Aveiro passion for the bike Centennial uses to reach the business innovation (with video)

Aveiro, as we know, is synonymous with the bike, and this tradition in the centennial is seen much like a business. In the region there are dozens of factories connected to this sport and concept, businesses that leverage the know-how out of the ordinary of the city's inhabitants.

One of the last projects linked to two wheels has a formal name-bike technologic platform and Smooth mobility â€" but a much simpler goal: helping business and the public administration to develop projects linked to cycling and sustainable mobility.

"This challenge comes at a time when the country needs to create wealth and that the European Union recognises the importance of this theme. This is one of the areas in which the European Commission will bet for the period between 2014 and 2020, "said the green economy one of the researchers who coordinates the platform, José Carlos Mota.

The project uses modulation circuit systems, where they can simulate different traffic situations and introduce the bike in the urban environment. The platform has several projects in prototype phase â€" from bicycles and other garbage collection designed for the production of energy.

"The transport sector is what consumes more energy â€" about 33% of all the energy consumed in Europe. The intention is that the introduction of bicycles reduce this energy bill and, with the introduction of new components attached to the bicycle, it will boost the economy linked to the construction of the bikes ", advanced Daisy Rabbit, Department of mechanical engineering at the University of Aveiro.

Is also being developed a product aimed at children, which aims to encourage and accompany the first cycling â€" although it does not have pedals. "There are not many of these bikes on the market, is a custom bike. And there's also an evolutionary aspect: the child may use it, learn how to ride and, from the moment that dominates the balance, evolve into a bike without pedals, "concluded Martin Oliveira, director of the Superior School of North Aveiro.

In Portugal, the region of Baixo Vouga subregion registers the highest number of bicycle use, worth eight times higher than the national average. The University of Aveiro, highly reputable nationally and internationally, is a natural partner for the evolution in sustainable mobility, in order to enhance the environment and well-being of the city's inhabitants, but also their businesses.

Foto: ines saraiva / Creative Commons

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Floating bridge connects Ravejijn to its recyclable Island fortress

The Studio of architecture Ro-Ad drew a pontoon bridge and highly sustainable Ravelijn, Netherlands â€" the bridge connects visitors and tourists to the island fortress of the same name. The bridge takes another approach to architecture-she floats â€" and can be, he own, a tourist attraction.

According to Gizmag, the infrastructure is another way than a real bridge â€" she retrieves the ancient road traveled by boats, when the fortress was active. The aim, of course, is the same: get people to the fortress, and integrated into the landscape, and to serve as an emergency exit to connect to the city.

The bridge has a structure in accoya, a modified and treated lumber that is ideal for outdoor use and applications that require durability. She is resistant to fungal decay, as well as to the effects of swelling and shrinkage due to contact with water.

According to the architect of the project, Ad Kil, the bridge was designed to be easily disassembled and recycled. On the other hand, should not require major maintenance. If it is necessary, however, it is easily carried out.

With 80 metres in size, the bridge Ravelijn took three months to be built and is expected to last about 25 years.

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Why haven't we found extraterrestrial life?

Many scientists and researchers, including the most skeptics believe that the presence of life beyond planet Earth is obvious, and that definitive proof you can reach within a generation. One of the arguments is the fact that many of today's astronomical truths be unknown only a generation.

The success of the Kepler telescope, NASA, led us to know that the universe is full of seasoned worlds. Only in the last two decades, thousands of planets were discovered around other stars, and new ones are appearing at a rate of one per day.

More impressive, explains the IFL Science, is the fact that there are planets as far as the eye can see. Most stars have planets, which implies the existence of trillions of these small bodies in the milky way.

Kepler also suggests that one in five stars can support a species of planet the size of Earth and with similar temperatures. These are also considered habitable â€" i.e. the milky way may be home to dozens of billions of our "cousins".

With so many facts to take us to the same path, why we haven't found extraterrestrial life?

Firstly, all our efforts for recognition of Mars, for example, seek to find places where we can find life â€" and not finding life itself. Mars is the favorite hypothesis to find life, but there are experts who would prefer the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. Here, however, the funding is low, so progress is not too large.

A second chance to look for evidence of life is to realize what the atmosphere of planets around other stars. This is done through a technique of astronomy called spectroscopy â€" an approach that would allow researchers to understand the composition of an atmosphere to several light years away. And although an experiment to find oxygen or methane elsewhere is hard to describe, it is possible â€" scientists could build this strategy a dozen years but once again, there is no money to do it.

A third approach would be to look beyond the microbes by intelligent life, spying through siansi radio and laser lights. More antennas and receivers could accelerate this search, but, once again, funding is a limiting factor.

For 2015, the budget proposal for the American agency NASA is €1,8 billion (R $ of 5.6 billion) to planetary science, Astrophysics and continuation of work on the James Webb telescope. The budget for the SETI (search for extraterrestrial life), which assumes this third approach to finding life on another planet, is even smaller.

IE: we don't know exactly if there's life in space, even though all roads follow this direction. But investments to arrive at this certainty are laughable-and so it becomes complicated to solve this puzzle. Why not discover extraterrestrial life? For financial reasons, in the latter case, and policies, in the first instance.

Foto: Kevin Dooley / Creative Commons

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Linden with 250 years cut to make room for Aldi supermarket

A Linden tree with 250 years and 30 meters high was cut to make room for a supermarket Aldi, in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, after a battle of a month to try to save the tree. According to The Guardian, the Ecology Building Society tried at all costs to avoid cutting the gigantic tree healthy, which was habitat for birds, insects and mammals, but ultimately unable to prevent the slaughter.

"It was completely unnecessary to cut this tree," explained the Manager of ethics of British society, Anna Laycock, with The Guardian. The tree was located on land owned by Aldi â€" and where will arise a new store â€" but a few feet from another land, owned by Ecology.

A month ago, the Ecology began with a campaign to try to change the plans of Aldi. On Facebook and Twitter, hundreds of people asked for that the store was changed from place or, Alternatively, the design was changed, but the supermarket chain did not alter their plans. The city of Bradford also did not see any problem in this slaughter, having given approval for cutting the tree.

View video of felling the tree.

According to the Ecology, the tree took five minutes to be cut, after 250 years of history. "It was horrible to see that tree fall. We are very sad for the tree and for our community, "continued Laycock.

The social responsibility of the Aldi supermarket chain claims that it is "committed to reducing the environmental impact of the business," including "reducing the carbon footprint" and "try to find the leadership standards for green buildings".

According to Giles Hurley, director general of corporate purchases of Aldi, the company "understood the concerns of the community in relation to the removal of lime", but had "to propose the tree felling". "The plans will include a significant replanting trees in this place". We will see if the community understands the action of Aldi â€" and if the reward with the visit to your store.

Here are some pictures of the before and after of Linden.

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Wildleaks: the new platform of complaints against illegal hunting

The environmental and biodiversity-related projects already have a global platform of denunciation, the Wildleaks â€" a kind of Wikileaks for wildlife. The project was developed by a group of conservationists and pick the anonymous complaints to try to stop the crimes.

According to one of its founders, Andrea Crust, of 25 years, the links of poachers to the police and business elite turn out to protect them. Thus, the project focuses on the ivory dealer and not on who kills elephants and rhinoceroses.

There are reports of tigers hunting in Northern Sumatra, especially monkeys smuggling chimpanzees â€" in Central Africa, illegal logging activities in Mexico, Russia and Malawi and illegal fishing off the coast of Alaska.

According to Crust, and once checked the veracity of the information, the Wildleaks have three options: start an investigation with their own resources and partners; share the complaint with other groups or with law enforcement agencies.

Still according to the Crust told Deutsche Welle, the great challenge of the project is to become known. With 25 years of experience in conservation projects and 15 years of risk management training, Andrea Costra is the right man to do the project grow.

Foto: William Warby / Cretive Commons

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Detergent packaging made from plastic collected at sea (with video)

One of the most exciting global sustainability projects of recent times is Portuguese and is being developed by Logoplaste, plastic packaging manufacturer headquartered in Cascais.

Called Ecover, this is a detergent packaging made from plastic collected seas and beaches. "We intend to enhance these residues, because this means that they are collected and integrated into the recycling circuit," explained to the green economy Paulo Correia, director of Logoplaste.

The project was developed in partnership with Waste Free Ocean and collects plastic waste off the Belgian coast and British. Initially, only 10% of the new plastic packaging will be taken from the sea, but the Logoplaste hopes to increase this percentage.

"The Waste Free Ocean created a circuit of collection, developed by fishermen. These residues have been integrated in the recycling and integrated into the production circuit, "continued the charge of Logoplaste.

In addition to the inclusion of plastic collected at sea on the packaging, the shape of the bottle itself was thought to promote sustainability. "Were applied the principles of structural design of the radiolaria and, deep down, was applied the principle of structural design of diatoms," explained to the green economy Carlos Rego, Logoplaste designer.

Were these microorganisms that influenced the design of the packaging, a process known as biomimicry. These two principles of structural design allowed a reduction in the weight of the packing in 20% â€" while the standard weight of this packaging is around 30 or 32 grams, Logoplaste packing has only 25 grams.

This was the first project of Logoplaste with these specific features, although the plastic recycling is not exactly a novelty in company: between 30 to 40% of the products developed by Portuguese giant have the recycled plastic as the base. "Talking about recycling is normal today, but for 15 years, when we started working on this concept, it wasn't. All projects that come out of a very large component have Logoplaste of recycling ", explained Paulo Correia.

See the episode 289 of the green economy, one of the most amazing I've ever published here.

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Endless City: the skyscrapers that is a self-contained community in height

The SURE Architecture developed an ambitious and complex project to host residential areas, offices, shops, entertainment and leisure in one building. Appropriately named "Endless City", the project was designed for the reality in londrina, United Kingdom.

The building consists of a series of ramps that connect different sections of the structure to create a vertical city and was designed to reduce environmental impact and increase sustainability through some technological concepts.

When built, the project may be a complete ecosystem and, in theory, allow any person to make your personal life, professional and leisure without leaving this structure.

According to the SURE, the building will save a lot of space in a dense city like London â€" hence the British capital was the first to be designed for this concept.

With more than 300 feet tall, the Endless City will have an area of 165 square meters and its shape maximizes the passive energy and reduces the need for artificial lighting, cooling and heating. "The aim of the design is to design a building that is inviting and a powerful symbol in all directions," said Alina Valcarce, Director of SURE.

The design of the project belies its beauty, but it is unlikely that it will be implemented in the coming years. Or decades.

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