International Conference on Plants & Environmental Pollution

Let's not beat around the bush. Fifteen thousand of the world's medicinal plants are nearing extinction, thanks to pollution caused by population growth and rapid industrialization. Each die-off also produces a ripple effect; for every plant that disappears, scientists estimate that up to 30 more species of flora and fauna are threatened. Fortunately, this ancient city in central Turkey may be a good place to initiate change -- it's the hometown of St. Basil the Great, the patron saint of reformers. -- Abha Bhattarai