Cherry's School Improved and Renovated

    Ecosave and Open Hands have been actively cooperating in the attempt to help Cherry educate the kids in Manila who aren't able to go to school. Over the past few months, we have been constantly fundraising and holding service activities with the purpose of improving Cherry's teaching environment. Recently, Open Hands, the non-profit environmental organization, traveled to the Philippines to help build a better learning environment for Cherry and the kids.

    This service action was a difficult but meaningful process for both Cherry, the children, and the Open Hands team. In the past, the learning environment consisted of a messy dirt ground and temporary ceiling that made it impossible to teach in harsh weather conditions. So, the Open Hands service group replaced the dirt ground with clean cement that was a much more ideal environment. In addition, they built walls and a sturdy ceiling that made it possible for Cherry to hold her classes even during rainy weathers.
    The ecosave group was not able to participate in this renovating process because all of the members had to attend school. Nonetheless, we are very glad to hear that the children are now able to study under a better learning environment and we hope to interact with the kids in the future.

                                         -The previous place that Cherry taught the kids.



 

-The process of renovating



 

- The newly renovated place

 

 

Finland - "Let's Eat Crickets"

On September 20, 2017, the Finnish Agriculture Ministry opened the doors for the cultivation and selling of insects as food products. They stated that they will ensure that “the final products are safe for consumers” and that “Evira will provide instructions for producers and regulators.” 

Researchers from the University of Turku of Finland first started researching about edible insects in the country. Though not a widely known topic, they believed that insects would be the perfect answer in case of a mass food crisis. Their research has finally brought the country to the world of edible insects. 

Even before the 20th of September, people have shown interest in the consumption of insects. In November of every year, a start-up festival is held in Helsinki, Finland. For the past few festivals, there has been a growing trend of utilizing insects as food - more start ups with edible insect cookies and meatballs. 

The future looks bright for the new food business in Finland. According to a survey conducted by the University of Turku, one-third of the people have already eaten an insect in some form before and 50% have thoughts on eating some kind of food with insects in the near future. The most popular insects in the country are crickets and mealworms. These eco-friendly, sustainable, and high protein creatures will soon prove to be the most used ingredient in meals and possibly the most eaten snack for Finnish children. 

By Soo Lee