People who have talent are born with it. This is undeniable. I’m amazed with Usha Velasco’s admirable work. The designer transforms materials found in the trash into surprising furniture and decorative objects. Paint cans, newspapers, pet bottles, iron scraps, construction wood, buckets and whatever else he finds in recycling centers.
Don’t miss the opportunity to check out this young man’s sensational work. I’m still drooling. I’ll try to make something for my new apartment—that is, if my lack of ability doesn’t get too much in the way. Too bad these pieces are not for sale. However, the designer offers courses and workshops. Check out the details of the room above:
The pieces are designed for easy reproduction. According to the artist, they don’t require any special ability (ha, ha, ha, he doesn’t know that I’m totally clumsy). You can copy, save, reproduce or change the designs. The entire blog’s content is absolutely copyright-free. Everybody can be inspired by the designs, copy and disseminate them. And quote the source, of course, because the artist deserves and is entitled to this recognition.
This precious tip was sent to me by dear @anaclaudiabessa. Thanks, girl!
Photos - AteliĂŞ do Lixo
The Ministry of Environment has selected October 15 to celebrate the Day without Plastic Bags. The members of Rede Ecoblogs—of which I’m a proud participant—have prepared this beautiful e-card (above) to make people aware of the number of plastic bags consumed in Brazil and stimulate them to go an entire week without using them.
And I will go even further: I’m working to eliminate them for good. With patience and determination, we can replace the infamous plastic bags with alternative bags.
I’ve written several posts about it:
Ladybug Lu Freitas has precious tips on how to get rid of plastic bags. Take a look and do your part too: help to spread this campaign! You can e-mail this e-card to your friends; or tell in your blog what you are doing to replace the plastic bag, with a link to Rede Ecoblogs: http://www.ecoblogs.com.br/, all right? I’m counting on your contribution!
To paraphrase our dear Cintia Costa: “kisses (one from me and another one from the planet)!”
Are we developing the “Burnout syndrome,” which according to research conducted by the National Confederation of Education Workers (CNTE) affects approximately 25 percent of the teachers? “It’s not stress, depression or anguish: it’s worse, because the teacher becomes a robot, which is a very serious thing since education implies in dedication.
The syndrome makes workers feel detached from their work so nothing else matters and every effort seems useless. It makes them feel highly unmotivated and appears when workers face the violence that is hitting both private and public schools. This violence affects teachers and harms the performance of the students.”
When I look at the students, I realize that they are not quite sure about what the purposes of our classes are, and why they need to learn all these things. I try to explain why by showing that our history can be registered using several methods, from different types of Arts, and that, in their lives, they are able to choose their favorite method to learn the universal history of the nations, travel through the human adventure, and uncover the most transcendental issues about the meaning of life.
My job is to introduce them to the Literary Art. None of them has asked me why, in this case, they are not forced to have Music, or Painting, or Sculpture, or Archeology, or Anthropology or Drama classes, for example. In their opinion, knowing the literary movements, their authors and works is not really useful, except for the things they’ll come across in their “SATs”
So, I think that, if students ask “why do we need this for?” or “why do we need to know all of this?” it’s either because my classes are not conveying the importance of learning Literature or because the content is boring and out of context. What is their lack of interest trying to tell me? What do they really want to tell me when they talk, make jokes or sleep during classes (yes, some of them sleep in class) or behave aggressively?
I feel that their attitudes are not aimed specifically at me or the subject they need to learn, but to this boring, asphyxiating environment that classrooms have become. Perhaps they’d rather be in another place, certainly in their rooms, or playing computer games or in an environment that makes they feel like participating in the activities and never wanting to stop.
At these moments, I see my limitations to turn my classes into something creative and interesting, and to go beyond my limits. And I ask myself: “why am I a teacher,” if everybody has within themselves an anxiety, a natural curiosity to uncover their past as well as the means to get such knowledge (provided this is what they want, of course)?
So I come to the conclusion that, for students who really want to broaden their culture and satisfy their hunger for knowledge, simply attending classes and seating at those desks is not enough. I need to rethink my methods. Perhaps we, the teachers, have already been discarded and swallowed by the globalization engine, as we face a generation whose purposes are so different and immediate. A robot teacher. Really? Read more about the burnout syndrome here and here.
Image: Repliee Q2 Robot
I saw the original version of the Robert Wise movie, “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” when I was a kid, but I was already a fan of science fiction. I loved it.
I hadn’t been able to watch last year’s remake by Scott Derrickson and starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly until today. I finally understood why it has been so heavily criticized. Perhaps we are now so familiar with special effects that the movie failed to surprise us. I had definitely expected more emotion and technology.
I believe, however, that the major cause of criticism is the fact that the film conveyed the same old and always crappy message: mankind is destroying the Earth and if they don’t change their attitudes, they will be destroyed along with it.
It urges us to become aware of the fact that the environmental degradation brought about by mankind is the cause of our imminent destruction, and states that we are not the owners of the planet, which, in addition to Americans’ tendency to portray themselves as the rulers of humanity, made viewers dislike the remake.
It’s worth a reflection: we don’t need to have an alien reminding us that we do not have the right to destroy the home that provides us shelter. Are we, as one of the characters said, already so close to the edge of the cliff that it’s too late to change? Should we stop caring for a beloved terminally ill patient just because he is condemned to die? Or should we use all of the resources available to try to spare him from greater suffering?
All debates aside, I liked the film. I was disappointed by the lack of action and suspense, even though the new robot was quite frightening. Also, it had more technological resources (I love teleportation, lasers and all that Star-treky paraphernalia).
And, as usual, I cried when I saw the scene with the boy next to his dad’s grave. That was inevitable. It hits my mother-without-a-kid side. In the end, I turned the film into a romantic drama.
Yes, we can reduce our daily waste by being creative and economical; in the end, the gain will be ours. Cutting down on consumption and recycling and reusing consumer products and materials should be a natural attitude. Nonetheless, some people see the entire environment issue as nonsense.
Product packages are reusable nowadays. With some creativity, they can be reused in our kitchen, office or children’s room, for example. Cans, boxes, paper, bottles and innumerous other products that come into our homes every day don’t need to end up in the garbage can.
Some people, however, may need to make significant changes to their behavior towards the environmental issue. This would stop them from dumping their garbage on streets, empty lots, or landfills. Unfortunately, such changes don’t usually happen naturally so we need to continue educating people and setting an example.
The truth is that, on the one hand, we have to make it very clear for everybody that we will be facing an environmental tragedy within the next few years; on the other, some people may need more than information to change their behavior. This change may require the establishment of measures of mandatory compliance to address the environmental issue.
As citizens, we have the right to demand that people be held accountable for their actions and also to pressure our government officials to change our laws in order to curb some of the population’s consumption practices like other countries are doing. For example, in some countries, supermarkets charge customers for their plastic bags, a measure that, in a way, forces the population to reduce the consumption of such bags.
“We surely won’t be able to solve our planet’s problems just by ourselves, but we can help the future generations, the generation of our children and grandchildren to live in a better Earth. For the next 50 years, many of us will still have living descendants because many of the people who were born today will still be alive. Therefore, each one of us should do their part in the best possible way. For the sake of our children and our children’s children.”
Picture free digital photos
Reusing rinse water from the washing machine has become a habit for many of us. Each one of us adapts this reutilization to their own style and some of the tips are very interesting, such as this one by Carol Daemon, from the Menina do dedo verde blog. She adapted a hose to the washing machine to pour the rinse water into a cistern-like bucket, and keep it for further reuse. Brilliant!
In a recent discussion in our women’s group, we decided to exchange tips and experiences, some of them inherited from our mothers, others created by the gals’ own imagination. I learned many new tips and relearned a super ecologically correct trick to reuse the almost 60 liters of water that were literally going down the drain.
For many gals who live in apartments, it’s not possible to reuse all of the water that comes out the machine. “Some buckets are saved for flushing the maid’s toilet, others to wash the laundry area, clean up the kitchen, but still, lots of water is lost,” says Lanika. I agree with her and that’s why I loved this cistern-like bucket (check out the photo), because it allows us to save all of the rinse water and reuse it however we want to.
“In Japan it’s the opposite; the water that goes into the washing machine is reused water,” says Dani Doduti. According to her, in Japan, they use a hose and a small pump to transfer water from the bathtub into the washing machine. “Since people shower before getting into the tub, the water remains clean. And the washing machines are usually placed in the bathroom, next to the tub.”
People who live in houses have the opportunity to readapt their hydraulic system in order to reuse part of the water to clean their patio, water plants and flush toilets. New buildings are already incorporating water reuse systems, which include the collection of rain water. A construction company called Ecosfera develops buildings with these characteristics, remembers VerĂ´nica Mambrini. Lucia Freitas has written a post about this enterprise.
And you, what do you do with the water used in the washing machine? Does anyone have any other idea on how to reduce this waste? Tell us!
Lucia Malla, a biologist and a dear friend of mine, wrote an alert in her post Sharkwater na China about the “lie” that consumers of shark fins in China–the world’s largest shark fin consumer market–are being told. Approximately 80 percent of the shark fins collected in the world end up at Hong Kong port.
According to what Lucia heard from a dive master, Chinese divers claim that “there is no problem in taking out a shark’s fin because it grows back”. Lucia says that “this is not true because once a shark loses its fin it can no longer swim and dies from starvation–a consequence of its inability to hunt–and from drowning, since most sharks need to swim in order to “vent” their gill and breath”.
It is high time people rethink their habit of eating shark fin soup which, according to Lucia, is eradicating an entire group of animals from the planet. This is a truly barbaric practice, carried out on behalf of people who think that they are not causing any harm to the environment.
Read Lucia Malla’s full post on her Uma malla pelo mundo blog.
Photo by André Seale - Barbatanas de tubarão secando em embarcação brasileira.
My vegetable garden has finally adapted to the change to our new apartment’s veranda. We have already harvested some vegetables, like the watercress on the photos, which were turned into a delicious salad shared by Little Princess and me.
My daughter brought some green onions from the street market so I decided to take a shot and plant their bulbs. To my surprise, it worked. Soon we’ll have some fresh green onions. I’ll post some photos once they are grown.
Now that I retired from one of my jobs, I’m going to work a little more on my vegetable garden, since it’s been a little neglected. But apparently, it doesn’t need me to grow. It insists on sprouting even when I forget to water it. I promise to pay more attention to it.
Photo: watercress in the apartment’s vegetable garden
SOS Mata Atlântica created this campaign to make people more aware of the need to avoid wasting water. In the Brazilian southeast region alone, this waste can be as high as 360 liters per day. And the largest amount of water is wasted in the bathroom: 80% of the water is wasted in the sink, during showers and, most particularly, in the toilet bowl.
If you pee under the shower every time you wash yourself, you’ll save 12 liters of water just by not flushing the toilet. In a household of three, this economy adds up to 36 liters per day, in case each one of them takes only one shower a day.
To join and publicize this campaign, answer this question honestly: “Do you pee during your shower?” on the campaign website, right here: http://www.xixinobanho.org.br/.
I still remember with sadness the day—many years ago—I opened my cabinet and found all of the pictures my daughter had drawn at school during that entire year literally eaten by bugs. There was nothing left. What a shame.
Now, in the digital era, we have more efficient ways of saving all of the cute little things our children bring from school or draw at home. Our Little Princess loves to draw. But, should we decide to keep the stacks of paper that she produces, things would be complicate. So, how about sharing new ideas of how to preserve all of the artworks of our little geniuses and, as an upside, reuse the paper in which they made their drawings?
I found some creative ideas on a website called “How can i recycle this?” I already use some of the techniques, but not as creatively. For example, we could photograph the drawings and turn them into a book or a slide show. I just photographed some of Little Princess drawings and put them in a private virtual photo album. I adapted some of the ideas found on the site, and I’m going to share them with you:
I loved the idea of turning them into a book: just punch holes in the drawings and reinforce them with sticky paper; make a cover using a shoe box, decorate it with a beautiful drawing, tie everything together with a beautiful ribbon and voila! You’ll be able to keep this memento for the rest of your life. If you are a creative mom, you can write texts to go with the drawings and create a very original storybook. There is even a fine suggestion for a gift for grandparents: an album with a selection of drawings by their grandkids, hehehe. I would love it!
Here’s another interesting idea: display the drawings on a long mural board, set on a bedroom wall or a corridor. I’m thinking about buying one for Little Princess. She can choose which of her favorite drawings will be on the mural, and after a while, they would be reused or recycled. And the mural would always be photographed before getting renewed. I loved that!
A cool idea for those who want to take photos and create a virtual album is to reuse the drawings as wrapping paper; or to decorate small storage boxes (just glue them on and “laminate” them with some white glue). Another idea is to laminate the drawings and use them as placemats.
Now, check out this cute idea: one of the moms said she had turned the drawings into a pad to write her notes. According to her, she was going to list her goals for the year and that it would be lovely to write them on the back of one of her daughter’s drawings! Brilliant!
This idea is also romantic: scan the drawings, shrink them down and send them as greeting cards to relatives on birthdays or Christmas. I’ve done it, but using a photograph of Little Princess. I hadn’t thought of the drawings. How cute.
And you? Would you have any other suggestions on how to keep our children’s drawings or how to reuse all that paper that would be thrown in the wastebasket?
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