This stunning 'Star Wars' world is actually on Earth. And now, it's protected by the U.N.

The U.K.'s Lake District is a new UNESCO World Heritage site.

 Robbie Couch
07.11.17

In 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," audiences watched as the Millennium Falcon blazed through the stunning, pale blue skies of planet Takodana.

Image from "Star Wars in the Lake District," via Chris Chapman/YouTube.

What if I told you that the vast majority of what you saw on-screen in that scene wasn't computer generated?

Takodana is actually a very real, very gorgeous, place — and it's a whole lot closer than a galaxy far, far away.

Photo by Nick Bodle, courtesy of UNESCO.

Here on Earth, we call it the Lake District.

It's a lush, mountainous national park in northwest England spanning over 900 square miles.

Photo by Andrew Locking, courtesy of UNESCO.

It's under new international protection too. It was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

When a region or landmark is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) for providing some form of global significance to humanity, that means it is legally protected under international treaty.

Photo by Andrew Locking, courtesy of UNESCO.

The U.N. designation protects in a number of ways — like providing emergency assistance to communities in the wake of a natural disaster or providing technical support so countries can safeguard their own sites from the natural elements (and humans) effectively.

The district was already a national park, but the UNESCO designation means more will be done to preserve and improve the area.

The World Heritage site designation will boost international tourism and the local economy in the region.

That's according to John Glen, the minister for arts, heritage, and tourism. "The Lake District is one of the U.K.'s most stunning and ancient landscapes," Glen said, noting the region's vibrant farming communities and archeological attractions.

Photo by Val Corbett, courtesy of UNESCO.

The UNESCO designation will also help increase conservation efforts in the area.

In claiming the area a World Heritage Site, the UNESCO committee suggested the impact of tourism in the region be more closely monitored, The Independent reported.

Photo by Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images.

The organization also requested improvements be made in keeping the area pristine and stopping human activity from encroaching on the natural habitat. UNESCO, for example, is encouraging the district to strengthen its "risk preparedness strategies" to keep the land protected in case of natural disaster (the Lake District is prone to flooding) and advised the district to work with farming communities to develop more Earth-friendly methods when it comes to agriculture.

As long as Hollywood keeps the region as it finds it, the Lake District will likely remain a favorite filming location for directors for years to come.

And you can totally understand why.

I mean, just look at it.

Photo by Val Corbett, courtesy of UNESCO.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

Photo by John Hodgon/Lake District National Park, photo courtesy of UNESCO.

Photo by Andrew Locking, courtesy of UNESCO.

Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" isn't the only film that's taken advantage of the region's blissful scenery.

Other blockbusters have utilized the untouched views of the Lake region too, like 2012's "Snow White and the Huntsman," 2004's "If Only," and even one of the "Harry Potter" films (although the cast and crew didn't film on the location there, they used a shot of the district as a scenic backdrop).

None, it appears, has done so quite as impressively as "Star Wars" though.

Check out the video below — a team effort by filmmaker Chris Chapman and photographer Colin Bell — which highlights how "Star Wars" transformed the British landscapes into a scene from another world:

nature star wars movies united nations united kingdom places landscape scenery unesco world heritage sites the lake district
Heroes

Florida city forecloses on man's home after fining him $30,000 for not mowing his lawn.

Youtube

Should a man lose his home because the grass in his yard grew higher than 10 inches? The city of Dunedin, Florida seems to think so.

According to the Institute of Justice, which is representing Jim Ficken, he had a very good reason for not mowing his lawn – and tried to rectify the situation as best he could.

In 2014, Jim's mom became ill and he visited her often in South Carolina to help her out. When he was away, his grass grew too long and he was cited by a code office; he cut the grass and wasn't fined.

France has started forcing supermarkets to donate food instead of throwing it away.

But several years later, this one infraction would come back to haunt him after he left to take care of him's mom's affairs after she died. The arrangements he made to have his grass cut fell through (his friend who he asked to help him out passed away unexpectedly) and that set off a chain reaction that may result in him losing his home.

The 69-year-old retiree now faces a $29,833.50 fine plus interest. Watch the video to find out just what Jim is having to deal with.

Mow Your Lawn or Lose Your House! www.youtube.com

florida dunedin lawn mowing jim ficken
Cities

Michelle Obama named 'most admired woman in the world,' because of course she is.

The world can't get enough Michelle.

Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube

The world officially loves Michelle Obama.

The former first lady has overtaken the number one spot in a poll of the world's most admired women. Conducted by online research firm YouGov, the study uses international polling tools to survey people in countries around the world about who they most admire.

In the men's category, Bill Gates took the top spot, followed by Barack Obama and Jackie Chan.

In the women's category, Michelle Obama came first, followed by Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie. Obama pushed Jolie out of the number one spot she claimed last year.

Unsurprising, really, because what's not to love about Michelle Obama? She is smart, kind, funny, accomplished, a great dancer, a devoted wife and mother, and an all-around, genuinely good person.

She has remained dignified and strong in the face of rabid masses of so-called Americans who spent eight years and beyond insisting that she's a man disguised as a woman. She's endured non-stop racist memes and terrifying threats to her family. She has received far more than her fair share of cruelty, and always takes the high road. She's the one who coined, "When they go low, we go high," after all.

She came from humble beginnings and remains down to earth despite becoming a familiar face around the world. She's not much older than me, but I still want to be like Michelle Obama when I grow up.

Her memoir, Becoming, may end up being the best-selling memoir of all time, having already sold 10 million copies—a clear sign that people can't get enough Michelle, because there's no such thing as too much Michelle.

Don't like Michelle Obama? Don't care. Those of us who love her will fly our MO flags high and without apology, paying no mind to folks with cold, dead hearts who don't know a gem of a human being when they see one. There is nothing any hater can say or do to make us admire this undeniably admirable woman any less.

When it seems like the world has lost its mind—which is how it feels most days these days—I'm just going to keep coming back to this study as evidence that hope for humanity is not lost.

Here. Enjoy some real-life Michelle on Jimmy Kimmel. (GAH. WHY IS SHE SO CUTE AND AWESOME. I can't even handle it.)

Michelle & Barack Obama are Boring Now www.youtube.com

michelle obama michelle obama birthday obama barack obama
Most Shared

France has started forcing supermarkets to donate food instead of throwing it away.

via EarthFix / Flickr

What will future generations never believe that we tolerated in 2019?

Dolphin and orca captivity, for sure. They'll probably shake their heads at how people died because they couldn't afford healthcare. And, they'll be completely mystified at the amount of food some people waste while others go starving.

According to Biological Diversity, "An estimated 40 percent of the food produced in the United States is wasted every year, costing households, businesses and farms about $218 billion annually."

There are so many things wrong with this.

First of all it's a waste of money for the households who throw out good food. Second, it's a waste of all of the resources that went into growing the food, including the animals who gave their lives for the meal. Third, there's something very wrong with throwing out food when one in eight Americans struggle with hunger.

Supermarkets are just as guilty of this unnecessary waste as consumers. About 10% of all food waste are supermarket products thrown out before they've reached their expiration date.

Three years ago, France took big steps to combat food waste by making a law that bans grocery stores from throwing away edible food.According to the new ordinance, stores can be fined for up to $4,500 for each infraction.

Previously, the French threw out 7.1 million tons of food. Sixty-seven percent of which was tossed by consumers, 15% by restaurants, and 11% by grocery stores.

This has created a network of over 5,000 charities that accept the food from supermarkets and donate them to charity. The law also struck down agreements between supermarkets and manufacturers that prohibited the stores from donating food to charities.

"There was one food manufacturer that was not authorized to donate the sandwiches it made for a particular supermarket brand. But now, we get 30,000 sandwiches a month from them — sandwiches that used to be thrown away," Jacques Bailet, head of the French network of food banks known as Banques Alimentaires, told NPR.

It's expected that similar laws may spread through Europe, but people are a lot less confident at it happening in the United States. The USDA believes that the biggest barrier to such a program would be cost to the charities and or supermarkets.

"The logistics of getting safe, wholesome, edible food from anywhere to people that can use it is really difficult," the organization said according to Gizmodo. "If you're having to set up a really expensive system to recover marginal amounts of food, that's not good for anybody."

Plus, the idea may seem a little too "socialist" for the average American's appetite.

"The French version is quite socialist, but I would say in a great way because you're providing a way where they [supermarkets] have to do the beneficial things not only for the environment, but from an ethical standpoint of getting healthy food to those who need it and minimizing some of the harmful greenhouse gas emissions that come when food ends up in a landfill," Jonathan Bloom, the author of American Wasteland, told NPR.

However, just because something may be socialist doesn't mean it's wrong. The greater wrong is the insane waste of money, damage to the environment, and devastation caused by hunger that can easily be avoided.

Planet

Single dad asks his daughters for fashion advice before a date and strangers on social media responded with some helpful suggestions.

The world is dark and full of terrors, but every once in a while it graces us with something to warm our icy-cold hearts. And that is what we have today, with a single dad who went viral on Twitter after his daughter posted the photos he sent her when trying to pick out and outfit for his date. You love to see it.




After seeing these heartwarming pics, people on Twitter started suggesting this adorable man date their moms. It was essentially a mom and date matchmaking frenzy.

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