Beautiful world today

30/01/2023

The government has offered “warm words” but “no real action” today (9 March) in response to the report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) on disposable coffee cup waste, according to the committee’s Chair Mary Creagh.

The report, released in January, was one of two to result from the EAC’s inquiry into the effects of disposable drinks packaging, with the other report focusing on plastic bottle waste. The key recommendation to stem from the coffee cup report was for a 25 pence charge to be added to all drinks sold in a single-use cup, in order to encourage the uptake of reusable alternatives and curb the 30,000 tonnes of coffee cup waste produced every year - of which only 0.25 per cent are currently recycled, due both to a lack of on-the-go recycling infrastructure and to their mixed paper and plastic composition.

In its response, the government was quick to reiterate that its upcoming Resources and Waste Strategy will set out its plans in full for reducing waste, mitigating environmental damage, promoting markets for secondary materials and incentivising the use of recyclable materials in product design.

However, the EAC has criticised this response as betraying a lack of commitment from the government, with Creagh commenting: “The UK’s throwaway culture is having a devastating impact on our streets, beaches and seas. Our report recommended practical solutions to the disposable packaging crisis. The government’s response shows that despite warm words they plan no real action.”

30/01/2023

It's a special privilege to hold an exhibition against apparently considerable odds in such a wonderful and magical location. Thanks to Jim and Kim both for sticking with our shared plan (laid out over a year ago) and remaining so enthusiastic in spite of the vicissitudes.

Jim advised us, please think Summer! People need cheering up! Indeed they —we all—do. It was with this in mind that we have composed this exhibition, drawing on our long history of exuberant use of color, as well as, increasingly, a somewhat expanded and more extravagant sense of form. The Novae Species series begun a few years ago intend to embrace whimsy as well as foible, a kind of mirror of humanity and our environment embracing both dignity and caricature all at once. Not mocking, rather honoring all these things, while seeking to expand on our own sense of the joy of life.

The work in this exhibition celebrates two particular techniques we have used for a very long time: incalmo, the joining together of two blown pieces while hot, and cold-worked batutto cutting, which has been our signature for more than 25 years. For the first time, for this exhibition, we have incorporated the Swedish overlay technique in the Novae Species, cutting through multiple layers of color in the body of the pieces.

28/01/2023

Amazing animals

If you’re tired of looking at run-of-the-mill animals, you’ve come to the right place. The animals that we’ve handpicked for you today are anything but ordinary. From a panda that looks like God ran out of ink in making it to a lobster that’s a 1 in 2 million find; you’re in for a lot of s...

26/01/2023

You may consider Cozumel as a bustling hotspot filled with resorts and restaurants, and you’d be correct. Cozumel also enjoys a collection of natural beauty and is developing into a destination where tourists stay to encounter the best of both worlds, a diving mecca, and a destination known for its natural attractions. Cozumel is not only home to Mexican residents and expatriates but likewise to many wild creatures.

Blue Land Crabs
Although urbanization has lessened the number of Blue Crabs in Cozumel, the need to reach the sea produces the incredible sight of their mass migrations in late summer. This is when thousands of females head for the ocean with their undersides covered in eggs. There is still another big crab exodus earlier in the year which corresponds with the island’s early summer rains in June. Biologists are in less understanding of why this march takes place. Many blue crabs in Cozumel live in their preserved natural habitat on the north end of the island.