New recyclable membership card revealed

Elrea Song’s Combing the Sea, Combing Peace has been selected to feature on the Society’s membership card for 2025. The image is from the South Korean photographer’s 2023 photo series, which was shortlisted for Earth Photo 2024.

It features eight people, including her three nieces, who spent a day collecting rubbish from the ocean, then rearranged it to create emotive sculptural scenes. The litter collected comes from various countries, highlighting how interconnected we are through our environment.

This cleanup is more than just removing rubbish; it's about understanding the deep connection between people and nature, mediated by the oceans. Elrea shares stories with her nieces about the impact of pollution on people and wildlife, discussing these challenges and exploring ideas of hope and resilience.

The message conveyed through these images made it a particularly fitting choice for the 2025 membership card, which will be our first made of paperboard. Moving away from the compostable plastic used previously, the new cards are made from 100% recycled materials and are fully recyclable, producing only 2.1g of carbon compared to the 66g produced by a PVC card.

Fellows and Members will receive this new card when they join or renew their membership throughout 2025.

Not yet a member? Join us today to advance geography and support geographers.

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Browse our Earth Photo 2024 gallery and discover more stories of our planet selected for the 2024 shortlist.