Italian police released images of the interior of the Costa Concordia

The January 13, 2012, the Italian coast suffered one of the most severe attacks on its sustainability: the sinking of the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship that sank off the island of Giglio, Tuscany.

In the disaster, 32 of the 4,200 passengers eventually died, and the ship turned out to be, until today, in the waters of Giglio. Now, at a time that the ship will be sent finally to Genoa, to be dismantled and sold, the Italian police have released some images of the interior of the infrastructure.

The images are creepy and show what's left â€" that's too-luxurious ship: furniture, various possessions, books, papers, clothes, flowers, vases, shops and cafés.

The last 30 stabilization devices were placed today and the ship will be ready for the five-day trip to Genoa. A journey that, incidentally, is being heavily criticized by organizations such as Greenpeace, which allege that she is dangerous. "Drag the ship to Genoa are five days at sea. Environmental risks are huge, since there are dangerous fluids that can be released. And the structure itself may collapse, "explains Luca Lacoboni, Greenpeace Italy.

"We cannot allow another disaster and there is closer to ports, which can be accessed with less risk," he concluded.

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New Riverside Park of Póvoa de Santa Iria was built with recycled materials

Since July of 2013 that the Póvoa de Santa Iria, Vila Franca de Xira, has two new urban parks: the urban park of Póvoa de Santa Iria and the Linear Park Tagus estuary Riverside.

Linear Riverside Park of Tejo estuary stretches for about 70 hectares and integrates the call fishermen area, providing space for leisure activities, picnic area, sports area, environmental interpretation Center and landscape, solarium and cafeteria trays. The construction of the Park allowed to rehabilitate an old industrial zone of sand deposits.

The construction of the area, which also has several footpaths and cycle tracks, was the responsibility of the atelier Topiaris and the atelier Architecture diffuser, which used recycled pallets and old tires to build some of the spaces. At night, the space is lit with electricity generated completely from photovoltaic panels that were installed in the Park, referred to in Inhabitat.

This work on the Riverfront of the Póvoa de Santa iria represented a public investment of €6,5 million and in addition to allow the refurbishment of a degraded area of the city allowed to re-establish the link with the river Tagus.

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City +: the event that joint citizenship, environment and sustainability at the port

Between 7 and 13 July the city of Porto will be the stage of the CITY +, an event that seeks to "celebrate the citizenship, the environment and sustainability in the urban context". The event is divided into two parts, with the first, the Warm-up, elapses between 7 and 9 July in various locations the city iconic.

The objective of this first phase of the event is to revive and disseminate these city spaces and promote sustainable projects and initiatives that exist in the city. The second part of the CITY + takes place exclusively at the Crystal Palace and concentrates a broad range of activities between 10 and 13 July.

Among the various activities scheduled there are conferences, workshops, working sessions, open lessons, shows, corporate square, and networking. All activities are free entry. The CITY is organized in a partnership between + the Câmara Municipal do Porto, Porto Lazer, Root port and Bio Ruma.

Foto:  dabrantes / Creative Commons

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Salt tofu can make solar panels more safe and cheap

Solar panels are a device that generates renewable solar energy without carbon dioxide emissions. However, the manufacturing process of the panels is not as sustainable as the function they perform, for use in his composition toxic materials that harm the planet and human health, especially the cadmium chloride, which is used to improve the efficiency of solar cells but which is quite toxic.

However, researchers at the University of Liverpool believe they have found a replacement for cadmium chloride which is much safer: a salt that is used to make tofu, magnesium chloride.

This chemical compound is a common salt which is also used in bath salts and to remove the ice from the roads â€" and who now might have another application. The magnesium chloride is extracted from seawater and is fairly cheap and secure than cadmium chloride â€" €0,0007 per gram, compared with €0,2 per gram of cadmium chloride.

Millions of solar panels throughout the world have cadmium chloride in their composition, since the compound helps the efficiency of solar cells. According to the University of Liverpool, cheaper solar cells on the market are based on a thin film of insoluble cadmium telluride. Only with this compound, the solar cells are able to convert less than 2% of the solar energy into electricity, but in the presence of cadmium chloride efficiency increases to 15%.

According to Jon Major, principal investigator and physically, the application of magnesium chloride allows the same efficiency of the cells but with a greater degree of security and makes the manufacture of cheaper panels. "We have to handle the cadmium chloride in a laboratory hood, but we created solar cells using a new method that can be accomplished under the laboratory bench with a spray gun purchased at a drugstore," explains the researcher, quoted by Tree Hugger. "Cadmium chloride is toxic and expensive, and stopped using it. Replace it with a natural compound may enable big savings to renewables industry ", indicates.

Many other researchers are also finding more natural and safe alternatives to produce solar cells, such as biodegradable plastics and wood fibers. So in short, the solar panels can be as clean as the energy they generate.

Foto: haley. s / Creative Commons

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Entrepreneur creates morels in the caves de Mira de Aire (with video)

With 11 kilometres of underground galleries, the Mira de Aire caves are the largest in the country and are part of the natural wonders of our "rectangle". What few know is that these underground galleries are the workplace of João Vieira, an entrepreneur who produces mushrooms here.

Unemployed since the closure of the youth Paused to Leiria, João took a old dream and found a natural greenhouse in the caves. "The caves protect high and low temperatures. It's like a greenhouse with an efficient irrigation system ", explains João Vieira to the green economy.

The Grotto serves as protection against insects, and even the 80% humidity helps the mushrooms to grow. "It's a ecosustentável production and we have many examples of good dimensions," continued João Vieira.

The entrepreneur currently has about a dozen species of mushrooms, but new experience are made every week. For now, João Vieira reaps 500 grams of mushrooms per day, which are used in the restaurant of the caves. The idea is to expand the production and start selling the mushrooms caves and other establishments in the area.

To tourists hungry for information about the mushrooms was created an interpretation centre, still in the early stages. Another point of interest to a few caves that receive 100 thousand visitors per year.

Photo: Lawrence Thomas/Creative Commons

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Climate change: Emperor penguins at risk of extinction

The total population of Emperor penguins of Antarctica can reduce about one-third by the end of the century due to melting of the ice caps, putting the species at risk of extinction, a new study reveals.

"The population is decreasing. Unless something changes to prevent this, the population goes extinct, "said Hal Caswell, a researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and one of the study authors, quotes the Guardian.

As a top predator in the Antarctic, the greatest threat to the survival of the emperor penguins stems from the lack of territory, as global warming melts the ice, which is essential to the species. The loss of sea ice reduces the amount of krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans that are the main source of food for the penguins.

Changes in the nearby ice of Antarctica can, in the short term, boost the increase of some populations of penguins. The ice it gives off the Mainland is increasing, which offers more territory to animals. However, by 2100 the Emperor Penguin colonies 45 known should decrease due to the loss of territory, when global warming does not preserve the icebergs that slough off the continent.

Foto:  Christopher.Michel / Creative Commons

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The American teenager who's shocked animal lovers

Kendall Jones, a 19-year-old American, is the shock the community of animal lovers â€" and not only! â€" with your photos along with hippos, elephants, leopards, zebras, Lions or Tigers ... all hunted for African safaris.

Jones, who puts all these photos on Facebook, explained that these photos are proof of their hunting qualities and, oddly, "dedication to conservation". "Control the male population of Lions is important in large areas such as these. The financing of these hunts are for the Government but also to the owner of the property, as an incentive for him to create lions, "explains Jones.

When the young page on Facebook became known to the public, was launched a petition for his own Facebook to remove â€" in just a week, the petition has gathered 40 thousand signatures.

"For the sake of animals, especially those in the African region, where the hunters just for fun to kill an animal", can be read in the petition.

In one of the photos, in which Jones is beside a rhino facing extinction, the young claims that the animal was not killed. "The vet take blood, DNA samples, measured the head and a leg wound. I'm a lucky girl to be part of this great program and help the population of white rhino, "he explained.

A second petition, originating in South Africa, wants to ban Jones from entering the Mainland. See some of the photos, which may shock â€" and, if you find these shocking photos, sign petitions.

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