This creation by artist Yuken Teruya gave us an idea for what to do with the cardboard toilet paper cylinders that Juliana and I have been saving for the past few months. We have already saved 30 cardboard cylinders that will be used to decorate our home, just as in Yuken’s project. Another cool suggestion, made by our friend Denise Rangel, is to reuse the rolls as wire holders.
Rodrigo Barba
Another cool project created by the Ciclus studio. A while ago, we showcased an amazing eco-wine carton that can be used as a luminary. Likewise, this coaster for pans is a great way to recycle corks. A stainless-steel tray, which is used as a support, is inlaid with pointy little tines in order to hold the corks in place. This project was developed in collaboration with designer Nikoline Arns.
Read this post at Rodrigo Barba’s Blog: Pan Coaster Made with Corks
Rodrigo Barba
Inventor Knut Karlsen has done this at home and teaches us how to do it. He installed photovoltaic cells in rechargeable batteries, which allow these batteries to be continuously charged, particularly when exposed to direct sunlight.
This solar charger is still relatively weak, but its inventor has plans to improve his project to recharge batteries in a more efficient way and to include a device that notifies users when the battery if fully charged.
Find out more at SunCat, Karlsen’s website, and check out his flickr photo gallery on the project.
Rodrigo Barba
The Arctic Sunrise ship continues its trip along the Brazilian coast with the Save the Planet expedition. It’s Now or Now for people to learn a little bit about the environmental problems affecting this country and the world. The ship has already been to Manaus, SantarĂ©m, BelĂ©m, Fortaleza and Recife, and is now approaching Abrolhos, in the State of Bahia. After that, it will go to Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and finally to Santos, in the end of March.
The ship’s crew works extremely hard every day from seven in the morning to six in the afternoon to keep everything in order. On board it is worth following your grandma’s advice, remember? If you used it, wash it. It you took it out, then put it back. And so on and so forth. The video below shows a day in the life of the gang on board the Arctic Sunrise:
O Escriba
I was in Curitiba during Carnaval week, and I must admit that I envied the selective collection system that has been implemented at my nephew’s condo to handle their home waste. I haven’t had the good fortune of living in such a condo yet. It is definitely possible to separate recyclable waste from organic waste without spending much.
Everybody pitches in by sorting their garbage correctly, which avoids waste, saves raw-materials and energy, increases the useful life of landfills, generates work and income, and promotes health, citizenship and social inclusion.
Appropriate waste bins allow residents to separate recyclable waste from organic waste
The regular collection of garbage generated by the residents and of the Waste that is not Waste, comprised of recyclable materials such as paper, plastic, glass, metal, scrap household items such as stoves, televisions, and washing machines, among others, is something that needs to become a practice in every condo in Brazil. Great eco-attitude!
Eco-aware condo
There I was—happy, cheerful and content—driving back from the Sao Paulo countryside after the Carnaval holiday when I suddenly saw a sign: “Ecological rubber tire asphalt.” I smiled from cheek to cheek. How nice!
There are several kinds of asphalt. If I’m not mistaken, all of them use some oil in their composition. The difference is that 20% of eco-asphalt is made up of old, ground up tires, according to the Setor Reciclagem website.
According to a company called Greca Asfaltos, 54.5 million tires were manufactured in 2006. In 1999, it was estimated that more than 10 million tires had been disposed of. Note. Midas ElastĂ´meros do Brasil, a company that turns tires into rubber ground, says that their technology is Brazilian.
And more. Besides the obvious advantage of using something which could otherwise pollute the environment, the eco-asphalt is 40% more resistant than conventional asphalt—some researchers say that it can last up to 5.5 times longer too, see source here.
So, here’s the question that everybody wants to ask. If this alternative is more efficient and ecologically correct, why don’t all of the cities and road operating companies opt for rubber asphalt?
At the end of last year, I received a book called Diga 33 (Say 33), by Ediouro. I was still in shock after losing Charlote to FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) and I have to say that the bulldog on the cover almost made me turn away. Good thing I didn’t because the tale of a day in the life of Dr. Nick Trout (a veterinary surgeon at Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston) was like a balm. And, because I’m still so emotional, this review could not—and will not—be very objective. I’m going to share with you what moved me the most in this very special book.
Our veterinarian’s adventures start in the wee hours of the morning, at 2:47 am, and the light and clear narrative simply holds your attention. Amidst technical terms, surgical problems and consultations, the author shows us the greatest beauty in the relationship between a person and his pet—whether it’s a cat, a dog, or a turtle. The love, the care, the tenderness, this very special place that animals occupy in our lives (while I’m writing this, I can hear, from afar, some cats playing and chasing one another in the living room…)
Read this, right on page 20:
Pets are our safety belt in the emotional rollercoaster called life; they are reliable, keep us safe and make the journey less distressing.
There is another section, even more inspired, on page 125… But I won’t tell it to you here (you’ll see why in the end of this post). Between performing a surgery and jonesing for a cup of coffee, the on-call veterinary explains the training involved with becoming a veterinary surgeon (in the United States), the changes that this profession has undergone in recent years, as well as the drugs, the exams—and the unwillingness of pet owners to pay for them.
If you have ever had to deal with any veterinary issue that goes beyond vaccines and de-worming, I’m sure that the stories of Taco, Barron, Belle, Wooly, Winnie, and many others, will make you root for them, smile and, perhaps, even cry. No topic is too taboo for this vet, not even pet plastic surgery or euthanasia. “Our commitment to a cat or a dog lasts for a lifetime and, unfortunately, sometimes this obligation includes protecting it from discomfort and pain, even if this means euthanizing it.” From what I grasped from the book, in the United States, their view of “putting a pet to sleep” is slightly different from what I have experienced in Brazil.
Learning about the other side, what happens to the person who carries out the procedure, was inspiring. I learned that the suicide rate among veterinarians in the US is four times higher than the average rate in the UK. This veterinarian, who lives in the suburbs of Boston, touched me with his humanity, his compassion, and his commitment to healing and to the lives of pets and their owners.
The section about flying cats, for instance, made me smile. I burst out laughing at the strict post-operation rules and diet. I found myself absorbed in the “exotic” chapter, where he describes different animals. And the image of this veterinarian’s own memories of the moment when he discovered his calling remained in my mind—even with the book closed.
Do I need to say that I loved the book? It was a blessing that I must thank @vtheodoro and Frog from. Thank you!
Two important notes:
I have volunteered for animal protection organizations long enough to know about the challenges faced by dogs and cats around the world. Here, in Sao Paulo, there is a movement to replace the director of the CCZ (Center for Animal Disease Control), whose actions are causing set-backs for many of the victories that have been achieved. If you agree with the document’s wording, I am asking you to please sign it.
This book will be given away in a drawing. To participate, you must write a story involving you and a dog or a cat, for a post. Send me the trackback or let me know, in the comments area, that you wrote it. I will choose the best story based on the following criteria: it touched my heart, it’s well written and it adds something to the lives of the animals whom we share our lives with. Everybody is invited. The deadline, in honor of @missmoura, will be March 17. Note: I promise to erase the underlining that I did in pencil.
This article belongs to Ladybug Brasil. If you have found it on another blog, please, contact me.
For animal lovers.
Developed by designer Peter Hughes, this speed bump promises to generate kinetic energy every time a car passes over it. It does not come cheap—something between R$67,000 and R$185,000—depending on the size of the bump. Nonetheless, after only one year, the implementation cost should be paid for.
It has been estimated that each section of the bump can generate from R$3.40 to R$12.20 worth of energy per hour, and since the cars do not stop…
An initial investment in the amount of R$510,000 has already been approved and soon the bumps will be implemented in London, for tests. It is estimated that the United Kingdom alone has more the 30,000 speed bumps.
Tip: EcoWordly Photo by C.Nichols
Rodrigo Barba
An animation by the Free Range Studios team, who has already brought us Homeland Guantanamo (about the imprisonment of immigrants in the USA), the The Story of Stuff (on sustainability), and Meatrix (on industrial farms), among others:
(and to think that for many, this fisherman is a loser…)
O Escriba
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