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As I stood on the viewpoint, the scene elicited all the expected emotions—anger, sadness, and hopelessness. The one I hadn’t quite anticipated was shock. I felt I had adequately prepared myself for my work with a forest conservation organization, having sifted through paper after paper citing the devastating statistics: “6 football fields a minute,” “56 percent of lowland forests lost.” Yet, no statistic could impress upon me the magnitude of the loss of Borneo’s forests as deeply as seeing it with my own eyes.

Microbeads beads have been making headlines recently as many countries around the world enact legislation to reduce their consumption or ban them entirely. As the name suggests, microbeads are tiny spheres of plastic that range in size from 10 micrometers to 1 millimeter. They are found in many personal care products like soaps, cosmetics, and toothpastes, and they are commonly used as exfoliants.

Whether you like it or not, the commercialized ‘Day of Love’ is soon to be upon us. Valentine’s Day does not hold the same sentiments it once did. There are many religious stories about the origins of Saint Valentine that mainly stem from the rituals practiced by Romans in order to ensure fertility. The romantic element to Valentine’s Day arose hundreds of years later in France and England where February 14th was commonly believed to be the first day of birds’ mating season. It has since spiralled into a commercial moneymaking opportunity but despite this, the significance remains; to show (even more) appreciation and love for your partner.

As a Flemish girl, I was taught that a decent meal had to have potatoes, vegetables and meat. But in 2011, another Flemish girl turned my ideas about food upside down. This year, over 86,000 people are following her by eating less meat for 40 days. Meet Dagen Zonder Vlees, a booming Belgian initiative.