorial plane of the star. These are well aligned, misalignment equal to -0.5±0.4°. By analogy with HD 149026 b, the formation of the planet was peaceful and probably involved interactions with the protoplanetary disc. A much larger angle would have suggested a violent interplay with other protoplanets.
## Star-planet interaction controversy
In 2008, a team of astronomers first described how as the exoplanet orbiting HD 189733 A reaches a certain place in its orbit, it causes increased stellar flaring. In 2010, a different team found that every time they observe the exoplanet at a certain position in its orbit, they also detected X-ray flares. Theoretical research since 2000 suggested that an exoplanet very near to the star that it orbits may cause increased flaring due to the interaction of their magnetic fields, or because of tidal forces. In 2019, astronomers analyzed data from Arecibo Observatory, MOST, and the Automated Photoelectric Telescope, in addition to historical observations of the star at radio, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray wavelengths to examine these claims. They found that the previous claims were exaggerated and the host star failed to display many of the brightness and spectral characteristics associated with stellar flaring and solar active regions, including sunspots. Their statistical analysis also found that many stellar flares are seen regardless of the position of the exoplanet, therefore debunking the earlier claims. The magnetic fields of the host star and exoplanet do not interact, and this system is no longer believed to have a "star-planet interaction." Some researchers had also suggested that HD 189733 accretes, or pulls, gas from its orbiting exoplanet at a rate similar to those found around young protostars in T Tauri Star systems. Later analysis demonstrated that very little, if any, gas was accreted from the "hot Jupiter" companion. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_189733_b |
The study of exoplanets is evolving past simple transit and Doppler method discovery and characterization. One of the many goals of the upcoming mission WFIRST-AFTA is to directly image giant exoplanets with a coronagraph. We undertake a study to determine the types of exoplanets that missions such as WFIRST will encounter and what instruments these missions require to best characterize giant planet atmospheres. We will first complete a benchmark study of how Jupiter reflects and scatters light as a function of phase angle. We will use Cassini flyby data from late 2000 to measure Jupiter’s phase curve, spherical albedo, and degree of polarization. Using Jupiter as a comparison, we will then study a sample of exoplanet atmosphere models generated to explore the atmospheric parameter space of giant planets and estimate what WFIRST might observe. Our study will provide valuable refinements to Jupiter-like models of planet evolution and atmospheric composition. We will also help inform future missions of what instruments are needed to characterize similar planets and what science goals will further our knowledge of giant worlds in our universe.
Searching for Dwarf Satellites around Milky Way – Analog Galaxies with the SAGA survey
Ben Weiner, Steward Observatory
Dwarf satellites of massive galaxies are a probe of many issues in galaxy evolution and cosmology, including the nature of low-mass galaxies, star formation at early times, accretion into halos, and the abundance of low-mass dark matter halos. Much attention has been devoted to the number and nature of Milky Way and M31 dwarf satellites, especially the “missing satellites problem.” However, we know very little about dwarf satellites outside the Local Group below the mass of the LMC, and we don’t know if the MW and M31 satellite systems are typical. The SAGA (Satellites Around Galactic Analogs) survey collaboration aims to address this with both observational and theoretical studies of satellite abundances and properties around Milky Way analog central galaxies. I will present results from our MMT/Hectospec wide field spectroscopic surveys for satellites. We have surveyed the fields of several nearby galaxies that are similar to the Milky Way to detect and spectroscopically confirm dwarf satellites. We find a range of numbers of satellites, suggesting that there is a significant variance in halo histories. We also find that not all dwarf systems resemble the Milky Way and M31 systems. I will discuss these results and some of the implications on the life cycle of satellites that we can infer from satellite abundances and properties, including their images and spectra.
Diagnosing the SEEDS of Planet Formation
John Wisniewski, University of Oklahoma
Circumstellar disks provide a useful astrophysical diagnostic of the formation and early evolution of exoplanets. It is commonly believed that young protoplanetary disks serve as the birthplace of planets, while older debris disks can provide insight into the architecture of exoplanetary systems. In this talk, I will discuss how one can use high contrast imaging techniques to spatially resolve nearby circumstellar disk systems, and how this imagery can be used to search for evidence of recently formed planetary bodies. I will focus on results from the Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS) project, as well as some ongoing follow-up work.
On the Edge: Exoplanets with Orbital Periods Shorter Than a Peter Jackson Movie
Brian Jackson, Boise State Univeristy
From wispy gas giants to tiny rocky bodies, exoplanets with orbital periods of several days and less challenge theories of planet formation and evolution. Recent searches have found small rocky planets with orbits reaching almost down to their host stars’ surfaces, including an iron-rich Mars-sized body with an orbital period of only four hours. So close to their host stars that some of them are actively disintegrating, these objects’ origins remain unclear, and even formation models that allow significant migration have trouble accounting for their very short periods. Some are members of multi-planet system and may have been driven inward via secular excitation and tidal damping by their sibling planets. Others may be the fossil cores of former gas giants whose atmospheres were stripped by tides.
In this presentation, I’ll discuss the work of our Short-Period Planets Group (SuPerPiG), focused on finding and understanding this surprising new class of exoplanets. We are sifting data from the reincarnated Kepler Mission, K2, to search for additional short-period planets and have found several new candidates. We are also modeling the tidal decay and disruption of close-in gaseous planets to determine how we could identify their remnants, and preliminary results suggest the cores have a distinctive mass-period relationship that may be apparent in the observed population. Whatever their origins, short-period planets are particularly amenable to discovery and detailed follow-up by ongoing and future surveys, including the TESS mission.
The Orbital and Planetary Phase Variations of Jupiter-Sized Planets: Characterizing Present and Future Giants
Laura Mayorga, NMSU
It is commonly said that exoplanet science is 100 years behind planetary science. While we may be able to travel to an exoplanet in the future, inferring the properties of exoplanets currently relies on extracting as much information as possible from a limited dataset. In order to further our ability to characterize, classify, and understand exoplanets as both a population and as individuals, this thesis makes use of multiple types of observations and simulations.
Firstly, direct-imaging is a technique long used in planetary science and is only now becoming feasible for exoplanet characterization. We present our results from analyzing Jupiter’s phase curve with Cassini/ISS to instruct the community in the complexity of exoplanet atmospheres and the need for further model development. The planet yields from future missions may be overestimated by today’s models. We also discuss the need for optimal bandpasses to best differentiate between planet classes.
Secondly, photometric surveys are still the best way of conducting population surveys of exoplanets. In particular, the Kepler dataset remains one of the highest precision photometric datasets and many planetary candidates remain to be characterized. We present techniques by which more information, such as a planet’s mass, can be extracted from a transit light curve without expensive ground- or space-based follow-up observations.
Finally, radial-velocity observations have revealed that many of the larger “planets” may actually be brown dwarfs. To understand the distinction between a brown dwarf and an exoplanet or a star, we have developed a simple, semi-analytic viscous disk model to study brown dwarf evolutionary history. We present the rudimentary framework and discuss its performance compared to more detailed numerical simulations as well as how additional physics and development can determine the potential observational characteristics that will differentiate between various formation scenarios.
Exoplanet science has already uncovered a plethora of previously unconsidered phenomenon. To increase our understanding of our own planet, as well as the other various possible end cases, will require a closer inspection of our own solar system, the nuanced details of exoplanet data, refined simulations, and laboratory astrophysics. | http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/calendar/action~agenda/page_offset~-1/time_limit~1516400099/cat_ids~30,36,212,105,19/tag_ids~63,20/events_limit~10/request_format~html/ |
By knowing the equivalent units of production for materials, overhead costs and labor costs, an accountant can estimate how much more money or time is required to finish those products. Calculating equivalent units of production can also help create a financial report or understand where the money in your institution is currently invested. There is a simple formula that is used to calculate the equivalent units of production for those partially completed units. This formula not only applies to materials that are in continuous production, but also to labor costs and overhead costs. The simpler of the two methods is the weighted average method. The FIFO method is more accurate, but the additional calculations do not represent a good cost-benefit trade off. Only consider using the FIFO method when costs vary substantially from period to period, so that management can see the trends in costs.
At the end of the first quarter, there are 500 completed parts and 300 parts that are still in process. The parts maker’s best estimate is that these additional 300 parts are 50 percent completed.
What is a production cost report?
When you use weighted averages, all work accomplished in prior periods is not factored into the equations. Process costing is a method of costing used mainly in manufacturing where units are continuously mass-produced through one or more processes. Examples of this include the manufacture of erasers, chemicals or processed food. The Assembly Department has two inputs and therefore must make two calculations for cost per equivalent unit of production. Exhibit 18A-4 shows the production cost report with the EUP calculations added.
We show this by having a Transferred In column on the production cost report. Equivalent units of production for direct materials total 50,000 because all the direct materials have been added to all 50,000 units worked on during July. Because the direct materials are added at the beginning of the process, if the units are started, then 100% of the materials have been added. A production cost report must be completed for each department. The production cost reports show the calculations for the physical flows and the cost flows of the products. Equivalent units of production is used to measure the amount of materials added to or work done on partially completed units and is expressed in terms of fully complete units.
Cost of Goods Sold
The cost of direct materials placed into production during the month . Direct labor costs totaling $3,500 were incurred in the Molding department, to be paid the next month. The Molding department requisitioned direct materials totaling $2,000 to in a production cost report, units to be accounted for are calculated as be used in production. Assign costs to units transferred out and to units in ending WIP inventory. The Assembly Department has 8,000 units in process on July 1 and starts 42,000 units during the month. Therefore, to account for is 50,000 units.
The company uses a process costing and has two processing departments – department X and department Y. The processing starts in department X where three different chemicals are mixed together in equal proportions. After mixing in department X, the partially completed units are transferred to department Y. The following data has been taken from department X.
Activity rate = total estimated o cost / TOTAL activity
Percentage of completion estimates for units in ending WIP inventory will increase to 80 percent for direct materials, 85 percent for direct labor, and 90 percent for overhead. An example of how to use Excel to prepare a production cost report follows. Notice that the basic data are at the top of the spreadsheet, and the rest of the report is driven by formulas. Each month, the data at the top are changed to reflect the current month’s activity, and the production cost report takes care of itself.
How is material cost calculated?
To calculate direct material costs, add your beginning direct materials to your direct materials purchased and subtract the ending direct materials for the period.
The specific function costs are called direct labor and are assigned to work‐in‐process inventory. The general factory labor costs are indirect labor costs that are added to factory overhead. Unlike the accounting for payroll under the job order cost system, the employee does not have to be physically involved in making a product to be assigned to a specific function. The accounting for the labor costs for June includes the following journal entries, shown in the following table. Thus, the equivalent units for direct materials are generally higher than for other manufacturing expenses. Process costing assigns expenses to different departments in your business, and it accounts for various cost areas including materials and payroll.
Short Answer
Equivalent units of production refer to the number of units that would be completed if all effort during a period had been applied only to those units that were started and completed in a period. The highest production cost among materials, labor and manufacturing overhead. This must match total costs to be accounted for. Although not an issue in this example, rounding the cost per equivalent unit may cause minor differences between the two amounts. Costs are assigned to completed units transferred out and units in ending WIP inventory using a four-step process. The accountant first finds out how many units have been finished and sent out. Since these items are 100% complete, each unit sent out is one equivalent unit of production.
A schedule that shows that the total costs accounted for equal the total costs to be accounted for. Note that, in the weighted average method, beginning work-in-process inventory is ignored.
Products with a cost of $6,400 are transferred from the Rolling department to the Packaging department. Products with a cost of $5,500 are transferred from the Mixing department to the Rolling department. John, as you know, we have a new competitor that https://online-accounting.net/ is aggressively going after our customers. It looks as if we will have to focus on keeping costs low to compete. The Assembly department is my biggest concern, and it would help if I knew the cost of each desk that goes through this department.
Unlike materials, more labor and overhead will be needed before these units are transferred to another function or to finished goods. The equivalent units for conversion costs are 400 (1,000 units started × 40% complete for labor and overhead). The total conversion costs are divided by 400 to calculate the conversion costs per unit. To calculate total cost per unit, the materials cost per unit is added to the conversion cost per unit. The equivalent units for materials would be the number of units times the percent complete. In this example, all the materials are added at the beginning of the process so 100% of materials for this function are included in all the units at the end of the period. The equivalent units for materials are 1,000 (1,000 units × 100% complete for materials).
Products with a cost of $55,000 are transferred from the Mixing department to the Testing department. Products with a cost of $22,000 are transferred from the Fabrication department to the Packaging department. The cost of goods transferred from the Molding department to the Packaging department totaled $10,000. Review Note 4.22 “Business in Action 4.4” Describe the last two stages of the production process at Hershey. Work in process, finished goods, cost of goods sold. The balance in the factory labor account should be zero at the end of each period. | https://www.kroptrivsel.dk/2021/02/24/lo-in-a-production-cost-report-units-to-be/ |
Management at Reynolds is considering process improvement. They have been told by a sales representative of a manufacturing equipment company that introduction of state-of-art equipment and several other measures in processing department #1 can significantly reduce the per unit cost of processing. This would allow competitive pricing of their finished product. Cost reduction will be accomplished by eliminating material wastage and eliminating direct labor cost (the new equipment will perform many functions that previously required manual labor). The new system will cost $ 6,320,000 and will have a useful life of ten years. Accordingly, new equipment and other measures were introduced on a trial basis. Management is eager to find out if this change would yield the desired results. At the end of the trial month, the per unit cost figures the following partial cost of production report in Process #1 prepared by the company accountant was made available.
…… continued on next page
?
Beginning Work in Process 60,000 units
(100% Material, 75% Conversion)
Units Started during the month 40,000 units
—————–
Units to account for 100,000 units
===========
EQUIVALENT UNITS
Direct Material Conversion
Total number of units completed 85,000 units 85,0000 85,000
Ending Work in Process 15,000 units 15,000 12,000
(100% Material, 80% Conversion)
——————————————————————–
Units accounted for 100,000 100,000 97,000
===========================================
Direct materials Conversion Total
Cost of Beginning Work in Process: $ 300,000 $ 450,000 $ 750,000
Cost incurred this month: $ 160,000 $ 116,00 $ 472,000
————————————————————————-
Total Cost $ 460,000 $ 566,000 $1,222,000
Divided by Equivalent units ÷ ÷
100,000 97,000
= $ 4.60 $ 5.84 $ 10.44
Company CEO and the foreman in charge of the department are not very enthused by the performance of the new system as he sees no significant difference in per unit cost of processing and is wondering if such a huge investment is justified when the company is under intensive competitive pressure. However, the sales representative insists that other companies who have purchased this system have experienced significant reduction in cost of processing. You are a management consultant retained by the company. You have been asked to look into this issue make a recommendation to the CEO of the company. | https://courseworkminutes.com/product/Reynolds-Manufacturing-Company-manufactures-a-product-that-is-processed/ |
Zortek Corp. budgets production of 400 units in January and 200 units in February. Each finished unit requires five pounds of raw material Z, which costs $2 per pound. Each month’s ending inventory of raw materials should be 40% of the following month’s budgeted production. The January 1 raw materials inventory has 130 pounds of Z.
Prepare a direct materials budget for January
The direct materials budget for the month of January will be $4,540
Particulars
Amount
Total budget production in January
400 units
Total budget production in February
200 units
Cost
$2 per pound
Raw materials
40%
Raw materials required
5 pounds
Total raw materials inventory
130 pounds
Zortek Corp
Direct material budget
For the month of January
Particulars
Amount
Budgeted production
400
Multiply: Raw material per unit
5
Material needed for production
2000
Add: Desired ending inventory
400
Total material requirement
2,400
Less: Beginning inventory
130
Material to be purchased
2,270
Cost per pound
$2
Total cost of direct material purchase
$4,540
Question: Aztec Company sells its product for $180 per unit. Its actual and budgeted sales follow
All sales are on credit. Recent experience shows that 20% of credit sales is collected in the month of the sale, 50% in the month after the sale, 28% in the second month after the sale, and 2% proves to be uncollectible. The product’s purchase price is $110 per unit. 60% of purchases made in a month is paid in that month and the other 40% is paid in the next month. The company has a policy to maintain an ending monthly inventory of 20% of the next month’s unit sales plus a safety stock of 100 units. The April 30 and May 31 actual inventory levels are consistent with this policy. Selling and administrative expenses for the year are $1,320,000 and are paid evenly throughout the year in cash. The company’s minimum cash balance at month-end is $100,000. This minimum is maintained, if necessary, by borrowing cash from the bank. If the balance exceeds $100,000, the company repays as much of the loan as it can without going below the minimum. This type of loan carries an annual 12% interest rate. On May 31, the loan balance is $25,000, and the company’s cash balance is $100,000. (Round amounts to the nearest dollar.)
Required
1. Prepare a schedule that shows the computation of cash collections of its credit sales (accounts receivable) in each of the months of June and July.
2. Prepare a schedule that shows the computation of budgeted ending inventories (in units) for April, May, June, and July.
3. Prepare the merchandise purchases budget for May, June, and July. Report calculations in units and then show the dollar amount of purchases for each month.
4. Prepare a schedule showing the computation of cash payments for product purchases for June and July.
5. Prepare a cash budget for June and July, including any loan activity and interest expense. Compute the loan balance at the end of each month.
Analysis Component
6. Refer to your answer to part 5. The cash budget indicates the company will need to borrow more than $18,000 in June. Suggest some reasons that knowing this information in May would be helpful to management.
Kingston anticipates total sales for June and July of $420,000 and $398,000, respectively. Cash sales are normally 60% of total sales. Of the credit sales, 20% are collected in the same month as the sale, 70% are collected during the first month after the sale, and the remaining 10% are collected in the second month after the sale. Determine the amount of accounts receivable reported on the company’s budgeted balance sheet as of July 31.
Ruiz Co. provides the following sales forecast for the next four months: April May June July Sales (units) . . . . . . . . . . . 500 580 540 620
The company wants to end each month with ending finished goods inventory equal to 25% of next month’s forecasted sales. Finished goods inventory on April 1 is 190 units. Assume July’s budgeted production is 540 units. Prepare a production budget for the months of April, May, and June. | https://www.studysmarter.us/textbooks/business-studies/financial-managerial-accounting-7th/master-budgets-and-performance-planning/20-7qs-zortek-corp-budgets-production-of-400-units-in-januar/ |
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Forums › Ask CIMA Tutor Forums › Ask CIMA F1 Tutor Forums › F1 Chapter 18 TYU 2 – Forecast cash payments
Hi guys,
I have been trying to understand the answer to this question, but I still don’t get it.
A manufacturing business makes and sells widgets.
Each widget requires 2 units of raw materials, which cost £3 each.
Production and sales quantities of widgets each month are as follows:
Month Sales & Production units
December (Actual) 50,000
January (Budget) 55,000
February (Budget) 60,000
March (Budget) 65,000
In the past, the business has maintained its inventories of raw materials at 100,000 units.
However, it plans to increase raw material inventories to 110,000 units at the end of January and 120,000 units at the end of February.
The business takes one month’s credit from its suppliers.
Calculate the forecast payments to suppliers for January, February and March for raw material purchases.
I have checked the answers and I understand that raw material inventories required for December are 100,000 units and for March its 130,000 units.
However, I don’t understand why the raw material inventories required for January are 120,000 units for February it is 130,000 units.
I would highly appreciate it if anyone could please explain this to me.
Thank you
Hi,
I think I’ve said in a previous post that there is a mistake in the question and it needs to be reworked when I get the opportunity.
Thanks
Even the solution given in the textbook does not make sense. If we consider per unit RM for production, there is no excess or closing inventory to be added on in the current or next month. | https://opentuition.com/topic/f1-chapter-18-tyu-2-forecast-cash-payments/ |
1.(TCO F) Willow Creek Corporation bases its predetermined overhead rate on the estimated labor hours for the upcoming year. At the beginning of the most recently completed year, the company estimated the labor hours for the upcoming year at 38,500 labor hours. The estimated variable manufacturing overhead was $7.37 per labor hour and the estimated total fixed manufacturing overhead was $601,328. The actual labor hours for the year turned out to be 41,721 labor hours.
Required:Compute the company’s predetermined overhead rate for the recently completed year.(Points : 25)
2.(TCO F) Matuseski Corporation is preparing its cash budget for October. The budgeted beginning cash balance is $17,000. Budgeted cash receipts total $187,000 and budgeted cash disbursements total $177,000. The desired ending cash balance is $40,000. The company can borrow up to $120,000 at any time from a local bank, with interest not due until the following month.
Required:Prepare the company’s cash budget for October in good form.(Points : 25)
2.(TCO D) Lindon Company uses 4,500 units of Part X each year as a component in the assembly of one of its products. The company is presently producing Part X internally at a total cost of $69,000 as follows:Direct materials $16,000Direct labor 18,000Variable manufacturing overhead 10,000Fixed manufacturing overhead 25,000Total costs $69,000An outside supplier has offered to provide Part X at a price of $11 per unit. If Lindon stops producing the part internally, one third of the manufacturing overhead would be eliminated.
Required: Prepare a make-or-buy analysis showing the annual advantage or disadvantage of accepting the outside supplier’s offer.(Points : 30)
3.(TCO E) Topple Company produces a single product. Operating data for the company and its absorption costing income statement for the last year is presented below:Units in beginning inventory 0Units produced 9,000Units sold 7,000
Sales $100,000Less cost of goods sold:Beginning inventory 0Add cost of goods manufactured 54,000Goods available for sale 54,000Less ending inventory 12,000Cost of goods sold 42,000Gross margin 58,000Less selling and admin. Expenses 28,000Net operating income $ 30,000
Variable manufacturing costs are $4 per unit. Fixed factory overhead totals $18,000 for the year. This overhead was applied at a rate of $2 per unit. Variable selling and administrative expenses were $1 per unit sold.
Required:Prepare a new income statement for the year using variable costing. Comment on the differences between the absorption costing and the variable costing income statements. (Points : 30)
4. (TCO A) The following data (in thousands of dollars) have been taken from the accounting records of the Maroon Corporation for the just-completed year.Sales 1,150Raw materials inventory, beginning 15Raw materials inventory, ending 40Purchases of raw materials 150Direct labor 250Manufacturing overhead 300Administrative expenses 500Selling expenses 300Work in process inventory, beginning 100Work in process inventory, ending 150Finished goods inventory, beginning 80Finished goods inventory, ending 120Use the above data to prepare (in thousands of dollars) a schedule of Cost of Goods Manufactured and a Schedule of Cost of Goods Sold for the year. In addition, what is the impact on the financial statements if the ending finished goods inventory is overstated or understated? (Points : 25)
1.(TCO F) Carter Corporation uses the weighted-average method in its process costing system. Data concerning the first processing department for the most recent month are listed below.Work in process, beginning:Units in beginning work-in-process inventory 400Materials costs $6,900Conversion costs $2,500Percentage complete for materials 80%Percentage complete for conversion 15%Units started into production during the month 6,000Units transferred to the next department during the month 5,800Materials costs added during the month $112,500
Conversion costs added during the month $210,300Ending work in process:Units in ending work-in-process inventory 1,400Percentage complete for materials 70%Percentage complete for conversion 40%
Required: Calculate the equivalent units for materials (using the weighted-average method) for the month in the first processing department.(Points : 25)
2.(TCO G) (Ignore income taxes in this problem.) Five years ago, the City of Paranoya spent $30,000 to purchase a computerized radar system called W.A.S.T.E. (Watching Aliens Sent To Earth). Recently, a sales rep from W.A.S.T.E. Radar Company told the city manager about a new and improved radar system that can be purchased for $50,000. The rep also told the manager that the company would give the city $10,000 in trade on the old system. The new system will last 10 years. The old system will also last that long but only if a $4,000 upgrade is done in 5 years. The manager assembled the following information to use in the decision regarding which system is more desirable:Old System New SystemCost of radar system $30,000 $50,000Current salvage value $10,000 -Salvage value in 10 years $5,000 $8,000Annual operating costs $34,000 $29,000Upgrade required in 5 years $4,000 -Discount rate 14% 14%
Required:(a) What is the City of Paranoya’s net present value for the decision described above? Use the total cost approach.(b) Should the City of Paranoya purchase the new system or keep the old system?(Points : 35)
3.(TCO B) Aziz Corporation produces and sells a single product. Data concerning that product appear below.Selling price per unit $130.00Variable expense per unit $27.30Fixed expense per month $165,347
Required:Determine the monthly break-even in either unit or total dollar sales. Show your work!(Points: 25)
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Production-Volume Variance Analysis and Sales Volume Variance. Dawn Floral Creations, Inc., makes jewelry in the shape off flowers. Each piece is hand-made and takes an average of 1.5 hours to produce because of the intricate design and scrollwork. Dawn uses direct labor hours to allocate the overhead cost to production. Fixed overhead costs, including rent, depreciation, supervisory salaries and other production expenses, are budgeted at $9,000 per month. These costs are incurred for a facility large enough to produce 1,000 pieces of jewelry a month.
During the month of February, Dawn produced 600 pieces of jewelry and actual fixed costs were $9,200.
1. Calculate the fixed overhead spending variance and indicate whether it is favorable (F) or unfavorable (U).
2. If Dawn uses direct labor hours available at capacity to calculate the budgeted fixed overhead rate, what is the production-volume variance? Indicate whether it is favorable (F) or unfavorable (U).
3. An unfavorable production-volume variance is a measure of the under-allocation of fixed overhead cost caused by production levels at less than capacity. It therefore could be interpreted as the economic cost of unused capacity. Why would Dawn be willing to incur this cost? Your answer should separately consider the following two unrelated factors:
a. Demand could vary from month to month while available capacity remains constant.
b. Dawn would not want to produce at capacity unless it could sell all the units produced. What does Dawn need to do to raise demand and what effect would this have on profit?
4. Dawn’s budgeted variable cost per unit is $25 and she expects to sell her jewelry for $55 apiece. Compute the sales-volume variance and reconcile it with the production-volume variance calculated in requirement 2. What does each concept measure? | https://www.solutioninn.com/productionvolume-variance-analysis-and-sales-volume-variance-dawn-floral-creations |
Total Manufacturing Cost. In order to determine per unit cost of a product, you have to first calculate the total manufacturing cost of all the items manufactured during the given period. Then, divide the calculated value by the number of the items. The end figure you obtain is one unit's manufacturing cost.
Product costs are costs that are incurred to create a product that is intended for sale to customers. Product costs include direct material (DM), direct labor (DL), and manufacturing overhead (MOH). Product costs are the costs directly incurred from the manufacturing process. The three basic categories of product costs are detailed below:
Aug 25, 2019· The cost of machinery or equipment's required for starting small manufacturing business is very low. You can even think of hiring machinery from the market In order to reduce capital investment. So, now let's take a look at 20 small manufacturing business ideas with low cost.
Mar 25, 2020· Direct material cost per unit = ($ 5000 + $ 1000 + $ 200 + $ 50)/100 = $ 62.50 per chair Direct labor cost per unit = $ 2000/100 = $ 20 per chair Manufacturing overhead = $ ($ 100 + $ 500 + $ 750)/100 = $ 13.50 per chair. So, the total production cost comes to $ 96 per chair. WAYS TO REDUCE PRODUCTION COSTS IN A MANUFACTURING BUSINESS
Due to the increase of population &living standards, the demand for this product is multiplying in every year. present supply of production is meeting only about 20% of the demand if all the crusher units of the state start manufacturing machine made sand as an additional venture then also it could meet only about 50- 60% of the requirement ...
Product cost consists of two distinct components: fixed manufacturing costs and variable manufacturing costs. The production capacity refers to the people and physical resources needed to manufacture products — these are fixed manufacturing costs. In the image below, note that the company's variable manufacturing costs are $410 per unit, and its fixed manufacturing costs are […]
If you are storing your inventory for long periods of time, it can be very expensive. As a manufacturer, consider the cost of storage, insurance, maintenance, and disposal – if applicable. Avoid overproduction with an optimized production process and reduce excess storage costs. Adjust your manufacturing operations to respond directly to ...
Aug 11, 2015· Total Manufacturing Cost per Unit Excluding Materials Another common measure of manufacturing costs is a measure that looks at potentially controllable manufacturing costs in relationship to the produced product. This is accomplished by using the same parameters specified in Total Manufacturing Costs Per Unit, but removing Direct Materials Costs.
Unit Labor Costs in Manufacturing, U.S. Dollar Basis, in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) (DISCONTINUED) Index 2002=100, Annual, Not Seasonally Adjusted 1970 to 2011 (2012-12-10) Total Labor Compensation in Manufacturing in Japan (DISCONTINUED)
Each model has many design assumptions (such as redundancy requirements). The models provide unit cost and total cost information by component. The models also contain estimates of: Add-on costs (such as permits, pilot studies and land acquisition) Indirect capital costs (such as site work and contingencies) Annual operation and maintenance costs
Manufacturing costs other than direct materials and direct labor are categorized as manufacturing overhead cost (also known as factory overhead costs). It usually includes indirect materials, indirect labor, salary of supervisor, lighting, heat and insurance cost of factory etc. Usually, manufacturing overhead costs …
How much does sand cost? On average, most bulk purchases are going to be sold per ton. On average, sand can cost anywhere from $6 to $13 per ton, minus the delivery fee. Smaller purchases in 25 to 50-pound bags, which can commonly be found at Home Depot or Lowe's, can range anywhere from $5 to $18 per bag.
Question: Able Company's Unit Manufacturing Cost Is: Variable Costs $50 Fixed Costs 25 A Special Order For 2,000 Units Has Been Received From A Foreign Company. The Unit Price Requested Is $55. The Normal Unit Price Is $80. If The Order Is Accepted, Unit Variable Costs Will Increase By $2 For Additional Freight Costs.
on additive manufacturing costs reveals that this technology is cost effective for manufacturing small batches with continued centralized manufacturing; however, with increased automation distributed production may become cost effective. Due to the complexities of measuring additive manufacturing costs, current studies are limited in their scope.
Jul 25, 2019· Whereas product cost is the sum of all the expenses surrounding the production of your goods, product cost per unit is the cost of producing a single product. For example, in producing 10 crates of soft drinks, your production costs …
Costs may be classified as manufacturing costs and non-manufacturing costs. This classification is usually used by manufacturing companies. Manufacturing costs: Manufacturing costs can be further divided into the following categories: Direct materials Direct labor Manufacturing overhead The above three categories of manufacturing costs are briefly explained below: Direct materials: Materials ...
If you know the manufacturing costs of a product, and how many units you have produced and sold, then you can determine the per-unit cost. The following practice questions walk you through the process. Goody Picnic Tables Inc. has the following per-unit information: The company produced 250 units and sold 240. Calculate the product cost per unit. | https://www.branche-acacia.fr/crusher/23873/cost/of/a/manufacturing/sand/unit.html |
product proliferation.
tracing more costs as direct costs with the help of technology.
more complexity in distribution processes.
increased automation.
Question 4.4. (TCO 2) Information pertaining to Brenton Corporation’s sales revenue is presented in the following table:
February March April
Cash Sales $160,000 $150,000 $120,000
Credit Sales 300,000 400,000 280,000
Total Sales $460,000 $550,000 $400,000
Management estimates that 5% of credit sales are not collectible. Of the credit sales that are collectible, 75% are collected in the month of sale and the remainder in the month following the sale. Cost of purchases of inventory each month are 80% of the next month’s projected total sales. All purchases of inventory are on account; 50% are paid in the month of purchase, and the remainder is paid in the month following the purchase.
Brenton’s budgeted total cash receipts in March are
(Points : 5)
$506,250.
$457,000.
$492,000.
$428,000.
Question 5.5. (TCO 2) Financing decisions PRIMARILY deal with (Points : 5)
the use of scarce resources.
how to obtain funds to acquire resources.
acquiring equipment and buildings.
preparing financial statements for stockholders.
Question 6.6. (TCO 3) For January, the cost components of a picture frame include $0.20 for the glass, $0.85 for the wooden frame, and $0.60 for assembly. The assembly desk and tools cost $200. A total of 1,000 frames is expected to be produced in the coming year. What cost function best represents these costs? (Points : 5)
y = 1.80 + 400X
y = 400 + 1.80X
y = 200 + 1.65X
y = 1.00 + 400X
Question 7.7. (TCO 3) Which cost estimation method may use time-and-motion studies to analyze the relationship between inputs and outputs in physical terms? (Points : 5)
Quantitative analysis method
Account analysis method
Conference method
Industrial engineering method
Question 8.8. (TCO 4) Sunk costs (Points : 5)
have future implications.
are ignored when evaluating alternatives.
are differential.
are relevant.
Question 9.9. (TCO 5) Throughput contribution equals revenues minus (Points : 5)
operating costs.
direct material costs of goods sold.
direct material costs and minus operating costs.
direct material and direct labor costs.
Question 10.10. (TCO 5) Producing more nonbottleneck output (Points : 5)
allows for the maximization of overall contribution.
creates less pressure for the bottleneck workstations.
creates more inventory and increases throughput contribution.
creates more inventory, but does not increase throughput contribution.
Question 11.11. (TCO 6) What type of cost is the result of an event that results in more than one product or service simultaneously? (Points : 5)
Byproduct cost
Joint cost
Main costs
Separable cost
Question 12.12. (TCO 6) Which of the following is a disadvantage of the physical-measure method of allocating joint costs? (Points : 5)
The measurement basis for each product may be different.
There is a need for a common denominator.
The physical measure may not reflect the product’s ability to generate revenues.
All of the above
Question 13.13. (TCO 7) An understanding of life-cycle costs can lead to (Points : 5)
additional costs during the manufacturing cycle.
less need for evaluation of the competition.
cost-effective product designs that are easier to service.
mutually beneficial relationships between buyers and sellers.
Question 14.14. (TCO 7) Each month, Haddon Company has $300,000 total manufacturing costs (20% fixed) and $125,000 distribution and marketing costs (75% fixed). Haddon’s monthly sales are $500,000.
The markup percentage on variable costs to arrive at the existing (target) selling price is
(Points : 5)
84%.
40%.
80%.
66 2/3%.
Question 15.15. (TCO 8) Transfer prices should be judged by whether they promote (Points : 5)
goal congruence.
the balanced scorecard method.
a high level of subunit autonomy in decision making.
Both 1 and 3 are correct
Question 16.16. (TCO 8) The seller of Product A has no idle capacity and can sell all it can produce at $25 per unit. Outlay cost is $10. What is the opportunity cost, assuming the seller sells internally? (Points : 5)
$10
$16
$15
$24
Question 17.17. (TCO 8) Transferring products or services at market prices generally leads to optimal decisions when (Points : 5)
the market for the intermediate product is perfectly competitive.
the interdependencies of the subunits are minimal.
there are no additional costs or benefits to the company in buying or selling in the external market.
All of the above
Question 18.18. (TCO 9) To guide cost allocation decisions, the cause-and-effect criterion (Points : 5)
may allocate corporate salaries to divisions based on profits.
is used less frequently than the other criteria.
is the primary criterion used in activity-based costing.
is a difficult criterion on which to obtain agreement.
Question 19.19. (TCO 9) The Hassan Corporation has an electric mixer division and an electric lamp division. Of a $50,000,000 bond issuance, the electric mixer division used $24,000,000 and the electric lamp division used $26,000,000 for expansion. Interest costs on the bond totaled $1,500,000 for the year. What amount of interest costs should be allocated to the electric mixer division? (Points : 5)
$4,200,000
$14,000,000
$1,050,000
$720,000
Question 20.20. (TCO 10) The net present value method focuses on (Points : 5)
cash inflows.
accrual-accounting net income.
cash outflows.
Both 1 and 3 are correct
Question 21.21. (TCO 10) Upper Darby Park Department is considering a new capital investment. The cost of the machine will be $200,000. The annual cost savings if the new machine is acquired will be $40,000. The machine will have a five-year life, at which time the terminal disposal value is expected to be $20,000. Upper Darby Park Department is assuming no tax consequences.
If Upper Darby Park Department has a required rate of return of 10%, which of the following is closest to the present value of the project? (Points : 5)
-$35,950
-$150,000
$14,060
-$12,418
Question 22.22. (TCO 11) An advantage of financial cost of quality measures is that they (Points : 5)
are often easy to quantify and understand.
provide immediate short-run feedback on whether quality improvement efforts have, in fact, succeeded in improving quality.
direct attention to physical processes and therefore focus attentions on the precise problem areas needing improvement.
provide a single, summary measure of quality performance.
Question 23.23. (TCO 11) Regal Products has a budget of $900,000 in 20X6 for prevention costs. If it decides to automate a portion of its prevention activities, it will save $60,000 in variable costs. The new method will require $20,000 in training costs and $150,000 in annual equipment costs. Management is willing to adjust the budget for an amount up to the cost of the new equipment. The budgeted production level is 150,000 units. Appraisal costs for the year are budgeted at $600,000. The new prevention procedures will save appraisal costs of $30,000. Internal failure costs average $15 per failed unit of finished goods. The internal failure rate is expected to be 3% of all completed items. The proposed changes will cut the internal failure rate by one-third. Internal failure units are destroyed. External failure costs average $54 per failed unit. The company’s average external failures average 3% of units sold. The new proposal will reduce this rate by 50%. Assume all units produced are sold and there are no ending inventories. What is the net change in the budget of prevention costs if the procedures are automated in 20X6? Will management agree with the changes? (Points : 5)
$138,000 increase, no
$78,000 increase, yes
$60,000 increase, no
$110,000 decrease, yes
Question 24.24. (TCO 12) Obsolescence is an example of which cost category? (Points : 5)
Ordering costs
Carrying costs
Labor costs
Quality costs
Question 25.25. (TCO 12) Liberty Celebrations, Inc., manufactures a line of flags. The annual demand for its flag display is estimated to be 100,000 units. The annual cost of carrying one unit in inventory is $1.60, and the cost to initiate a production run is $80. There are no flag displays on hand but Liberty had scheduled 70 equal production runs of the display sets for the coming year, the first of which is to be run immediately. Liberty Celebrations has 250 business days per year. Assume that sales occur uniformly throughout the year and that production is instantaneous.
If Liberty Celebrations does not maintain a safety stock, the estimated total carrying cost for the flag displays for the coming year is (Points : 5)
$1,800.
$2,000.
$1,600.
$5,600.
Page 2
Question 1. 1. (TCO 2) Gardenia Company has the following projected account balances for June 30, 20X9:
Accounts payable $ 60,000 Sales $ 800,000
Accounts receivable $ 100,000 Capital stock $ 400,000
Depreciation, factory $ 36,000 Retained earnings ?
Inventories (5/31 & 6/30) $ 180,000 Cash $ 56,000
Direct materials used $ 200,000 Equipment, net $ 240,000
Office salaries $ 80,000 Buildings, net $ 400,000
Insurance, factory $ 4,000 Utilities, factory $ 16,000
Plant wages $ 140,000 Selling expenses $ 50,000
Bonds payable $ 160,000 Maintenance, factory $ 28,000
Prepare a budgeted income statement AND a budgeted balance sheet as of June 30, 20X9.
Question 2. 2.
(TCO 5) Paul’s Medical Equipment Company manufactures hospital beds. Its most popular model, Deluxe, sells for $5,000. It has variable costs totaling $2,800 and fixed costs of $1,000 per unit, based on an average production run of 5,000 units. It normally has four production runs a year, with $500,000 in setup costs each time. Plant capacity can handle up to six runs a year for a total of 30,000 beds.
A competitor is introducing a new hospital bed similar to Deluxe that will sell for $4,000. Management believes it must lower the price to compete. Marketing believes that the new price will increase sales by 25% a year. The plant manager thinks that production can increase by 25% with the same level of fixed costs. The company sells all the Deluxe beds it can produce.
Question 1: What is the annual operating income from Deluxe at the price of $5,000?
Question 2: What is the annual operating income from Deluxe if the price is reduced to $4,000 and sales in units increase by 25%?
3.
(TCO 7) Grace Greeting Cards Incorporated is starting a new business venture and is in the process of evaluating its product lines. Information for one new product, traditional parchment grade cards, is as follows:
? For 16 times each year, a new card design will be put into production. Each new design will require $200 in setup costs.
? The parchment grade card product line incurred $75,000 in development costs and is expected to be produced over the next four years.
? Direct costs of producing the designs average $0.50 each.
? Indirect manufacturing costs are estimated at $50,000 per year.
? Customer service expenses average $0.10 per card.
? Sales are expected to be 2,500 units of each card design. Each card sells for $3.50.
? Sales units equal production units each year.
What is the total estimated life-cycle operating income?
(Points : 25)
Question 4. 4.
(TCO 8) Autocar Company manufactures automobiles. The red car division sells its red cars for $25,000 each to the general public. The red cars have manufacturing costs of $12,500 each for variable and $5,000 each for fixed costs. The division’s total fixed manufacturing costs are $25,000,000 at the normal volume of 5,000 units.
The blue car division has been unable to meet the demand for its cars this year. It has offered to buy 1,000 cars from the red car division at the full cost of $18,000. The red car division has excess capacity and the 1,000 units can be produced without interfering with the outside sales of 5,000. The 6,000 volume is within the division’s relevant operating range.
Explain whether the red car division should accept the offer. Support your decision showing all calculations.
Question 5. 5. (TCO 11) For supply item HM, Bertha Company has been ordering 130 units based on the recommendation of the salesperson who calls on the company monthly. The company has hired a new purchasing agent, who wants to start using the economic-order-quantity method and its supporting decision elements. She has gathered the following information:
Annual demand in units
500
Days used per year
500
Lead time, in days
30
Ordering costs
$125
Annual unit carrying costs
$20
Determine the EOQ, average inventory, orders per year, average daily demand, reorder point, annual ordering costs, and annual carrying costs. | https://topwriteressays.com/devry-acct434-final-exam-2014/ |
Cost of goods sold (COGS) is the total of all costs directly attributable to the production of the products sold by a company. You will also see it referred to as the cost of sales. They do not include costs of items not sold. As these costs are held as inventory.
Costs attributable to production include:
- The cost of the materials used to create the product
- Direct labor costs used to produce the product
Indirect costs are also not included in the COGS figure. A company incurs both operating expenses (OPEX) and cost of goods sold (COGS) while operating a business. Whereas, COGS are directly tied to the production of goods, OPEX are not. Therefore they are separated from the COGS on the income statement.
Examples of operating expenses include:
- Rent
- Utilities
- Office supplies
- Legal costs
- Sales and marketing
- Payroll
- Insurance costs
For example, a shoe company will have direct costs like rubber, cotton, dies, and other raw materials going into the production of their shoes. They will also have direct labor costs to pay the employees that make the shoes. These costs add up to the COGS.
They will incur costs in marketing the products, renting store space, shipping, administrative expenses, etc. None of these costs will be a part of the COGS. As they do not directly relate to the manufacturing of the product.
Examining Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
The beginning inventory for the period is the inventory left over from the previous period. Simply put this is any product not sold during that time.
Costs of any additional items produced or purchased by the company are added to the beginning inventory. And at the end of the period, the costs of the products not sold (ending inventory) are subtracted from the sum of the beginning inventory and the additional purchases.
The final amount derived from this calculation is the cost of goods sold (COGS) for the period.
The formula for COGS:
COGS = Beginning Inventory + Production or Purchases during the period – Ending Inventory
EXAMPLE:
If company XYZ begins the month with $100,000 of inventory. Purchases $500,000 of inventory during the month. And ends the month with $50,000 worth of inventory.
You can calculate that company XYZ’s total cost of goods sold (COGS) is $550,000 for the month.
COGS = $100,000 + $500,000 – $50,000 = $550,000
Costs associated with the inventory that is sold appears as an expense on the income statement as the cost of goods sold. With this entry, the costs are matched with the revenues of the goods sold in the accounting period. Thereby achieving the matching principle in accounting.
The inventory account on the balance sheet is an asset of the goods waiting to be sold. This is where the cost of unsold goods will sit until they are sold.
Importance
Cost of goods sold is an important entry on the financial statements. It is a primary component of calculating gross profit. You find the gross profit by subtracting COGS from revenues. This gives you a measure of how efficiently a company is turning sales into profit.
COGS affects nearly all of a company’s profit measures. With COGS you can calculate gross income. And with gross income you can calculate operating income and net income.
- Gross Income = Gross Revenue – COGS
- Net Income = Revenue – COGS – Expenses
As you can see, COGS is an integral part of a company’s ability to profit. It is critical to management’s financial and strategic business decisions.
Being a cost of doing business, cost of goods sold (COGS) is recorded as an expense on the income statement. So if COGS increases, net income will decrease. Thus creating less profit for you. It’s important for you to watch for changes in either direction for insight into increasing expenses, better management of vendors, or any other number of factors.
Accounting Inventory Methods and COGS
Different inventory methods will generate different COGS. This is true even if companies are in the same industry. So it is important to keep this in mind when comparing companies. You need to know the inventory valuation method and differences they create.
There are three generally accepted methods of valuing inventory. The value of the cost of goods sold (COGS) depends on the changing costs of materials and labor along with which method a company adopted.
3 inventory valuation methods:
- Average cost method
- FIFO (first in, first out)
- LIFO ( last in, first out)
Average Cost Method
With this method the cost of all goods in inventory, regardless of the purchase date is used to value the goods sold.
To calculate, you take a simple average of all similar items in inventory to get an average cost per unit.
Then you simply multiply the average cost per unit by the number of units sold to get COGS.
Taking the average cost over a period smooths the COGS number. It is also the easiest and least expensive method. As you don’t have to track each unit separately.
FIFO
With the first in, first out method (FIFO), the first items added to inventory are considered to be the first items sold. Thus where costs are increasing, this will generally result in lower costs being charged to COGS. Resulting in a lower COGS amount. And vice versa.
LIFO
With the last in, first out method (LIFO), the last items added to inventory are assumed to be the first ones sold. Thus where costs are increasing, this will generally result in higher costs being charged to COGS. Resulting in a higher COGS amount. And vice versa.
Comparison Calculations:
100 units sold in the accounting period.
As you can see in the charts above, with the average cost method, you simply find the average cost of each unit based on all units in inventory regardless of their purchase date. Use the average cost and multiply by 100. This gives you a COGS of $50,555.
With FIFO you are taking the costs of the first 100 units purchased. This gives you a COGS of $50,440.
With LIFO you are taking the exact costs of the last 100 units purchased. This gives you a COGS of $50,650.
Each method gives you a different cost of goods sold (COGS). Thus making it important for you to understand each. And when comparing companies, know which one they are using.
Limitations of COGS
COGS can be manipulated by accountants and managers.
Some examples:
- Overstating discounts
- Overstating returns to suppliers
- Incorrectly counting/ misstating the quantity of inventory on hand
- Allocating more overhead to inventory than actually exists
- Failing to write off obsolete inventory
When inventory is artificially inflated, COGS will be under reported. Which will lead to falsely higher gross profit margin and inflated net income.
As you look through a company’s financial statements, check for inventory build up. Such as inventory rising faster than revenue or total assets reported. This will be a red flag to look into.
Take Away – COGS
The cost of goods sold (COGS) is the cost directly attributable to the purchase and production of the products sold by a company. It is therefore, very important to the profitability of a company.
By deducting COGS from a company’s revenues, you will end up with the gross profit. Making it an important figure in all levels of profitability. Including the all important net income. It therefore affects the return on your investment.
The value of COGS changes depending on the inventory valuation method used. You need to be aware of which one a company is using. With that, you will be able to compare companies in a meaningful way.
You will also be watching for inventory buildup as a red flag of potential manipulation of COGS or just a change in some area of costs or management. Look into it. It may be a problem you will then be aware of. Or it could be nothing. Being informed is the key. Don’t be caught off guard.
Don’t be a fool. Learn the tools and use them. Below you can join us for free training. | https://ragingbull.com/stocks/cost-of-goods-sold-cogs-in-the-wheel-of-profitability/ |
Reducing energy costs and pollution emissions involves many areas within an industrial facility. My studies have found seven (7) key (or common) areas where low cost practical projects can be implemented. Combined, these projects provide savings exceeding 10% of the annual energy spend with an average payback of less than one year.
This month’s article will focus on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) component of energy management. As you read this article many of you may just be exiting this year’s long cold winter season. It may still be fresh on your mind just how much extra energy costs are because of winter heating. I will focus on the subject of winter heating but the concepts also apply to air- conditioned manufacturing facilities.
HVAC Optimization Project Objectives
We can describe our HVAC Optimization project as an effort to reduce costs and energy for heating and air conditioning by improved control of exhaust air. The symptoms to help identify the opportunities for this project include:
Take a look around your facility. Do any of these photos look familiar?
|Filtration systems sometimes called “Bag Houses” act like vacuum cleaners sucking the air out of the factory.|
|Inside the factory you can see many different types of exhaust hoods. Many times exhaust hoods are sucking the air out of an area even when there is no production at the machine.|
Step #1: Calculate Gas Costs for Winter Heating
To begin this project you will need some basic information about the costs related to winter heat and the amount of air exchange happening on the manufacturing floor. A quick check for winter heating costs is to take the monthly gas bills and make a table of the amount of gas used each month as in the table below.
Does the amount of gas used increase during the winter months? If so, estimate the amount of gas used during a typical non-heating month such as August. Multiply this amount by 12 months to get an estimate of the amount of gas used for production that is not related to the weather. Now add the total amount of gas used for the year and subtract the amount used for production. This will give you an average amount of gas that is related to the cold weather.
The next step is to estimate approximately how many hours winter heat is required per year. Adding up the hours during the winter months from November through March provides a rough estimate. A more accurate number can be derived by adding up all the days where the average temperature is < 56 F. This number can be found by using the free data available in the website www.weatherunderground.com/history. Enter your zip code and choose the selection “history”. From this data you can also determine what the average temperature was during the heating season. In our sample factory from central Ohio we found there were 3,960 hour per year the temperature was below 56 F and the average temperature was 42 F. The differential temperature is 56 – 42 = 14 degrees.
Step #2: Calculate Amount of Exhaust Air it’s Heating Costs
Another piece of data is to know the amount of exhaust air that is being removed from the factory by dust collectors, furnace exhausts, roof and wall exhausts, etc. Sometimes you can find this data in the environmental survey reports. Another way is to measure the air flow using a Velometer. System name-plate data can be used but is often far different from the actual exhaust flow. HVAC service personnel often have a small probe meter than can be inserted into a duct and determine the flow rate. In my sample factory the volume of exhaust air is 100,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm).
With this data we can roughly calculate the cost of heating the make-up air and then rejecting it back into the countryside. The formula is: Differential Temperature x Flow rate (cfm) x heating hours/yr x cost of gas x 0.00000182 = annual cost
1. 14 degrees x 100,000 cfm x 3,960 hours x $9.80/mmbtu x 0.00000182 = $98,000 per year.
Think about this: Every 1,000 cfm of air that is being exhausted costs $1,000 per year or $1.00 per cfm. A small squirrel cage fan of 1 horse power can eject 3,000 cfm or $3,000 of heated air.
What are some of the opportunities to reduce cost in this sample model?
Reduce the roof exhaust air by reversing the flow of the roof exhaust units and distributing the air into the roof area of the factory using flexible distribution ducting as shown in the photo below. Our model factory was under negative pressure and drawing in cold air from the truck bays and other doors, windows, and cracks. This caused the need for local heaters while hot air was going out the roof. Reducing the exhaust air by 30,000 cfm at $1.00/cfm will save $30,000 per year. A plant in central Ohio recently applied these principals and even though the 2008/2009 winter has been extra cold they have not run the large steam boiler system yet this year to heat the manufacturing areas.
|Fresh air make-up tubes and fans can be used to distribute the cold air from outside and mix it with the warm ceiling air. These systems help reduce negative pressure problems and can significantly reduce the winter heating costs.|
Shutting down excess exhaust hoods during periods of reduced production can also help reduce the heating costs. Twenty (20) exhausters could be shut down for 80 hours per week (50% of the time)
20 exhausters x 1,500 cfm/exhauster x $1.00/cfm x 50% of the time = $15,000 of savings per year.
Look for any areas where the exhaust flow can be reduced during periods of reduced production.
- The facility has a large amount of air exchange (air changes per hour)
- The facility requires heating during the winter months.
- The existing ventilation system does not have optimization controls.
- Gas used in August = 4,657 mmbtus. X 12 months = 55,884 mmbtu (gas for production)
- Total gas used in 1 year = 67,632 mmbtus
- Total gas used – gas used for production = 67,632 – 55,884 = 11,748 mmbtus (gas used for winter heat)
- At an average cost for gas of $9.80/mmbtu the cost for winter heating is $115,130 per year.
Conclusion
Exhausting air is expensive. Every cubic foot of air that is exhausted means an equal cubic foot of air must be returned. If it is cold outside and you have to heat this return air it costs $$$. Challenge everyone in your facility to look for excess exhaust air, opportunities to supply fresh air to hot areas, and to find way to shut down or slow down roof exhausts during winter months.
Thomas Mort is the Chief Operating Officer of Mission Point Energy. | https://mail.coolingbestpractices.com/index.php/energy-manager/corporate-sustainability-programs/sustainability-projects-hvac-optimization |
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the amount of electricity produced or consumed in one hour. In Australia, the typical daily usage of a common household is around 17,000 watt-hours of power. To calculate this from watts to kWh, it would equal around 17 kilowatt-hours.
How is energy measured?
The official measurement unit for energy is the Joule (J). Among the most common units measuring energy mention should be made of the kilowatt/hour (kWh), used especially for electric energy (in fact it is used to calculate electricity bills).
What is the unit of measuring energy?
The SI unit of energy/work is the joule (J), named for English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818 – 1889). Joule discovered the relationship between heat and mechanical work, which led to the development of the laws of thermodynamics.
How many kWh per day is normal Australia?
An average Australian house consumes electricity amounting to 18 KiloWatt(KW) per day or 6570 KW per hour.
How is energy measured in humans?
In human biol- ogy research, energy is most often measured in kilocalo- ries (kcal). … Another common unit for measuring energy is the joule or the kilojoule [1 kilojoule (kJ) 5 1,000 J], with the conver- sion between calories and joules being 1 kcal 5 4.184 kJ.
What is time measured in?
We measure time in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years with clocks and calendars. A day has 24 hours.
What is the biggest unit of energy?
In the SI unit system, Joule (J) is considered as the largest unit of energy. 1 Joule is the amount of energy that is required in order to move an…
What is SI unit of thrust?
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton’s third law. … Force, and thus thrust, is measured using the International System of Units (SI) in newtons (symbol: N), and represents the amount needed to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at the rate of 1 meter per second per second.
What is the smallest unit of energy?
J s. Planck’s constant represents the smallest energy unit, which moves at the speed of light; it is a photon.
Why is power bill so high?
The reason why your electricity bills are so high is that the more electricity you use, the more you pay per unit of electricity. … If your typical electricity usage is 900 kWh per month, and your average cents per kWh is $0.15, you would pay something around $135 per month.
Is 50 kWh a day a lot?
50 kwh in one day is a lot. … The truth is that it’s unlikely you’ll use exactly 1,000 kWh of energy in a month. Ever. The average Texas household used 1,156 kWh per month in 2016, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
How much does 1 kWh cost in Australia?
That said, for 2020, all states are enjoying lower electricity prices for both household and business consumption. By March of this year, the cost of electricity in Australia averaged $0.3025 per kWh.
What are the 4 types of energy do humans have?
In the body, thermal energy helps us to maintain a constant body temperature, mechanical energy helps us to move, and electrical energy sends nerve impulses and fires signals to and from our brains. Energy is stored in foods and in the body as chemical energy.
Are humans made of energy?
all matter and psychological processes — thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and attitudes — are composed of energy. When applied to the human body, every atom, molecule, cell, tissue and body system is composed of energy that when superimposed on each other create what is known as the human energy field.
Do Humans give off energy?
The average human, at rest, produces around 100 watts of power. Over periods of a few minutes, humans can comfortably sustain 300-400 watts; and in the case of very short bursts of energy, such as sprinting, some humans can output over 2,000 watts. | https://hike-australia.com/australians/how-is-energy-measured-in-australia.html |
How is lot size calculated in Forex?
The Forex position size calculator uses pip amount (stoploss), percentage at risk and the margin to determine the maximum lot size. When the currency pair is quoted in terms of US dollars the equation is as follows; Lot Size = ((Margin * Percentage) ÷ Pip Amount) ÷ 100k.
How do I calculate lot size?
Use a calculator to avoid making any errors.
- Measure the length and width of the land plot in feet if it is square or rectangular.
- Multiply the length times the width of rectangular land plots to get the area in square feet.
- Divide the number obtained in Step 2 by 43,560.
How do you calculate lot size for a trade?
First, take your total trade risk (1% of your account balance), and then divide that calculated value out by the number of pips you are risking to your stop order. The total at this point is the amount per pip you should be risking.
What lot size should I use in Forex?
The standard size for a lot is 100,000 units. There are also mini-lots of 10,000 and micro-lots of 1,000. To take advantage of relatively small moves in the exchange rates of currency, we need to trade large amounts in order to see any significant profit (or loss)….Understanding Lot Sizes & Margin Requirements when Trading Forex.
|Lot||Number Of Units|
|Mini||10,000|
|Micro||1,000|
What is 10.00 lot size in forex?
Understanding a Standard Lot A standard lot represents 100,000 units of any currency, whereas a mini-lot represents 10,000 and a micro-lot represents 1,000 units of any currency. A one-pip movement for a standard lot corresponds with a $10 change.
How do you calculate risk and lot size?
Position size = Amount you’re risking / (stop loss * value per pip)
- The amount you’re risking = 1% of $10,000 = $100.
- Value per pip for 1 standard lot = $10USD/pip.
- Stop loss = 200pips.
What is 10.00 lot size in Forex?
How much is 0.01 lot?
0.01 Lots in Forex equals to 1.000 currency units, which is also called a Micro Lot. To achieve this result all you need to do is multiply 0.01 by 100.000 (the standard lot value).
What lot size is good for $100 forex?
0.01
What lot size is good for $100 forex? Answer: If you have only 100 dollars capital, you cannot expect your lot size to be more than . 10. It is better if you put the lot size 0.01, the lowest one.
What does 1.00 lot size mean?
100,000 Units
Just to put things in perspective: 100,000 Units = 1.00 Lot. 10,000 Units = 0.10 Lot. 1,000 Units = 0.01 Lot. Below 1,000 Units = 0.001 Lot. | https://wanderluce.com/advice/how-is-lot-size-calculated-in-forex/ |
A healthy digestive system contributes to a child’s growth and development and ongoing research shows it has a vital role in overall wellbeing.
The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, commonly known as the gut, and other digestive organs. A healthy adult gut is home to 100 trillion bacteria - a unique community known as the microbiota. This microbiota plays an important role in gut function and is vital for our health.
The importance of gut health starts early in life. As the digestive system of a newborn matures it develops an ability to produce enzymes to digest food and antibodies for protection. A healthy gut and microbiota development is crucial for overall growth and development, may reduce digestive discomfort and, in turn, contribute to the wellbeing of infants and parents. Nutrition plays a major role in supporting the development of a healthy digestive system.
Nutricia has pioneered the role of nutrition and gut microbiota to improve health. Our research has focused on the relationship between nutrition and the development of the digestive system in infants. By studying the development of the microbiota of breastfed infants we have learnt how the microbiota can be influenced through nutrition and the impact on health and disease later in life.
Prebiotics and probiotics sound similar and are easily confused. Probiotics is the name given to good bacteria naturally present in the gut that help the digestive system to function properly. They are defined as live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, pass a health benefit on to the host.¹ Probiotics are sometimes found in food such as yoghurt; however, they can be digested before they reach the colon where they are needed. Prebiotics are dietary carbohydrates which feed the good bacteria already in the gut. They are not digestible and therefore reach the colon intact. Prebiotics work naturally to stimulate the growth of good bacteria to support gut function, including aiding digestion and a natural immune system. | https://www.nutricia.com/en/early-life-nutrition/where-we-focus/digestive-health.html |
While gastric ulcers are a common focus in equine practice, intestinal pathologies found beyond the stomach may present a greater challenge for veterinarians. Enteritis and other intestinal disorders can be difficult to diagnose. But these digestive issues have a significant impact on equine welfare and performance.
Proactively identifying and minimizing the risks of enteritis is essential for managing digestive health in equine patients. Although some diseases associated with enteritis in horses aren’t preventable, certain horses have a higher risk than others.
Stall confinement, limited access to free-choice forage, infrequent meals, and the stress of training and competition can increase the risk of digestive tract pathology in performance horses. (Feary et al., 2006). While this is not directly related to causing enteritis, a horse in poor GI health may be more susceptible to small intestine pathologies. Owners and veterinarians should work together to develop management strategies for maintaining GI health for these horses. A healthy digestive tract is better physiologically prepared to resist and combat intestinal disease.
Daily supplementation with targeted nutrients may provide needed digestive support when lifestyle and feeding program alterations are impossible. Keep reading to learn more about enteritis, supportive care for this disease, relevant aspects of GI health, and how digestive support from SUCCEED can benefit horses at risk of enteritis.
A Brief Overview of Enteritis
Enteritis refers to a broad range of diseases that cause inflammation in the small intestine. While this condition can have infectious and non-infectious causes, enteritis is typically associated with a bacterial infection (Page et al., 2014).
Clinical signs of enteritis may include the acute onset of severe abdominal pain that resembles a colic episode. Other symptoms include fever, rapid heart rate, gastric reflux, and intestinal distention (Archer et al., 2014).
Immediate intervention with targeted treatment is critical to prevent enteritis from becoming life-threatening. Clinical signs can progress rapidly and lead to dehydration, endotoxemia, or rupture from gastric and intestinal reflux.
Accurate diagnosis ensures the best odds of a positive outcome. However, diagnosing enteritis can be challenging. The clinical signs of enteritis are similar to other conditions like intestinal torsion or blockage.
The long and convoluted anatomy of the small intestine makes it difficult to visualize with diagnostic tools. In many cases, veterinarians can only make a presumptive diagnosis after ruling out other diseases (Schumacher et al., 2009).
Effective treatment depends on the specific pathologic condition for causing the individual case of enteritis. Different types of enteritis include viral enteritis, bacterial enteritis, idiopathic focal eosinophilic enteritis, eosinophilic enteritis, lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis, granulomatous enteritis, and neoplasia (Schumacher et al., 2018).
Download our white paper Enteritis in Horses: Diagnosis and Treatment for complete details on the types, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of enteritis in horses.
Zeroing in on Supportive Care for Enteritis
Complications caused by enteritis may require supportive care to address clinical signs. Supportive therapies for horses with enteritis include fluid therapy, intravenous plasma therapy, gastric ulcer treatment, parenteral nutrition for inappetence, and vitamin and mineral supplementation (Uzal et al., 2015).
Daily supplementation with targeted nutrients that support specific physiological functions may benefit equine gastrointestinal health. A healthy gastrointestinal tract reduces the risk of infections and other diseases that contribute to enteritis.
Additional GI health support can also benefit horses undergoing medical treatments to protect gastrointestinal integrity and digestive function.
Aspects of GI Health to Address
Balancing the Microbiota
The gut microbiota is the first aspect of gastrointestinal health to address in horses with an increased risk of enteritis. Healthy populations of beneficial microbes in the equine hindgut enhance resistance to pathogenic bacteria.
A balanced microbiome is also essential for immune health. By resisting the assault from pathogens, good microbes reduce the risk of inflammation caused by an immune response to the assault. Prebiotics can support the activity and growth of existing microbes in the digestive tract (Garber et al., 2020).
Supporting the Gastrointestinal Lining
Supporting the integrity of the gastrointestinal lining also strengthens the horse’s natural gut barrier function to protect against pathogens, gastric acids, and toxins.
Important Nutrients and Their Functions for GI Health
Daily supplementation with targeted nutrients supports digestive function and anatomy by promoting a balanced microbiota and healthy gastrointestinal lining. Below are some key nutrients to consider when developing a nutritional management plan supporting GI health.
Beta-Glucan
Beta-glucan is a polysaccharide naturally found in natural substances like yeast, oats, and barley. This nutrient may have several profound effects on equine digestive health.
When fed with hard feed, beta-glucan creates a hydrogel that helps moderate the transit of digesta through the GI tract. The slowed transit rate allows the small intestine to efficiently digest starch before it reaches the hindgut, where starch may have adverse effects.
Beta-glucan stimulates the immune system by inducing macrophages to respond to pathogens and aiding tissue healing. It may also benefit digestive function by increasing nutrient absorption and regulating the release of blood sugars in the bloodstream.
Polar Lipids
Dietary polar lipids like galactolipids help form the tight junctions of epithelial cells in the gastrointestinal lining. These versatile emulsifiers stabilize oil and water mixtures, allowing them to act as an ideal nutrient delivery vehicle for fat and water-soluble molecules.
Supplementation with polar lipids can help enhance nutrient absorption and the GI tract’s natural protection from acids by strengthening the impermeability of the gut barrier and supporting the intestinal mucosa.
Amino Acids
Supplementation with the amino acids l-glutamine and l-threonine may also significantly benefit gi health in horses. L-glutamine is often referred to as a “conditionally essential” amino acid. Although horses can produce glutamine in their bodies, digestive stress can deplete this nutrient.
L-glutamine provides fuel for muscles and supplies nitrogen to intestinal mucosa immune cells. This amino acid is essential for maintaining tight junctions of the gastrointestinal tract, which helps prevent pathogens from breaching the gut-blood barrier.
L-threonine is an essential amino acid found in the mucin produced by intestinal goblet cells that supports metabolism and nutrient absorption. A deficiency in this amino acid slows gut wall generation and the production of mucus, inhibiting GI tract function.
Mannan Oligosaccharides
The mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) in yeast extracts mimics the carbohydrates in enterocyte membranes. As a result, some pathogens may mistakenly bind with MOS, allowing them to be flushed out of the digestive system.
MOS acts as a prebiotic for certain strains of beneficial bacteria, promoting the growth of good gut microbes that compete with pathogenic bacteria. This nutrient is also an immune stimulator that promotes improved digestion by encouraging the growth of intestinal villi.
About SUCCEED® Digestive Conditioning Program
SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program is a natural nutritional approach to supporting GI health in horses. Daily supplementation with this patented formula provides targeted nutrients that support optimal gastrointestinal function.
SUCCEED allows owners and veterinarians to proactively maintain digestive health in horses with an increased risk of enteritis and other digestive issues. This practical management solution fits readily into regular feeding programs and is an ideal addition to an overall wellness strategy.
References
- Feary, D. et al. (2006) Enteritis and Colitis in Horses. Vet Clin Equine Pract.
- Page, A. et al. (2014) Lawsonia intracellularis and equine proliferative enteropathy. Vet Clin Equine Pract.
- Archer, D. et al. (2014) Idiopathic focal eosinophilic enteritis (IFEE), an emerging cause of abdominal pain in horses: the effect of age, time and geographical location on risk. PloS One.
- Schumacher J. et al. (2009) Idiopathic Focal Eosinophilic Enteritis. Current Therapy Equine Med.
- Schumacher, J. et al. (2018) Eosinophilic intestinal diseases of the horse. Equine Vet Ed.
- Uzal, F. et al. (2015) Gastritis, Enteritis, and Colitis in Horses. Vet Clin Equine Pract.
- Garber, A. et al. (2020) Factors Influencing Equine Gut Microbiota: Current Knowledge. J Equine Vet Sci. | https://www.succeed-vet.com/vet-center-blog/2023/01/06/reduce-risk-of-enteritis/ |
5 Foods to Avoid for a Happy, Healthy Gut Microbiome
It’s everyone’s favorite topic: digestive discomfort. Whether you’ve been experiencing chronic gut issues for years or you’re new to the matters of a miserable microbiome, one thing is clear—a significant component of our overall health is determined by the (beneficial) bacteria that reside in our gut, aka our microbiome.
“Research has shown that all roads lead to the health of our gut microbiome—our well-being depends on it,” says Raphael Kellman, MD, founder of the Kellman Wellness Center in New York City. “This is the inner realm of thousands of microbes residing in our intestines. They are intimately connected to all aspects of health greatly impacting mood, metabolism, immune function, digestion, hormones, inflammation, and even gene expression.” We’re listening. According to Dr. Kellman, a balanced bacterial population can mean excellent health, while dysbiosis—or microbial imbalance—triggers disease and chronic illness.
But how do you know if you have an unhealthy gut? According to Carielle Nikkel, MS, RDN a nutritionist with Persona Nutrition, some common symptoms that suggest an imbalance include bloating, gas, and abdominal pain. “Your digestive discomfort could be explained by a variety of issues—from a food sensitivity to an underlying health condition,” she says. “But one trend is clear: digestive issues are often linked to an imbalance of bacteria in your gut. This delicate balance can be altered by your lifestyle, exercise, and antibiotic use (among many other things), but diet is one of the best, most effective ways we can improve our microbiome.”
By making dietary and lifestyle changes with the bacteria in mind, you can see improvements in every area of the body, including in systems that may seem far removed from intestinal health. Here are the five foods Dr. Kellman recommends avoiding in the name of your gut microbiome—and overall health and happiness.
Related Items
1 Sugar.
While most dieters expect to cut back on sugar because of calories, on a deeper level, sugar should be avoided for the detrimental effects on gut bacteria and inflammation. "Sugar is known to nourish disruptive strains and yeast, allowing them to overgrow exceeding a healthy percentage of the microbiome," Dr. Kellman says.
2 Meat.
A popular trend today is to eat a diet (keto, paleo) comprised mainly of animal proteins and fat. Unfortunately, this does little to sustain the health of the microbiome. Without a substantial amount of plant fibers known as prebiotics, the microbiome becomes depleted. This reduces its ability to make necessary nutrients for our health, like short chain fatty acids, vitamins, and natural antibiotics that keep us safe from pathogens. A microbiome-friendly diet is high in plants and uses healthy animal proteins as a side dish.
RELATED: Your Gut Needs Prebiotics and Probiotics—but What's the Difference? This RD Breaks It Down
3 Plant Pesticides.
The microbiome is highly sensitive to exposure to chemicals, toxins, and pesticides—especially those coming from the food and water we drink. "If you have a sensitive gut, whenever possible, avoid foods that may have been exposed to plant pesticides by choosing organic fruits and veggies (especially those that are on the Dirty Dozen list), animals raised without hormones, and drink filtered water," Dr. Kellman advises.
4 Dairy.
While dairy can be beneficial for some, for those with an allergy or intolerance, eating it leads to inflammation, leaky gut, and reactions that can affect the immune system. "Many people benefit by removing it for a period of time and reintroducing it later," says Dr. Kellman. Same goes for gluten: it isn't bad for you, but if you have an allergy or sensitivity, giving it up is a no-brainer for good gut health.
RELATED: Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D? Here’s What You Should Know
5 HFCS, Additives, Preservatives, Food Colorings, and Refined Vegetable Oils. | https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/healthy-meals/foods-bad-for-gut-health |
How to Promote Gut Health
It is essential to know how to improve your digestion. This article gives tips on how to eat a balanced diet and avoid monosaccharides in hidden sources. Avoid processed foods, sugar and NSAIDs. Avoid medications such as aspirin and eat a wide range of whole foods that are rich in polyphenols. It is vital to maintain the health of your digestive tract.
Diversify your diet
One of the easiest ways to improve the health of your gut microbiome is to diversify your diet. A western diet is characterized by a lack of variety due to high levels of fat, sugar and processed food. However an diversified diet will help to increase the growth of beneficial bacteria. Make sure you are eating whole fruits, vegetables and whole grains to diversify your diet. Include these foods in your meals and snacks.
The typical American diet is full of processed foods and sugar, as well as high-fat dairy products. These foods can make it harder for our digestive systems to function properly, which can cause toxic by-products. In addition, diets rich in refined and processed carbohydrates cause inflammation and decrease the diversity of microbiome. Diversifying your diet can to improve digestion and overall health. You can improve your gut health by incorporating more fruits and vegetables in your daily meals.
Avoid monosaccharides that are hidden sources of
Changes in your diet can help you stay away from monosaccharides that are hidden and improve gut health. Concentrate on eating fermented vegetables as well as unprocessed beef and fiber-rich vegetables. Certain foods can harm the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut. If you’re looking for a diet plan that improves gut health, consider cutting out foods that trigger digestive symptoms such as sugar and gluten. Probiotic supplements can also be an alternative. Probiotic supplements can help your body develop beneficial bacteria. Stress can cause damage to the beneficial bacteria that reside in your gut.
Research suggests that eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber can help to regulate the amount of pro-inflammatory bacteria that reside in the gut. Gut health is also improved by flavonoids. Flavonoids are abundant in food items that belong to the cabbage family soups, vegetable broths, as well as other vegetables. These are essential to support healthy gut bacteria. It is also important to drink plenty of water, stay clear of alcohol, and limit your intake of processed food items.
Eat foods rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are an antioxidant that can be found in a vast range of plants. They shield the body from illnesses and can have beneficial effects for the microbiome. Polyphenols are abundant in vibrant fruits and vegetables. People who are less at risk of certain diseases prefer to eat a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits. Include more natural foods , such as vegetables, fruits and fruits and avoid foods that have been processed or contain added chemicals.
The most extensive group of polyphenols that contains flavonoids. They include the well-known quercetin anthocyanin as well as Hesperetin. Both green and black teas contain high amounts of polyphenols. Some of these are known to possess anti-cancer properties. If you’re looking for ways to get enough polyphenols into your diet, here’s a few of them.
Avoid NSAIDs
While NSAIDs are usually used to relieve pain, they can have adverse effects on the gut. Inflammation may cause ulcers, bleeding and other symptoms, and they may contribute to long-term problems with the gut and gut, such as leaky stomach syndrome IBS, leaky gut syndrome, and Crohn’s disease. To maintain gut health and avoid side effects, it is best to avoid NSAIDs.
Although antibiotics are a highly effective treatment for serious bacterial infections they are often misused and overused. Antibiotics should only be prescribed by your physician and should not be used as a self-treatment. The normal balance of bacterial activity in the gut is disturbed by antibiotics and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications (NSAIDs). It is essential to stay clear of NSAIDs in order to promote gut health.
Drink fermentable fiber
One of the best ways to improve your health is by eating more fiber. It’s easy and there are plenty of fiber sources, including vegetables, fruits Whole grains, whole grain, and VINA sodas. All of these foods contribute to a healthy gut microbiome. Fiber is crucial to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and for lowering blood pressure.
Recent advancements in microbiome research have resulted in an increasing number of probiotics and prebiotic ingredients that improve your gut health. Prebiotic fermentation can improve the immune system, improve blood lipid levels, and continue to be researched. Although the exact function of these products remains to be established but there are numerous advantages. One study revealed that fermentable fibers can help improve the control of glycemic levels. Other studies didn’t show any benefit.
Exercise
In a recent study, researchers from the University of New Mexico found that regular exercise is beneficial for the gut health. Exercise encourages healthy growth of bacteria and is crucial to our overall well-being. This, in turn, can boost our moods and mental health. It’s also a vital component in neurogenesis, which allows for the creation of new neural connections in our brains. The type of exercise you pick will also affect your gut health.
Two previously inactive males and females were followed for six months to observe the effects of exercise on their gut microbiome. Both groups showed improvement in the composition of gut bacteria and higher levels of physiologically relevant substances. Furthermore, both aerobic exercise and voluntary wheel running resulted in increases in the number of gut bacteria. These results are encouraging, however further research is required to confirm these findings. | https://www.thinktwicepakistan.com/how-to-strengthen-gut-health/ |
Many by now will be familiar with the term ‘friendly bacteria’, referring to the vast population of bacteria in the digestive tract. This population of microbes (the microbiome) play an important role in maintaining our digestive health and many people consume yogurt and other fermented milk drinks to promote gut health. Increasingly research is showing us that the gut microbiome has a significant effect on our mental as well as physical health.
To gain a better overview of the current status of research in this area a systemic review of random controlled trials was conducted and published in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology & Motility. The researchers reviewed 25 animal and 15 human trials. Of the studies involving human participants just over half described significant effects of probiotics on central nervous system function and an intake of probiotics for four weeks appeared to be the threshold for noticeable effects. In the human trials the most common bacterial strains tested were Bifidobacterium longum, B. breve, B. infantis, Lactobacillus helveticus, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, and L. casei, all of which are present in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir and traditional (unpasteurised) sauerkraut.
Looking at both the animal models and human trials the results of this review indicated that probiotics were an effective intervention for a range of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and memory function. A number of potential mechanisms were identified:
Reduced cortisol (stress hormone) levels
Reduced inflammation.
Improved immune function
It is also feasible that some of the known metabolites of the microbiome such as GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, might play a role either via the vagus nerve or more directly by crossing the blood-brain barrier. Whilst the review is generally positive the researchers called for further studies to be conducted with human participants in order to be able to draw firmer conclusions on the promising role of probiotics on mental diseases.
Reference:
Wang, H., Lee, I., Braun, C. & Enck, P. (2016). Effect of Probiotics on Central Nervous System Functions in Animals and Humans: A Systematic Review. Journal of Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 22, 589-605. | http://www.monumentalhealth.co.uk/research/2016/11/11/effect-of-probiotics-on-central-nervous-system-functions-in-animals-and-humans-a-systematic-review |
Your digestive system is one of the most important systems in the body. If your body cannot properly digest and absorb nutrients and eliminate waste products, then it is difficult to achieve optimal health. Proper gut function is critical to addressing many seemingly unrelated conditions.
If your gut is not happy,
The human gut microbiome plays a role in health and the development of chronic diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Beyond this, imbalances in the internal ecosystem present in the digestive tract have been linked to other inflammatory conditions such as asthma and allergies, as well as autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. In addition, gut microbiota have been implicated in the development of endocrine imbalances, anxiety, and depression.
Resolving digestive problems means more than a quick fix to relieve a symptom. It means taking a holistic and comprehensive approach to healing your digestive system and promoting long-term digestive health.
We utilize a system of advanced tests to effectively pinpoint the area of gastrointestinal imbalance. Using these functional tests, we can correctly identify the causes of your acute and chronic digestive problems. Armed with this information, we then carefully assess the overall role of digestion and absorption in your body and how they affect other health conditions you’re experiencing.
Disorders of digestion and intestinal function can be treated very well through functional and holistic approaches. Working with the body to optimize digestion, reduce inflammation, and improve elimination can have widespread positive effects on overall health. Most people are unaware that the intestines contain about 85% of the body’s immune cells and neurotransmitters.
Intestinal conditions that respond very well to integrative medical approaches include:
- Gastro-esophageal reflux
- Food allergies and intolerances, including Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity
- Poor digestive function including hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid)
- Yeast and bacterial overgrowth of the intestines
- Parasitic infections
- Crohn's Disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Microscopy or lymphocytic colitis
- Irritable Bowel Disease
Symptoms of GI dysfunction may include: | https://ocwholefamilywellness.com/gastrointestinal-health/ |
Doctors are trained to identify diseases by where they are located.
If you have asthma, it’s considered a lung problem; if you have rheumatoid arthritis, it must be a joint problem; if you have acne, doctors see it as a skin problem; if you are overweight, you must have a metabolism problem; if you have allergies, immune imbalance is blamed.
Doctors who understand health this way are both right and wrong. Sometimes the causes of your symptoms do have some relationship to their location, but that’s far from the whole story.
As we come to understand disease in the 21st century, our old ways of defining illness based on symptoms is not very useful. Instead, by understanding the origins of disease and the way in which the body operates as one, whole, integrated ecosystem, we now know that symptoms appearing in one area of the body may be caused by imbalances in an entirely different system.
If your skin is bad or you have allergies, can’t seem to lose weight, suffer from an autoimmune disease or allergies, struggle with fibromyalgia, or have recurring headaches, the real reason may be that your gut is unhealthy. This may be true even if you have never had any digestive complaints.
There are many other possible imbalances in your body’s operating system that may drive illness, as well. These include problems with hormones, immune function, detoxification, energy production, and more. But for now, let’s take a deeper look at the gut and why it may be at the root of your chronic symptoms.
Symptoms Throughout the Body Are Resolved By Treating the Gut
Many today do have digestive problems including reflux or heartburn, irritable bowel, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and colitis. In fact, belly problems account for over 200 million doctor’s visits and billions in health care costs annually. But gut problems cause disease far beyond the gut. In medical school, I learned that patients with colitis could also have inflamed joints and eyes and that patients with liver failure could be cured of delirium by taking antibiotics that killed the toxin-producing bacteria in their gut.
Could it be that when things are not quite right down below, it affects the health of our entire body and many diseases we haven’t linked before to imbalances in the digestive system?
The answer is a resounding yes. Normalizing gut function is one of the most important things I do for patients, and it’s so simple. The “side effects” of treating the gut are quite extraordinary. My patients find relief from allergies, acne, arthritis, headaches, autoimmune disease, depression, attention deficit, and more—often after years or decades of suffering.
Here are a few examples of the results I have achieved by addressing imbalances in the function and flora of the gut:
- A 58-year-old woman with many years of worsening allergies, asthma, and sinusitis who was on frequent antibiotics and didn’t respond to any of the usual therapies was cured by eliminating a worm she harbored in her gut called Strongyloides.
- A 52-year-old woman who suffered with daily headaches and frequent migraines for years, found relief by clearing out the overgrowth of bad bugs in her small intestine with a new non-absorbed antibiotic called Xifaxin.
- A six-year-old girl with severe behavioral problems including violence, disruptive behavior in school, and depression was treated for bacterial yeast overgrowth, and in less than 10 days, her behavioral issues and depression were resolved.
- A three-year-old boy with autism started talking after treating a parasite called Giardia in his gut.
These are not miracle cures but common results that occur when you normalize gut function and flora through improved diet, increased fiber intake, daily probiotic supplementation, enzyme therapy, the use of nutrients that repair the gut lining, and the direct treatment of bad bugs in the gut with herbs or medication.
A number of recent studies have made all these seemingly strange reversals in symptoms understandable. Let’s review them.
Research Linking Gut Flora and Inflammation To Chronic Illness
Scientists compared gut flora or bacteria from children in Florence, Italy who ate a diet high in meat, fat, and sugar to children from a West African village in Burkina Faso who ate beans, whole grains, vegetables, and nuts.(i) The bugs in the guts of the African children were healthier, more diverse, better at regulating inflammation and infection, and better at extracting energy from fiber. The bugs in the guts of the Italian children produced by-products that create inflammation, promote allergy, asthma, autoimmunity, and lead to obesity.
Why is this important?
In the West, our increased use of vaccinations and antibiotics and enhancements in hygiene have lead to health improvements for many. Yet these same factors have dramatically changed the ecosystem of bugs in our gut, and this has a broad impact on health that is still largely unrecognized.
There are trillions of bacteria in your gut, and they collectively contain at least 100 times as many genes as you do. The bacterial DNA in your gut outnumbers your own DNA by a very large margin. This bacterial DNA controls immune function, regulates digestion and intestinal function, protects against infections, and even produces vitamins and nutrients.
When the balance of bacteria in your gut is optimal, this DNA works for you to great effect. For example, some good bacteria produce short chain fatty acids. These healthy fats reduce inflammation and modulate your immune system. Bad bugs, on the other hand, produce fats that promote allergy and asthma, eczema, and inflammation throughout your body.(ii)
Another recent study found that the bacterial fingerprint of gut flora of autistic children differs dramatically from healthy children.(iii) Simply by looking at the by-products of their intestinal bacteria (which are excreted in the urine—a test I do regularly in my practice called organic acids testing), researchers could distinguish between autistic and normal children.
Think about this: problems with gut flora are linked to autism. Can bacteria in the gut actually affect the brain? They can. Toxins, metabolic by-products, and inflammatory molecules produced by these unfriendly bacteria can all adversely impact the brain. I explore the links between gut function and brain function in much greater detail in my book, The UltraMind Solution.
Autoimmune diseases are also linked to changes in gut flora. A recent study showed that children who use antibiotics for acne may alter normal flora, and this, in turn, can trigger changes that lead to autoimmune disease such as inflammatory bowel disease or colitis.(iv)
The connections between gut flora and system-wide health don’t stop there. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that you could cure or prevent delirium and brain fog in patients with liver failure by giving them an antibiotic called Xifaxan to clear out bugs that produce toxins their poor livers couldn’t detoxify.(v) Toxins from bacteria were making them insane and foggy. Remove the bacteria that produce the toxins, and their symptoms clear up practically overnight.
Other similar studies have found that clearing out overgrowth of bad bugs with a non-absorbed antibiotic can be an effective treatment for restless leg syndrome(vi) and fibromyalgia.(vii)
Even obesity has been linked to changes in our gut ecosystem that are the result of a high-fat, processed, inflammatory diet. Bad bugs produce toxins called lipopolysaccardies (LPS) that trigger inflammation and insulin resistance or pre-diabetes and thus promote weight gain.(viii)
It seems remarkable, but the little critters living inside of you have been linked to everything from autism to obesity, from allergy to autoimmunity, from fibromyalgia to restless leg syndrome, from delirium to eczema to asthma. In fact, the links between chronic illness and gut bacteria keep growing every day.
So what can you do to keep your gut flora balanced and your gut healthy, and thus overcome or avoid these health problems?
Five Steps to a Healthy Gut (and a Healthy Body)
Follow these five simple steps to begin re-balancing your gut flora:
- Eat a fiber–rich, whole foods diet—it should be rich in beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, all of which feed good bugs.
- Limit sugar, processed foods, animal fats, and animal protein—these provide food for unhealthy bugs.
- Avoid the use of antibiotics, acid blockers, and anti-inflammatories—they change gut flora for the worse.
- Take probiotics daily—these healthy, friendly flora can improve your digestive health and reduce inflammation and allergy.
- Consider specialized testing—such as organic acid testing, stool testing (new tests can look at the DNA of the bacteria in your gut), and others to help assess your gut function. You will likely have to work with a functional medicine practitioner to effectively test and treat imbalances in your gut.
And if you have a chronic illness, even if you don’t have digestive symptoms, you might want to consider what is living inside your gut. Tending to the garden within can be the answer to many seemingly unrelated health problems.
References
(i) De Filippo, C., Cavalieri, D., Di Paola, M., et al. 2010. Impact of diet in shaping gut microbiota revealed by a comparative study in children from Europe and rural Africa. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 107(33): 14691–6
(ii) Sandin, A., Bråbäck, L., Norin, E., and B. Björkstén. 2009. Faecal short chain fatty acid pattern and allergy in early childhood. Acta Paediatr. 98(5): 823–7.
(iii) Yap, I.K., Angley, M., Veselkov, K.A., et al. 2010. Urinary metabolic phenotyping differentiates children with autism from their unaffected siblings and age-matched controls. J Proteome Res. 9(6): 2996–3004.
(iv) Margolis, D.J., Fanelli, M., Hoffstad, O., and J.D. Lewis. 2010. Potential association between the oral tetracycline class of antimicrobials used to treat acne and inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Gastroenterol. Aug 10 epub in advance of publication.
(v) Bass, N.M., Mullen, K.D., Sanyal, A., et al. 2010. Rifaximin treatment in hepatic encephalopathy. N Engl J Med.362(12): 1071–81.
(vi) Weinstock, L.B., Fern, S.E., and S.P. Duntley. 2008. Restless legs syndrome in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: response to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth therapy. Dig Dis Sci. 53(5): 1252–6.
(vii) Pimentel, M., Wallace, D., Hallegua, D., et al. 2004. A link between irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia may be related to findings on lactulose breath testing. Ann Rheum Dis. 63(4): 450–2.
(viii) Cani, P.D., Amar, J., Iglesias, M.A., et al. 2007. Metabolic endotoxemia initiates obesity and insulin resistance.Diabetes. 56(7): 1761–72. | https://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/12/5-steps-to-conquer-hidden-bugs-that-make-us-sick/ |
A Gut Feeling
Depression is a highly prevalent disorder in the United States, with approximately 16 million people experiencing at least one major depressive episode in a given year. This disorder is associated with memory problems, blunted emotions, negative worldviews, social withdrawal, and many other symptoms. Some people have treatment-resistant depression, which doesn’t get better with the medicine on the market today. Since depression can be a debilitating disorder, it’s important that we have enough different treatment options for everyone to have the opportunity to recover from depression. The bacteria in our gut, collectively known as gut microbiota, have been shown to regulate many functions in our bodies, including brain function and mental health. Because of this, changing the health of our gut microbiota could be an effective way to treat mental disorders such as depression. Understanding how gut microbiota influence mental health may allow us to develop treatments that would prevent or treat depression, and doing so will help improve the overall life satisfaction of countless people.
The gut microbiota and the brain communicate through the microbiota-gut-brain axis, and what happens in one area likely relates to what happens in the other. Gut microbiota can alter brain function and mental health using neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers which tell the nervous system how to function. When gut microbiota are out of balance, they cannot communicate properly with the brain, and mental health issues are more likely to arise.
Surprisingly, depression can be caused by using certain medications. Antibiotics, for example, may help us ward off conditions such as urinary tract infections and strep throat, but they also destroy the good bacteria in our gut that keep us healthy. Because they kill helpful gut bacteria, antibiotics cause microbiota dysfunction and increase our chances of other complications, such as depression. Several studies have found that there is a positive correlation between antibiotic doses and higher depression risk, meaning that the more antibiotics you take, the greater risk you have of developing depression. This effect can last for up to ten years after taking antibiotics, so it is best to use antibiotics sparingly, especially if there is a history of mental illness in your family.
Another common yet unavoidable issue, which negatively impacts our health, is stress. While some stress is necessary for us to perform well in high-pressure situations, chronic stress can be detrimental to our health. When our stress response system is activated for too long, it becomes fatigued and stops functioning properly. This leaves us susceptible to immune system complications, and since gut microbiota are related to both our immune system and our brain functioning, a weakened immune system can lead to a depressed mind.
One way to improve dysregulated gut microbiota is to use probiotics, or live beneficial bacteria, and prebiotics, or non-digestible fiber which promotes growth of healthy gut bacteria. In chronically stressed people, prebiotics have reduced extended stress response activation, improved gut microbiota dysregulation, and influenced people to view life more positively. Some probiotics have had similar effects. One strain decreased people’s stress levels and improved their memory, another improved people’s ability to have emotional responses, and a final probiotic strain improved depressive symptoms and gastrointestinal problems in people with irritable bowel syndrome and depression.
Although more research is required before we fully understand the relationship between gut microbiota and depression, improving our gut microbiota health may be a safer and more effective way to treat mental illnesses. A healthy gut can properly communicate with our brains to keep us functioning at our best, and it seems that we may be headed in the right direction to create treatment options for those with treatment-resistant depression. | https://myduhawk.com/opinion/a-gut-feeling/ |
With the rise of leaky gut syndrome, food allergies, and gastrointestinal disorder, it is more important than ever to be mindful of your gut health. Having a healthy gut is more difficult than it used to be due to the large number of environmental toxins, food additives, poor diets, and stress we face every day. Much of your overall health is related to or dependent on the health of your gut, and having good digestion is a key part of a healthy gut. Good digestion is crucial for nutrient absorption, bowel regularity, immune system function, and much more. Let’s take a look at the importance of optimal digestion, and what you can do to help improve yours.
Potential Causes of Poor Digestion
There are many different things that can interfere with your digestion. Things like being stressed, smoking cigarettes, and having a poor diet can all have negative effect on your digestive system, as well as other parts of the body. Consuming too little fiber and water are also common problems that can lead to constipation, bloating, and dehydration. One lesser-known habit that can lead to digestive issues is not chewing your food enough. Digestion begin in the mouth when you take a bite of food, and your saliva starts to work on breaking down the food. However, each bite needs to chewed into small enough pieces for the stomach to break it down properly. Eating too quickly and not chewing each bite enough can cause pieces of food to stay in the stomach too long, leading to gas and bloating. It may also make it difficult for it to pass through your intestines and can lead to constipation. Try to chew each bite of food, especially tougher foods like meat, 20-30 times.
What Can You Do?
There are some simple changes you can make that may help your digestive system function better. You should drink plenty of water each day which is about 2 liters for the average person, but hydration needs vary from person to person. Eating plenty of fiber in the form of organic fruits and vegetables is a great way to help promote regular bowel movemenets, along with the added benefits of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in the fruits and vegetables. Engaging in exercise and stress-reducing techniques, and reducing alcohol consumption and quitting smoking may also help improve digestion. Some people do not produce enough digestive enzymes to properly break down their food, so for these people, taking supplemental digestive enzymes like Digestive Essentials with each meal may help. Taking a good probiotic like Probio Ease every day is also a great habit to get into as it helps promote a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn may help promote gut health, digestion, immune system health, and mood. The health of your gut is so important to your overall health, so take good care of it!
You can listen to our Better Health Through Digestion podcast episode here. You can also listen to it on our YouTube channel here. | https://www.greenwisdomhealth.com/the-importance-of-optimal-digestion/ |
How to Promote Gut Health
If you are suffering from digestive issues, knowing how to improve gut health is important. This article provides tips on how to eat a balanced and healthy diet and avoid monosaccharides in hidden sources. Avoid processed foods, sugar, NSAIDs, and other artificial sweeteners. Eat a wide variety of whole foods that are rich in polyphenols and away from medications such as aspirin. It is essential to maintain the health of your digestive tract.
Diversify your diet
Diversifying your diet is among the best ways to improve the health of your microbiome. A western diet is characterized by an absence of variety due to high levels of sugar, fat and processed food. However eating a diverse diet will increase the development of beneficial bacteria. Try to eat whole fruits, vegetables and whole grains to diversify your diet. Incorporate these foods into your meals and snacks.
American food is awash with processed foods, sugar and high-fat dairy products. These foods can make it more difficult for our digestive systems to work well, and can cause toxic by-products. In addition, diets rich in refined and processed carbohydrates promote inflammation and decrease the diversity of microbiome. A varied diet can improve digestion and overall health. Include more fruits and veggies to your daily food plan will help to improve your digestive health and improve your overall health.
Avoid Monosaccharides with hidden sources
Make dietary adjustments to minimize monosaccharides’ hidden sources, and improve your gut health. Concentrate on eating fermented vegetables or beef that is not processed, as well as fiber-rich vegetables. Some foods can actually harm the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut. You can improve your gut health by avoiding foods that cause symptoms like sugar and gluten. Probiotic supplements are also an alternative. Probiotic supplements can help build beneficial bacteria in your body. Stress can harm the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract.
Research has shown that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber can help regulate the amount of proinflammatory bacteria in the gut. Gut health is also improved through flavonoids. Foods of the cabbage family as well as vegetable broths are excellent sources of flavonoids. They are essential to support healthy gut bacteria. You should also drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and limit your intake of processed food.
Eat foods rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are a kind of antioxidant that is found in a large range of plants. They shield the body from diseases and can improve the gut microbiome. Polyphenols are particularly high in bright fruits and vegetables. A diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits is better for those who are at lower risk of developing certain illnesses. Try to include more natural food items in your diet such as vegetables and fruits. Also, stay clear of foods that are processed or that contain added chemicals.
The largest class of polyphenols is made up of flavonoids. These include the well-known quercetin and anthocyanin. The black and green teas are great sources of polyphenols and contain a high quantity of these substances. Certain of these are known to possess anti-cancer properties. If you’re wondering how to ensure you get enough polyphenols in your diet, here’s a list of them.
Avoid NSAIDs
Although NSAIDs are usually prescribed to ease pain, they may have adverse effects on the gut. Inflammation may cause bleeding, ulcers or other symptoms. They can be a contributing factor to long-term issues in the gut, such as IBS, leaky gut syndrome, and Crohn’s disease. To maintain gut health and avoid any side effects, it is best to avoid NSAIDs.
Although antibiotics can be a highly effective treatment for serious bacterial infections, they are often misunderstood or used too often. Antibiotics should only ever be prescribed by your physician and should not be used for self-treatment. The normal bacterial balance of the gut is disturbed by antibiotics and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medicines (NSAIDs). It is essential to stay clear of NSAIDs to ensure gut health.
Drink fermentable fiber
One of the most effective ways to improve your health is to eat more fiber. This is not a hard task, and you can discover a variety of sources of fiber, including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and VINA sodas. All of these food items contribute to healthy gut microbiomes. Fiber is essential to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and for lowering blood pressure.
Recent advancements in microbiome research have resulted in the development of a variety of probiotics and prebiotic ingredients that boost your gut health. Research continues to demonstrate that fermentation of prebiotics can improve the immune system as well as increase blood levels of lipids. Although the exact function of these products is yet to be established however, there are numerous advantages. One study found that fermentable fibers may enhance glycemic control. Other studies did not show any effects.
Exercise
In a new study, researchers at the University of New Mexico found that regular exercise is beneficial for the gut health. Exercise promotes healthy bacteria growth, which is crucial for our overall health. This can lead to a improved mood and mental health. It also plays a significant role in neurogenesis, which helps to ensure the development of new neural connections in the brain. You should choose a type of exercise that will improve gut health.
Two previously inactive individuals, men and women, were monitored for six months to see the effects of exercise on their gut microbiome. Both groups showed improvements in the composition of gut bacteria and higher levels of physiologically relevant compounds. Both aerobic exercise at high intensity and voluntary wheel running led to an increase in the number bacteria that reside in the gut. While these results seem promising, they must be confirmed by further studies. | https://www.thinktwicepakistan.com/vaccines-and-gut-health/ |
The COVID-19 pandemic is stressful for everyone. We are worried about the well-being of ourselves and loved ones, our financial situation, and so much more. Under these circumstances, the levels of stress and anxiety keep rising. Even though it’s a serious problem, COVID is not an unbeatable enemy. There’s a lot we can do to fight against the novel coronavirus, and meditation could be one of them. Read on to see how.
Current research on meditation and COVID
As COVID-19 impacted every part of the world, scientists started working on the studies to uncover its mechanisms of action, potential treatment methods and to analyze its impact on psychological health and wellbeing. Current research on meditation and COVID revolves around its potential to alleviate stress and anxiety in these challenging times.
A paper from the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine described the importance of meditation and mindfulness in the COVID-19 pandemic stating they can offer a helpful way to live with constant change. The pandemic has shown us that change is the only constant, and it can be difficult for people to cope with that.
Meditation practice could help, the paper states. For that reason, the author of the paper confirms meditation apps and online tutoring websites or classes should be recommended to patients. The practice of meditation can teach a person to cope with fears that are so common in the COVID-19 pandemic and help them understand these difficult times shall pass too.
The September 2020 issue of Frontiers in Psychology featured a study that identified mindfulness, age, and gender as factors that influence psychological distress in a pandemic. The reduced mindfulness stood out as the most important predictor of psychological distress that doesn’t allow individuals to manage stressful situations effectively.
At the same time, a study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health revealed mindfulness-based training could effectively mitigate the negative psychological consequences of COVID-19 and help restore wellbeing in vulnerable people. As you already know, the best way to practice mindfulness is through meditation.
Thanks to the importance of meditation for psychological wellbeing, many organizations and institutions have decided to include it in their coping strategies to help people overcome these difficult times.
How does meditation help?
The role of meditation in the fight against COVID-19 is important for more reasons than one, and it may go beyond psychological benefits. Below, we’re going to elaborate on some useful benefits through which meditation can be helpful against this virus.
Stronger immune system
A strong immune system is crucial for staying healthy in the COVID-19 pandemic or lessening the severity of the disease. What many people don’t know is that meditation can help strengthen the immune defenses.
A review of available evidence on this subject, published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, found the possible effects of meditation on specific markers of inflammation, cell-mediated immunity, and biological aging. For instance, countering a hypersensitive and dysregulated immune system with meditation could theoretically work to improve fitness through enhanced immune defenses that protect against viral and bacterial infections.
These immune defenses could offer protection against age-related diseases too. Moreover, meditation could downregulate the activity of major stress axes in the body, which are known for harming the immune system. Scientists concluded meditation could exhibit immune-boosting effects but emphasized the importance of further studies on this topic.
The journal Advances in Mind-Body Medicine featured a study that examined the influence of stress and meditation on our immunity and gut microbiota. They found that stress triggers a chain of reactions that disturb gut microbiota. In the absence of stress, microbiota in your gut produces short-chain fatty acids with anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. Meditation can regulate the stress response and thereby suppress chronic inflammation and maintain healthy gut function.
Through its stress-relieving properties, meditation could decrease inflammation, improve gut health and thereby strengthen the immune system. Keep in mind that 70% to 80% of the immune system resides in your gut. Optimal gut function is crucial for your immune defenses.
Better sleep quality
Getting enough good night’s rest can help the immune system function more effectively. A study from the Journal of Experimental Medicine found sleep could influence immune defenses through T cells. In a nutshell, T cells are a type of immune cells that fight against pathogens.
The study showed stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline, along with pro-inflammatory molecules called prostaglandins, inhibit the stickiness of integrins, a class of adhesion molecules. Since the concentration of stress hormones and prostaglandins is low during sleep, the adhesiveness of integrins is stronger. This matters because T cells need close and strong contact with infected cells to kill them. Without integrins, that wouldn’t be possible. Therefore, a better quality of sleep strengthens the stickiness of integrins and helps T cells have closer contact with pathogens.
Additionally, lack of sleep can affect different parts of the immune system. When you don’t get enough sleep, the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines can increase. According to the CDC, sleep loss is also associated with a higher risk of infection.
Reduced sleep quality
Problems with sleep are common in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The February 2021 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine published a study that revealed approximately 40% of people from general and health care populations experienced sleep difficulties during the pandemic. The prevalence of sleep problems was higher in people who were infected.
Since sleep quality has a positive impact on the immune system, it’s paramount to get enough good night’s rest. One way to improve the quality of sleep is through meditation. A study from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences confirmed mindfulness meditation could be an effective approach to resolving some aspects of sleep disturbance. Moreover, research from the JAMA Internal Medicine found meditation could help with sleep problems.
How can meditation guidance from an online tutoring website help you sleep better? According to the abovementioned study, meditation functions on arousal and neurocognitive processes that mediate the link between perception of stimuli and appraisal. You see, sleep difficulties tend to stem from automatic arousal, consequential distress, and dysfunctional cognitions.
Meditation has the potential to attenuate these automatic responses, and it can increase the relaxation response. It does so by elevating attentional factors that regulate the autonomic nervous system, alleviate mood disturbances, and decrease worry.
In a nutshell, lack of sleep harms immune system defenses. Meditation can help you sleep better, which leads to stronger immunity.
Better emotional health
Meditation can strengthen our body and mind to fight against COVID-19. Not only does it have a favorable influence on the immune system, but it also supports our emotional health. As seen at the beginning of this post, meditation can help us cope with this situation. After all, COVID-19 has changed our lives and the whole world as we know it. Nothing is the same as it was before, and the constant uncertainty over health and finances can lead to anxiety and depression. This can lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as alcohol consumption and also worsen chronic health conditions.
Anxiety and depression, among other emotional and mental health problems, can harm our approach to the pandemic. They can prevent us from functioning properly to protect ourselves and others. At the same time, they can also increase the severity and mortality of COVID-19. A study from the JAMA Network Open found that those with prior or current mental health problems had poorer outcomes when they were infected with COVID-19.
Meditation can help improve the way you cope with a crisis situation, such as this one. An improved approach can mean a lot in terms of your immune system, the decisions you make, and your overall perspective on life.
How to start meditating
The concept of meditation may seem tricky to most people, but it’s easier than you think. If you’re not sure how to start meditating, online tutoring is the best way to dip your toes into the waters of calmness and serenity that meditation provides.
Before you start meditating, it’s important to understand a few things. For example:
- You don’t need money or special equipment to meditate
- Try to meditate without expectations of how you will feel afterward
- Choose a time to meditate and stick to it
- Choose a specific place in your home where you will meditate
- Try to be as calm as possible, don’t move or fidget
- Consider meditation as part of your self-care strategy
- Focus on every breath you inhale and exhale
- Be realistic and acknowledge some days will be easier than others, but constant effort matters the most.
Conclusion
Meditation helps fight against COVID-19 in multiple ways. Not only does it strengthen our immune system, but it also works to improve quality and sleep. At the same time, meditation improves our mental and emotional health. All these aspects are necessary for the fight against COVID-19. | https://longevitylive.com/anti-aging/how-can-meditation-help-with-the-fight-against-covid/ |
can help sleep quality, immune health, and reduce inflammation.
Enterococcus Faecium
is uniquely suited to survive the digestive process and flourish in the gut to promote balanced gut bacteria.
Lactobacillus Paracasei
supports digestive function, oral health, and helps balance natural energy levels.
Lactobacillus Rhamnosus
supports digestive health, immune function, and weight management.
Bifidobacterium Longum
is a multifunctional probiotiv strain to support gastrointestinal wellness and stabilize the gut microbiota. | https://pinkstork.com/products/womens-health-probiotic |
How to Promote Gut Health
If you are suffering from digestive issues, understanding how to maintain gut health is important. This article offers tips on how to eat a balanced and healthy diet and avoid monosaccharides that are hidden in the food chain. Avoid processed foods, sugar, NSAIDs, and other artificial sweeteners. Avoid drugs such as aspirin and eat a variety of whole foods rich with polyphenols. Your digestive tract is made of billions of bacteria, and it is essential to ensure that it is in good health and functioning properly.
Diversify your diet
Diversifying your diet is among the most effective ways to improve the health of your microbiome. While the typical western diet is deficient in diversity owing to the large proportion of processed foods, sugar, and fat, a diverse diet will encourage the development of beneficial bacteria. Make sure you are eating whole fruits, vegetables and whole grains to diversify your diet. Incorporate these foods into your meals and snacks.
American food is awash with processed foods, sugar , and dairy products that are high in fat. These foods can make it harder for our digestive systems to work properly, which can result in toxic by-products. In addition, diets rich in refined and processed carbohydrates promote inflammation and decrease in the diversity of the microbiome. A varied diet can improve digestion and overall health. Adding more fruits and vegetables to your daily menu will help to improve your digestion and improve your overall health.
Beware of hidden monosaccharides sources
Dietary modifications can help you avoid monosaccharides hidden in your diet and improve gut health. Focus on eating fermented vegetables and unprocessed meat, as well as fiber-rich vegetables. Certain foods can be harmful to the beneficial bacteria found in the gut. If you’re looking for a diet that improves gut health, consider eliminating foods that cause digestive issues like sugar and gluten. Also, you can try taking probiotic supplements. Probiotic supplements can help to build beneficial bacteria within your body. Stress over time can harm the beneficial bacteria found in the gut.
Research suggests that eating a diet rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids can help regulate the quantity of pro-inflammatory bacteria in the gut. Gut health is also improved through flavonoids. Flavonoids are plentiful in foods from the cabbage family, vegetable broths, and other vegetables. These are vital to encourage healthy gut bacteria. You should also drink plenty of water, stay clear of alcohol and limit your intake of processed foods.
Eat foods rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are a kind of antioxidant found in a wide variety of plants. They protect the body from diseases and also have beneficial effects on the microbiome. Polyphenols are abundant in bright fruits and vegetables. A diet high in fruits and vegetables is better for those who are at lower risk of developing diseases. Include more organic foods like vegetables, fruits, and stay clear of foods that have been processed or have added chemicals.
Flavonoids are the largest class of polyphenols. These include the well-known quercetin and anthocyanin. Black and green teas are excellent sources of polyphenols and contain a substantial quantity of these substances. Certain of these compounds are thought to have anti-cancer properties. Here are some guidelines to help you get enough polyphenols into your diet.
Avoid NSAIDs
Although NSAIDs are commonly prescribed to treat pain, they may cause harm to the gut. Inflammation can lead to ulcers, bleeding and other symptoms and they can cause long-term digestive issues, including leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohn’s disease. As a result, you should avoid NSAIDs to improve gut health and avoid these adverse effects.
Antibiotics can be a very effective treatment for serious bacterial infections. However, they are often misused or overused. As a result, antibiotics should only be used when prescribed by a physician and should not be used for self-resolving infections. The normal bacterial balance of the gut is disrupted by antibiotics and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications (NSAIDs). It is crucial to stay clear of NSAIDs to ensure gut health.
Drink fermentable fiber
One of the most effective ways to improve your health is to eat more fiber. It’s not a difficult task, and you’ll find a variety of sources of fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and VINA sodas. All of these foods are essential to a healthy gut microbiomes. In addition to making you feel fuller Fiber is vital for keeping cholesterol levels in check as well as lowering blood pressure.
Recent advances in microbiome research have led to an increase in the number of probiotic and prebiotic ingredients that can help improve the health of your gut. The findings of research continue to show that prebiotics’ fermentation may boost the immune system and increase blood lipid levels. Although the exact function of these products is yet to be determined There are numerous advantages. One study showed that fermentable fibers can help improve the control of glycemic, whereas others didn’t show any effects.
Exercise
In a new study researchers at the University of New Mexico found that regular exercise is beneficial for the gut health. Exercise promotes the growth of healthy bacteria, which is crucial for our overall wellbeing. This can, in turn, boost our moods and mental health. It is also a key component in neurogenesis, which is responsible for the creation of new neural connections in our brains. It is important to choose a form of exercise that is beneficial to gut health.
The effects of exercise on gut microbiome were discovered in a study which monitored two previously inactive men and women for six months. Both groups showed improvements in the composition of gut bacteria and higher levels of compounds that are physiologically relevant. Furthermore, both high-intensity aerobic exercise and voluntary wheel running led to an increase in the number of gut bacteria. These results are encouraging, however more research is needed to confirm these findings. | https://www.thinktwicepakistan.com/what-is-the-best-gut-health-supplement/ |
I'm not sure when my obsession with mushrooms began. I remember growing up we ate the Standard American Diet. Mostly meat, a few vegetables and lots of carbohydrates. My mom would serve vegetables that were mushy and overcooked. I never liked vegetables until many years later when I was an adult and started cooking for myself.
Mushrooms are one of the most perfect vegetables there are. Low in carbohydrates, high in nutrition and easy to find. Plain old white mushrooms may look boring but they are not! We eat mushrooms every week. I love their versatility. I use them as side dishes and as main courses for our meatless dinner nights. They adapt well in any dish and there are so many varieties. Plus, did you know you could drink them for even more nutritional value?
Are mushrooms easy on the stomach? That depends. How is your overall gut health? If you tend to be gassy, bloated, gaining weight, have diarrhea and/or constipation, your gut is telling you that it needs help. The best way to determine if mushrooms (or any food) are giving you stomach problems, is to eat them by themselves to see how your body reacts.
Are mushrooms good for gut health? Yes! Mushrooms are one of the best foods for gut health and have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Are mushrooms a probiotic? No. Are mushrooms prebiotic? Yes! When a food has prebiotics it means it feeds the good bacteria in our gut, helping to keep our whole body healthy. Mushrooms are rich in carbohydrates which make them great prebiotics to stimulate growth of probiotics in the gut. While I wish I could tell you that one mushroom is the best mushroom for gut health, the fact is all mushrooms are great for the gut!
What is the difference between prebiotic and probiotic? Probiotics are good bacteria that live in the gut. They help fight illness, disease, colds, flu's and support a healthy immune system. Did you know 70% of the immune system is in the gut? Keeping gut bacteria healthy and strong is one of the keys to overall good health. Prebiotics, such as the ones found in mushrooms, are the food for probiotics.
How do you know you need gut healthy foods in your routine?
Do you want to stop the...
👉Diarrhea and/or constipation
👉Bloating and gas
👉Weight gain
👉Congestion, coughing, wheezing
👉Brain fog, difficulty recalling words, short term memory issues
👉Headaches and migraines
👉Acne and itchy skin
👉Tired all the time
👉Sensitivity to fragrances and chemicals
If you said yes to just one of the above, your body is telling you something is not right with your gut. Discovering the root cause to be free from pain can be confusing and hard! I am here to help.
I am a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Board Certified Health Coach obsessed with teaching people just like you how to eliminate your symptoms so you can stop suffering and get back to living!
I offer a FREE 30 minute strategy session where we will talk about your specific symptoms and how the customized Heathers Holistic Health program can help.
How would eliminating your symptoms improve your life? You could:
✅Be more present with your children
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✅Reduce the risk of chronic disease
Heathers Holistic Health program is a science based and personalized to get to the root cause of your unhealthy gut, heal your body and fit your busy lifestyle.
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If we determine it’s not a fit, we’ll go our separate ways for now.
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Below are 8 reasons mushrooms for gut health just make sense!
#1 STIMULATE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Mushrooms are rich in polysaccharides, especially beta-glucans, which stimulates the immune system. They do this by inhibiting pathogen growth and supporting the good bacteria in the gut (Source: NIH) About 60 to 70% of our immune system is found in our gut so keeping the good bacteria healthy we have a stronger immune system.
#2 GOOD SUPPLY OF PROTEIN
Mushrooms are a good supply of plant based protein and low in calories. This supports a healthy lifestyle by filling you up and helping to keep you fuller longer.
#3 HIGH IN FIBER
Fiber is important for good digestive health. Fiber not only promotes regular and normal bowel movements, it contributes to keeping appetite, blood sugar levels and blood cholesterol under control. A cup of cooked mushrooms can help you get 9 percent to 14 percent of your daily fiber requirements. (Source: Healthy Eating)
Are mushrooms easy on the stomach with so much fiber? That depends. If you are regularly eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, the additional fiber found in mushrooms shouldn't cause any unnecessary gas or bloating. But if you are experiencing any of the symptoms I listed above and follow an eating strategy of limiting fruits and vegetables, then the transition to eating foods with more fiber needs to be slow to avoid any impact on the digestive system.
#4 OFFERS A VARIETY OF HEALTH BENEFITS
Mushrooms improve gut health plus offer significant vital health benefits, including antioxidants, cholesterol-lowering properties, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, liver protection, as well as anti-diabetic, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties. (Source: NIH) Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties help keep our digestive tract healthy.
Chaga mushrooms are one of the best mushrooms for gut health. The gut health benefits in Chaga mushrooms that make them one of the best mushrooms for gut health include being high in antioxidants and helping to prevent stomach ulcers. Use chaga mushrooms for overall wellness and disease prevention. Chaga can be taken as a supplement or found in mushroom drink mixes. (Source: Clean Eating Magazine)
#5 CALM ANXIETY
Mushrooms are high in pantothenic acid, which is vitamin B5. Pantothenic acid is responsible for preventing fatigue since it supports the function of adrenal glands, particularly in times of stress. (Source: World's Healthiest Foods) One of the root causes of digestive health is stress. By eating and/or drinking mushrooms, stress reduction occurs which promotes a healthy digestive system.
Reishi mushrooms supports the immune and cardiovascular systems and helps manage stress. Use it for overall health or to unwind after a stressful day. Reishi mushrooms are often found in mushroom drink mixes, like this one from Four Sigmatic.
#6 BOOST MENTAL FOCUS
The medical community widely recognizes the communication pathway from our gut to our brain. There was a 6 year study in Singapore that showed eating more than two portions of cooked mushrooms per week could lead to a 50 percent lower risk of mild cognitive impairment.
The cognitive support appears to be derived from a compound in mushrooms called ergothioneine (ET), which is a unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that humans are unable to synthesize on their own. However, it can be obtained from dietary sources, one of the main ones being mushrooms. (Source: Medical News Today)
Lion's Mane is a mushroom that is known to support brain cells and new cell growth in the body and impacts the enteric nervous system. Use it to enhance mental clarity and focus. Lion's Mane can be bought as a supplement or as part of a mushroom drink. (Source: Clean Eating Magazine)
#7 PROMOTES ENERGY PRODUCTION
Mushrooms are high in B vitamins which are necessary for energy production. They are an excellent source of riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin. A very good source of thiamin and B6 and a good source of Folic Acid. All of the B vitamins are necessary for carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. (Source: World's Healthiest Foods)
I drink Cordyceps mushrooms 4 days a week. The bag I buy on amazon is USDA organic certified and contains 1000 servings! There is a tiny scoop in the bag and one scoop is all you need. Add some hot water and 1/2 cup of warm nut milk for a tasty start to the day. Since cordyceps promotes energy, I drink it before going to the gym. I've definitely noticed a difference in my endurance since drinking it. Click on the picture to go to the amazon link.
#8 IMPROVES SLEEP
How is food and sleep connected? After we eat food, our blood sugar rises, which prompts the release of insulin in our bodies. When our brains detect the presence of insulin, they then permit an amino acid found in food called tryptophan to enter our brains more easily. This allows serotonin, a neurotransmitter important in brain functions related to sleep and mood, to release and lets us sleep. Mushrooms contain tryptophan, the building block of serotonin, as well as melatonin which help your body regulate your sleep cycle. (Source: One Green Planet)
I hope this post inspires you to eat more mushrooms! They are great for our digestive health, promote healthy sleep, give us energy, helps our brains function better and keeps us calm. The saying is true, food is medicine.
Do you think you will add mushrooms into your routine more often? Let me know by leaving me a comment below. | https://www.heathershealthhabits.com/post/8-reasons-mushrooms-are-amazing-and-gut-friendly |
If you are looking for a way to improve your quality of life, occupational therapy Perth may be the answer for you. There are many benefits to it, including improved physical function, mental well-being, and overall satisfaction with life. Here are three reasons why occupational therapy can benefit you:
Improved Physical Function: One of the main goals of occupational therapy is to help people achieve or maintain their optimal level of physical function. This includes improving strength, dexterity, balance, and mobility.
Mental Well-Being: Another important goal is to promote positive mental health outcomes. Occupational therapists help clients manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
It can provide support and guidance throughout your rehabilitation process.
Occupational therapy can play an important role in your life, whether you are dealing with a physical injury or mental health issue. Consider occupational therapy if you are looking for help achieving your goals and improving your quality of life. | https://vmission.org/3-reasons-why-occupational-therapy-perth-can-benefit-you/ |
Does Gut Health Impact Mental Health?
When we think about our mental health, I’m sure most of us don’t think about our gut.
But did you know that your mental well-being may be influenced by the microscopic creatures living in your gut microbiome? The connection between gut health and mental health is one that has recently been gaining more attention, as scientists believe that the gut microbiome has enormous potential to yield new “psychobiotics.”
Psychobiotics are beneficial bacteria (probiotics) or support for such bacteria (prebiotics) that act on your bacteria-brain relationships. (1)
When I say “bacteria-brain relationships”, I’m referring to the “gut-brain axis,” an important concept that I’ve talked about before, but I’ll briefly outline it again below.
The gut-brain axis is comprised of two kinds of nervous systems: the central nervous system (CNS) and the enteric nervous system (ENS).
- The CNS consists of the spinal cord and brain, and contains a crucial feature called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve you have, running from near the hypothalamus all the way to your intestines where it reaches the other big player in the gut-brain axis, the enteric nervous system.
- The ENS is connected to the CNS by the vagus nerve, and this system is embedded in the lining of the gastrointestinal system. The ENS is often called the “second brain” which explains why you can sometimes “feel” your emotions in your gut. Despite the fact that under normal circumstances the ENS is in conversation with the central nervous system, research shows that it is entirely capable of functioning all on its own, even when severed from the vagus nerve that connects it to our brain.
So altogether, we have something that looks something a bit like this:
Source: Alcock, J., Maley, C. C., & Aktipis, C. A. (2014).
The researchers who created this diagram used a very fitting analogy to think about our gut microbes, which I find helpful. They described our gut bacteria as “microscopic puppet masters” that can do an amazing number of things that change how our body works.
Microbes can:
- Produce toxins in the absence of nutrients that can alter mood.
- Change how certain receptors (like taste) work.
- Manipulate our brain’s reward pathways.
- Hijack neurotransmitter communication between the gut and brain via the vagus nerve.
These effects are represented in the diagram by the hand-controllers that look like a cross, and our little microbes are the ones “running the show.”
Although there are multiple ways that gut microbes can act on the gut-brain axis, the vagus nerve (depicted as the thin, gray lines with tendrils shooting off from the side of inside the torso) has been posited as one of the main pathways since it is the main neural axis between the gut and the brain. (3,4)
We still don’t know entirely know how this communication line works, but we do know that signals can move along the vagus nerve or be carried by chemical messengers (i.e. serotonin), and have the potential to alter brain function and activity.
A Healthy Gut Makes for a Healthy Brain
Brain health and gut health have a tremendous effect on one another. Twenty years ago, scientists noticed that our gut microbiota directly affects our central nervous system.
When they administered oral antibiotics to patients with hepatic encephalopathy (a condition of brain dysfunction from liver insufficiency), it was associated with a dramatic improvement. (5) So, targeting and changing the gut microbiome somehow led to a positive change in brain function.
Lately, there has been more research exploring whether our gut health is tied to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. (6,7) Unfortunately, it’s still somewhat of a “chicken-or-the-egg” dilemma. Is it
Is it having Parkinson’s that changes our gut? Or is it changes in the microbiome that can predict Parkinson’s? What we do know is that gastrointestinal symptoms (such as inflammation or constipation) can often be the first signs of Parkinson’s, which is a sign that our gut health may very well have a lot to do with our mental health. (8)
One working hypothesis is that, in response to microbial imbalance, certain intestinal microbes release neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, that can travel down the vagus nerve and alter brain behavior.
It’s important to know that the release of neurotransmitters from both the gut and brain must maintain a careful balance.
If the microbiome churns out too much norepinephrine–a stress hormone–it can ramp up our HPA-axis and result in a larger stress response in our bodies. (9) If the microbiome produces too much or too little serotonin, it could result in changes in sleep, behaviour, mood, and also in some conditions such as autism, since altered serotonin systems have been shown to be associated with these changes. (10,11,12)
Although more research is needed, it’s possible that therapies that regulate microbiome imbalance could help treat or even prevent diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s before neurologic function is compromised. These findings also further highlight the importance of a balanced microbiome for lifelong health.
Gut Microbiota Can Influence Anxiety and Depression
There is increasing data that supports the role of microbiota in influencing anxiety and depressive-like behaviors.
In fact, it has been posited that the gut-brain axis may be the “missing link” in depression. (13) Many researchers have used animal models to demonstrate this link: experimentally elevated stress response and depression in germ-free rats can be reversed by administering a single bacterium like Bifidobacterium infantis, a strain found predominantly in the neonatal intestinal tract. (14,15 16)
Clearly, there’s a connection between our gut and how we feel.
So, to dig deeper into this idea, a research team at McMaster University in Toronto discovered that if they colonized the intestines of one type of germ-free mice with bacteria taken from the intestines of another mouse type, the recipient animals would take on aspects of the donor’s personality. Naturally timid mice would become more exploratory, whereas more daring mice would become apprehensive and shy. Pretty cool, huh?
To take it a step further, they took fecal material (that’s right folks, poop) from depressed patients and nondepressed patients; when compared, they found that depressed patients had far less diverse and rich gut microbiota. But what they found next was even more startling. Using lab rats for some classic microbiome meddling, they first gave antibiotics to rats to erase all of their microbiota. Then, they gave these rats a depressed patient’s microbiota via fecal transplant.
The results? When the rats received the transplant from a depressed patient, they became depressed; their cortisol levels and other types of stress hormones increased. Meanwhile, the rats who received a fecal transplant from nondepressed people exhibited no change.
So what does that tell us? Our brain isn’t always culprit behind mental illness, as is commonly thought. It tells us that if there’s mental distress, there’s very likely digestive distress. It’s a two-way street, and both must be addressed.
Improve Your Digestive Health for Better Mental Health
The microbes in our gut have an enormous influence on our brain and behaviors. Luckily, there are some steps that you can take to improve your digestive health.
Here are my top tips to keep your gut bacteria healthy to improve your mental health:
- Address gastrointestinal infections. If you’ve never had your gut bacteria tested, it might be time to do so! I’ve talked about figuring out if you have imbalanced gut bacteria on the blog before, so make sure to check that out.
- Eat probiotics. Fermented foods typically contain Lactobacillius and Bifidobacteria which have both demonstrated potential benefits to mental health. (17,18)
- Choose a diet packed with prebiotic foods. Prebiotics support the growth of beneficial microbes which help regulate and balance our microbiome. You can either get prebiotics from your diet by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables which contain polyphenols and fibers. In addition to this, you may want to consider supplementing with prebiotics. My two favorites are GOS and FOS, which can be found in Galactomune from Klaire Labs and FOS Powder from NOW Foods, respectively.
- Eat high-quality fats. Studies of deceased patients with Alzheimer’s found significantly reduced amounts of fats in their cerebrospinal fluid compared with controls. (19, 20) People with low cholesterol are at much greater risk for neurological problems, including depression and dementia. (21)
- Manage stress. There is evidence to show that stress (especially if experienced early in life) alters the gut microbiota negatively, and can throw our system off balance. (22) Incorporate mind-body activities like meditation, deep breathing, tai chi, yoga, and more to keep your HPA axis in tip-top shape. Remember, both mental and digestive health need to be functioning optimally for us to feel our best!
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
If you’re ready to learn more about gut health and how to build a robust microbiome, join my mailing list to get access to my 60-minute training on the reasons you might be suffering from digestive symptoms and what to do about it.
Click here to get access to the free training!
Clearly, our gut health is incredibly important when it comes to mental health. What do you think? Will you change any of your dietary or lifestyle habits to improve your digestive and mental health? Tell me about it in the comments! | https://kelseykinney.com/does-gut-health-impact-mental-health/ |
Wondering how important your gut health to your overall health condition? While many people still don’t know the importance of improving gut health to obtain a healthier body, it’s essential to know it by now. After all, it’s simply that if you don’t have adequate knowledge about properly nourishing your body, then you can’t have a long life. This health topic is gradually gaining attention worldwide. Opportunely, the medical community working tirelessly to unravel the incredible complexity of the gut and its importance to overall health.
Gut health has been linked to numerous health aspects, which seemingly have no direct connection with digestion, from developing autoimmune diseases, emotional stress, and chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes.
Besides that, it’s also necessary to know important things about your gut health, the type of food you must ingest to help maintain a healthy GI, and the essential ways of improving your gut health.
Healthy Guts, Healthy Body
At some point in time, the digestive system was considered to be a relatively simple body system, with only the sole responsibility of digesting food and excreting waste. However, the notion about this system changes gradually, especially through the effort and works of research and the medical community.
The gastrointestinal tract (GI) plays a pivotal role in overall health. Being the primary system responsible for every digestive process in the body. The digestive tract is also responsible for converting food into nutrients and energy, absorbing minerals, and getting rid of body wastes. Additionally, the digestive tract is relatively connected to gut health, which affects everything from sleep patterns, energy levels, immune system, and stress response.
Aside from that, numerous researches and studies in the past decades show direct links between gut health and the immune system, autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders, skin conditions, mental health, and mood.
5 Essential Ways to Improve Your Gut Health
Gut health is the balance of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. Maintaining the right balance of these microorganisms and looking after your gut health is crucial in maintaining a healthy body.
However, many people still suffer from digestive problems and an unhealthy gut microbiome. The term ‘microbiome’ refers to the microorganisms living in your intestines. Collectively, there are about 300-500 varied species of bacteria in your digestive tract. While some of these microorganisms may be harmful to your health, many are interestingly beneficial and necessary to a healthy body.
Having an unhealthy gut microbiome may cause people to experience diarrhea, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fortunately, there are several ways you can do to improve your gut health and they are as follow:
1. Follow A Balanced Healthy Diet
Knowing what’s going on in your gut isn’t possibly down all the time, and you don’t have to do so. As long as you’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle, following a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting a good night’s sleep, you’ll be able to protect your gut health just fine.
Aside from that, you must also seek professional help in cases of unpleasant symptoms to prevent acquiring maladies and diseases. You must also follow the doctor’s orders not just to obtain a healthy body, but also to benefit your microbiome.
2. Reduce Sugar Intake
Having a high sugar level due to excessive sugar intake may cause gut dysbiosis or an imbalance of gut microbes. Several types of research also show that eating a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners may increase bacterial strains which are linked with metabolic diseases. These diseases refer to a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Additionally, researchers suggested that several artificial sweeteners may negatively impact blood glucose levels due to their effects on gut flora. They also indicated that the Western diet, which is high in sugar and fat, may pose negative impacts on the gut microbiome and may influence brain activities and behavior. Excessive sugar intake may also result in frequent mood swings and irritability.
3. Manage Stress Levels
Proper stress management is crucial not just for mental health, but also for your gut health. Medical experts suggest that even short-lived psychological stressors might rattle the living microorganisms in the intestines, and harm the gut.
Some examples of psychological stressors include:
- Environmental stress (e.g., unstable weather, noise, extreme heat, and cold)
- Psychological stress
- Sleep deprivation
- A sudden turn of life events
To effectively handle stress, you may try some stress management techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and deep breathing exercises. Also, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and sleeping well can reduce stress levels.
4. Take Probiotics and Select Fermented Food
Not all bacteria are considered bad for your health. For example, there are good bacteria or probiotics in your intestines like Lactobacillus. To effectively boost their beneficial bacteria, some people even take probiotic supplements, which are available online, in drug stores, and registered food stores.
Taking probiotics may significantly help support a healthy gut microbiome and prevent gut inflammation. Aside from this, people also resort to eating fermented food, which is a source of natural probiotics. Some of the fermented food which may improve gut health include:
- Kimchi
- Miso
- Kombucha
- Sauerkraut
- Tempeh
- Kefir
- Fermented vegetables
5. Choose Prebiotic-Rich Food
Aside from probiotics, prebiotics may also be of great help to your gut health. While probiotics feed on non-digestible carbohydrates called prebiotics, the process significantly encourages beneficial bacteria to multiply in the gut.
Studies also suggest that to become more tolerant to a certain environmental condition like temperature changes and pH, prebiotics may help probiotics.
You may include the following prebiotic-rich food in your diet if you want to further improve your gut health:
- Chicory
- Onions
- Garlic
- Whole grains
- Bananas
- Asparagus
- Jerusalem artichoke
Bottom Line
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is crucial to human health. Aside from being responsible for transporting food from the mouth to the stomach, its primary role involves converting food into absorbable nutrients and stored energy and getting waste of the body. Similarly, maintaining healthy gut health may significantly help your overall health. To achieve this goal, you may try several helpful ways, such as follow a balanced diet, reduce sugar intake, manage stress levels, take probiotics, and select prebiotic-rich food.
Aside from that, it’s also important to always seek professional help to effectively address health issues and follow your doctor’s orders to have improved gut health. | https://ultimatewellness.life/2021/04/27/5-potential-ways-of-improving-your-gut-health/ |
Malaria is one of the leading causes of mortality rates in most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Caused by Plasmodium Falciparum, the disease serves as one of the leading threats to human population across the continent. Theoretical concepts tend to front mosquitoes and hence the parasite it carries as the main reason behind the high impacts of Malaria. However, research indicates that the spread of the effects of malaria has majorly been caused other health factors, for instance, decline in immunity especially among the young ones in the society.
The parasite has led to a toll in the mortality rate across African opulations. This can be emphasized by the emergence of various human survival mechanisms. The spread and the effects of malaria can, therefore, be attributed to various factors, for instance, climate change, local ecology as well as the active control systems. In this paper, we highlight the effects of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. We make a special reference to the trends in the effects of malaria among the people in this part of Africa.
We also shall highlight the possible effects of poverty, healthcare services, population sizes, climate and ecology on he spread of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methodology To establish the aspects highlighted in the introduction, we examined five countries drawn from Sub-Saharan Africa. The nations included Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, and Nigeria. The main method of data collection was through the use of both primary and secondary sources in the form of research reports, published journals and books on malaria in these nations.
The process of data collection also involved the use of online sources to establish the impacts of malaria on the society with respect to age and environment. In addition, information was also obtained from the review of relevant literature touching on the aspect of malaria and its impacts on Sub-Saharan countries. Another portion of data was obtained through direct interviews and questionnaires issued to health experts in different parts of the countries mentioned above. The data was then collected and analyzed for consistency and validity.
From the gathered information, it was possible to deduce the trends in the impacts of malaria and the mitigation effects established by the various governments in a bid to obtain long lasting solutions to this pidemic. Results and Analysis From the process of data collections, it was possible to deduce various conclusions about the impacts of malaria with regard to the area covered by the research. For instance, the data indicated a mortality rate of about 40% among the people living in deplorable states with poor health facilities and low living standards.
The data also indicated a direct relationship between climate, local ecology and population sizes and the mortality rates caused by malaria. In regions with high rainfall, for instance, the tropical and mountainous regions in Kenya and Ethiopia, there was a notable increase in the rate of malaria- related deaths between 2000 and 2014. The results also indicate that the most affected areas are those that had been ineffectively reached in terms of the malaria control measures.
From the data, it is, however, notable that most nations in Sub- Saharan Africa have implemented malaria control units which has led to a reduction in the impacts of malaria by 50% in these nations. Discussion Over the past few years, there have been notable efforts by the United Nations in conjunction with other African organizations to control and eliminate malaria. These efforts have gone a long way in mitigating the impacts of malaria among nations in the Sub-Saharan part of Africa. The strategies have been implemented along various fault lines depending on the extent of the regional impacts.
From the data collection process, it was possible to establish some of the most notable factors leading to the spread and impacts of malaria. To begin with, we outline the aspect of availability of healthcare facilities. The study indicated a more pronounced rate of mortality caused by malaria in regions where the population lacked access to proper ealthcare facilities. The second notable cause was poor living standards and poverty hence the inability to afford proper healthcare services. In societies marred by poverty, the trends indicate a higher toll in malaria-related death.
The studies reveal that 70% of malaria-related deaths are recorded in slum areas and other interior societies characterized by low living standards. Poverty deprives the members of a society of the much-needed opportunity to access proper healthcare and control programs. The third eminent factor which could also be ttributed to the spread and impacts of malaria is the aspect of climate and local ecology. High rainfall areas are likely to be affected more due to the high number of mosquitoes whose breeding is attracted by the stagnant waters.
An increase in the population of mosquitoes results in an equal increase in the spread of Plasmodium which is the disease-causing parasite. At the same time, the local topology has a leading effect on the spread of the parasite. For instance, the regions characterized by flat terrains lead to water stagnation which in turn attracts the breeding of mosquitoes. As a counter measure, the African organizations in liaison with the United Nations have noted the specific areas in need of the necessary adjustments.
There have been increased efforts by the mitigating bodies to ensure availability of healthcare services especially to the societies located in the remote parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the bodies have continued to work in conjunction with the governments in a bid to ensure that the control strategies are spread to all parts of the Africa. These efforts can be emphasized by the increase in government funding of mobile ealthcare services and provision of control materials for instance mosquito nets and drugs.
Apart from the efforts to avail healthcare to each member of the society, perhaps the most effective control strategy has been the spread of awareness among the members if the society on the impacts of malaria. The continued exposure on the dangers of malaria has enhanced individual aggressiveness against these impacts. The members of the society have risen to personally fight the disease by being part of the control strategies, for instance, the use of nets and relevant protective measures.
Perhaps it is due to the impacts of these counter measures that we have since experienced a drop in the spread and impacts of malaria among Sub-Saharan African countries by a massive 50% Conclusion Malaria remains a leading threat to healthy living among the members of the society. From the studies above, it is evident that children are at higher risk of bearing the brunt of this epidemic. This is basically due to their relatively weaker immune systems when compared to the adults. However, the adults too are equally at risk due to the active presence of the parasite esponsible for malaria.
It is, therefore, the responsibility of each member of the society to join hands with the other government bodies in the fight against malaria. In some cases, people have been issued with nets which instead of mounting for protection against mosquitoes have been used for other irrelevant purposes. There is, therefore, a need in the development of a receptive attitude from the society which would, in turn, offer the necessary support to the malaria control bodies in their efforts to mitigate the effects of malaria. | https://benjaminbarber.org/malaria-in-sub-saharan-africa-essay/ |
The main aim of publishing this report is to analyze the global Freight Forwarder market extensively and put forward the latest trends in the market, market drivers, market strategies, and recovery measures implemented by the leading players to survive in the Covid-19 like situations and gain competitive advantage of the opportunities. It presents useful insights into the state of the Freight Forwarder industry in the global market. The gIncessant research efforts towards catering to diverse market relevant information have been employed to gauge into various ongoing market developments that have reflected and impacted market progression in multiple ways.
Based on thorough research in the lines of primary and secondary research practices, global Freight Forwarder market is likely to witness lush growth in foreseeable times. The report makes relevant efforts in drawing necessary attention towards unravelling significant data pertaining to both current and past developments.
lobal Freight Forwarder market is characterized by a multitude of fragmented supply chains. Therefore, the constant application of the latest ideas to provide customized solutions to the diverse needs of the consumers in the Freight Forwarder market sector is important.
Request a sample of Freight Forwarder Market report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4455841?utm_source=vi
A comparative of the total share of the global Freight Forwarder market in the overall GDP and percentage of the workforce employed in The report is effective in understanding various developments and growth propelling factors along with popular business techniques and market manufacturer preferences and notable business strategies that collectively rear healthy returns and sustainable growth in global Freight Forwarder market.
The report adheres to stringent international practices and research practices in the realm of PESTEL and SWOT analysis to understand key developments and influencers across political. technological, economical, and social perspectives.
Leading players of Freight Forwarder Market including:
Kuehne + Nagel
DHL Group
Sinotrans
DB Schenker Logistics
GEODIS
Panalpina
DSV
Bolloré Logistics
Expeditors
Dachser
Nippon Express
CEVA Logistics
Pantos Logistics
Agility Logistics
Hellmann
Damco
KWE
Hitachi Transport
UPS Supply Chain
Sankyu
Kerry Logistics
Logwin
CJ Korea Express
C.H.Robinson
Yusen Logistics
NNR Global Logistics
Dimerco
Toll Holdings
Pilot Freight Services
Browse the complete report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-freight-forwarder-market-report-2020?utm_source=vi
Regional Scope and Competition Analysis: Global Freight Forwarder Market
Further in the subsequent sections, this intense research report synopsis highlighting key developments have been referenced from the multi-stage developments across regions and countries. The report specifically refers to elaborate developments across North and South America.
The report is poised to present accurate market relevant information across vertices such as M&A investments, business objectives set by frontline players as well as other contributing players and their elaborate references of business and commercial agreements, potential investment chains and a brief of their market positioning, besides profit and revenue cycles.
The report further incorporates data pertaining to material and equipment investments besides incorporating details on upstream and downstream components that maneuver healthy growth trail and sustainable returns in global Freight Forwarder market.
Report Investments Guide:
• The report is positioned to harness a clear perspective highlighting both value based and volume based market size estimations to encourage profit driven business decisions.
• A definitive and highly reliable review analysis of potential market dynamics, volatility and alterations have also been highly discussed to gauge into systematic market prognosis patterns’
• The report follows a systematic top-down analytical review to highlight note-worthy developments and lucrative business tactics that set the growth track effectively, complying with future ready business returns.
• A vivid description of potential segments as well as regional developments have been widely illustrated to evoke post COVID-19 business decisions.
Freight Forwarder market Segmentation by Type:
Full Container Load (FCL)
Less-than container load (LCL)
Freight Forwarder market Segmentation by Application:
Ships Freight
Aircraft Freight
Trucks Freight
Railroads Freight
Market segment by Region/Country including:
Make an enquiry of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/4455841?utm_source=vi
Table of Contents:
Chapter One: Report Overview
Chapter Two: Global Growth Trends by Regions
Chapter Three: Competition Landscape by Key Players
Chapter Four: Breakdown Data by Type (2015-2026)
Chapter Five: Freight Forwarder Breakdown Data by Application (2015-2026)
Chapter Six: North America
Chapter Seven: Europe
Chapter Eight: China
Chapter Nine: Japan
Chapter Ten: Southeast Asia
Chapter Eleven: India
Chapter Twelve: Central & South America
Chapter Thirteen: Key Players Profiles
Chapter Fourteen: Analyst’s Viewpoints/Conclusions
Chapter Fifteen: Appendix
15.1 Research Methodology
15.1.1 Methodology/Research Approach
15.1.2 Data Source
15.2 Disclaimer
15.3 Author Details
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Texas – 75204, U.S.A. | https://domestic-violence.org.uk/uncategorised/48935/freight-forwarder-market-swot-analysis-2021-2025-dhl-group-sinotrans-db-schenker-logistics-geodis-panalpina-dsv-expeditors-dachser-nippon-express/ |
In late 2016, the FAA tasked the UAST to review and analyze these drone sightings to draw conclusions and recommend safety improvements. A working group within the UAST was formed with representatives from the UAS industry, including those from the FAA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), DJI and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), as well as the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) to review and analyze the sightings.
The UAST’s final report concluded that the vast majority of the drone sightings are of little to no risk. The multi-stakeholder working group also cautioned regulators and policymakers against drawing concrete conclusions from the data, given “a notable amount of inconsistencies and unknowns.” The findings and recommendations of the UAST are consistent with AMA’s prior analyses of the drone data dating back to September 2015.
“First, perhaps most significant, a relatively small percentage of analyzed sightings were categorized as being of risk,” the UAST writes in its report. “There is general consensus that some of the sightings are potentially high risk and need to be mitigated, but the majority of sightings are not necessarily high risk.” In addition, the report finds that the FAA’s drone data is “too inconsistent and not standardized” and that the data must “be considered within its appropriate context.”
“Stakeholders from across the manned and unmanned community have agreed that the drone data needs to be improved in order to have an accurate understanding of what’s happening in our skies,” said Chad Budreau, Director of Public Relations and Government Affairs at AMA.
“There’s no doubt that some of the sightings are problematic – about 3 percent of the sightings included in the dataset caused manned aircraft to change course or take evasive action,” Budreau said. “That is 3 percent too many and needs to change. At the same time, we must remember that the vast majority of the drone sightings are just that – sightings.”
The UAST report also cautions regulators and policymakers against relying on the data to inform safety, regulatory or operational decisions.
“The current structure, inconsistency and unrefined nature of the sightings reports disproportionately exacerbate concerns about manned-unmanned interactions and do not provide industry or government with actionable data on which to base safety enhancements and regulatory or operational decision-making,” the UAST writes.
“For years, we have called on the FAA to improve and standardize the drone sightings data and we hope this new report will further encourage these changes,” said Budreau. “In the meantime, we will continue to work alongside the unmanned and manned aircraft community to educate the public about how to fly safely and responsibly. We have always believed that education is critical to keeping our skies safe.”
- “A Closer Look at the FAA’s Drone Data,” 9/14/15: https://www.
modelaircraft.org/gov/docs/ AMAAnalysis-Closer-Look-at- FAA-Drone-Data_091415.pdf
- “An Analysis of the FAA’s March 2016 UAS Sightings,” 6/1/16: http://amablog.modelaircraft.
org/amagov/files/2016/06/AMA- Analysis-FINAL-6-1-16.pdf
- “As drone sales soar, vast majority of reports remain simple sightings,” 5/10/17: https://www.modelaircraft.org/
files/ UASSightingsAnalysisbyAMA5-10- 17.pdf
For more information, visit www.modelaircraft.org. | https://uasweekly.com/2018/01/14/new-uas-team-report-small-percentage-drone-reports-pose-safety-risk/ |
Website Signature Flight Support
Job Description:
The Fuel Analyst III is responsible for analyzing fuel inventory levels for multiple inventory holders for receipt, storage, and usage of jet fuel. The Analyst is responsible for forecasting, projecting, communicating, and leading the logistics of scheduling fuel and fuel-related services. This role reports to the Accounting Manager.
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Job Responsibilities:
- Scheduling – schedule and monitor delivery of fuel into the storage system across multiple locations. Ensure correct and ratable scheduling of fuel deliveries into inventory, including interfacing with Into-Plane Agents, suppliers and service providers
- Daily Liaison – Act as a gateway between customers and suppliers. Provide ongoing status updates to management.
- Inventory Management – actively manage the Company’s fuel inventories to ensure optimal inventory balances. Establish inventory allocations based on usage and contractual requirements.
- Analysis – examine data for patterns and trends. Draw conclusions from data and records, and take action as necessary. Analyze supply needs by forecasting and projecting usage.
- Reporting – ability to create clear and concise reports for management, key stakeholders, customers, and regulatory bodies.
- Perform other duties as requested by your immediate Supervisor
Job Requirements:
- Ability to plan, project, and determine a course of action.
- Communication
- Ability to collect and organize data, then use that information to establish facts, draw valid conclusions and propose solutions.
- Decision Making
- Effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, supervisors, clients, customers and the general public.
- Read, analyze and interpret contractual agreements
- Read, analyze and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations.
- Write routine reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals.
- Apply math concepts such as fractions, percentages, rations and proportions to practical situations.
Job Details: | https://www.jobsvilla.online/job/signature-airlines-jobs-fuel-supply-analyst/ |
Loomis is a global public corporation with 24 000 employees, operations in 23 countries, and a revenue of SEK 20 billion in 2021. Loomis group has a strong sustainability agenda with sharp targets and KPIs. This role offers an opportunity to work in an international environment, while being a part of a tight head office function.
Are you an experienced professional with a documented record of global sustainability reporting and analysis? Are you analytical, have a genuine interest in sustainability issues, self-motivated and communicative to build networks while working independently together with Loomis respective countries across borders? Then it could be you we are looking for!
About the Role
The sustainability analyst at Loomis is responsible to lead Loomis global reporting regarding sustainability data. Your role will be key in the growing sustainability effort of Loomis – where data collection and analysis is the backbone of all long-term decisions and investments. You will have great responsibility in the development and design of analysis and reporting, as well as good opportunities for personal development and career.
The role reports directly to the Head of Sustainability for Loomis Group, operational from Stockholm, and work near both regions, controllers, and other group functions. The sustainability team is part of the financial organization within Loomis and reports to the global CFO. The role is based at global HQ in central Stockholm.
Areas of responsibility
Reporting
o Lead Loomis global reporting regarding all sustainability data – budget, forecasts, and actuals
o Project management and responsibility over the annual Sustainability report
o Consolidate and validate data for quarterly and annual reporting as well as forecasts and budgets
o Responsible for reporting on the current sustainability linked bond and leading new initiatives within new sustainability linked financing projects
o Manage sustainability reporting systems and templates for global reporting
o Continuously improve and refine the processes
Standards, frameworks, and regulations
o Up to date with new reporting standards, including CSRD, TCFD, Taxonomy and GRI, to keep Loomis reporting at a minimum in line with current standards and preferably stay ahead of them
Strategic input & projects
o Follow up progress across the regions
o Work as a strategic sounding board on sustainability actions to the respective business units
o Analyze and draw conclusions from collected data as a basis for decisions and long-term strategies
o Work in sustainability-related projects, produce decision-making documents and information about Loomis’ sustainability work for dialogue with internal and external stakeholders
Local dialogue
o Continuous dialogue with local representatives from all Loomis’s 23 operating countries
o Training of local managers, the extended sustainability team and reporting team around the world on reporting related subjects
Your qualifications
We are looking for someone who is analytical and thorough and has documented experience from work with sustainability reporting. You have a genuine interest in sustainability issues and eager to always learn more within the area. You are good with analyzing large amounts of data and can draw conclusions based on it.
You are self-motivated and communicative as you are expected to build networks and work independently together with different parts of the business based on the countries’ respective conditions. As the role is new you get to take part in shaping both your role and the work with sustainability issues together with your colleagues.
· A Master or Bachelor´s degree in Business Administration or Engineering
· 3-5 years work experience
· Documented experience within sustainability reporting
· Experience from reporting in other areas, such as sales or finance is not mandatory but valued
· Experience from cross-functional roles or projects is advantageous
· Excellent skills in Excel and preferably other BI systems
· Good presentation and communication skills
· Preferably worked in a large, global organization and/or other international experiences to be able to navigate the international environment and compass through cultural differences
· Fluent and confident in professional English in speech and writing. Swedish is not a requirement, but meritorious, and other language skills are merit.
We review applications regularly, so don’t wait, Apply here!
For questions, please contact Johanna Richardsson at [email protected]. Please note that we do not accept applications by e-mail because of data protection under GDPR.
We look forward to reading your application! Applications are welcome in both English and Swedish. | https://novare.se/interim-and-recruitment/jobb/1027-sustainability-analyst-to-loomis-ab/ |
From the palynomorph- and leaf-bearing intervals of latest Cretaceous and early Paleocene age in North America and Eurasia, we now direct our quest for records of plants and the K-T boundary to lands formerly or currently in the equatorial region or the Southern Hemisphere. These lands are the remnants of Gondwana. The continents formed by the break-up of Gondwana were well separated by K-T boundary time. Africa, India, and South America had moved into tropical latitudes while Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, and Antarctica remained at mid to high latitudes.
Herngreen et al. (1996) stated that, in Late Cretaceous time, South America and most of Africa lay within the Palmae palynofloral province, which is characterized by assemblages with 10-50% pollen of the type produced by the Arecaceae (palms) and related species. That palms characterized the floras of the equatorial regions of these continents even in the Late Cretaceous is not surprising. Northern Africa was well north of the equator at 66 Ma and close to Europe and the Normapolles Province. As a result, northern Africa was in a transition zone between the Palmae and Normapolles provinces (Herngreen et al. 1996); see Figure 5.4. There was an increase in Normapolles pollen in northern Africa in the early Paleocene. Contemporaneous palynofloral assemblages from India included elements of the Palmae Province admixed with some from both the Normapolles and Aquilapollenites provinces; there is no obvious paleogeographic explanation for this. Axelrod and Raven (1978) and Maley (1996) asserted that rainforests existed in Africa in Late Cretaceous time. Strong changes in palynofloras across the K-T boundary are not recorded for any of the equatorial regions, a pattern that led Hickey (1981) to argue that floral extinction was not global in extent. From our point of view, there has yet to be a well-studied and temporally constrained K-T boundary in the paleotropics, so this interpretation is premature.
With the notable exception of New Zealand, the Southern Hemisphere has yielded very little data on the fossil record of plants across the K-T boundary. There is broad-scale palynostratigraphic data from Australia, but nothing that directly pertains to the K-T boundary, other than that it coincides with the boundary between two palynological biozones in rocks not exposed at the surface. There is some indirect information from Antarctica, discussed below. There is little known from South America, India, Madagascar, and Africa. The meager record of the K-T boundary is largely due to the apparent absence of nonmarine rocks of latest Cretaceous and early Paleocene age, although more may be learned with future exploration. | https://www.fossilhunters.xyz/fossil-plants/overview-pxi.html |
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a non-partisan think tank based in DC, recently published a report entitled, Syria’s Armed Opposition, an in-depth look at the rebel movement in Syria that began last June. Author Joseph Holliday, Senior Analyst at ISW, provides solid analysis on the structure and capabilities of the insurgency, but perhaps just as interesting as the conclusions themselves is the analytic workflow Holliday utilized to arrive at his conclusions.
Now a highly respected scholar and subject matter expert in the policy community, a year ago Holliday was an active duty Army intelligence officer with general knowledge of the situation facing the Assad regime in Damascus. With the use of Palantir, a cutting-edge analytic platform, Holliday and his colleagues and partners, many of whom are educated at the Nation’s top-tier universities and service academies and utilize field experience from diverse assignments, are creating and establishing dynamic workflows to rapidly analyze the hardest problem sets in international affairs. Analysts still spend long hours reading and sourcing reports from multiple data streams focusing on the history, demographics, culture, and politics of specified regions; however, when combining the efficiency of traditional analytic methods with the power of innovative analytic software the analyst teams are able to greatly advance the way knowledge is shared across not only the policy community but throughout the communities who think tanks advise and assist. As a result, users minimize the time required to move through large amounts of data through the integration of disparate sources, collaborate more effectively by sharing insights both internally within focused teams and externally with stakeholders, and flatten the learning curve by providing strategic and operational analysis to empower the decision making process.
The widespread use of social media, accelerated by the proliferation of cellular data transfer, has shifted the nature of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT); however, many analysts in the community are not leveraging social media streams to enrich workflows. Holliday gathered, cleaned, integrated, and analyzed videos published by soldiers announcing their defection from the Assad regime’s military to join the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which functions as an umbrella organization for Syrian rebels. By importing the publicly- available videos, which enables advanced network analysis, and modeling data to follow activity and movement, teams structured the opposition and analyzed, to a great extent, the capabilities and order of battle of the rebels. In addition, by cross-referencing traditional news sources with state-run media and social media sources, ISW tracked insurgent attacks across Syria with accuracy and analyzed the tactics employed by rebels with precision in order to attribute engagements to specific subgroups of insurgents. Holliday’s analysis also heightened the awareness of diaspora movements and trafficking cycles in the region, vital information that enables international partners and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to understand the flows of Internationally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to and from refugee camps in neighboring countries as well as analyze the impact of criminal activity in hot spots and across borders.
The model utilized by ISW’s Syria Analyst Team holds great potential for applying a new methodology across the research, analysis, policy, and operations communities at a macro level. Data and analysis sharing can be increased by creating a partnership involving organizations from traditional think tanks like Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), research and educational institutions like the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point (CTCWP), academic and government hybrids like the University of Maryland START Program, and/or humanitarian-focused institutions like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Likewise, decision makers can build a repository of vetted open source data that is persistently streamed and compiled from foreign and conventional news sources and social media platforms. Combining the database with global geospatial imagery, organizations would not only have available a point of departure for analyzing information for a variety of purposes but a collaborative platform to collectively analyze the Nation’s hardest and most challenging problems.
In an ever-changing world, empowering analysts with the most advanced analytic tools that can easily manage big data offers a new and revolutionary capability to process and analyze the world’s data in a timely, accurate, and useful way while minimizing reduplication of effort and maximizing efficiency of application at a logarithmic pace, making this new analysis a reality. | https://praescientanalytics.com/a-revolution-in-analysis-applying-innovative-methods-to-real-world-problems/ |
The Advanced Placement (AP) Program offers two Computer Science (CS) courses:
AP Computer Science A introduces students to Computer Science with fundamental topics that include problem solving, design strategies and methodologies, organization of data (data structures), approaches to processing data (algorithms), analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing. This course emphasizes both object-oriented and imperative problem solving and design. For more information, please visit the AP CS A Website.
AP Computer Science Principles helps students develop computational thinking skills vital for success across all disciplines, such as using computational tools to analyze and study data and working with large data sets to analyze, visualize, and draw conclusions from trends. The course engages students in the creative aspects of the field by allowing them to develop computational artifacts based on their interests. For more information, please visit the AP CS Principles Website.
In addition to AP coursework, a variety of other Computer Science courses may be available, please contact individual schools to determine course offerings and availability.
*Foundations of Computer Science (Honors) and AP Computer Science Principles may now count as a Technology Education credit towards graduation. Contact your high school guidance counselor for more information. | https://dci.bcps.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=9047042&pageId=10680749 |
- Skilled data analyst with more than 16 years of industry experience in Complex Automotive Systems, organizing, interpreting, and disseminating various types of statistical figures.
- Energetic presenter and confident communicator with the ability to circulate information in a way that is clear, efficient, and beneficial for end users.
- Creative in finding solutions to problems and determining modifications for optimal use of organizational data.
- Expert at providing realistic projections and establishing various scenarios to determine viable process strategies to utilize.
- Organized and timely in providing staff, departmental members, and executive management with reports on specific data findings and their impact on organizational growth and success.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Confidential
Senior IT
Responsibilities:
- Collect data from ERP System (Service, Spare parts, sales, marketing, and finance ) From Microsoft SQL and Oracle Query to Represent Data Report (Excel ) Or information Report (Graphic Report )
- Report Data Template: Link Microsoft SQL Servers with Add in Tool for Excel or MBI to update Monthly or Weakley Parameter Report.
- Manage IT environments leading application running on application servers and Microsoft SQL Servers (Customize report for ERB system).
- Responsible of Implementing ERP ( Feasibility study, implementation plan, Data migration, customization hand to hand with department manager & contractor .
- Organize, extrapolate, and disseminate data across departments to be used for drawing conclusions about the success of current methods.
- Present detailed reports about the meaning of gathered data to members of management and help them identify scenarios utilizing modifications in the data.
- Organized quarterly projection data gathered by senior analysts in an orderly way for executive management.
- Reported bi - monthly data analysis findings to upper management to use in making organizational decisions.
- Participated in collecting, organizing, and interpreting data along with fellow colleagues.
- Worked with advanced calculations to draw conclusions about data findings.
- Assisted superiors with interpreting data and compiling it in an organized manner.
- Presented detailed reports each quarter to upper management alongside my apprentice supervisor.
- Understand project requirements and develop design specifications ( oracle Project )
- Perform initial design reviews and recommend improvements For ( oracle project )
Oracle Developer
Confidential
Responsibilities:
- Write clear codes and prepare coding documentations.
- Develop Oracle reports, database procedures
- Modify existing codes to optimize Oracle applications.
- Assist in system integration and acceptance testing and perform bug fixes less experienced staffs on programming guidelines. | https://www.hireitpeople.com/resume-database/70-oracle-developers-resumes/251287-senior-it-resume |
The digital divide stands for the gap amid people, households, companies, as well as regions with respect to use of information, communication, and technology (Vehovar, Sicherl & Husing et al., 2006). It also refers to the gap that exists between individuals who are currently employed and able to use ICT effectively and those who are not because of the different levels of numeracy, literacy, and technical skills. The digital divide has resulted from factors, such as economic, social, and geographical historical, and behavioral, as well as generation aspects or the physical inability of people (Curtin, 2001). This paper will focus on the geographical factors.
There are big differences between world continents/regions when it comes to the internet usage and the internet. Whitacre and Mills (2007) argue “as residential internet access shifts toward high-speed connections, a gap emerges in rural high-speed access relative to urban high speed access and one of the potential causes of this high-speed digital divide include rural-urban differences in place” (p. 249). It is also difficult to access the internet in rural areas, and thus, this fact has contributed greatly to the digital divide. There are individuals who are not able to gain access to ICT or fast ICT due to the areas where they live, even though they have money or knowledge. For instance, the geographical digital divide is evident in the United Kingdom. Broadband users in different roads may enjoy different download speeds in the UK. Three of the top slowest streets are in Lincolnshire where speed is about 37 times slower than the national average of 9 Mbps (Clarke, 2012). Such geographical issues mean that some households do not get used to appreciate and enjoy the full benefits of most online services. They have some difficulties with a very slow dial-up internet connection that makes it almost impossible to get access to various multimedia sites and web features.
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Section 2- Position Analysis (Macro)
Geographical factors play an important role in the perceived gap between individuals who can access the latest information technologies and individuals who cannot do it. The geographical digital divide remains in both developing and developed nations. There have been several researches’, which have shown the divide in different continents, regions, and areas. According to Greenstein and Prince (2007), most of the researches’ concentrate on the limitations related to internet accessibility amid the rural and town areas. In most developed regions in the world, the geographical divide results from a problem regarded as “Last Mile,” which s related to broadband access. It refers to establishing a connection between subscribers and the closest internet access point. It is particularly a problem in the sparsely populated area. With broadband technologies, the line quality reduces with the length of the line as individuals who living more than 5 kilometres away from a broadband enabled phone fail to receive the asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL). Wood (2007) conducted a detailed empirical analysis of broadband access in rural areas in Pennsylvania, U.S. The study revealed that it is difficult for small remote islands and mountainous areas to get access when it comes to the provision of broadband services. It means that people in the islands and mountainous areas are not privileged to access the internet due to the geographical condition.
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In Japan, the broadband penetration rate is low in peripheral regions and high in three main urban areas, Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo. Unlike Pennsylvania, the Hokuriku and Chubu regions, which are mountainous areas, have better broadband access numbers compared to the nationwide average (Arai & Naganuma, 2010). The two scholars also noted that most Telecom companies prefer to put up FTTH (Fiber to the Home) networks in regions where there are the most possible users. The major cities and metropolitan regions take a leading position in the use of FTTH. This means that people in regions with less population do not enjoy FTTH use. There is a disadvantaged population on the short end of the geographical digital divide.
In Japan, the geographical location is an imperative factor in the digital divide. The percentage of individuals’ connection to the internet resources through a personal computer decreases with the size of the city. Key cities have higher rates of the internet diffusion than smaller ones, followed by villages and smaller towns. In Korea, geography is also a key aspect contributing to unequal access to ICT resources. The regions where an individual lives make a big difference. It is worth stressing that the differences of distribution of computers, internet access, and the World Wide Web are significant in different regions. The digital divide between the Korea’s capital city, Seoul, and the rest of the regions, between the rural and urban areas, is significant. Huh and Kim (2003) studied the regional internet information flows in South Korea and called for explicit course of action measures of the local and governments in order to deal with the issue of the regional inequality. Seoul led the nation with nearly half of the total ICT access and information flows (48.7%) whereas the rural areas had almost no ICT access. An astoundingly large number of internet hyperlink domains (85.45) were registered only within Seoul.. Kwon (2003) also argued that problems exist concerning digital divide amid urban and rural areas in Korea. This shows the digital divide that is caused by geographical factors does still exist; nevertheless, measures have been put underway in various regions to address the disparity, which means that it will reduce with time.
Section 3: Position Analysis (Micro)
Digital divide arising from geographical factors has a significant impact on people’s personal life. The inability to access ICT resources because of geographical location negatively affects home, school and work matters. When it comes to school, the availability of the large amount of information on the internet would be curtailed, and this would limit the quality of school research projects and papers. Secondly, it limits communication with the teachers and learners to ‘face to face’ as there is no internet, which provides an easier and faster way of communicating with classmates and teachers about school-related issues. At home, the lack of ICT resources limits entertainment as one cannot chat with friends online- there is no device for entertainment and social communications. The lack of ICT resources in the workplace reduces productivity. ICT benefits workers and usually represent an immediate and effective return on investment for organizations. ICT trained workers make fewer mistakes and work quicker, hence increasing their effectiveness.
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Conclusion
Geographical factors have led to a digital divide, and it is quite evident in most places around the world. This is depicted by differences between regions and places when it comes to ICT resources access. When it comes to the internet, a gap does exist between rural internet speed access and urban internet speed access. People in rural areas have limited access to the latest information technologies if compared to those in urban areas. In addition, people in various territories, such as remote islands and mountainous areas, do not enjoy ICT services as they are difficult to reach. The broadband penetration rate is also low in some regions and high in other regions because of the population density. The gap between individuals, companies, households, or regions when it comes to access of ICT resources has led to social inequality as some people have been denied the privilege of enjoying the resources at home, school, and places of work because of their geographical location. Digital divide caused by geographical factors does still exist; though, some states have introduced measures in order to ensure that all regions are capable of enjoying the ICT resources. | https://supremeessays.com/samples/technology/digital-divide-issue.html |
Just northeast of turkey lies the caucasus a mountainous region wedged between the black sea to the west and the caspian sea to the east. Using this template the user can explore details of all the continents and countries spread across the globe.
Continent And Their Countries Asia Map Only Countries World Map Two Political Map Of Europe With Countrie In 2020 Asia Map World Political Map World Map With Countries
So basically continents make it easier to understand and differentiate the world s geography.
Labeled continent of asia map. Labeled world map with continents pdf as we know the earth is divided into 7 continents and if we look at the area of these 7 continents asia is the largest continent and oceania and australia are considered to be the smallest ones. Asia is the largest of the world regions stretching from the middle east to india and over to china and japan. Countries printables map quiz game.
In this video you will get information all the countries of asia according to their location. It is also the world s highest continent with an average elevation of 1 010 m. There is a fully developed printable template of the world map with continents and countries available on the web.
Generally the continents and countries have the different kinds of cultures from each other s. In total there are 47 countries to learn. The continents have different numbers of countries and asia is the largest continent of the world.
Asia which is part of the old world land mass is the world s largest continent with 44 391 163 km. This elevation of asia is due to the himalaya mountains which have the highest peaks in the world. The border of asia continent with europe continent is a cultural and historical construct as there is no fair geographical and physical separation between them.
Countries within west asia include afghanistan bahrain iran iraq israel jordan kuwait lebanon oman qatar saudi arabia syria turkey the united arab emirates and yemen. World map with continents and countries labeled. Begin by downloading the labeled map of asia to learn the countries and finish by taking a quiz by downloading the blank map.
Asia is said to be the largest continent of the world and the continents reflect different numbers of countries. In universal terms asia continent is bordered on the east by the pacific ocean on the north by the arctic ocean and on the south by the indian ocean. Asia has a width of 8 490 km in the north south direction.
This downloadable blank map of asia makes that task easier. Where i have mentioned list of countries continent asia locat. | https://lookfordesigns.com/labeled-continent-of-asia-map/ |
Use the filter menu and interactive map to explore the past competitions offered and grants awarded through the Environmental Literacy Program.
To learn more about project findings and outcomes, view the summaries of our grantees’ summative evaluation reports.
- (-) Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (1)
- (-) Miami Museum of Science / Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (1)
- (-) Nurture Nature Center (2)
- American Museum of Natural History (1)
- Butler University (1)
- California Academy of Sciences (1)
- Chugach School District (1)
- College of Exploration (1)
- Colorado State University (1)
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science (1)
- Exploratorium (1)
- Literacy Volunteers America of Monroe County (1)
- Michigan Sea Grant (1)
- Monterey Bay Aquarium (1)
- Museum of Science Boston (1)
- Ocean Discovery Institute (1)
- Ocean Foundation / The Ocean Project (1)
- Science Museum of Minnesota (1)
- Science Museum of Virginia (1)
- Seacoast Science Center (1)
- Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education (1)
- Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York / Columbia University (1)
- University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Center for Science Education (2)
- University of Colorado Boulder / Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) (1)
- University of Maryland / Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS-M) (1)
- University of the Virgin Islands / Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (1)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison / Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) (1)
Climate Strong—Building Tribal Youth Leadership for Climate Resiliency
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in partnership with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, 1854 Treaty Authority, University of Wisconsin Extension’s G-WOW program, and Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve are proud to provide the Climate Strong-Building Tribal Youth Leadership for Climate Resiliency program. Our three-year project aims to increase the knowledge and readiness of middle to high school students to deal with the impacts of extreme weather and environmental hazards that face the Ojibwe Ceded Territories (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan) and build capacity for increased climate change community resiliency curriculum in the classroom. Climate change impacts everyone, but for indigenous peoples it threatens culturally significant traditions, such as wild rice harvesting, that relies on sustainable fish, plant, and wildlife resources. These resources are critical for subsistence, spiritual and cultural needs, and treaty rights. Culturally relevant, place-based education is an important tool to involve students, in particular, underrepresented students, in developing critical thinking skills to assess the issue of community resiliency to extreme weather events and engaging in action to help resolve it. In order to achieve our objectives, we will aim our educational efforts toward youth first, as well as reaching the communities we serve. Each year, six residential youth camps (18 total) will be hosted within the Ojibwe Ceded Territories. Each three-day camp will be focused on investigating issues of community resiliency, adaption, and mitigation associated with increasing extreme weather events as well as natural environmental hazards. Camps will use place-based, experiential lessons to teach resiliency issues demonstrated by climate change effects on Ojibwe culturally important natural resources. Our project will train formal and informal educators throughout the Ojibwe Ceded Territories on how to use indigenous climate curriculum using tribal traditional ecological knowledge and NOAA assets to investigate community climate resiliency issues. Using both teacher “train the trainer” workshops and our camps, this project will create a network of formal K-12 and informal educators trained to become leaders in providing culturally relevant climate resiliency outreach to students. We will increase community resiliency literacy through six community outreach events each year (18 total) that will highlight resiliency issues facing our region and the research being done on landscape and ecological vulnerabilities through NOAA and tribal assets. Our goals are increased community resiliency literacy and adaptation of stewardship behaviors that reduce climate change impacts and increases adaption and mitigation behaviors by our participants. These behaviors will help increase stewardship practices reducing extreme weather impacts affecting the sustainability of culturally relevant resources, thereby preserving important cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and treaty rights practices.
Hurricanes and Climate Change: Local Impacts and Global Systems
The Miami Science Museum, in collaboration with Ideum and the Institute for Learning Innovation, is designing and developing an interactive multi-user exhibit that allows visitors to explore the global dimensions and local impacts of climate change. The exhibit will raise public understanding about the underlying science, the human causes, and the potential impacts of climate change by combining the attraction of a 4-foot spherical display with a user-controlled interface that lets visitors control the sphere and choose from a range of global and local content they wish to explore. A particular focus is on climate-related impacts on coastal communities, including the dangers posed by rising sea level and the possibility of more intense hurricanes. The project emphasizes engagement of diverse, multigenerational audiences through development of an interface that is fully bilingual and that promotes social interaction. The open-source learning module will be adaptable by other museums, to explore climate impacts specific to their region.
Science on a Sphere and Flood Forums: Education to Action
The Nurture Nature Center (NNC) in Easton, PA, a joint project of the multi-state Nurture Nature Foundation and NNC, Inc., will install a Science on a Sphere and develop a new SOS module about climate and flooding. Working with the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, PA, and science advisers from NOAA and research universities, NNC will use existing SOS datasets, as well as new data formats, to create a docent-guided program that explains the connections between climate patterns and flooding. The Flood Forums: Education to Action program will engage audiences in deliberative forum programming to promote public understanding of the atmospheric, oceanic, and other climatic factors affecting flooding in some regional communities. Project deliverables include a program on climate change and flooding for SOS users; the same program calibrated for Magic Planet users; Forum models on issues related to climate change and flooding; project and evaluation reports; and training materials for SOS network members and other informal educators.
CREATE Resilience: Community Resilience through Education, Art, Technology, and Engagement
CREATE Resilience: Community Resilience through Education, Art, Technology and Engagement, is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between youth and community to 1) improve environmental hazards literacy, and 2) increase engagement in resiliency actions by youth and adult residents in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. CREATE Resilience is designed to increase community knowledge about weather and climate science, risks from local hazards, and strategies for hazard mitigation, while co-creating a vision for community resilience. Developed by Nurture Nature Center (NNC) in Easton, PA, the four-year project will work with local, state and federal partners in three hazard-prone communities in the Lehigh Valley (Easton, Bangor and Wilson areas). Hazards, particularly weather-related hazards including flooding, have had major impacts in these communities historically and recently, causing extensive damage to property and disruption to community services. Damaging river flooding along the Delaware River in 2004, 2005 and 2006 highlighted major planning and safety challenges for many municipalities in the area with high flood risk, and a recently updated regional Hazard Mitigation plan highlighted other hazards – as well as the need for public education about hazards and mitigation. CREATE Resilience’s advisory board will work with NNC to bring education and engagement events to teach the science of these hazards, as well the household and community-level strategies and tools available for resilience. Partners include the National Weather Service (NWS) Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center and Mt. Holly, NJ Weather Forecast Office, and Weather Prediction Center, as well as LV Planning Commission, Northampton County Emergency Management Agency, LV Community Foundation, Lafayette College, and FEMA Region 3 Mitigation Division. In years 1 and 2, the project will form CREATE Youth Ambassador teams, in which student interns from area high schools will meet NWS meteorologists, engage in community storytelling events, develop local hazard and resilience tours, and learn from climate and other scientists about hazards and strategies for resilience. Ambassadors will also develop and lead programming for community residents. Simultaneously, residents will participate in active-learning education events, dialogue forums, arts-based activities, technology-based programs using NOAA assets, and hands-on preparedness activities. Each community will build a collective understanding of local hazards and mitigation strategies, and co-create a vision for resilience, represented in traveling visual artist-designed murals in the third year of the project. This education and shared vision will build community support for planning and resilience and help households in making better preparedness decisions. Dissemination through Science on a Sphere® and guidebooks will share the replicable model with other organizations and communities, extending the reach of the project. Close cooperation with NWS offices helps the project meet key goals of NOAA’s Education Strategic Plan, related to safety/preparedness and a science-informed society. Through public events and print materials, the project will showcase and interpret NOAA-related science and data with area residents, while creating collaborative learning opportunities for youth and community to interact with NOAA scientists. CREATE Resilience also engages youth and adults in preparing for hazards, and in multi-generational learning to improve community awareness and involvement in preparedness and mitigation. | https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/elp/grants/awards?f%5B0%5D=%3ANorth%20Carolina%20Aquarium%20Society%20/%20North%20Carolina%20Aquarium%20on%20Roanoke%20Island&f%5B1%5D=%3ATennessee%20Aquarium&f%5B2%5D=%3AUniversity%20of%20the%20Virgin%20Islands%20/%20Center%20for%20Marine%20and%20Environmental%20Studies&f%5B3%5D=field_fiscal_year%3A2010&f%5B4%5D=field_fiscal_year%3A2018&f%5B5%5D=field_recipient%3AFond%20du%20Lac%20Tribal%20and%20Community%20College&f%5B6%5D=field_recipient%3AMiami%20Museum%20of%20Science%20/%20Phillip%20and%20Patricia%20Frost%20Museum%20of%20Science&f%5B7%5D=field_recipient%3ANurture%20Nature%20Center |
***International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was observed in Srinagar on August 9. The theme for this year’s World Tribal Day was “The Role of Indigenous Women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge”. On the occasion, In-Minds Society and Anthro International organised a webinar entitled “Tribal Development: Policies and Challenges” in which Research Scholars, Professors, subject experts, students, civil society and indigenous people from different parts of the country participated.
Speakers in the panel included Irfan Ali Banka, Dr. Abdul Khabir, Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, Dr. Javaid Rahi and CEO Anthro International. The role of indigenous women in preserving tribal culture, developing and promoting uses of natural products, integration of traditional knowledge and practices of indigenous women was highlighted during the programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Irfan Ali Banka, Tribal Researcher, RTI Activist and Anthropologist with interest in Policy Making informed that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated globally on 9 August every year. It marks the date of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982.
He said that the core of the Sustainable Development Goals as enshrined in the 2030 Agenda is to leave no one behind. He stressed upon the indigenous design of the policies and their awareness thereof at the grassroot level among the indigenous communities. He highlighted various issues related to education, health, sanitation and livelihood of the tribals in Sonamarg, Gulmarg and Budgam.
The guest speakers Dr. Abdul Khabir who is Deputy Director Tribal Affairs and Nodal officer Tribal Research Institute J&K apprised the participants about the initiatives being undertaken by the department from last one year for the tribal community in Jammu and Kashmir. He informed that an MOU has been signed for establishment of Tribal chair at IIT Jammu and BGSBU Rajouri and they have been entrusted with the task to document tribal culture, folk songs, folk tales, folk dance, rituals, customs, traditions, artefacts, indigenous health practices etc.
Prominent Social Activist and Writer, Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat highlighted the issues of the indigenous peoples at ground level with respect to individual forest rights and community forest rights. He laid stress upon empowerment and awareness of Graham Sabhas particularly women among the indigenous communities.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Javaid Rahi, writer and tribal social reformer and Hon’ble LG Awardee, stressed upon the inclusion of the emic perspective of the indigenous communities while framing policies and undertaking development. He explained the way the development should be in the views of the indigenous groups.
Commentary on the proceedings of the event was given in detail by CEO Anthro International who thanked the speakers and participants for joining hands on the International Day for World's Indigenous Peoples and making its commemoration a success.
In the event, there were 58 participants including Academicians, Research Scholars, Practitioners, indigenous people and civil society members across the country. Participants form the indigenous communities and others also raised their queries during the session which were addressed by the speakers. | https://www.counterview.in/2022/08/role-of-indigenous-women-in.html |
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