Today, we are told children don’t spend enough time in the fresh air. Many of them are addicted to a screen either on a computer or a TV—they seem to be living in a virtual world. They have lost touch with nature.

But now 400 organizations in the UK, from playgroups to the National Health Service, are encouraging children to have some “wild time”. They want kids to swap at least 30 minutes of watching TV or playing computer games for time playing outside. Activities such as building dens, climbing trees, rummaging for conkers and playing hide-and-seek are just some of the things kids can do. Even if they live in a city, they can go on adventures in the garden or the park.

Children often need a helping hand from mums and dads. They need to be shown what to do and where to go. Andy Simpson from the National Health Service says, “We want parents to see what this magical wonder product does for their kids’ development, independence and creativity, by giving wild time a go.”

So despite the complicated world that young people grow up in now, it seems that going back to basics and experiencing “nature’s playground” is what modern children need. David Bond from Project Wild Thing says, “We need to make more space for wild time in children’s daily routine, freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted.”

This might sound a bit old-fashioned to you but there’s no age limit on enjoying yourself!

The online takeaway industry is growing in China along with the rapid development of the Internet economy. But environmental activists complain that the huge volume of plastic utensils (用具), wrapping and containers presents a great challenge to the environment, and that the heavy use of throwaway wooden chopsticks is reducing natural resources.

On September 1, the Beijing No.4 Intermediate People’s Court accepted a lawsuit filed by the Chongqing Green Volunteer League, an environmental non-government organization (NGO), against the country’s three largest food delivery platforms—Baidu Waimai, Ele.me and Meituan. The NGO stated that the companies failed to provide customers with the choice to not receive throwaway plastic utensils along with their food deliveries. Meanwhile, these utensils have created large amounts of rubbish and caused serious ecological damage.

In response, both Meituan and Ele.me, which acquired Baidu Waimai in August, have promised to take measures to reduce plastic waste. Meituan announced that it would appoint a chief environmental officer to oversee environmental issues from plastic waste and upgrade its smartphone app to provide consumers with the option of ordering food without single-use chopsticks, spoons or napkins. Ele.me followed by offering a similar choice and putting forward a plan to introduce suppliers of degradable (可降解的) plastic utensils to restaurants in the long term.

Is there a possible way out? Combined efforts by delivery platforms, consumers, restaurants and government departments are required to address plastic waste pollution.

For platforms, promoting environmental protection and introducing this idea to consumers are a meaningful move. Moreover, in the future, they should also make strict rules on the use of plastic utensils. For example, no more than one plastic bag should be used to wrap soup dishes, and all plastic products should be degradable. It is a long and difficult task for them, and the recent reactions from Ele.me and Meituan are just beginnings.

Considering most takeout food packaging is thrown into garbage bins and then taken away along with other household garbage, sorting of waste also becomes more important. Government departments could play a major role in this, and by recycling some materials, waste pollution could be reduced and resources saved. Furthermore, there have been growing calls that the government should also invest more in developing degradable plastic products or environmentally friendly alternatives.

Though consumers enjoy the convenience yet also suffer exposure to the pollution, many of them have paid little attention to the plastic waste problem. Environmental groups suggest that consumers change their habits a little by using their own utensils and dishes and refusing unnecessary plastic containers.

The ban (禁令) on petrol and diesel (柴油) cars due in 2030 may have to be scrapped because of a lack of charging points for electric vehicles, industry experts warn. The Government wants to outlaw the sale of new fuel models in order to go green and cut pollution. But industry figures suggest this may not be possible. Analysis highlights a lack of high-powered electric vehicle (EV) chargers at motorway service stations.

The Government has promised that every motorway service area has at least six rapid   chargers by the end of 2023. But only 27 out of 119 motorway services in England meet that target. This will fuel “charge point anxiety”, which experts warn is preventing drivers from   buying electric cars in case they cannot power them up while on journeys. Lisa Watson, director of sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: “The UK is set to fall significantly short of its charging point targets.”

This could have a far-reaching effect on consumer uptake of alternative fuel vehicles. If more isn’t done to improve charging infrastructure (基础设施), the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles will seem an increasingly tough task. Rapid charge points can add about 100 miles of range to an EV in 35 minutes and are seen as crucial to encouraging more motorists who use their cars for long journeys to make the switch to electric.

There are also concerns over the distribution of public charging points.While Westminster has 2,196, there are just 1,593 across Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders expects plug-in battery electric vehicles to account for 18.4% of car sales this year and 22.6% next year-down from previous forecasts of 19.7% and 23.3%.

A government spokesman said, “The importance of ensuring high-powered charging is readily available up and down our motorway network can’t be highlighted enough. A lack of charging facilities is becoming one of the most widely quoted reasons for drivers not going electric.”