Institute of Sustainable Agric., Food & Environmental Sciences - ISAFE

31/12/2025

Cheers to a bright and joyful 2026! ✨💫
May 2026 inspire you to dream big, achieve more, and embrace every challenge with confidence.
-Team ISAFE-

31/12/2025

🌍 Sustainable Resolutions for 2026 🌱

As we step into 2026, let’s make this year not just about personal goals but about creating a positive impact on our planet. Every small action counts, and together, we can make sustainability a lifestyle, not just a trend.

Here are 5 simple yet powerful resolutions to consider:
✅ 1. Choose Mindful Consumption
Before buying, ask: Do I really need this? support ethical brands that care for people and the planet.

✅ 2. Reduce Single-Use Plastics
Carry your own reusable bags, bottles, and containers. It’s a small habit that makes a big difference in reducing waste.

✅ 3. Embrace Second-Hand & Upcycling
Give pre-loved items a second life. Thrift shopping and upcycling are not only eco-friendly but also creative and fun!

✅ 4. Eat More Plant-Based Meals
Even one plant-based day a week can lower your carbon footprint. Explore new recipes and enjoy the health benefits too.

✅ 5. Support Local & Sustainable Businesses
Your choices matter. Buying local reduces transportation emissions and strengthens your community.

🌟 Let 2026 be the year we align our goals with the planet’s well-being.

22/12/2025

10/12/2025

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has published its latest monthly Climate Bulletin, which focuses on key climate trends.

🌡️ The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has published its latest monthly Climate Bulletin, which focuses on key climate trends in November 2025.

The bulletin reports that November 2025 was the third-warmest November globally, with an average surface air temperature of 14.02°C, 0.65°C above the 1991-2020 average for the month.

This data visualisation, produced using data from C3S, shows surface air temperature anomalies across the Northern Hemisphere for November 2025.

Large parts of the Arctic experienced markedly warm conditions, with temperature anomalies reaching +5 °C to +7 °C above the 1991–2020 average over northern Canada, the Arctic Ocean, and western Russia.

These intense warm anomalies contrast with cooler-than-average areas, in which temperatures dropped to around -2 °C to -3 °C below average across northern Sweden and Finland, parts of Iceland, and localised regions of central Europe, including sections of northern Italy and southern Germany.

Learn more: https://climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-temperature-november-2025

08/12/2025

Unsettled weather over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea on 2025 December 07: The weather aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.

This analysis charts show the surface pressure pattern over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. They display isobars (lines of equal pressure) and indicate areas of high (H) and low pressure (L) along with their central pressure value. Isobars are represented by solid blue lines, spaced every 1 hPa. High pressure is usually associated with mainly dry, settled weather with light winds, while low pressure is normally associated with unsettled weather, which is often wet and windy. The lower the pressure, generally the stronger the winds and the heavier the rain. Note that the map shows Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the local time is UTC+5.30.

Credits:
National Meteorological Center
Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka.

Reference:
https://meteo.gov.lk/

04/12/2025

This shows the severe flooding in Western and North Western Sri Lanka, caused by heavy rains in end-November, 2025. Copernicus Sentinel-2 captured an image over the region on 30 November 2025, as well an image one month ago, showing the extent of flooding.

The images are taken using false-colour in the near-infrared channel. Sediment appears green/brown, cleaner water appears dark blue/black, and vegetation in red.

Credit:
contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2025), processed by ESA.

Copied from:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Directorates/Observing_the_Earth/(result_type)/images

04/12/2025

Flood Map of Western Sri Lanka: Should it be updated now?

On 19 May, the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters requested Sentinel-1 data to support its mapping of floods in Sri Lanka from Cyclone Roanu. A Sentinel-1A observation was specifically planned for 22 May to support this call, and flood delineation maps over the Colombo and Gampaha districts were created the following day by the International Water Management Institute, located in Sri Lanka.

Credit:
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2016) / processed by IWMI

Copied from:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Directorates/Observing_the_Earth/(result_type)/images

Read full article at:
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-1/Sentinel-1_helping_Cyclone_Roanu_relief

04/12/2025

දෙසැම්බර් මස 04 සහ ඉන් ඉදිරි දින කිහිපයතුළ පැවතිය හැකි අයහපත් කාලගුණික තත්වය පිළිබඳව සැලකිලිමත් වන්න.

Please beware of the possible adverse weather conditions on December 4th and the following few days.

04/11/2025

Biology in the Driver’s Seat!

🎧🍄 A mushroom controlling robotic arms and creating music
It sounds like science fiction, yet it is already happening.

In a project by Bionic and the Wires, shared by artist and creative innovator Jeroen van der Most, a living mushroom becomes part of a bio digital instrument. Sensors read tiny electrical signals inside the mushroom and translate them into movements of robotic arms. The arms play a keyboard connected to Ableton Live, letting nature guide the soundscape. This project was featured by Nature magazine in September 2025.

What makes this fascinating is not only the artistic expression but what it signals for the future. When biological signals can drive machines, new doors open for science, agriculture, food systems, and environmental research. If a mushroom can guide a synthesizer, imagine what crops, forests, soil microorganisms, or marine organisms could guide. Plants could communicate stress long before visible symptoms appear. Sensors interpreting biological frequencies could help farmers monitor crop health in real time, reduce chemical inputs, and guide precision agriculture. Food systems could become more responsive and more sustainable, guided by living signals instead of assumptions. Environmental sciences could learn more about how ecosystems react to climate shifts by listening to biological fluctuations rather than measuring them after damage occurs.

This is not just art. It is a glimpse into a world where nature and technology collaborate. A world where organisms can shape data, influence machines, and participate in design. Beyond music, this approach could lead to new interfaces where forests guide conservation decisions, where coral reefs communicate stress to protect oceans, and where biological creativity influences innovation.

The boundaries between nature, humanity, and technology are softening. Creativity, knowledge, and problem solving may no longer be human only. And perhaps the future of sustainability is not about controlling nature but learning to collaborate with it.

Credit:
Project by Bionic and the Wires
Post inspiration by Jeroen van der Most

Reference Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroen-van-der-most-3686697/
https://www.jeroenvandermost.com/talks

01/10/2025

"Children are the heartbeat of humanity. Let’s ensure every heartbeat is cherished equally." 😇💫🌎

Wishing all the little stars a day full of joy, love, and sweet surprises. Happy Children’s Day!🥰🧚‍♀️🌼

27/09/2025

20/09/2025

Clean up our planet, we have no alternative 🌍

Globally, every second, a garbage truck full of clothes is dumped in a landfill or burned 👗👔👖👟

In the EU, 5 tonnes of waste is produced by the average European each year. Only 38% is recycled.

This needs to change:

The EU waste policy aims to protect the environment and human health by:
✅ improving waste management
✅ stimulating innovation in recycling
✅ limiting landfilling

And your consumption and habits matter.
Take action to leave a better place for the future generations. Learn more here 👉 https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/our-planet_en