On this edition of Earth Beat: 3-D mapping helps preserve everything from Presidents' noses to the Amazon rainforest; Will divine intervention avert us from environmental catastrophe? And as the climate changes, find out what exotic crops now flourish in the North.

Listen to the programme in full:

Peering into the past
We head to the north east of Scotland and explore the stone age village of Skara Brae. Over 5000 years old, the site reveals an amazing preserved slice of Neolithic life. We meet Ann Marwick who’s charged with the task of keeping it intact, an increasingly difficult job as it battles rising tides and erosion.
Listen to the interview from the Scottish coast

Preserving history
In response to the growing threats of weather, pollution and even terrorism on historic sites, a group of Scottish scientists have come up with a solution. Using hi-tech 3D lasers  they’ve mastered the art of digitally recording them for the future. And they plan to take their work all over the world, including Mount Rushmore in the United States.
Listen to the interview

Counting carbon from on high
Greg Asner is a tropical forest ecologist who has worked out how to map the rainforest. His new technique, over a decade of work, allows countries to measure the biomass of their forests, which allows them to measure their green spaces quantifiably. This can catch illegal logging but also may allow countries to earn cash for keeping their carbon assets.
Listen to the interview

MANY HEAVENS, ONE EARTH

The Grand Mufti of Green
Divine intervention may save us yet from environmental catastrophe.  At Windsor Castle in England last week, the world’s religious leaders gathered for a conference on the environment called “Many heavens, one earth.” One of the most prominent guests was the influential Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Ali Gomaa. He talks to Earth Beat about his seven-year plan to make Islam more environmentally friendly. 

Another cleric using his pulpit to spread the green word is the Reverend Doctor Fredrick Shoo of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania. He’s encouraging his flock to start planting trees during religious rituals. His goal, he tells Earth Beat, is to plant 8.5 million trees over the next seven years.
Listen to the clerics tell us their plans

The Ecosikhs
The Sikhs have announced that they are greening up their temples or Gurudwaras, which function as kind of sacred community kitchens, some of which feed thousands of people, of all faiths, everyday. Never one to miss out on a free lunch, Marnie visited a Gurudwara in Delhi to see what the folk in the kitchen thought of all this.
Listen to the report from Delhi, India

NEW CROPS, NEW CLIMATE
Listen to the envirominute

Exotic walnuts hot in temperate climate
Walnuts used to grow exclusively in warm climates. But as winters in Western Europe grow milder, even the most exotic strains do really well there. Earth Beat speaks with Ton Friesen, who runs a walnut nursery in The Netherlands, about the ever-increasing size of his crops.
Listen to the report from Nunspeet, the Netherlands

UK ‘Climate Change Farm’ generates special fruits
Marc Diacono grows Mediterranean foods like olives, apricots, persimmons, almonds and even hot peppers. He’s not growing these crops on the Mediterranean – but rather on his Climate Change farm in Devon, in the South of England.
Listen to the report from Devon, England

Consumers digging for cheap fresh food
Peter Beije, a farmer in Lelystad in The Netherlands decided to bring his customers directly to his field to dig for food–thereby avoiding the stores. Cutting out the middle man makes him more money while the customer pays less, and their food is as fresh as can be.
Listen to the report from a farm near Lelystad, the Netherlands

Next week on Earth Beat: Meet Ric O'Barry, the world’s most famous dolphin trainer turned the dolphin entertainment industry’s worst enemy. He's the star of movie The Cove, a sensational documentary that exposes the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan.