Maria Bike: the project that will transform Lisbon into a city of women cyclists (with video)

Dear readers, let's give him a little advice: If you enter the site Mary Bike won't get out of there so early and, most likely, you will need to read the last sentence of the last urban cyclist interviewed by Laura Alves and Vitorino Courage.

The addictive project of two urban cyclists sought 20 women using the bike in your daily life, putting naked their initial fears and anxieties of pedaling in the midst of chaos Lisbon car, but also the joys contagious and that may influence others to become lovers of two wheels â€" without motor.

The site is a set of pictures and texts about these women, in order to show that the urban cycling doesn't have sex, weather station or geography. "We question the photographic process to proceed with as much ease as possible," explained to the green economy Vitorino Courage.

"I came to the conclusion to come to Lisbon is a bad option. My boyfriend had a bike, started coming to bike to work and challenged me to do the same, "explained to the green economy Katie Fonseca, who a year ago traded the car for the bike and it takes between 15 or 20 minutes to get to Lisbon, depending on the mood in pedaling.

"I gave up immediately," continues Katie, who shortly thereafter sold the car. And even the weather excuse. "If snowing or hailing eventually can come by bus. Otherwise, use the waterproof jacket and trousers and no rain to put fear. There is no bad weather, there are bad equipment ", he concludes.

This urban cyclist was paying $ 50 a month in fuel, off the cost of the insurance and other maintenance. Portugal is the European country with less urban cyclists, so the trend can only be of growth â€" and projects like Maria Bike can help change our mentality.

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Meat consumption is causing dangerous climate change

Eat less meat is "essential" to ensure that future demand for meat can be supplied and that "dangerous" climate change can be avoided. The findings are from a group of researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Aberdeen. The team stresses that the production of food, in particular meat, exceed the targets for emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, if current trends continue production.

Population growth, and an increasing tendency to diets high in meat, means that the growing agricultural production will not be sufficient to respond to the food needs for a population of 9.6 billion inhabitants in 2044, suggest researchers.

The increase of deforestation, the use of fertilizers and methane emissions by domestic cattle should cause emissions of greenhouse gases arising from food production increase by almost 80%.

"Agricultural practices are not necessarily at fault here, but our food choices Yes. It is imperative to find ways to achieve global food security levels without increasing grazing and cultivation land, "said Bojana Bajzelj, principal of Cambridge researcher, cites the Daily Mail.

"Food production is one of the main factors contributing to loss of biodiversity and a major contributor to climate change and pollution. Reduce food waste and the consumption of meat, more balanced diets, are essential options ", indicates the researcher.

According to the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, current trends in food production means that in 2050 the farmland will have expanded 42% and the use of fertilisers increased by 45%, compared with 2009 levels. Research indicates that over the next 35 years, about one-tenth of the world's unspoiled rain forests disappear.

The researchers tested in the study a hypothetical scenario where all countries would have an average diet balanced, without excessive consumption of sugar, fats, meat and derivatives.

Foto: Asian Development Bank / Creative Commons

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The most colourful places on the planet

Although not always look, the land is a diverse and colorful place. Some landscapes are so intensely colored to appear surreal.

Since pink Lake in Senegal, the yellow fields of mustard, in China, or the volcanic formations of various colors in Yellowstone Park, the terrestrial landscape is diverse and some remain preserved almost since the dawn of life on the planet.

Thus, it is important to continue to take care of these sites so that the world will continue to be a diverse and colorful place.

Here are some of the most colourful landscapes on the planet.

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Photos:

1 â€" Fields of tulips, Netherlands

2 Lake Retba, Senegal

3-Black Rock Desert, Nevada, United States

4-mount Roraima, South America

5-rock formation from the Jurassic period, Arizona, United States

6 â€" Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone, Estados Unidos

7-Zhangye, China Danxia Geological Park

8 â€" mustard Fields, China

9-gate of hell, Turkmenistan

10 â€" volcanic crater of Dallol, Ethiopia

11 â€" marble Caves of Lake Carrera, Chile

12-Thorns, Namibia

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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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