Humanitarianism

Remote Possibility: Drones and the Environment

by Inga Yandell

Building on our list of the 40 Best Drone Business Ideas 2018 by Oliver McClintock—we explore the remote environments which drones make accessible.

Part Two: Drones and the Environment

From disaster relief to environmental surveillance, farms to forests—drones facilitate access on a much broader scale. Piercing the veil of impenetrable regions with aerial precision, drones allow us to remotely service those in need of medical or survival rations, to span vast ecosystems faster and with more freedom, monitoring wildlife populations and migrations or scouting for signs of climate change (literally giving us a heads-up).

15. Drone Search and Rescue

One of the best applications for aerial technology is the benefit of searching for people that might be lost or hurt. It is far more useful to search for someone uses a drone that has thermal imaging than it is to search for them on the ground at night. It might not be the place to make the most money, but it is possible that some related drone business ideas include making add-on hardware for rescue drones or creating special mapping software for unique missions. Take for example DJI’s partnership with several entrepreneurs who invented a 3D printed utility attachment and a self-releasing delivery capsule to help those in need.

16. Emergency Deliveries

Many companies are looking at delivering small, time-sensitive packages to users via drone. UPS tested a drone to deliver emergency supplies to a coastal children’s camp in Maine this summer. A government partnership in Rwanda delivered blood and emergency supplies via parachute and are now bringing that technology to the US. Those searching for drone business ideas could develop self- release packaging or identify critical delivery services in their local area.

17. News Reporting

UAV pilots have been recording and finding newsworthy stories since they could first fly with cameras. Now outlets like CNN are starting their operations like “CNN AIR” to help tell stories in a more documentary-like way. Local drone pilots could link up with news outlets to help provide coverage of events when the media outlet does not have the time or resources to start their news drone division. Drones like the Phantom 4 are enabling anyone to become a newscaster! They are used all over the country to document local happenings to be shared on Youtube and beyond.

18. Environmental Monitoring and Compliance

Drones can be used to bring new perspectives to protecting our environment. Different departments across the US are using aerial views to monitor everything from coastline erosion to animal species and populations. UAV technology can be a discrete, non-invasive way to inspect vast areas of forest, coastline, and wetlands cost- effectively. New drones from companies like Sensefly are providing flexible ways for drone pilots to protect the world we live in. For those who are passionate about helping protect nature in the US, related drone business ideas could include contracting out with a local environmental department or selling aerial data to these organizations.

19. Protect and Conserve WIldlife

Poachers threaten many endangered animal populations across the globe. These poachers target animals such as elephants and rhinos due to their valuable tusks and horns which can be sold in markets across Asia. Several organizations are using the power of quadcopters to fight back against poachers. Teams like Air Shepherd are working with drones to identify poachers and work with local law enforcement to put an end to this illegal activity.

20. Monitor Natural Disasters

Monitoring natural disasters can be another excellent drone business idea for entrepreneurial remote pilots. By working closely with local law enforcement agencies, pilots could contract out as a third party to provide live aerial images and video of disasters happening in real time. It is essential to note the reckless operation of drones in disaster areas like wildfire fighting can put people’s lives in real danger. However, if appropriately coordinated, drones can provide an excellent view of regions affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes. It can help first responders allocate their resources more effectively to help save lives.

21. Meteorology and Weather

Drones are helping weather stations and storm reporters alike get an edge on severe weather. From atmospheric sampling data from multiple sources to taking a real-time video about storms, drones can help us get an edge on mother nature. Those looking for weather-related drone business ideas could partner with a storm chasing team to provide intelligence.

23. Inspect Water Management and Irrigation

Water usage is critical to farmers, especially in areas like the west coast of the US where drought has been taking place for years. For managing water resources more effectively, farmers are now turning to drones to tackle irrigation inefficiencies. Farmers have to deal with potential losses from complicated underground irrigation systems and now can see where their crops either are or are not being watered. Using UAV technology to help improve irrigation also makes a ton of sense for farmers as the areas they manage are often too large to a survey by foot or ground-based vehicle efficiently.

24. Monitor Crop Health for Precision Agriculture

Massive advances in UAV software have enabled farmers to understand their crop health from the skies better. Many drone companies have entered the space to offer a customized drone and software package to increase yields. AgEagle, SenseFly eBee, and PrecisionHawk all target farmers looking to capitalize on the productivity gains that can be had from drone data. UAV business owners could buy one of these drones, master the data analytics, and sell service packages to farmers who do not want to learn or invest in the software themselves.

Author Bio

Oliver McClintock is a tech enthusiast, and his main interests are drones and everything related to aviation gadgets. He shares his experience, product reviews, buyer’s guides, and how-to content on his site called MyDearDrone. It is awarded as one of the top 10 drone blogs of 2018 and a proud supporter of various high-profile events related to tech, aviation, drones, government, security & defense, military, etc.

Terror Expert Asks: Are We Addicted To War?

by Inga Yandell

Loretta Napoleoni is an expert on terrorist financing and money laundering, and advises several governments and international organizations on counter-terrorism. Her new book: North Korea The Country We Love to Hate exposes a nuclear chess game of leverage and politics in which, the threat of war between power players is fuelled by economic needs and ego.

People love to take sides, good vs evil—this predilection creates an addiction to war. Loretta suggests a third option…PEACE between North and South Korea.

Deft strategies and an appetite for power have kept us at a stalemate but could this creative solution nullify the nuclear threat?

Loretta Napoleoni asks: ‘Are we Addicted to War?’

In 2017, North Korea attempted to prove to it is a nuclear power and has the capability to threaten the United Stated. The US response has been mixed: while at times Donald Trump has used a strong belligerent language against Kim Jong-un, including threatening military intervention, the White House adopted a peaceful approach, it mobilised the international community to impose economic sanctions. So far this policy has not being effective for several reasons, among which the peculiarity of the North Korean regime and the impossibility to force Pyongyang to end its nuclear programme.

To many, North Korea is an aberration, the antithesis of democracy: a totalitarian regime, ruled by a dictatorial dynasty that successfully reinvented feudalism. Nicknamed the hermit state, it is so secretive that separating fact from fiction is often problematic. Indeed, the mystery that surrounds it has proven advantageous to depict it as the ultimate dystopian society, an evil benchmark against which the spreading of democracy always appears positive. Even Iraq or Libya are perceived as better regimes than North Korea!

North Korea is the enemy we all love to hate.

Yet, for all the comfort this statement may bring, it fails to comprehensively describe the Pyongyang regime or to address the fundamental question: how do we deal with a nuclear North Korea?

From a more accurate analysis it emerges that the DPRK is a unique and resilient nation. It has survived the implosion of the Soviet Union and the modernization of Chinese communism – its northern neighbours and historical sponsors – without even the slightest attempt to open up to the West. Because of that, it does not fit neatly into any political classifications even if at the same time, it displays features of several of them.

The failure to fully understand North Korea has played in the hands of its regime and in particular of its nuclear programme. Donald Trump is the fourth president of the United States who has unsuccessfully promised to end it. Bill Clinton signed a deal in which North Korea agreed to freeze its nuclear development in exchange for oil and a civilian reactor, but neither side fulfilled its commitments and Pyongyang outsmarted Washington. Why? Clinton convinced Congress to ratify the agreement because he was sure the regime would fall before the delivery of the reactor.

George W. Bush initially refused bilateral negotiations but then changed his mind and joined the Six-Party Talks. Barack Obama first appeared conciliatory then retreated into a stonewalling policy called ‘strategic patience’. Finally, during his first year at the White House, Donald Trump led the UN Security Council to pass several rounds of additional sanctions against North Korea, which made Kim Jong-un more determined to show off North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.

The young dictator is using the same strategy employed by his father. In the second half of the 1990s, Kim Jong-il used the nuclear program as a bargaining chip to get food, oil and other forms of assistance from the West. He succeeded in stringing along the US administration by playing the deterrence game. In the ultimate analysis, deterrence is a confidence game; to be effective, you need to convince people that, if they step over the line, you really will do the things you say you would do. Washington has to believe that Pyongyang will do to Tokyo or Seoul what it has said it would and Pyongyang has to believe that Washington will use the bomb.

How do we get out of this stalemate? Thinking outside the box. It is clear that becoming a nuclear power has been a game changer for Pyongyang, the regime has finally relaxed and is showing a conciliatory attitude towards South Korea, a nation with whom the DPRK is technically still at war. This confirms that nations seek nuclear capability not to use it but as the best form of détente against old and new foes, as proven by Pakistan, India, Israel and very soon Iran, countries that like North Korea have ignored the non-proliferation ban.

Against this scenario a revision of the international agreements is badly needed. By encouraging a peace treaty between North and South Korea, the United States and China could use such a diplomatic victory as a launching pad for a new nuclear protocol, one that allows proliferation, but only within very well defined parameters, and whose primary aim would be to empower the international community to contain and control nuclear weapons worldwide, including, of course, the US and China.

About the Book: In North Korea, The Country We Love to Hate, political analyst and bestselling author Loretta Napoleni challenges our Western preconceptions of North Korea. Napoleoni situates North Korea in context – historical and ideological – and answers questions central to our global future. This informative book is an account of a country central to world politics and yet little understood. Further, it presents insider narratives of its people, whose self-image is radically different to the image we have in the West. Released in Australia by UWA Publishing.

About the Author: Loretta Napoleoni is the best-selling author of Maonomics, Rogue Economics, Terror Incorporated and Insurgent Iraq. She is an expert on terrorist financing and money laundering, and advises several governments and international organisations on counter terrorism and money laundering. She is a regular media commentator for CNN, Sky News and the BBC, and writes for El Paris, The Guardian and Le Monde. Visit her @ lorettanapoleoni.net

What if you could Save Lives with your Fitness and Fashion Goals?

by Inga Yandell

New Year Resolutions are a loaded list of short-fuse goals, the spark ignites a vision of health and success but life and habits happen! This annual ritual of set-then-forget is an interesting psychological phenomena which has inspired countless books and articles. Various theories point the finger of failure at one or more of the following,

Motivation: a goal must inspire you on a authentic and visceral level.

Habit: consistency is required to break a habit and it helps to replace undesirable triggers with positive reinforcement ‘rewards and rituals’.

Time: goals need to be realistic and measurable, set the clock back 5-10 minutes instead of an hour to begin with and adapt your schedule in increments. Be flexible and free-style your day to make use of idle moments or suitable spaces ‘office yoga’ anyone? Track time spent on a given goal, frame this metric as you please (minutes, hours, days) and it could reflect how long you have abstained from something also (e.g. not buying the latest fashion).

The sum of this trio is simple: how we frame and plan our approach to achieving goals, will influence the success of our outcome.

Now I’d like to explore two popular resolutions which, have found a way to reinvigorate a superficial goal with a substantive motive.

Fitness is a best-seller come January, who doesn’t desire more energy, strength, and a few less pounds?

What if fitness was a healthy result of a humanitarian mission?

It’s crazy to think that 844 million people in the world—one in ten—do not have clean water¹. It’s something so simple that we don’t think about. Every minute a newborn dies from an infection caused by lack of safe water and an unclean environment. When you put it like that, it’s even harder to understand why mainstream media isn’t tackling the issue head-on. The facts are, if every person on earth had access to clean water, the number of deaths caused by diarrhoea would be cut by a third.

Clubbercise, a UK founded company changing the game in the fitness industry by combining fitness and clubbing in one fun, easy-to-follow workout, is hoping to make a change. Litres of water are consumed at every Clubbercise dance fitness class to keep participants (aka Clubbers) stay hydrated—this luxury isn’t afforded to everyone.

It all started when Claire Burlison Green and her friends were discussing that there weren’t any dance fitness classes that played the kind of music enjoyed in clubs on a night out. Always looking for a creative way to keep fit, Claire and her friends started putting together routines and playlists. Their ‘healthy clubbing’ classes started in mid-2013 and in 2014, Clubbercise training officially launched in the UK.

Clubbercise rapidly became wildly popular and within three years over 2,000 instructors from gyms, health clubs and dance studios were trained. Today there are over 100,000 people who regularly participate in Clubbercise sessions. In 2016 Clubbercise was introduced to Virgin Active clubs in Thailand and Singapore.

With their rapid growth, Claire Burlison Green made it her mission contribute to making water safe and accessible for everyone. Inspired by the American brand TOMS Shoes, Claire loved the idea of buying something and giving to charity at the same time. When she started Clubbercise, it seemed natural to make the water connection with people coming to classes and taking it for granted that they could fill up their water bottle and drink as much as they needed to stay hydrated.

A donation to Oxfam is made whenever someone becomes a licensed Clubbercise instructor. The money donated to Oxfam is used to set up and maintain safe water supply with pumps, tanks or purification systems. With every donation, roughly 10 people gain access to safe drinking water in some of the poorest places on the planet. With over 2,000 instructors trained internationally, Clubbercise has provided thousands of people something that could mean the difference between life and death.

Clubbercise classes will be sweeping the nation in 2018, training more instructors and providing more people with clean water.

Get Fit for a Cause @ clubbercise.com/australia

¹ https://www.wateraid.org/au/why-wateraid/facts-and-statistics

Next let’s challenge our perception of Fashion. Often part of a New Year’s Resolve to curb a spending spree or shake-up a tired wardrobe?

What if fashion was a stylish result of a globally empowering aim?

Project Futures, an Australian not-for-profit whose purpose is to educate the public about human trafficking and slavery issues, has collaborated with fashion designer Steven Khalil to launch its very first charity t-shirt. The aim is to raise awareness of crimes that deprive women and children of their freedom and dignity in Australia and abroad. With over 45.8 million people enslaved, modern slavery is the fastest-growing crime industry in the world today.

Renowned red carpet and bridal gown Australian designer Steven Khalil has dressed the likes of Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman. Casual lifestyle brand Citizen Wolf, who believe in producing ethical, local and sustainable clothes, has also teamed up to create the organic charity t-shirts. In partnership, both Steven Khalil and Citizen Wolf represent the Australian fashion industry as the faces of a better future. Zoe Marshall, Australian media personality, wife of NRL star Benji Marshall, and soon-to-be mother, is one of the celebrity ambassadors who is giving her full support for this project.

100% of the profit goes directly to helping end modern slavery and cover a range of services from medical treatment to psychological service.

The exclusive Steven Khalil charity tee retails for $99 from projectfutures.com.

Khalil and Wolfe talk with BE Journal about the Future of Fashion get it in your inbox!

All Kinds of Love

by Inga Yandell Animals

Valentines day should be more than a Hallmark or Cadbury moment, it is a chance to acknowledge a love for or of a place, a person, a passion, a tradition, a cause, a community, your animal companions or our wild world. Crafty cupids seek to create a memory beyond the moment with a unique experience […]

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Enoughness

by Inga Yandell Humanitarianism

Enoughness, how much is enough? Cristina MIttermeier shows her stunning images of indigenous peoples to shine lights on conservation issues and places where healthy ecosystems remain. In 2008, she founded the International League of Conservation Photographers at the 8th World Wilderness Congress in Anchorage, Alaska. Contentment is long lasting and comes from inside. She defines […]

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