More and more wildlife species are becoming threatened or endangered across the world every year. The global insect population is rapidly declining. Rising temperatures and weather changes are affecting animals’ environments and lowering populations. Pollution in rivers, lakes, and oceans is killing fish and other aquatic creatures.

All of these issues are urgent, and all of them can only be solved with the cooperation of the whole world. It is easy to feel discouraged with the state of the world and fall into cynicism. We have all seen how difficult it seems to be for the world to work together for the good of humanity, but instead of focusing on the negatives, I want to highlight wildlife conservation efforts across the world.

Most well known is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This organization operated globally to raise funding and awareness about wildlife conservation, conduct research, and create solutions. They also work with policymakers to change the laws to better protect the environment.

Akashinga is an African organization that focuses on conservation as a social issue. Their goal is to engage communities in conservation efforts to protect the environment and wildlife across Africa. They manage protected land, help to reduce poaching, and increase the wildlife population in Africa. Another important point about the organization is that they purposefully place women at the helm of their efforts. They started as a small group of female rangers who worked against poaching, and now the organization works across several countries and has made major strides towards protecting the African wildlife.

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education focuses on protecting and nurturing the public forest lands in India. They conduct research to improve the forest management in the country, as well as educating private land owners and farmers in best practices for forest conservation. While their work is not directly focused on wildlife conservation, forests are very important ecosystems for biodiversity. The network of flora and fauna is very dense and interconnected in forests, and protecting that biodiversity is critical. The constant battle in forest conservation is balancing the need for timber with the need to preserve forests. This organization works to provide a sustainable supply of wood products in the least harmful way possible on the environment so that India’s resource needs are met without destroying their important forests.

European Wildlife is a pan-European organization whose mission is to preserve wildlife across Europe and reduce the effects of climate change on the environment and humanity. Some of their main efforts include reforesting non-farmland to help absorb greenhouse gases, as well as returning herds of herbivores to their environments. In the long run, they aim to create biocorridors that connect the different bioregions across the continent to facilitate safe migration.

This is just the beginning of the list of organizations that do important work to preserve the wildlife of our planet. Countless more local and international organizations are contributing greatly to the effort. I encourage everyone to look into local groups or any others that are interesting and learn how to help their efforts by contributing time, knowledge, money, or just spreading awareness of the importance of conservation for our world.

As the world has gotten more interconnected, people are travelling more than ever. It is much more common now for an average person to have left their country or continent at least once in their life. This can increase awareness of other cultures and expand a person’s worldview. However, travel, specifically tourism, has many downsides that affect major tourist destinations. Many popular travel destinations are being overrun by tourists in their peak seasons, causing overcrowding and damage to the local environment and culture. This problem has created tension in these locations as many locals call for a decrease in tourism.

One of the main issues with overtourism is that it can damage the local environment. Pollution is caused by littering as well as the carbon emissions from both air and car travel. Tourism in natural environments can displace wildlife, kill plant life, and cause erosion. It can even damage historical sites by eroding them slowly over time. There are always tourists without the proper respect for a place and its value, so vandalism is a concern as well.

Another major issue is social: gentrification and destruction of the local culture. Tourism feeds on the simplification of a place and its people. The complex history of a place is condensed into something easily commodified, often misrepresenting a culture or showing only one aspect of it. Tourism can also displace locals by increasing property rates and pushing them out of heavily visited areas. Short-term rentals can bring in more money for a developer than long-term rentals, so many properties are being converted to Airbnbs or other similar rental properties focused on tourists. Beyond the housing issues, tourism often causes a general raise in prices, like at restaurants or bars near destinations. Huge crowds of people make it difficult for locals to live their day-to-day lives without interruption. It is much harder to get to work when you either have to fight through large crowds or go a longer route around a busy area to avoid the tourists. The noise and disturbance are nuisances to the people just trying to live their normal lives.

A great example of the overtourism problem is Venice. The city experiences huge crowds every year, to the point that tourists outnumber residents. This has led to the city feeling more like a commodity than a living place. Every aspect of it feels curated because tourists are the main demographic targeted by the businesses, attractions, and even the infrastructure. It is also not made to deal with the number of people that are in the city on a given day. The streets in Venice are narrow and winding, and it can be difficult to navigate through them. This creates a large amount of congestion.

In tourist destinations across the world, residents are protesting against tourism. Large rallies calling for limits to tourism have occurred across Europe in the past few years, and many countries and cities are implementing new rules aimed at reducing visitors. There are fines for things like wearing swimwear outside of the beach, drinking in public, smoking at the beach, taking selfies in certain locations, and many more. Some places have begun charging tourism fees. In Venice, there is a fee to visit as a day trip. In Barcelona, hotel rooms and rentals have an extra fee for non-residents.

There are debates over whether the goal of lowering tourism will damage economies or make travel more inaccessible for less wealthy people. However, I think that sustainable travel should be a bigger focus, and the needs of the residents of a place should trump the wants of visitors.

I have always struggled with taking classes or going to work in the later afternoon. An hour or two after lunch, I start to experience a major dip in my energy and have a hard time staying focused. Usually, I have to power through it and keep going, but I always enjoy relaxing outside or laying down for an hour in the afternoon if it’s possible.

When I studied in Italy, I discovered the siesta culture of the Mediterranean area and southern Europe. It’s not as pronounced in Rome as it is in smaller towns throughout Italy or in Spain, but it was a culture shock for me to see shops and restaurants close between 2 and 4 pm. The crowds in the streets thinned, especially away from the tourist-y areas, and it was common to see people on their balconies.

On days when I didn’t have class, I started to use this down time to rest, take a peaceful walk, or hang out with my roommates. It was very nice to have a block of time with limited options of places to go since it forced me to slow down and rest in the middle of the day. Once I travelled to Spain for a week and experienced a much more obvious culture of the mid-day rest, I got interested in the siesta culture. To me, this seemed like a leisurely way to live: using the afternoon to rest and staying out later into the evening. However, my research into the topic found that the siesta culture is mostly influenced by geography.

In Mediterranean countries like Spain and Italy, the heavy heat in the afternoon can make it unpleasant to be outside. This combined with the heavier dishes common in those areas means that people experience a dip in energy after lunch. The custom began with the Romans, which is where the word siesta comes from. The mid-day nap is common in other countries outside of that region as well. There are similar customs in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. It is also common in China to take a short nap after lunch.

Taking a break to rest in the middle of the day has a lot of benefits. A short nap can help with memory, emotional regulation, cognitive ability, and reduction of stress. It is better for a person’s mental health to have a break to de-stress in the middle of the day instead of working straight through the day with only a short lunch break. It can also help with boosting energy later in the day.

I believe that introducing a siesta culture into the United States could be beneficial for a lot of people. A lot of the U.S. is as hot or hotter than countries like Spain and Italy, so it would have similar benefits to get people out of the heat. American culture is also very work- and productivity-focused, and making a conscious effort to rest during the workday might help reduce the pressure a lot of people feel to overperform. Even if people don’t use the break to nap, they could take the time to do something that they enjoy and find relaxing, such as reading a book or taking a walk. We could learn a lot from countries like Spain to reduce daily stress and improve American culture.

Cinco de Mayo is an extremely popular holiday in the United States. People get together to have “Mexican-themed” parties, usually involving tacos or other Mexican foods, mariachi or banda music, and, most or all, alcohol, especially margaritas, beers imported from Mexico, and tequila. However, many Americans don’t know what Cinco de Mayo even celebrates.

A common misconception is that the holiday is celebrating Mexican Independence. I’m not sure how this misconception began, but I can understand how many Americans compare the holiday to our Fourth of July and assume they are celebrating the same thing. The thing is – Mexican Independence Day is actually on September 12th. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla and the Mexican victory over the French.

In 1861, Napoleon III invaded Mexico after Mexico was forced to default on loans from several European countries during bad financial times in the country. Napoleon wanted to use the opportunity to take control of Mexico as a territory. The French forces greatly outnumbered the Mexican forces, which forced them to retreat from Juarez, the site of the invasion, to Puebla. However, the Mexican army managed to defeat the larger French army at the Battle of Puebla on the 5th of May. France had three times the men but suffered five times the number of casualties.

This battle did not end the war. France didn’t leave Mexico until 1867, when a combination of factors such as a need to focus on fights on the European front and pressure from the United States forces them to remove troops from Mexico. What the Battle of Puebla did accomplish is delay the French invasion of the capital as well as becoming a symbolic victory.

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not a very large holiday. In Puebla, people celebrate the victory with military re-enactments, and there are a few other celebrations throughout the country, but it is not as big of a deal as it is in the United States. Independence Day is much more widely celebrated, as it marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. On the evening of September 15th, the Mexican president rings the Bell of Hidalgo and recites the Grito de Dolores. This is a re-enactment of the call for independence that Miguel Hidalgo recited to call for the beginning of the war. That night and the following day, there are fireworks shows, parades, and many other festivities.

In the United States, the widespread celebration of Cinco de Mayo rather than Independence Day began with Mexican-American activists who identified with the victory of the Mexican army over French forces. From there, it has became a holiday to celebrate Mexican culture and Mexican-Americans across the United States. Festivals, parades, and parties are held to preserve Mexican culture in America.

Although it is a common topic of discussion of whether Cinco de Mayo is a worthy holiday to celebrate since it is not a large holiday in Mexico, I think that celebrations that avoid commercialization and objectification are valuable. In today’s world, where Mexican-Americans and all Hispanic Americans are being targeted by the government and immigration forces, it is more important than ever to lift up the culture that is distinctly Mexican-American and has been a cornerstone in American culture for a long time. Both immigrants and Mexican-Americans who have lived in the United States for generations (even since Texas and other formerly Mexican or Spanish territories joined the U.S.) bring something valuable to the country and should be celebrated and protected.

As summer approaches, I have begun to feel more energetic and excited to get out of the house and into the nice weather. For me, the start of summer manifests as looking for anything at all to celebrate – end of the school year parties, first day of summer picnics, days at the lake where I tell myself I’m celebrating Memorial Day or Fourth of July, but really I just want an excuse to sit out by the water. In the spirit of warm weather and the urge to celebrate anything and everything, I decided to research summer holidays around the world.

One of the most well-known summer holidays outside of the United States is the Midsummer celebration in Sweden. This holiday falls on what is usually considered the first day of summer, contradictory to the holiday’s name, or the summer solstice. The solstice is the longest day of the year, and in ancient and medieval Sweden it was considered a night of magic. There were many spells and rituals associated with the day, such as picking flowers and other plants that had medicinal powers or were used to tell the future. More well known is the tradition of dancing around a maypole, a tradition that continues to this day in Sweden and around the world. In modern day, Swedes continue to celebrate the holiday by eating seasonal foods such as potatoes and strawberries in large outdoor gatherings. They also play different games outside to enjoy the good weather and long hours of sunshine.

Another solstice celebration comes from the Incan Empire, although it is still celebrated in Peru today. Inti Raymi, or Festival of the Sun, was a religious celebration honoring the sun god Inti. However, unlike Midsummer in Sweden, Inti Raymi is celebrating the shortest day of the year since Peru is in the southern hemisphere. This is an important day because it marked the Incan New Year, when the days would begin to lengthen again. Today, the holiday is largely a historical re-enactment. When the Spanish colonized much of South America, they banned the celebration for being idolatrous. It wasn’t until 1944 when artists began to restart the celebration based on historical accounts. The Inca and his wife and army follow a procession throughout the day to different places in the city of Cusco and complete different rituals. The festivities involve much dancing and many colors.

A more modern holiday is Panafest, which is a Pan-African celebration held in Ghana every other summer. Began in 1992, Panafest was created to unite the African diaspora and celebrate its culture and history. Above all, it is meant to help heal the trauma experienced by the diaspora during the colonization of Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade. Panafest addresses global issues, remembers the past and the resilience of the African people, and highlights the art and life of Africans on the continent and abroad.

Lastly, Obon is a three-day lantern festival in Japan. The dates vary throughout the country depending on the calendar used, but it usually falls in August or late July. The holiday comes from the Buddhist custom of welcoming the spirits of deceased loved ones. Altars, lanterns, and dances are used to call back the spirits of loved ones, especially those lost in the part year. Today, it is common to find a carnival to celebrate Obon with food, lights, and games.

I hope that learning more about different festivities around the world inspires you to find new things to celebrate, or even just research. There is so much more to learn about the countless holidays and the histories behind each one.