Lmst

(Fish first, then birds and generations of humans are ingesting plastic pollution )
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-15/birds-crunch-full-plastic-losing-war-waste/105221266

#fossilfuels #microplastics #nanoplastics #plastic #pollution

Lens-Artists Challenge #348: Serenity

This week Egídio from Capturing My World Through Brazilian Eyes is hosting the Challenge, and his theme is, ‘Serenity‘. ‘Last week, Ritva asked us to break the rules,’ says Egídio. ‘This week, I’m challenging you to find serenity in your photos.’ Egídio continues, ‘Serenity alleviates today’s problems for me,’ and he continues to give several lovely examples of photographs that bring him serenity.

For me, serenity is simply achieved by taking photographs. I like nothing better than taking a train to Aveiro, or a ‘walk around the block,’ to relax me and bring some peacefulness to my thoughts. I derive an extra bit of pleasure by trying something new, and these few images are a perfect example of that. A few days ago, I came across a blog post from Dave’s Place about his close-up experiments with a Holga film camera and a +4 close-up filter.

Dave achieved some really nice results with the close-up filter taped onto the Holga lens, the lens set to infinity and the camera held at the focal distance of the close-up filter from the subject, which for a +4 diopter filter is about 25cm. Now, I have a Holga lens for my micro four-thirds mirrorless cameras, and I wondered if such an arrangement would work with the Olympus Pen E-PL2 and the plastic Holga lens I picked up recently.

I had this nagging idea that somewhere I actually had a close-up filter, and sure enough tucked away in one of my boxes was an old Jessops +4 close-up filter. Also in the box was a 52-58mm step-up ring, which luckily fitted snugly onto the front of the Holga lens. After a bit of experimentation I realised that rather than setting the lens to infinity, if I set the Holga lens to the portrait setting, the closest focal distance on the plastic lens, and held it about 15cm from the subject, I got a nice close-up result. It wasn’t perfect, and it was a bit finicky seeing if the subject was in focus on the LCD screen of the camera, but it worked.

I took the Holga/close-up filter combination out for a ‘walk around the block’ in the woods and fields behind our house, which at the moment are filled with spring flowers. The cloudy weather (and thunderstorms) of the morning had mostly cleared away, even though it was still quite windy, but it was great for some close-up photography. And it worked a treat!

I had the camera set to aperture priority mode, and manually set the ISO depending on the sunny or cloudy conditions. On reflection, I probably should have left the ISO on auto mode. As mentioned it was sometimes difficult to see if the subject was in focus on the LCD screen but the results were fabulous. The Holga lens has a fixed aperture of f8, but it also has these circles around the aperture, which I think are intended to give it that lo-fi ‘look’. In the close up images, this resulted in some fabulous swirly bokeh, and with the vignetting gave some images that I really loved. Serenity achieved.

Themes for the Lens-Artists Challenge are posted each Saturday at 12:00 noon EST (which is 4pm, GMT) and anyone who wants to take part can po3st their images during the week. If you want to know more about the Challenge, details can be found here, and entries can be found on the WordPress reader using the tag ‘Lens-Artists’.

If you are on Mastodon, you can now follow this blog directly. Just go to Mastodon and follow the ‘Snapshot’ WordPress account at @keithdevereux.wordpress.com. All new posts will be automatically updated to your timeline.

#Challenge #Closeup #Digital #Holga #LensArtists #LoFi #Microfourthirds #Plastic #Serenity #LensArtists

A lo-fi image of a cluster of purple flowers against an out of focus green background.

New paper out by former postdoc and Humboldt fellow, Luís Fernando Amato-Lourenço et al. with work done in Berlin community gardens

Environmental factors influence airborne microplastic deposition in the soil of urban allotment gardens

#microplastics #plastic #pollution #berlin

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749125007456

COCA-COLA AND PEPSI SUED FOR ALLEGEDLY 'MISLEADING' CONSUMERS ABOUT RECYCLING

Coca-Cola and #Pepsi are being sued by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands over "misleading" customers with their #recycling claims

Both soda companies and their distributors have claimed that their #plastic bottles are recyclable. However, VI says the bottles are single-use and are overwhelming their waste management systems and the islands' environment

#coke #PlasticIsPoison

https://www.newsweek.com/coca-cola-pepsi-sued-misleading-consumers-2071459

So, #greenwashing.

"They found many of the same health problems from exposure to the plant-based plastic as petroleum-based – the chemicals were found in the mice’s tissue in their livers, ovaries and intestines, where they caused microlesions."

Starch-based bioplastic may be as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/13/starch-based-bioplastic-petroleum-plastic-study

#plastic #PlasticPollution #bioplastics

'The UK, excluding the US, generates the most plastic waste per person globally and we are exporting our problem.'
https://eia-international.org/what-can-you-do/ways-to-donate/current-appeal/
#uk #pollution #plastic #climatechange

In small victories at the community garden, one of the guys who always uses black plastic has now adopted cardboard and mulch. Looks like several others are doing same. I'm going to credit all my annoying, passive-aggressive comments on garden's Facebook page. #CommunityGarden #GrowYourOwn #plastic #cardboard #mulch #garden #allotment #weeds

Fenced plot of bare soil planted with several squash plants and beans that are surrounded by wet cardboard and dark brown leaf mulch.

Rain has been my nemesis just lately. Hardly a day has passed that I've managed to take any pictures. But following a genius idea by @DaveInElland for close-up with a Holga, I managed an hour or so outside with a Holga lens for micro four-thirds (on an Olympus Pen E-PL2) with a +4 diopter close-up lens.
#Holga, #Plastic, #Digital, #CloseUp,

Close-up of a purple flower in an overgrown field. Behind are more out of focus flowers, and green grass with a lovely bokeh effect.

"Plastics in everyday objects may disrupt sleep in same way as caffeine, study finds"

#Plastic #Plastics

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/09/plastic-chemicals-sleep

https://www.fogolf.com/961415/study-makes-concerning-connection-between-risk-for-parkinsons-disease-and-living-near-golf-courses-cases-are-exploding/ Study makes concerning connection between risk for Parkinson’s disease and living near golf courses: ‘Cases are exploding’ #BadHealthNews #BadNews #ChangeTheWayYouGetInvolvedOnClimateIssues #ExploreCriticalClimateIssues #food #GolfCourses #HOME #outdoors #plastic #twitter #YahooNews

The #swifts are definitely back, but so few here! 7 years ago I made this installation for The Crown Estate in #Exeter Salvaged #plastic milk bottles and copper wire. Swifts migrate from Central #Africa where much #copper is mined. #habitat loss, fewer #insects all have an impact. #art 🧪 #birds

4 images, showing swifts made of salvaged plastic milk bottles and copper wire hung high above an outdoor shopping centre

PLAttice

#3dprinting #plastic #Design

Plastics industry pushed ‘advanced recycling’ despite knowing problems – report https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/06/plastic-advanced-recycling-report

#environment #plastic #PlasticPollution

New entry of AI-generated #comics and #jokes added to our #website:

#Plastic's #Heavy #Burden

comics.lucentinian.com/7749
#ComedyGold #AIHumor #LaughWithAI #FunnyNews #NewsJokes

The marketers are now trying to convince us that we now need body lotion, whole body deodorant, air freshers... so we buy more & further line their profits with our #money; decreasing our savings. Will we fall for more of their manipulations? They are using fear to convince us. #environment #sustainability #green #health #fashion #trend #perfume #plastic #pollution #finance #inflation #tariff