Seven facts about plastic in the ocean

When you hear about the great Pacific garbage patch the image that emerges is of a floating island of rubber duckies, plastic bottles and plastic bags that pile up and create a kind of iceberg of garbage.

The image is not very skewed from reality, but in fact the island of garbage is not solid and aggregated. The great Pacific garbage patch is more a loose collection of small pieces of plastic around the North Pacific gyre, a vortex that water, thanks to four ocean currents and the Earth's rotation sucks marine debris. However, this site comprises the largest part of the Northern Pacific and is the largest ecosystem on the planet.

When viewed from above, does not see any plastic floating in the area and the waters appear to be crystal clear and clean. But the truth is that within any one of the five turns of the planet's oceans, there are distinct clusters of trash that rotate continuously to the flavor of ocean currents affect the life that dwells underwater.

Find out about seven aspects to know about plastic in the oceans.

1. most of the plastic is concentrated in five Ocean gyres subtropitais

Our oceans are not completely contaminated with garbage. Although it exists in large amounts, most of the plastic is concentrated in five major subtropical gyres. Outside these zones is rare to see floating plastic or catch him in fishing nets.

2. it is difficult to quantify the entire existing plastic in the oceans

No one knows for sure the amount of existing plastic in the oceans and this is one of the main problems. Part of the reason for not be able to know for sure how much is that existing data are based on the plastic that you see floating around. However, most of these debris are dense enough to sink, which means that it is not known the exact quantity of submerged plastic in the oceans. To compound the problem, many of these plastics at the end of a certain time disintegrate by action of biophysical conditions.

A recent study, referred to Grist, points to the existence of 40,000 tons of plastic floating in the oceans, but this value corresponds to only 1 percent of what scientists expect to find. The scientific community assumes that the remaining 99% or sink or are ingested by marine animals.

3. the projects in-depth cleaning of the oceans are inefficient

The oceans are vast and intricate sites: only the North Pacific gyre has almost twice the size of the United States. The amount of funds, material and human resources to do a deep cleaning to the oceans would be outrageous, not to mention the emissions of greenhouse gases that would imply. Additionally, the small particles of plastic, the most harmful, are impossible to clean.

4. one of the solutions to the problem is to find the points of issue of plastic

Many oceanographers consider positively the idea of picking up trash before it gets to the oceans. An example of a system that performs this function is the Baltimore Water Wheel, a water vehicle that collects the garbage at the port of Baltimore before this go into the sea.

The solution is simple and can be ecological if renewable energy powered. One of the tasks that scientists now have at hand is to map the main points of issue of garbage into the sea, as major harbors and rivers.

5. can be collected tons of trash from the beaches in a day

Waste collection events in beaches are quite efficient, although he did not appear to be a one-day action can collect tons of garbage and also help the oceanic conservation centres to identify the sources and types of debris that are washed up on shore.

6. The cleaning solutions start at Earth

One aspect that gathers the consensus of the scientific community regarding the cleaning and preservation of the oceans is that solutions must begin on the ground. If a lesser amount of plastic is produced and consumed and material recycling rate increase, the lower the amount of garbage coming to the oceans. The ban of plastic bags and the Elimination of plastic microspheres of several cosmetic products is a positive step, but not enough.

7. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the oceans

The oceans are incredibly resilient ecosystems and marine protected areas are, for the most part, extremely successful. If somehow possible to stem the flow of plastic to the sea, the oceans will eventually return to health levels of the past.

Foto: Best Planet / Creative Commons

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STD build four new wind farms in Trancoso and Guard

The STI group has announced the construction of four new wind farms in the municipalities of Trancoso and guard, an investment of more than € 5 million ($ 15.6 million) and it was awarded by ENEOP.

Budgeted at €1,6 million ($ 5 million), the new village Park, in Trancoso, has projected for the end of December this year and will have 10 wind turbines, having the DST in charge of the execution of the accesses, the construction of the command building and substation, the ditch of cables and the opening and running of foundations.

Even in this county, the Park of Rio de Mel-Castanheira will feature five wind turbines, with the DST to "ensure the construction of lines of communication and of cable trenches, a work with an estimated cost of € 665,000 ($ 2 million)". Also in Trancoso, the Cabeço do Park Gold will have 10 wind turbines. In this work, budgeted at € 1,5 million ($ 4.7 million), the works include the construction of the building and substation control, communication channels and ditches of cables.

Finally, in the municipality of Guarda, Star Valley Park will have 11 wind turbines. Here, besides the construction of the building and substation control, MGTO also has under its purview the construction of seven kilometres of access roads. The investment consists of €1,7 million ($ 5.3 million).

"We want to continue to look at renewables as a strategic dimension to the group, because current trends put pressure on the companies to develop more products and services in the field of environmental economics", stated José Teixeira, the President of the Board of Directors of the DST, the newspaper Building. "We cannot deny that the world rotates around of sustainability â€" the speed may decrease, but the sense will reverse."

Foto: Aires Almeida / Creative Commons

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Heineken will have the biggest eco-brewery of the United Kingdom

Heineken will become the first producer of beer, among the biggest brands, of the United Kingdom to implement a solar roof on one of its main factories in North Yorkshire.

Thus, the John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster, which yields to Heineken, will go on to have 4,000 solar panels on your roof of zinc, which are expected to generate more than 876 megawatts of electricity per year. The energy will be used to feed the departments of bottling and canning factory.

"When arranged side by side, the panels cover an area equivalent to five Olympic swimming pools. We are very proud that Tadcaster is the site chosen for the implementation of the largest solar installation of any brewery of the United Kingdom, "said factory manager, Martin Kochl, to Edie.

"Implement the power we need to produce our beers and cider from renewable sources like solar energy helps us to reduce the environmental impact of our business and is an essential part of our sustainability program," adds the Manager.

The 876 megawatts of energy produced annually are equivalent to about 5% of the total electricity consumption of the plant. Additionally, other 10% will come from energy of a biogas plant in the region of the factory.

Already last year, Heineken has implemented a similar project in one of its factories in the Netherlands.

Foto: Photo Mojo Mike / Creative Commons

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Purchase Beach and €1,2 British spends € 127,000 to send clean

For 30 years that the Briton Gordon Hadfield had a dream: to attend a small beach near their home in, Mr Swanbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, England. During the last three decades, Hadfield saw the beach be used as illegal dump, especially works of metal and cement, but couldn't do anything to change this situation, since the beach was the property of the British Crown.

Two years ago, however, managed to convince the British Crown to sell him the property for only €1,2 ($ 4), guaranteeing the right to return to the Beach the original appearance. The first step was to invest € 38,000 ($ 120,000) to purchase a bulldozer to help remove the heavy residues.

But the process was not so simple, and in the last two years the investment of the owner of a café-overlooking the beach â€" ascended to € 127,000 (US $ 400,000). "I don't want to put a price on what I did, but I'm about to turn 60 years old and all I want is to see the beach clean. She was broken for 30 years and since then that since my coffee, see the rubble ", explained to the British press.

In recent weeks, Hadfield removed several tons of garbage, which for years has accumulated at the site. "You wouldn't believe how many things we pulled. But I'm very happy now-I did it all for my children and grandchildren, "he explained.

Part of the waste were placed by his own village, after Wall reinforcement works at sea, in September 1984. Then, the site has become in place of pilgrimage for those who wanted to rid of objects without value.

The next step of Hadfield is to make a local beach for every family. Here are some before and after photos â€" will realize immediately which represent what.

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Eid al-Adha: the festival where animals are cruelly slaughtered

The cattle were fattened, the sharp knives and there are celebrations in the streets of the cities of several Muslim countries. Is the Eid al-Adha, known in the Western world as the Festival of sacrifice, where thousands of animals are sacrificed.

This year, the festival is scheduled to begin on the night of 3 October, Friday and last until Saturday night, based on the Islamic lunar calendar. The festival also marks the end of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Holy Mecca.

Goats, sheep, camels and cows â€" depending on the customs of the country â€" are the main animals. After the ritual, their meat is shared among family members and friends or is donated to the neediest. There are many families, even those with few economic resources, saving during the whole year for this time you can acquire an animal to sacrifice. Only in Pakistan, approximately 10 million animals are euthanized in the days of the festival, says the International Business Times.

In addition to the sacrifices, the festivities are marked by the exchange of gifts, in particular clothing. It is also customary for Muslims to visit family and friends and the older ones tend to give money to the children.

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We must take a shower after exercise: myth or reality?

When we initiate any physical activity, body temperature increases and the body has to regulate it. The Elimination of perspiration through the pores of the skin, also known as sweating, is one of the main mechanisms that regulate our temperature. The higher the sweating, our body has to work to stay stable.

But when time to wait to shower after exercise? According to my aggregator Well-being, this question depends on several factors: the external temperature, the intensity of sports practice and the genetic factors of each person that determine his own sweating-tips are of Marcos Flórez, personal trainer and founder of the Spanish site estarenforma.com.

The external temperature

The higher temperature, the more the athlete will transpire. The body begins to control the temperature by removing perspiration through the pores of the skin. At room temperature, although we may have the feeling of being the ' sweat ' or less of being dry, there are still controlling body temperature.

The intensity of the activity

The higher the intensity of exercise, more sweat. We run, ride or walk easy Don't sweat Similarly, despite the temperature tend always to increase and our body to control it.

The genetic constraints

There are people who sweat very easily, even in the exercises with less intensity. This is due to the qualities of our organism. These can be changed due to our habits like diet or training, that can make all the control systems work effectively. It is very common that sportsmen start sweating fast. The temperature rises and the body is more efficient, keeping it at an appropriate level.

If you take a shower in a range very close to physical exercise, will continue to sweat, especially in hot environments. However, if you spend a lot of time and is in fresh environments can catch cold. the ideal is to wait until you stop sweating, especially in the summer and in very humid climates. And just after taking a bath.

In the case of colder environments, it is recommended to wear a sweater Flórez Landmarks washed, especially if trained with cotton clothes, and wait a while. So don't run the risk of catching a cold.

If showering with cold water, instead of eliminating the sweat will eventually sweat even more. The ideal is to take a bath with warm water at the beginning and gradually adjust the water temperature to your liking.

Foto: Cesar I. Martins / Creative Commons

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Chewing gum is the new way to generate electricity

If you like the mix-and-match, then the discovery of two Canadian engineers will put a smile on your face. Delnavaz Aidin and Jeremie Voix created a new way to generate electricity from the movement done with the jaw â€" Yes, you read well, jaw.

The device was developed at the school of Higher Technology in Montreal, Canada, and the article on their discovery was published in the scientific journal Smart Materials and Structures, according to the sustainable planet.

The process sounds complicated, however: by a strap attached to the Chin, the appliance turns the mouth movements into electricity. The device is made of a material that is loaded with electricity when stretched â€" sounds dangerous, actually, even if the unit is still only a prototype.

The creators believe that technology can, in future, be used in hearing aids and cochlear implants. For them, the technology is a way to dispense with the use of disposable batteries in this type of electronic device.

In tests, the Act of chewing a pastiga during 60 seconds generated about 18 microwatts of electricity. To operate a hearing aid, the system needs to generate at least 20 times more energy.

Foto: Vox Efx / Creative Commons

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