Visit The USA (@VisitTheUSA) and surfer and scientist, Cliff Kapono, share the beauty of Hawaii's beaches and the importance of taking care of the ocean. In a world where real-life paradises are under threat from pollution, pro-surfer-turned-scientist Dr. Cliff Kapono uses his first-hand knowledge of, passion for, and dedication to the environment to help save the iconic and picturesque beaches of Hawaii. Venture alongside Cliff as he pulls us into his life in Hilo — a place where the realms of science, nature, and discovery intersect. Alongside his field work, number crunching, and surfing, he is passionate about reflecting on our responsibility as children of this earth, leaving us with the question, "Am I going to keep changing nature because of my behavior, or am I going to start changing my behavior around nature?" On Hilo Hilo, Hawaii is located on the eastern coast of the “Big Island.” Officially known as the Island of Hawaii, Big Island received its nickname to help distinguish itself from the 1,500-mile long — and perhaps more well known — archipelago with which it shares name. At an estimated 800,000 years old, Hilo is the oldest city in the Hawaiian Archipelago and is ripe with dramatic waterfalls, fertile rainforests, and lush gardens, and has a downtown area that overlooks Hilo Bay and rests on two dormant volcanoes — Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The city is also home to the world’s largest processor of macadamia seeds — the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation — the University of Hawaii, the Imiloa Astronomy Center, and the Merrie Monarch Festival, which is a seven-day festival celebrating the ancient and modern art of hula. On Cliff and His Work As a native Hawaiian, Cliff Kapono does his part when it comes to understanding and respecting his environment. His background is in molecular bioscience, and he's produced a handful of award-winning films that delve into indigenous activism, ocean conservation, global food security, and virtual reality. To understand his connection with Hawaii, he refers to his roots in surfing, the ocean, and his environment: “The more I started to think about how we describe the relationship between humans and their environment, science became this really natural way of expressing that — the idea of biology, the idea of chemicals, and the exchanges between different organisms through root systems.” He prides himself on understanding the systems he depends on for surfing, as well as being knowledgeable about how he can do his part to help the environment. On Plastic When envisioning paradise, soaking up the sun on one of Hawaii's pristine beaches may very well be the first scene that comes to mind — not the plastic pollution shown in the video. However, with over 8 million tons of plastic ending up in our oceans each year, rising pollution rates are endangering ocean life and washing up on shore — and Kamilo Beach, located on the southeastern coast of Big Island in Hawaii, is not immune to this threat. With the help of individuals like Cliff Kapono and organizations like Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii — a local nonprofit with a mission to inspire the community to care for the coastline through beach cleanups — groups have come together to recycle over 200,000 pounds of ocean plastic, helping protect the beauty and health of the planet. By raising awareness of plastic pollution and helping rid our environment of it, we can all be part of a larger movement toward preserving the world's paradises. On Doing Your Part Doing your part to help the environment begins with educating yourself and others. With endless volunteer opportunities available at any time, there's no better time than the present to find a local organization near you. Join a beach cleanup, plant trees in your city, or donate to an animal conservation program — the sky's the limit. By learning more about the efforts happening near (or far) from you, you're well on your way to giving back to a world that provides you so much — just like Cliff. To learn more about organizations doing their part and how you can help, check out: Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii | https://sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org Ocean Conservancy | https://oceanconservancy.org Take 3 | https://www.take3.org For more inspiring stories from across the globe, check out the Beautiful Destinations YouTube page! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC08NS8fyPpkYgnhj69fMXLg The Beautiful Destinations Team Logan Armstrong | https://www.instagram.com/loganstrongarms Chris Shepherd | https://www.instagram.com/cshep25 Barak Barkan Special Thanks To Cliff Kapono | https://www.instagram.com/cliff_kapono The Music “Daydream in Grayscale” | Dario Lupo Connect www.instagram.com/beautifuldestinations www.facebook.com/beautifuldestinations www.beautifuldestinations.com

The 2019 fires were just the tip of the iceberg. This is Part 1 of Vox Atlas: The Amazon, a three-part series about the world's largest rainforest, why it's in jeopardy, and the people trying to save it. Watch all three parts right here on YouTube. Part 1: https://youtu.be/SAZAKPUQMw0 Part 2: https://youtu.be/e1_4JseKlO4 Part 3: https://youtu.be/oGjRNbXeRXI Become a Video Lab member! http://bit.ly/video-lab The Amazon rainforest has been reduced by about 17% since the 1970s. Cattle ranchers, loggers, and farmers are mostly to blame for the deforestation, but the demand driving them comes from all around the world. Brazil's economy depends on agriculture, especially beef and soy, which is grown on cleared land in the Amazon. Today, president Jair Bolsonaro, is weakening the environmental protections there in order to give agriculture more power. This came to a head when, in summer 2019, more than 30,000 wildfires burned in the Amazon, sparking worldwide outrage. Here are some sources I found particularly helpful while reporting for this story: Nepstad, et al. 2014 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/344/6188/1118 Umair Irfan, Vox: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/11/18/20970604/amazon-rainforest-2019-brazil-burning-deforestation-bolsonaro The Intercept: https://theintercept.com/2019/07/06/brazil-amazon-rainforest-indigenous-conservation-agribusiness-ranching/ Vox Atlas demonstrates where conflicts occur on a map and the ways in which foreign policy shapes a region. Watch all the episodes here: http://bit.ly/2SThVsf Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

The village of Kamikatsu in Japan has taken their commitment to sustainability to a new level. While the rest of the country has a recycling rate of around 20 percent, Kamikatsu surpasses its neighbors with a staggering 80 percent. After becoming aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide associated with burning garbage, the town instated the Zero Waste Declaration with the goal of being completely waste-free by 2020. SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/vR6Acb This story is a part of our Planet Earth series. From mammals to insects and birds to reptiles, we share this great big world with all manner of creatures, large and small. Come with us to faraway places as we explore our great big planet and meet some of its wildest inhabitants. Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at hey [at] GreatBigStory [dot] com Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: http://goo.gl/2KABeX Make our acquaintance on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Vn0XIZ Give us a shout on Twitter: http://goo.gl/sY1GLY Come hang with us on Vimeo: http://goo.gl/T0OzjV Visit our world directly: http://www.greatbigstory.com

산림 관리의 모범 대한민국, 개발도상국에게 지속 가능한 산림 관리 기술을 전수하다 The natural beauty of the nation's mountains are the result of years of careful management and re-forestation programs. Experts from developing countries visited South Korea to learn how it looks after forest resources. KIM Da-mi has the full story. South Korea is one of only four countries with a successful history of forest rehabilitation following World War II. In order to learn from Korea's successful reforestation, foreign experts and researchers have gathered in Seoul for workshops and field trips. Korea's reforestation efforts date back to 1950s, when the government introduced the National Forest Plans and fast-growing trees were planted to prevent floods and erosion. In the early 1960s, about 56% of the country was covered by forest, today 64% is covered -- an increase of 840,000 hectares. Nowadays, the focus has shifted from tree-planting to sustainability. Korea's current Sustainable Forest Management policy focuses on balance between forest utilization and preservation, and aims at increasing the amount of natural recreational forests and parks. Not only are forests and recreational parks places for citizens to relax and enjoy nature, but they also create green job opportunities such as forest guides, tree surgeons, and researchers specializing in tree care. "The first time I'm seeing a forest hospital. I haven't even heard about it. All the advancements that happened scientifically and technically has a lot to offer to developing countries...", "I'm particularly interested in how your fire management techniques can be applied back at home, especially wild fire management." Korea's extensive experience in reforestation and sustainable forest management will now help developing countries restore, protect and utilize their own forests. KIM Da-mi, Arirang News. Arirang News Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtvnews ------------------------------------------------------------ [Subscribe Arirang Official YouTube] ARIRANG TV: http://www.youtube.com/arirang ARIRANG RADIO: http://www.youtube.com/Music180Arirang ARIRANG NEWS: http://www.youtube.com/arirangnews ARIRANG K-POP: http://www.youtube.com/arirangworld ARIRANG ISSUE: http://www.youtube.com/arirangtoday ARIRANG CULTURE: http://www.youtube.com/arirangkorean ARIRANG FOOD & TRAVEL : http://www.youtube.com/ArirangFoodTravel ------------------------------------------------------------ [Visit Arirang TV Official Pages] Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtv Twitter: http://twitter.com/arirangworld Instagram: http://instagram.com/arirangworld Homepage: http://www.arirang.com ------------------------------------------------------------ [Arirang K-Pop] YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/arirangworld Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangkpop Google+: http://plus.google.com/+arirangworld