Saint Eve, from Silveira Neto’s Flickr
I had the opportunity, today, of reading statement-interview, with Vilma Peramezza, trustee of the “Conjunto Nacional” (National Complex) and a pioneer in selective collection. She brings lots of sensible subjects and came, almost together with other news, published in OGlobo (newspaper), that I read in the Recycling Pages: Cetesb will count the cities that export their garbage.
On days prior to Christmas, besides the traffic that is totally crazy, life is flagged with consumption appeal. Formal workers usually get some extra money, here comes the time to fill the bottom of the tree with gifts and everybody goes to the mall.
The results of this consumption are millions of tons of… garbage. Many times, recyclable. In all of the Sao Paulo state, so tells us that article from the Recycling pages, only 5% of all garbage is recycled. In the capital, 2%. It’s worth to emphasize that the National Complex, thanks to continued education already recycles 15% of its garbage. With very little economic advantage. And, according to Cetesb, 30% or 35% of the garbage that go to embankments, is recyclable. Such precious space spent with what shouldn’t be there – and that, not to talk about the soil and spring contamination.
When you buy a gift, do you think about it? Probably not. I think you should. I’ve never hesitated in buying a book – one of the gifts that I love giving the most. But, I’ve thought it over one zillion times: the packages. I never let the store pack it, I don’t need a plastic bag – why do I have my ecobag? – and I use everything. I’ve given a present, once, rapped in newspaper with the most beautiful ribbon. A friend of mine, invented, long time ago, a very simple package, in light green silk paper (that I think is not very ecologic) with red ribbon. These simple games – and a lot more personal – make all difference.
I invite you all: what if, almost Christmas, we imagine, really, more ecologic gifts? Reminding us that the world can be sweeter, less pasteurized and better taken care of. What do you suggest?
Project led by the architects from NL, reunited 100 trees in 100 shopping carts in a square, for the Urban Play event, in Amsterdam, Holland. The carts were put in a way, to block people from doing their usual way, forcing them to divert and walk in the middle of the mobile forest.
All of the trees, after the event ended (which lasted six weeks), have been donated, so, any person could grab a cart and take the tree home or plant in any urban space.
The Urban Play event is an international project organized by Droog Design, created and curated by Scott Burnham and presented as part of ExperimentaDesign Amsterdam 2008.
moving forest from michael schoner on Vimeo.
Moving Forest
NL Architects: Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk, Kamiel Klaasse
Structure:
Experimenta Design 2008 Amesterdam
Commissionaire:
Droog Design / Urban Play Event 2
Projects Manager: Maaike Gottschall
Dean:
Scott Burnham
Designer / Project Architect:
General Yamamoto (Design)
Daan Roggeveen (Organization)
And, from Paris, Livia tells me that the former tennis player Yannick Noah is the hit of the moment around there with the song Aux Arbre Citoyens, from his new CD, Charango. “It plays in the taxi, in the supermarket, in our neighbors’ houses…” she says. It’s a committed music that talks about global warming, proliferation and nuclear garbage, deforestation of the Amazon. One of the characters is a Brazilian girl that lives in the forest. The sound, kinda like Manu Chao, is really cool, check it out:
I had the opportunity of meeting Noah in a tennis event, for veterans, in 1998, in the Club Med Itaparica. The tournament counted also with Luis Mattar, Cássio Motta and a whole legion of other names, less sought-after. It was a big party and so Noah got it as well. He had taken a few friends (I guess his band at the time, or part of it) and they played every night at the pool bar, until late hours – not rare, it only ended when the sun shone and all of us would go to the beach.
Guess who won the tournament?
- Do you have Motorola batteries?
- Batteries?
- Yes. My cell’s battery is too weak, it can’t last a whole day.
- What is the model?
- This one.
- But this cell phone is not that old…
- Yes! Those batteries don’t last a single day!
- Why don’t you buy a new cell phone?
- Why? My cell is working perfectly. It’s just the battery that doesn’t work.
- Look, I don’t even have this kind of battery here, to sell.
- So, take it from a new cell phone.
- I can’t. You have to buy the whole cell.
- Where do I find only the battery?
- It’s complicated…
- What do you mean by that?
- That it is easier for you to change your phone.
- Wow, that’s amazing: a salesman trying to push me a completely unnecessary sale!
- I know it looks like salesman bullshit… But I’ll show you it’s true. Give me your SSN for me to check how many points you have to redeem.
- Can I buy a new battery with them?
- In theory, yes, you could, but they stopped sending single batteries here. Nobody buys them. It’s a lot cheaper to change the whole phone. Look: you have 943 points to redeem. You can take an excellent phone with those points, with digital camera, mp3, video recorder…
- But a battery, that’s what I need…?
- No. This battery used to cost R$199 last time I received it, some months ago.
- That’s expansive!
- Didn’t I tell you?
- What if I take it to the service assistant?
- They’ll charge you that at least. Because you can’t fix a battery, you have to change it. It runs out.
- But my phone isn’t 2 years old!
- Yes. But this is made not to last, for you to, in a few months, want to change. And, tell me, only a stupid person would prefer an old phone when you can take a brand new one for free.
The Mexican designers Francisco Cantu and Andrea Fenyvesi (collaborator) created a couch that is a mix of crumpled cardboard and MDF of medium density. The recyclable couch, is beyond functional and very resistant. It also has smashed paper stuffed cushions.
Going to the supermarket hungry-less is number one law of any well prepared person. But, do you know that you spend less when you shop alone? Or when you take products from the shelves below? That and other care at the time of the shop, can reduce in, until, 30% your supermarket bill! Note down the tips of the financial consultant Reinaldo Domingos, author of the book Financial Therapy.
Write down everything
Before you leave, make a list of the missing products.
Keep focused
Do not stop in the sections that don’t have your listed items.
Go alone
This one’s for women with kids: kids insist in the superfluous and the husband isn’t patient.
Avoid shopping monthly
This way, you get the best week offers.
Search below
Usually, the products that are right in front of the eyes are more expensive.
Buy own brands
The supermarket brands are usually cheaper than the others.
Mistrust the offers
When you find promotions like: “pay 1, take 2”, check the individual price.
Turn blind in the cashier
The products near the cashier usually increase your bill over 15%.
Go to street markets and butchers
Buy fruit, vegetables and meat in street markets and butchers: the price is usually better.
*Uncut version of the published text in this week’s Ana Maria magazine.
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