Refugia Eco-Report - February 2022

[box][background-block=#618a3d][center][img]https://calref.network/post/ns/Eco4.jpg[/img][/center][table=plain][tr][td][center][size=200][font=unifrakturcook,times new roman,serif][url=https://www.nationstates.net/nation=refuge_isle/detail=factbook/id=1449847][color=#FFFFFF]The Admin Tower[/color][/url][/font][/size][/center][/td][td][center][size=200][font=unifrakturcook,times new roman,serif][url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1562096][color=#FFFFFF]Culture Home[/color][/url][/font][/size][/center][/td][td][center][size=200][font=unifrakturcook,times new roman,serif][url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1617710][color=#FFFFFF]Last Eco-Report[/color][/url][/font][/size][/center][/td][/tr][/table]
[colour=#0C7C98].[/colour][/background-block]
[align=right][i]Photo Credit: [nation]Refuge Isle[/nation][/i][/align]

[size=210]Overview[/size]
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Since the weather outside is frightful, 
not starting any fires is vital.
“It’s a new season, Argo.”
So here’s an eco, ecooo, ecooo
…..report.

Howdy Refugi and assorted friendos.

As I just sang in my absolutely angelic singing voice, it's winter now so it's time for another Eco-Report! If you happen to be a first time reader, you might be wondering what this is. Refugia Eco-Reports are a requirement put on the Councillor of Culture by RRS 6(c)(i) to update folks on the region’s progress on reaching the environmental goals outlined in the RRS. 

So let's get right into it!

[size=210]Eco-Stats[/size]
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[sidebar][center][b]Eco-Friendliness[/b][/center][hr][center][url=https://calref.network/post/ns/eco_friendliness_end.png][img]https://calref.network/post/ns/eco_friendliness_end.png[/img][/url][/center][/sidebar]

First up we’ll look at [b]Eco-Friendliness[/b].

Since our last Eco-Report, we’ve seen an interesting and dynamic shift in the eco-friendliness of the region. This is likely a result of our recent success in recruitment, and surge of new nations during this time affecting the regional average. Across the past few months, we’ve seen some ups and downs with our Eco-Friendliness, jumping up to 2,269.6 in November, followed by a dip, again followed by a raise up to 2,362.81 in January. Following suit, another dip followed, (however, we are raising it once again after that screenshot was taken!)

[sidebar][center][b]Environmental Beauty[/b][/center][hr][center][url=https://calref.network/post/ns/env_beau_end.png][img]https://calref.network/post/ns/env_beau_end.png[/img][/url][/center][/sidebar]

Next we’ll take a look at [b]Environmental Beauty[/b].

Mirroring the Eco-Friendliness changes, we see a lot of ups and downs since October. In November, we saw it raise to 865.45, and back up to 877.75 again in January, surpassing the initial raise in November. Ending up at 771.51 at the time of that screenshot, again followed by a raise after February 1.

So really what this means is we’ve been making great progress despite this being an uphill battle what with our population growth as a region. Individual nations new and old contributing to raise these stats are all making a greater difference in our region and I’m extremely proud of that progress and effort. 

There are so many nations who have improved that are worthy of receiving praise for their efforts, too many to count in fact, but here are a couple who have done an extraordinary job that I’d love to give shoutouts to.

First up, [nation]Anational and Multispecial[/nation] has risen their Environmental Beauty by 143.62 points since October 1, ending up with a stellar 1702.09 points.

Next, [nation]The Land Named Bob[/nation] has raised their Environmental Beauty by 269.56 points to a total of 804.86 points. 

Next up, [nation]Remnants of the Pacific[/nation] has raised their Eco-Friendliness by an impressive 1174.46 points ending up with 1876.92 points.

Lastly, [nation]Metrax[/nation] has raised their Eco-Friendliness by 1094.04 points, ending with a total of 1094.04 points this month.

Each of these nations have done amazing at raising their Eco-Stats, impressive work everyone!

[i]Our progress is made possible by contributions to Refugia’s eco-stats from viewers like you. Thank you.[/i]

And here’s a reminder that progress on raising these stats can take time and dedication. Sometimes we’ll answer an issue and it’ll have effects on our stats that we didn’t expect. Setbacks are natural and you’ll have a chance to correct things with your next issue. 
To those interested, here’s a resource to help make answering issues easier: 
http://www.mwq.dds.nl/ns/results/
This is a tool that takes past issue effects to predict what effects each option will have on your nation. 

[size=210]Green Week[/size]
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[sidebar][center][b]Green Week Throwback Dispatch[/b][/center][hr][center]https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1630965[/center][/sidebar]

A couple of months ago, Refugia celebrated our second annual Green Week, a regional event with the goal of raising individual and our collective Eco-Stats through a competition. Through this, we saw immense growth, especially from individuals. Some of the remaining nations who found the most success in raising their eco-friendliness during the event are [nation]Dilwyn[/nation], [nation]Monaka Chi[/nation] and [nation]First Kaumara[/nation] who were all some of the highest climbers during the competition. 

This was really fun to run and see y’all participate in! Thanks again to everyone who joined in and improved their stats. 

[size=210]Eco-Challenges[/size]
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About two weeks ago, I put out a [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1655394]dispatch[/url] with a couple of questions for y’all. The first two had a correct answer that you were able to research, while the third was just a fun one that depended on your nation. The first to send in the correct answers were to receive a legendary trading card, as well as another random respondent. Here are the winners.

The first question was: 
“What nocturnal large cat was named after a river?” 
The winner was [nation]Narwhal[/nation] with the Amur Leopard named after the Amur River. 

Second question was: 
“Who was Refugia’s first Op’s Councilor?”
[nation]Chacapoya[/nation] was the first to answer this one right with “Merzbach” being the correct answer. 

The last question was: 
“What’s your national animal and what’s its significance to your country?” 

Here are the answers I received for this one:

[spoiler]
[list][*]“Flits! They're our national animal, our currency, a large portion of our armed forces, and they may run the country!” -[nation]Chacapoya[/nation] 
[*]“a fox is a smart animal in a war a trained fox brought food, water and medical supplies to soldiers and the original leader's middle name was fox” -[nation]Vandermeer[/nation]
[*]“The polar bear which is the national animal of my country is significant to the citizens because (lore-wise) while Melenavenia isn't the only country with polar bears it has the largest number and highest per capita amount of polar bears living naturally within its borders, despite not being the largest country that has them. Polar bears were viewed with deep respect by the Melenavenians for ages and to the present day--they admire their physical strength and abilities both on land and in the water, and Melenavenians always found this strength to be deeply captivating. Back when Melenavenians were hunter-gatherers they had the ability to hunt polar bears, but due to this respect, they only did so when absolutely necessary to survive. Also, a popular legend is that the first time the area now known as Melenavenia was attacked by invaders, during a battle a polar bear attacked the invading army and sent them retreating. This led to the belief that polar bears are the protectors of Melenavenia, and thus the polar bear is not only the national animal but it is on a shield on the flag.” -[nation]Melenavenia[/nation]
[*]“The Greater Phoenix Cat is the only flying cat species. They get their name from their flame coloured fur. It was once believed that they were the messengers of the Sun God, Griya, and their migration back to Tiralta every year marks the start of traditional festivals celebrating the return of summer and harvest.” -[nation]Tiralta[/nation]
[*]“National animal is Narwhal, since they are the dwellers of the nation of Narwhal. Should you expect something else?” -[nation]Narwhal[/nation]
[*]“My national animal is a red fox because red foxes are cute and their sly, just like my nation! (You didn't even notice that heavy dose a vitamin c sufficient tangerines I slipped into your salad) Also mainly because my nation thought boomerang throwing platinum foxes wasn't generic enough 🙄” -[nation]Floofybit[/nation][/list]
[/spoiler]

As mentioned, a random respondent was drawn to receive a legendary card. That nation is [nation]Tiralta[/nation]. Congrats! 
All the cards have been sent, and thanks to everyone who participated!

[size=210]Eco-Advice[/size]
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Spring is just around the corner (thankfully), but that doesn’t mean that we should slack on helping out the environment during the final stretch of winter.

Before we get into the new advice, here’s a quick tidbit from the last Eco-Report that is still relevant and very important to remember while staying safe. 

[quote=Lethodus;0]
Here’s a few things to consider while using heaters to limit the chance of starting a fire:
[list][*]Make sure any wires are working and aren’t frayed.
[*]Make sure to plug space heaters directly into any power outlets, rather than extension cords.
[*]Make sure to keep only one heater per electrical circuit to avoid overloading it.
[*]Keep any flammable items away from heaters or open flames.
[*]Try not to leave running heaters or active fireplaces unattended.[/list]

[…] make sure to have working carbon monoxide detectors in your house, and if you drive a car, do not leave it running in your garage even if it’s warming up. This is a common cause of death during the winter months.[/quote]

And on to the new advice! 
If you happen to get more snow and ice before things start to warm up again, try using an alternative to rock salt to melt the ice. Pickle juice, beet juice, and sand are good options that will help make walkways safer without harming aquatic environments. If you drive a car, consider carpooling or using public transportation to release less carbon emissions while getting where you need to go comfortably. You also might leave your oven open after cooking while it cools down to make use of the heat and energy to stay warm. 

Spring is coming up though and there are even more ways to make a positive impact on the environment during the season change. As the temperature starts to warm back up, consider walking more if you’re able as an alternative to driving, (and maybe even pick up litter if you come across it.) You might also plant some flowers or other plants to improve the biodiversity in your area or help out pollinators like bees. And while doing your spring cleaning, consider recycling what you can and donating items you’re looking to get rid of to a resale store. 

Stay safe and stay warm everyone!

[size=210]Eco-Articles[/size]
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Lastly, here’s a highlight on some real world environmental news to finish off this Eco-Report.

In the past year, several species have made a comeback from the brink of extinction, including China’s iconic [url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57773472]giant panda[/url] which was taken off the endangered species list last year as a result of conservation efforts and habitat expansion. The [url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58564835]Australian bandicoot[/url] has found success in recovering from borderline extinction, having been extinct in the wild to now only being endangered. The population went from around only 150 known bandicoots to around 1,500 over the course of 30 years.

Also in the past year, we’ve seen a number of newly discovered species, as well as incredibly rare species.
[url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/ghostly-creatures-make-snow-glow-russian-arctic-bioluminescence?fbclid=IwAR3YXnPsQCSgsfKVUlqdGBqm-HdUes4PYmtgxHDvEPq577VlC39S2Oh0y_U]Tiny copepods were discovered[/url] lighting up the snow on the shores of the White Sea recently, and the [url=https://www.livescience.com/rare-australian-bee-rediscovered.html]Australian “masked bee”[/url] was rediscovered for the first time in a century.
[url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=poll/p=182533]Although it doesn’t seem to be anyone's favorite color[/url], there’s been a couple of rare yellow animals found including the [url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/king-penguin-captivates-world-its-rare-dandelion-colored-plumage-180977070/?scrlybrkr=9ee278ed]yellow king penguin[/url] and this [url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/09/us/rare-yellow-lobster-caught-in-maine-trnd-scn/index.html]yellow lobster[/url].

[url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-60376188]Here’s[/url] an article about an offshore wind farm outside of England being built promising around 750 new jobs for the area, and [url=https://news.mongabay.com/2021/05/a-madagascar-sized-area-of-forest-has-regrown-since-2000/]here’s[/url] a massive forest area that’s seen astonishing progress after efforts to have it regrown in the past 20 years.

Lastly, [url=https://www.tedgorecreative.com/recentwork/]here’s a little portfolio[/url] of landscape photography from photographer Ted Gore that I thought were pretty neat and shows a range of beauty our planet has to offer.

If you looked at those articles, you might’ve noticed that a few mentioned the progress made being good, but we’re far from where we want to be environmentally, and I’m sure that most of y’all have caught onto that with constant news and events about the topic that aren’t nearly as positive. There has been a lot of progress, but I think its still very important to stay mindful of this. Its not solely on just anyone to save the environment, but every little bit helps and ultimately adds up.

We’ve only got one Earth so let's do our best to take care of it!

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That’s all for this report. I hope y’all enjoyed!
[nation]Lethodus[/nation] signing out o7

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