Anonymous art collective creates maze with 6,000 recycled plastic bottles

The Luzinterruptus, a collective of anonymous art, created a maze constructed from recycled plastic bottles 6,000 â€" a critique of consumer society. The urban intervention â€" Labyrinth of Plastic Waste â€" is the contribution of the group to the Katowice Sreet Art Festival in Poland.

To construct the maze, Luzinterruptus collected 6,000 bottles of a local factory and several residents who also donated bottles. In total, more than 26 metres of plastic waste were converted in a maze of plastic debris with 3.4 meters tall and a size of 7 × 5 meters.

The bottles are supported by walls made of plastic bags. During the day, sunlight reflects the colors of the plastic, which is colored. At night, the installation is illuminated by LED lamps, the maze turns into something resembling an ice sculpture.

"We wanted to demonstrate, in a poetic way, the amount of plastic waste are consumed daily, focusing attention still on the big business of bottled water, which causes serious problems in developing countries, where many people see your reservations water be privatised", explains the group, quoted by Inhabitat.

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Dogs less beautiful in the world

The canine beauty pageants are enough events popularized all over the world. Less popular are the contests to elect the ugliest dog in the world. However, since 1998 in California held an annual event to determine the ugliest dog in the world and this year's competition was held on Friday.

All participating dogs must have a certificate of ugliness passed by a veterinarian and judges determine the ugliest dog based on the hair, in the toothed smile and wild expressions. However, be distinguished as the ugliest dog in the world is equivalent to receive a prize of € 1,100.

However, the organizers of the event ensures that the intention is not to make fun of these animals less beautiful, but rather get to know animals that do not meet the normal standards of beauty but are loved by their owners. "The contest of the ugliest dog in the world is not an event to ridicule the animals but for, in a fun way, show some animals with strange aspects and to show the world that these dogs are very loving and beautiful creatures," said event spokesman to the Daily Mail.

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What are the forums? (with video)

A few years ago, António Santos was at a Conference when he heard a foreign speaker say that I missed the April 25 bridge, albeit extraordinary, he didn't have a bike path or walkway.

The idea never left António's head, to the point, several years later, the Portuguese be on Genesis of AlmaLisboa, an initiative that aims to create a bike path and pedestrian passage in one of the most incredible infrastructure of Portugal, the bridge 25 April.

At the outset, it is a simple idea. It is not necessary to the coming of a foreign speaker, certainly, to realize the potential of the bridge to soft modes. But the truth is that, sometimes, a different look puts issues, so obvious, we would remember.

According to António Santos, the idea would make Lisbon in a city more modern and appealing â€" for its locals and tourists â€" in addition to contributing to environmental sustainability and transport.

The bike path and pedestrian passage could use the train's Board, without harming any movement: automobile or train. "It's a sin not to take advantage of the available space. It serves to people travelling and increase mobility in the soft modes. And serves to the very structure of maintenance and upkeep of the bridge using the two ways to carry out their work, "explained the charge to green economy.

Although the idea is far from being achieved, the truth is that in the genesis of this was a conference where someone saw, unselfishly, beyond. See what you can learn at confere nces that take place every day in Portugal?

Foto:  Jeffrey / Creative Commons

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Kiruna: a Swedish town that will change places

Some architects are known to move the masses with its design to leave any gaping, but few are those who can literally move entire cities. One of them is the Studio of architects Swedish White Arkitekter recently won an international competition to move the city of Kiruna, in Sweden.

A century of mining has caused several cracks and cracks in the basement that destabilize the foundations of the small town, and the White Arkitekter presented a plan to resettle the city over the next few decades.

Kiruna was founded by a mining company in 1900, and subsequent years of iron extraction have destabilized the foundations of the city. Thus, it is necessary the relocation of the city and of its 20,000 inhabitants â€" see a current photo of the city in the Gallery (Photo 19).

The project presented by the architects winners intends to move the city from West to East, a process that will take place in several stages, and make the city a more vertical than horizontal space.

The first phase of the plan will create a new center of the city, which will be a great Avenue with direction from West to East that will pass through the Centre of the current city. Gradually, the density in the East of the new city will be increased while the West buildings are dismantled.

"Relocate literally a city will be a bit like walk like a centipede with their house and move feet in slowly a few kilometres to the East," says Mikael Stengvist, architect of atelier chosen, cites the Inabitat.

Although the process is inconvenient for the inhabitants of Kiruna, there are some advantages associated with the massive relocation project. Since the city expanded rapidly due to its dependence on ore, the location lacks modern infrastructure, which makes it isolated. Part of the project of relocation of Kiruna will contemplate a new transport system, including trams and trains will improve links to neighboring towns. There are also high hopes that the new city attract new business and trade, making the city less dependent on the ore.

The ore in this town is limited, since there isn't much raw material to extract. When iron runs out, the municipal authorities intend to transform the surroundings of the mine and part of the ancient city in a Green Park that aims to be a waypoint on the reindeer migration route.

.fancybox-wrap { position: absolute; top:0; left: 0; z-index: 8020; } .fancybox-skin { position: relative; /*margin-top:20px !important;*/ background: #222222; color: #74b32e; text-shadow: none; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 2px; border-radius: 2px; } .fancybox-opened { z-index: 8030; } .fancybox-opened .fancybox-skin { -webkit-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); -moz-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); } .fancybox-outer, .fancybox-inner { position: relative; } .fancybox-inner { overflow: hidden; } .fancybox-type-iframe .fancybox-inner { -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch; } .fancybox-close{ background: url('wp-content/themes/codistage/styles/fancybox/exit.png') no-repeat; width:25px; height:25px; float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-right:5px; } /*.ngg- gallery-image img{width:565px; height:393px;}*/Uma nova cidade na Suécia1of 19jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var thumbContainerWidth = 0, thumbs = Array(), selectedIndex = 1, thumbIndex = 1, imageOffset = 7; $('.ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box').each(function() { thumbs.push($(this)); }); /*thumbnail navigation */ $('.ngg-greensavers-thumb-next').unbind().bind('click', function(e) { e.preventDefault(); if(thumbIndex<= (thumbs.length-imageOffset)) { $('.ngg-thumbnails-container').stop().animate({ left : -$(thumbs[thumbIndex]).position().left }); thumbIndex++; } }); $('.ngg-greensavers-thumb-prev').unbind().bind('click', function(e) { e.preventDefault(); if(thumbIndex >1) { $('.ngg-thumbnails-container').stop().animate({ left : $('.ngg-thumbnails-container').position().left + ( $(thumbs[thumbIndex-1]).position().left - $(thumbs[thumbIndex-2]).position().left ) }); thumbIndex--; } }); $(window).load(function() { /* set thumbnail container width */ $('.ngg-gallery-thumbnail').each(function() { thumbContainerWidth = thumbContainerWidth + $(this).width() + 10; }); $('.ngg-thumbnails-container').width(thumbContainerWidth); }); });

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USA: sustainable products represent 15% of the total sales of retail

Brands labeled as natural, ecological, organic and fair trade are no longer a niche market in the sectors of food, toiletries and home. These products gradually were blended in the general retail and conquered a considerable market share. Currently, these products that appeal to the "responsible consumption" represent an important area of profitable growth.

An analysis of the Boston Consulting Group and Information Resources analyzed all u.s. retail chains and concluded that the sale of the products more "responsible" represents 15% of the total sales of all chains, with the sales increase 9% annual pace in the last three years â€" which represents 70% of the total growth.

The consultants expect that the same trend is found in other developed markets. Market studies also point to future growth, with most consumers to indicate the intention of buying more of these products.

However, the more sustainable products of major brands that will experience an increase in sales, but the specialized brand products. The big brands lack or do not possess even products of this type shows the consultant.

It is recalled that several Portuguese managers debated this week, sustainable consumption. Green Savers was there and brought him the main conclusions.

Foto:  Glory Foods / Creative Commons

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Lisbon school WINS project Gives Power to the Electron

The School Neighborhood Priest cross, of Lisbon, was the winner of the challenge to the schools of the third phase of the project of awareness videos â€" gives Power to the POW electron, promoted by Amb3E â€" Portuguese Association for waste management. The winning video was "the beginning of consciousness".

Already the individual prize was collected by Joana Santos, with the work "the world of WEEE (continued)". The individual video winner has as protagonist a three-year-old boy who reminds that the WEEE contain harmful substances and pollute the environment when they are poorly conveyed. The second prize in the individual category was assigned to Guilherme Fernandes with the project "the count To get REE at the point Electron" and the third prize went to Marta Barreto, with the video "for a better future".

Individual category winners were presented with a smartphone, an LCD and a camera. The School Neighborhood Priest Cross will receive, in turn, € 1,500 in electrical and electronic equipment of your choice.

The project Gives Power to the Electron is an initiative that encourages the Portuguese to take part in a contest of videos that act as elements of behavioral change the environmental level. The POW intends to emphasize the importance of channelling of waste Electronic and electrical equipment by means of electron.

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Portuguese spend €370 per month with the automobile

The monthly average of the costs of the vehicles in Portugal is around €370, with half of the automobiles has spent more than €290 per month. This is the conclusion of the first statistical report published by the portal Autocustos for the first quarter of 2014.

The report, which was published today at least one Car, was based on an anonymous survey conducted for users of the Autocustos site between January and may this year. The size of the sample submitted by Portuguese users is 230 vehicles, being the 8.2% margin of error.

According to the report, the average monthly devaluation of the vehicle is €145, i.e. the equivalent of 1,740 euros per year.

Aft er the devaluation of the vehicle, the second largest monthly cost for the Portuguese is with the fuels (29%) that can reach € 108 per month. However, the remaining costs of the private vehicle, as the vehicle insurance and coverage, interest on car loan, auto inspection, single circulation tax (IUC), maintenance, repairs, parks, tolls, parking tickets and fines and washes, add up to €119 per month, which means about 32% of all these monthly charges.

If we take into account that the net average wage in Portugal is around €711 monthly liquids, "notes that it seems that if you work half a year to pay for the car. This is great irrationality. From a financial point of view, it would be exactly equivalent to only work part-time without owning a car, "explained João Pimentel Ferreira, free software programmer who developed the portal Autocustos.

The report was conducted by Fernando Martins, graduated in statistics from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon. You can consult the full report here.

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