Why No One Lives In These Uninhabited Places Shutterstock
By Sarah Crocker/Jan. 20, 2021 11:18 am EDT
Sometimes, it seems as if our species has fully colonized all of planet Earth, from one pole to another. Sure, a few spots are a little tough to live in fulltime, like Antarctica s McMurdo station or remote islands like Tristan da Cunha, but there are a brave few that live in these places anyway. What can defeat us, after all?
Turns out, quite a lot. Though the worldwide human population now stands at over 7.5 billion (as of 2019), according to the Population Reference Bureau, many of us are packed into urban and suburbans settlements. The United Nations expects that more and more humans will move into cities and towns in the future, leaving rural areas increasingly uninhabited.
Prosperity doesn’t last. Many towns that were once booming in industries such as coal and gold mining are now deserted areas, just waiting to be toured. In them, former homes and businesses have become empty-eyed skulls of dashed hopes and misplaced optimism.
There’s something about an abandoned area that brings out the explorer in each of us. Maybe it’s the history behind these towns that is waiting to be uncovered, or maybe it’s the adventures that await. Either way, here is a list of deserted towns that you will definitely want to visit.
10 Kolmanskop, Namibia
The town of Kolmanskop, Namibia, was once a booming diamond mining town. Hundreds of German families flocked there to make their fortune after diamonds were found just sitting on top of the sand. Zacharias Lewala, a railway worker, discovered the area in 1908 as he dug away from the railway line, prompting hundreds to call this patch of the Namib Desert their new home.
Here’s how to recycle your live Christmas tree on Staten Island
Updated Dec 19, 2020;
Posted Dec 19, 2020
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.
Staten Islanders can recycle their live Christmas trees and help New York City’s trees and plants in the process, beginning Saturday, Dec. 26.
The New York City Parks Department’s annual Mulchfest tree chipping celebration will continue on Saturdays until Jan. 9. The collected trees are chipped and recycled, and the mulch is used to nourish city trees and plants in every corner of the city.
On Jan. 2 and Jan 9, residents can watch their tree get chipped, and those in need of nutrient-rich mulch can take some home with them. You just have to bring with you a bag to transport it.
D.A. touts anti-dumping program; offenders hit with heavy fines since 2019
Updated Dec 17, 2020;
Posted Dec 17, 2020
In this 2015 photo, a parcel on Freeborn Street in Midland Beach was used as an illegal dumping ground, as evidenced by a pile of tires. The land was since enhanced with new plantings to become a wetland to store and filter water and prevent flooding in the area. (Staten Island Advance)Staff-Shot
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. District Attorney Michael E. McMahon this week provided an update on the 2019, multi-agency initiative to reduce the amount of illegal dumping on Staten Island.
Since the anti-dumping program began last April, there have been a total of 15 enforcement actions that resulted in summonses totaling about $60,000 targeting “some of Staten Island’s worst offenders,” according to a written statement Tuesday from McMahon’s office.