Thursday 19 April 2012

Unwaste

Sustainable designers explain how we could restyle our old objects. 

by Cecilia Anesi 


Renata.


New power for renewable energy

Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, has been recently called “the Czech Silicon Valley”. This city is home to scientific research and many of big technology companies in the country. The newly established Centre for Research and Utilization of Renewable Energy wants to take advantage of this new reality and connect industry with scientific research.

by Martin Maska 


Brno, the Czech Silicon Valley. Photo by Martin Maska.

Turning waste plastic bottles into solar bulbs

Providing interior lighting for the poor, one litre at a time. 


by Lidija Grozdanić  


Photo courtesy of A Liter of Light.


Andris Piebalgs on bioenergy

An interview with the European Commissioner for Development.

by Edgars Skvariks

Coffee can fuel more than just your day!

Using coffee waste as an alternative energy source might be excellent news for people who love starting their day with a cup of coffee.

by Lidija Grozdanić


Capannori the first “zero waste” municipality in Italy

An ambitious project in the hearth of Tuscany. 

by Michele Lapini 

Photo by Capannoli 1, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Italy’s movements for social and environmental justice get ready for Rio+20

On the run to The Peoples’ Summit, a collateral event to the United Nations’ conference, Roberto Musacchio, of the “pRIOrity future” campaign, told us why and how the Italian networks of people are preparing a document of alternative proposals. 

by Cecilia Anesi




“Grow the Planet”: the first green social network on Earth

by Michele Lapini and Cecilia Anesi 



Photo by Michele Lapini.

Cotton bag is the new shopping bag

Statics have shown that governments can put pressure on customers’ environmental responsibility by charging for nonreusable plastic bags 

by Ngalula Beatrice Kabutakapua 

Majority of plastic bags become litter. Photo by Ngalula Beatrice Kabutakapua.

Back to the woods

by Ilaria Lonigro


The sound of garbage

What would you do if you were given an amount of garbage? Miatralvia decided to... rock it!

by Ilaria Lonigro


Retrofit your car!

by Ilaria Lonigro


Andris Piebalgs on clean energy

An interview with the European Union's Commissioner for Development.

by Edgars Skvariks

Denmark's Sustainable Solutions: Using Waste for Energy

Waste is a pressing environmental, social and economic issue. While waste is often viewed as just waste, and dumped in methane producing landfills, at Amagerforbrænding in Copenhagen, they turn waste into green energy. 

by Peter Bjerregaard


Sustainable consumption: Less is more

When we swipe our credit cards, it is often good for the economy but bad for the environment. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. If we become more aware of the effects of the products we buy, our consumption can become more sustainable. 

by Peter Bjerregaard



Would You Be Prepared to Pay-As-You-Drive?

by Lara Smallman

Britain is legally obliged to reduce its carbon output by 50% within the next 13 years. No surprise then, that since the announcement of this target, ways of making our society less polluting have been coming in thick and fast…

Biomass protest in London

Is biomass the right answer to climate change? Campaigners in the UK say "no!"

by Ngalula Beatrice Kabutakapua

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Crowne Plaza: One big solar panel

A hotel in Copenhagen has taken green and innovative solutions to the next level.

by Peter Bjerregaard

Photo courtesy of Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers.


Jeffrey Sachs on new World Bank President

Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and reknown economist, Jeffrey Sachs, suggests that the World Bank should focus on sustainability with a special attention to developing countries.

by Ngalula Beatrice Kabutakapua

Sustainable and green just by changing profession

by Edgars Skvariks 


Photo by Edgars Skvariks


Would you Wear Clothes Made out of Dust?

by Lara Smallman


Philippe Starck. Photo by www.treehugger.com


Can the French bad boy of the design world that is Philippe Starck really save us from ourselves?

What Will They Think Of Next? New Ways of Beating Climate Change…

by Lara Smallman

Climate change affects us all. And we can all do something --------------- however small, to make a cumulative difference.

Fill in the blank space.

Food for Thought

by Lara Smallman

Forget aviation, road transport and plastic bags, the real winner when it comes to contributing to carbon emissions is food. In fact, food accounts for more than all the rest combined. Whether it’s making it, transporting it, wrapping it or wasting it, we use a shockingly high amount of energy on our food. 

A new life for disposed New York umbrellas

A Haitian designer has found a way to clean New York streets from unused umbrellas. 

by Ngalula Beatrice Kabutakapua 



An umbrella dress. Photo courtesy of Himane.

"We need to change, and waste is the place to start"

by Cecilia Anesi


"A cultural revolution is needed"

by Cecilia Anesi


Germany's Sustainable Solutions: a Shift to Renewable Energy

by Peter Bjerregaard


Do You Want the Good News or the Bad News?

by Lara Smallman


Friday 13 April 2012

CO2 neutral music rocks the environment

The Italian pop star Lorenzo “Jovanotti” Cherubini is neutralizing his tour footprint thanks to a reforestation project that will help local communities, environment, animals and will also provide electricity. 

by Ilaria Lonigro 

Photo courtesy of twitter.com/#!/lorenzojova

Flippers, lotion and . . . ashtray!

What's you footprint on seaside spots? Did you know that cigarette butts can be fatal for whales and tortoises? Beach smokers can green up with a nice handpocket ashtray. The idea spread from Portugal to Italy. Here Daniele Ceragioli tells us how he decided to distribute beach ashtrays in his hometown, Viareggio. 

by Ilaria Lonigro

Holidays in a tube

Imagine you were given a tube as a gift and it contained a... sustainable holiday! Wouldn't it be fun? Equotube is the first giftbox for sustainable tourism. Invented in Italy, it allows people to relax, have fun, visit cities and natural paradises while helping the environment. Manuela Bolchini, Equotube responsible, tells us something about this great idea. 

by Ilaria Lonigro

Peels and stalks . . . yum!

Have you ever cooked potato peels and leek roots instead of throwing them away? Have you ever tried to cook an egg in the dishwasher? These are just some of the greenest tricks for a sustainable kitchen tested by the Italian Lisa Casali, eco food blogger and author of “Cooking in the dishwasher" and "Cooking with (almost) zero impact". Here she tells us some of her eco tricks.

by Ilaria Lonigro




Forest management and ecotourism: helping conservation and improving local economy

by Sanja Jovanovic 

Serbia looks to rail to reduce CO2

In Serbia, about 6.2 tonnes of CO2 per capita are emitted a year, which is about two times higher than the average of other countries with a similar or equal level of income and development.

by Sanja Jovanovic 

Thursday 12 April 2012

Water management

Challenges and trends in Serbia.

by Sanja Jovanovic

Materials of the future may be biodegradable

A reportage about research of new materials, which are easy degradable in the nature (for example polyurethane)and about bacterials decomposing them. Could this be the future of eco-materials? 

by Martin Maska

Cradle to Cradle


Effective natural resource management will soon become a decisive competitive factor in business. It will separate the companies that understand how to adapt to the new economic agenda from the rest, and adopting the Cradle-to-Cradle approach could facilitate this shift.

by Peter Bjerregaard 

Passive Houses are Beautiful and Eco-Smart

The LEED rating system for green buildings has found its counterpart in the European concept of the Passive House. Up to 20, 000 Passive Houses built across Europe are proving to be more sustainable than LEED.


by Lidija Grozdanić  


Villa Vals, an underground dwelling in Switzerland. Photo copyright SeArch.

It’s the financing, stupid

An often-overlooked aspect of the transformation towards a greener economy is the financial side of the story. New financial innovations could prove to become vital tools. 

by Peter Bjerregaard 


Green is the new black

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition leads the clothing industry towards improved sustainability strategies. 

by Peter Bjerregaard 

Photo courtesy of H&M.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Green jobs

What are they and why are they important?

by Sanja Jovanovic


A good tree

Citizens planting trees in Zrenjanin, Serbia.


by Sanja Jovanovic

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Beekeeping in Kenya

The difficulties of being a beekeeper in Kenya and how Europe can help developing country farmers by sharing knowledge. 

by Edgars Skvariks 

Photo by Edgars Skvariks.

Plant sweeper trees!

In Bologna, Italy, factories are planting special trees to absorb their CO2 emissions. You can do it yourself in your garden or on your rooftop: follow the experts’ advice. 

by Ilaria Lonigro

Photo by fotographic1980, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What are the lungs of the cities?

Allotments as green space in Riga, Latvia.

by Ilze Grunska

Just next to the high buildings of the cities, are situated allotments - calm place for green lifestyle. Photo by Ilze Grunska.

Window farm: everyone can do it

Grow your own fruit and vegetables by setting up a window farm! It's cheap and easy and everyone can do it. From New York City to Vienna and Seoul, more and more people are window farming. Greta Dalle Luche is an Italian surf champion and window farmer. Here she tells us something about her window farm. 


Critical Mass in a Critical World

When the solution arrives by bike. 

by Michele Lapini 

Photo by Michele Lapini.

Yes We Can: Cutting the World’s Carbon Emissions

by Lara Smallman 



Rewind just a decade and the terms ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘climate change’ were far from being in common usage. But in 2012, you can’t go a day without hearing about wind farms, recycling, climate negotiations or the latest must-have eco-invention. 


Sustainable tourism in Serbia

Tradition and culture drive the sustainable tourism industry.

by Sanja Jovanovic



Green Economy: The institutional frame

Solutions to creating a good institutional frame in order to foster green economy and sustainable development.

by Sanja Jovanovic


Air-cleaning paint

It sounds like something futuristic in the realm of flying cars, but its not. Air-cleaning paint is available and among other things – It’s an ecologically friendly product. 

by Peter Bjerregaard  

A local paint shop does not only sell eco-friendly products. It also aims at becoming the most sustainable paint shop in Copenhagen. Photo by Peter Bjerregaard.

Thursday 5 April 2012

The Slow Food revolution

This is the story of Slow Food, a worldwide organization born in a little town of Italy and now “saving the world” through the protection of local communities' agricultural heritage. 

by Ilaria Lonigro


Photo by Slow Food

Building the green economy from the bottom up to the sky

Families and citizens throughout Europe unite to support local wind and photovoltaic systems: energy democracy is the key to build a green economy from the bottom up. 

by Ilaria Lonigro 

Photo by seaskylab, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The return of nature

Improving strip mining in the Czech Republic.


by Martin Maska 

Devils stairs. Photo by Martin Maska.

Eco-schools go for a greener planet

Latvian schools teach students about their impacts on the planet.

by Ilze Grunska 

Student-made birdhouses. Photo by Ilze Grunska.

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Lights, Camera, Green!

It is possible for filmmakers to reduce film’s carbon footprint, save and still get their “money shot”.

by Lidija Grozdanić

Photo by Vedran Karuza.


Yes We Can: Solving the World's Water Crisis

How entrepreneurs are tackling the issue of clean water scarcity.


by Lara Smallman


The cold, hard facts – 

Before you get to the end of this paragraph, a child will have died from a water-related disease. That’s one death every 20 seconds. 3.575 million people are dying each year from water-related diseases. According to End Water Poverty A staggering 783 million people lack access to safe water supplies, that's approximately one in eight people.

Two infographics to mark the recent celebrations of World Water Day on 22 March

The impacts of global development projects targeting water.

by Edgars Skvariks 

Photo by Edgars Skvariks.

Innovation - a greenhouse for tomatoes

Innovative greenhouses help to secure food supply in Kenya.


by Edgars Skvariks 


Photo by Edgars Skvariks

Living sustainably, in harmony with people and nature. This is what the “Solar Ecovillage” is all about.

Jacopo Fo, an Italian artist and writer who founded the Free University of Alcatraz in Central Italy and whom has made of sustainability his modus-vivendi, has now began the construction of an ecovillage in Umbria, just off Alcatraz. 


by Cecilia Anesi 


Free University of Alcatraz lanscape. Photo by Eleonora Albanese.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Developing ecological chemicals at Brno University of Technology

An interview with Prof. Josef Jancar, director of Institute of Materials Chemistry at Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic, which researches new materials (for example polyurethane) which are easy degradable in the nature.

by Martin Maska

Monday 2 April 2012

The devil wears green


Addressing the 'shopping momentum effect' in the fashion world.

by Ngalula Beatrice Kabutakapua 

Canton Carbon Cutters: save money while saving the planet

Cardiff residents use government funds to generate energy savings.


by Ngalula Beatrice Kabutakapua


Some proud people from Cardiff are using government funds to demonstrate their fellow citizens that saving money and energy is possible. One year ago the Canton Carbon Cutters volunteers joined forces and created a group to raise awareness on the opportunity of reducing the carbon footprint by installing loft and wall insulation.