Ruth

Ruth would describe what she does as a combination of words, camera and action. With an environmental degree under her belt, a background in photography and an interest in the way we interact with the environment through sport, art and fashion, Ruth is the environmental Correspondent for HUCK magazine, and regularly contributes to other online and printed publications including Cooler, 7Sky and Green Kids Magazine, illustrating her words with her own pictures when possible. She also works closely with organisations such as the RSPB and Marine Conservation Society and is a BCCA, with whom she is about to publish a study pack for schools based round the Dr Seuss book The Lorax.

Links

http://huckmagazine.com/content/features/columns/ruth-carruthers-column/

@RuthCarruthers on Twitter

Ocean Acidification

Climate change, melting ice caps, sea level rise, crazy weather patterns and food webs out of sync.  Think you know all about the effects of increased CO2 in our atmosphere?  Think again.  The team at Nice and Serious have just released this sort film outlining the effects of Ocean Acidification; the other CO2 issue.

This informative and engaging documentary outlines why increased ocean acidity threatens the marine food chain, and the importance of effective communication between scientists, policy makers and the public in relation to tackling this issue.

I would also recommend checking out the other environmental films produced by the Nice and Serious team. Co-founder Ben Meaker was listed as one of the Future 100 Ethical Entrepreneurs of the year in 2009 and 2010 after setting up Nice and Serious with fellow founder Tom Tapper.

 

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Thursday, 13th October, 2011

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Power Off

The UK had been uncannily sunny over the past couple of weeks.  So here is a beautiful reminder of something we all already know!

I had a day of transcribing planned for today, but now thanks to laurageorge and her lovely Etsy shop, I’ve decided to go an a wee adventure…

So why don’t you “turn off your computer and go outside”?

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Wednesday, 4th May, 2011

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Cardboard

I live in Glasgow, a city where the city council don’t currently recycle cardboard.  It seems a shame when the stuff has so much potential.

 

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Tuesday, 26th April, 2011

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“There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” – Marshall McLuhan, 1965.

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Saturday, 5th March, 2011

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Population 7 Billion

Since Sir David Attenborough was born in 1926 the population of our planet has more than tripled, and is set to reach the 7 Billion mark this year.

Each additional life needs food, energy, space, water and shelter, which will tug at our Planet’s already stretched resources even further.

The Nick Drake song Hazy Jane II springs to mind, with its opening lyrics singing, “what will happen in the morning when the world it gets so crowded that you can’t look out the window in the morning?”

But as this video by National Geographic explains “we don’t take up as much space as you’d think.  Standing shoulder to shoulder all 7 billion of us would fill the city of Los Angeles.  So it’s not space we need… it’s balance.

 

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Saturday, 26th February, 2011

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Is thinking still doing?

I’m a doer, I do things.  But I’m also a thinker, and I need to think things in order to do things.

But when I’m thinking I don’t feel like I’m doing very much. Do you know what I mean?

If only I could use all that time I spend thinking about things to actually DO things.  Think how much I could get done!

Then I start thinking that I spend too much time thinking about the fact I spend so much time thinking and not enough time doing.

But today I realised it’s okay to spend lots of time thinking, all thanks to artist Jeremyville, who I found on the HUCK magazine blog.

When I clicked through to the Jeremyville Facebook page it was this ‘Slow Down’ print that really caught my eye though.  And Jeremyville’s accompanying inspiration explanation sums up perfectly why it’s so important to take time to think:

“Late last year I took a whole afternoon off (rare for me!), and had a lovely long lunch at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the beautiful garden with intense blue skies and quiet. It was the most important thing I ever did all year. I stopped, thought about life. Made a firm plan for 2011. Re-assessed where I was heading. Focused on my goals. I think it’s one of the best things I ever did, and I still think about that long lunch, and hold those moments and decisions in my mind. That’s why I drew ‘Slow Down’.”

Check out the Jeremyville website for ‘I Will Not Fail’, ‘Shut Down Go Outside’ and a load more inspirational prints from the ‘Community Service Announcement‘ collection.

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Friday, 11th February, 2011

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How do you eat an elephant?… One bite at a time.

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Saturday, 15th January, 2011

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OKIDO magazine

My latest source of inspiration comes in the form of OKIDO, an arts and science magazine for young children.  That’s right, an arts AND science magazine, not a magazine dedicated to one or the other – as can often be the case.

The brainchild of multimedia designer and scientist, Sophie Dauvois and illustrator Rachel Ortas, OKIDO is all about “stimulating science ideas through art, play and experimentation.” The latest issue is all about living things and biodiversity, featuring beautifully illustrated stories, activities, games, doodles, recipes and poems.  Plus, it’s printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable based inks, it’s non-gender specific and there’s not an advert in sight!

But most of all it’s refreshing to find a publication that actively marries both sides of the brain. And it’s this kind of thinking that I believe is so essential in overcoming the challenges facing mankind today, from the way we solve environmental and social issues to the way we design and do business.  So it’s great to see such an approach being encouraged with children.

OKIDO may be a magazine aimed at young DOers, but I bet there are plenty of parents who love it just as much as their kids. So, pick up a copy if you get a chance, you may be surprised by what you learn.

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Sunday, 9th January, 2011

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They Draw and Cook

After you’ve logged on and caught up with what’s going on with the spending cuts, climate change talks and never-ending snow fall, why not click onto They Draw and Cook for a bit of light relief from all the serious stuff?

This lovely-to-look-at website showcases a collection of illustrated recipes submitted by artists from all over the globe and it’s full of seasonal suggestions.  It’s such a great way to get people to mix up their talents and bring the food of different countries into one place.  It’s also a nice change from all the celeb-based cook books lining shop shelves on the run up to Christmas.  Scroll down the blog for some real gems like African Lemon Cookies and Rocket Ship Pizza.

Best of all, anyone with a talent for drawing and a recipe in their head can submit to the blog and there’s even a section for kids to get involved too.

Cooking is fun again.  Enjoy!

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Thursday, 2nd December, 2010

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it’s tiger time

There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild.  That’s not a lot.

Wild tiger numbers have fallen by 95% in the past 100 years.

Out of nine sub-species of tiger, three have already gone extinct and a fourth hasn’t been seen in the wild for 25 years.  Time is running out for the other five.

There are more captive tigers in the US state of Texas alone than there are left in the wild.  This is my favourite fact, it shocks me every time I read it.

Through poaching and habitat destruction man is the tiger’s biggest threat.

This week heads of government from 13 tiger-range countries are meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, to finalise a Global Tiger Recovery Programme.

The hope is to double wild tiger numbers by 2020.

St. Petersburg is a long way away, as are the remaining wild tigers, but there are lots of things we can DO from home that will help reach this goal, such as:

1. Signing petitions – one name can make a big difference!

2. Supporting conservation charities such as WWF and the RSPB, who are both doing lots of work to save tigers and their habitats.

3. Avoiding products that contain palm oil – rainforests, where tigers like to live, are cut down in order to plant palm oil plantations.

4. Tell our friends about the problem and how they can help too.

The race is on to save the tiger…

* All facts and figures courtesy of WWF

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Tuesday, 23rd November, 2010

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