This article on the long-term effects on the minds and bodies of those who survived the Fukushima disaster was incredibly heavy. Instead of PTSD, many residents of the area are now dealing with chronic depression and uncertainty. Unsure if they can trust the government, the soil, or the air they breathe, many people are suffering with extreme doubt. Obviously this is all very depressing, but I was happy to read about Zen monk Koyu Abe (pictured above). He came up with the idea to distribute sunflower seeds all over the region so that they could be planted and absorb the radiation from the soil. They will have to be carefully disposed of later on, but I thought this was an ingenious example of design thinking. There is something very beautiful about the idea of all these righteous sunflowers soaking up the radiation, protecting people from our own mistakes.
Apparently many British farmers are being encouraged to take up US-style dairy farming, and this article explores why the US model is actually economically (not to mention environmentally!) unsustainable. I hope they learn from our mistakes. They should watch Food, Inc. Everyone should watch Food, Inc.
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