Wangari Maathai

Few days ago, Wangari Maathai passed away because of a cancer. Maathai was one of the most important defenders of our planet. She was fighting hard in Africa and she was first woman in Africa to receive the Nobel Piece Prize.
Mother of the Green Belt Movement was focused on planting trees, environmental conservation and women rights.

Gaia lost an icon, but we can keep her spirit alive. Lets have a thought or pray on her and her family.

Biciclown

Taking care of earth also means that we have to take care of humans. We are part of this beautiful planet.
My good friend Dziga shared with me the experience of someone who really takes care about others in a very simple but amazing way.

We are talking about Alvaro Neil who has ridden his bicycle more than 95000 km in around 2500 days and he keeps ridding everyday.

You may wonder why he was ridding so long. Well, he had a great idea one day in Asturias (North of Spain) and he decided to bring smiles to the children of the world.

After 63 countries visited, Alvaro is working in a documentary called the nomad's smile to share a piece of his uncountable stories and experiences with us. This documentary has not any other support apart from Alavaro's savings and clownfounders that support with any small help to produce it.

I invite you to follow him up in twitter @biciclown; in facebook biciclown and of course in his own website, and youtube. And I also invite you to help him with a small donation, or buying the video The Nomad's Smile. You can find every detail on his website.

Congratulations for your project and your adventure. It is a pleasure for me to post in my blog this kind of stories!

Amazing video!!

I am not usually posting twice in the same day. But this video touch my heart deeper than others. It talks itself so much better to watch it than read me.

Please post in your facebook, twitter, blog or any other media! It has to arrive to everybody!! We are already late but human has the power to change this situation! We can do it all together!!

Quotation of the day

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves" John Muir

Have you ever heard about bioplastic?

It is glad to find news on the Internet where you can read that important companies are taking care of sustainability.on
An important food and beverage company is using bioplastic taps for 4 lines of products in Brazil. This pleasant new made me read more about bioplastics.


"Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, pea starch, or microbiota, rather than fossil-fuel plastics which are derived from petroleum. Some, but not all, bioplastics are designed to biodegrade." Wikipedia.


Nowadays the industry is not highly developed. But it is improving day by day and production of this materials reduces greenhouses gases emission and the energy needed for the production.
We have as well some disadvantages as deforestation and degradation. That has to be under controlled conditions of industrial composting units.


We hope that more important brands care about sustainability and invest to find new ways of packaging that care our planet.
Long way for find the perfect material, but correct way though.

Whales Hunting

Dear followers...

Sorry for this absence last week. I have been busy and I could not keep posting.

I would like to share with you an interesting new about the whales hunting. It defines how the whales and other animals hunting changes the ocean.

We usually forget oceans are the origin of the life on earth. With our actions, we are changing the oceans ecology and as consequence of it, the balance of the planet.

Here you have as well a link to the information about whaling and the link for the International Whaling Commission that regulates the hunting of these animals.

Let's stop the abusive hunting!

Quote

Dear all,
I was too busy this week, and I will be also busy next two weeks. So I will try to post something but not than often than usually.


Let's share a quotation to fisnish the week:
"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in" George Washington Carver


Turn on your radio, tune this station and make our planet better. Good weekend to everyvody!

The thaw in the Artic Ocean open two new sea-lanes!

I have been searching some information about the global warming and I have found this terrific new on a Spanish newspaper.
The new is in Spanish but I will try to summarize the key points:
The ice layer in this region grow up in winter and is reduced in summer. But each year the rhythm of thaw is higher. Nowadays the situation starts to be critical.
The worst scenario is that new sea-lanes are open ed because of that, and the economic and political interest of this area will not make the situation better. The Artic Ocean is a shorter connexion between Europe and Asia and it is specially interesting for the oil industry.

We have to stop the thaw in our poles. The consequences are really dangerous and we are not taking care of that. It already has started, it depends on all of us to change this dramatic situation. Think in every action you do, if you are contributing to the global warming. Let's change our habits! Our planet will be glad!

CITES

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. That what Cites means. This convention was formed in 60s with the idea of controlling international transactions for animal and plants. Here you have  a brief explanation from the official website:


"CITES is an international agreement to which States (countries) adhere voluntarily. States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention ('joined' CITES) are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level."


Many people does not know that commerce of animals is regulated by this organization, and it has a clear rules to do legal transactions of animals and plants. If you have thought in buying an exotic animal, please be sure that the supplier provides you with all legal certifications. 
To grant the perpetuity of the species under extinct danger, we have to follow CITES rules.


If you see any illegal activity in any place, do not hesitate to report it to the authorities.

Anonymous Quote

Let's start the week with a quote:

"When you have cut the last tree, pollute the last river and fish the last fish, you will realize that the money cannot be eaten." 

Anonymous

Building with bottles / Construyendo con botellas

Long time ago, I joined a group in facebook called "Construyendo con botellas" (in English "building with bottles"). 


They are a group of different professionals and students from different fields that have run up a NPO in Uruguay. This NPO is developing a program to build houses with bottles for the people that really need it. Dra. Ingrid Vaca Diez (Bolivia) is the mother of this incredible idea that resolves two problems with one action: Cheaper costs to build houses for needy people and resolve an environmental problem.


The blog is in Spanish, but at least you can see the pictures and the projects they are developing. Maybe some of you can develop something similar in your countries!!


Bravo for this idea and the encourage to make it real.

OCEANS (DOCUMENTARY)

Dear followers! Last year I watched a very beautiful documentary called Oceans. I would say is the best documentary ever because of the images they filmed and the great idea of showing us that the oceans are extremely connected to us and rest of living being on earth. Here you have the trailer. However you should watch it and FEEL it.