Where did the inspiration for the hobbit houses modern?

The first green roof construction dating from the years 60, but for centuries the Norse living in houses made with natural materials and that inspired J.R.R Tolkien in his literary works â€" in the homes of hobbit.

The architecture of these houses has a very specific context: in a iced environment and with few trees, the grass was a natural choice for buildings, especially in countries like Iceland and Norway.

The grass provides an insulating layer to ceilings and walls, being not only efficient but also a sustainable approach to construction. Being an abundant resource in nature, it is easy to install and requires little maintenance.

According to Inhabitat explains, these houses were built in the brief time of the year when moderate soil grew grass chunks, herbs and wildflowers.

Today, these houses use synthetic rubber liners to prevent moisture from damaging the roof structure â€" its long useful life can reach 40 years. At that time, the roofs were using only bark of trees, a proofing that, interestingly, had the same 40 years of useful time of life. These shells were collected in the spring, when the upward flow of SAP made of bark was easy to peel off the trees â€" usually birch trees, which are among the most common trees of the regions. This process does not damage the trees.

The basic structure of the House was built with stones and trunks â€" of birch or other species-, with raw wood planks that served as roof boards to support the grass. From the eaves of the roof, the Nordic constructors put overlapping sheets of birch bark, which functioned as large tiles and took the water to drain from the roof to the ground.

A layer of grass about seven inches thick was placed on birch bark, to keep him in place. This process helped the water flowing under the roof and prevented the House of decompose quickly.

A second layer is placed on top of the first, getting a total of 15 inches of coverage. Finally, a trunk was attached horizontally to the base of the roof, along each one of the gutters to prevent the lawn from sliding down.

The rough trunks that were typically used as a wall structure, in conjunction with grass roofs, were compressed by shaking by these, closing every possible draughts and giving some comfort to homeowners.

Unlike hobbits, the Norse were â€" and are. -extremely high people. But its doors were too small, as you can see in the following images, a reflection of the scarcity of existing wood in these places and not the physical structure of the population.

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Richard Branson has invested in only 7.6% sustainability than promised

In 2006, the entrepreneur and founder of Virgin, Richard Branson, made a statement bombastic: over the next decade, he would invest three billion ($ 7 billion) in business and sustainable technologies.

Branson explains in his autobiography, Screw it, let's Do It, he was impressed when Al Gore, then touring worldwide with the an inconvenient truth project, explained the dangers of climate change. "Listened to Gore and thought I was looking at Armageddon", revealed the Manager.

Months later, Branson was on Clinton Global Initiative promising to spend three billion ($ 7 billion) in the next decade, to developing biofuels as an alternative to oil and gas, and other technologies to combat climate change. The world was thrilled with the promise of Branson-Clinton apeliou her "precursor"-mainly because she would be subsidized by the highly polluting Virgin Atlantic.

Eight years later, the journalist Naomi Klein, the Guardian newspaper, he investigated where was this money and found that there's no money. Branson has invested over the past eight years, €177 million (US $ 577 million) in projects related to sustainability â€" less than a tenth of what was promised, when little more than a year for the period expires.

"For many mainstream ecologists, Branson seemed like a dream come true: a darling of the media that shows the world that highly polluting companies can lead the way to a green future, using profits as their most potent weapon," explained Klein â€" who accused Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, albeit in smaller doses, of the same type of hypocrisy.

According to Klein, Branson began to invest € 100 million ($ 303 million) in a deal of biofuel from ethanol. However, investors concluded that the technology was not sufficiently developed and diversified investments.

In 2009, Branson defended the pledge in an interview with Wired: "it doesn't matter if you invest two, three or four billion, is not relevant." So, he blamed the economic crisis by their meager investments. "The world was very different in 2006 ... for the last eight years the airline has lost hundreds of millions of dollars".

Since 2006 â€" the year of promise â€" Branson Airlines increased emissions of greenhouse gases by 40%. Then there's the formula one team and Virgin Galactic, which hopes to launch the first commercial spaceflight. Only in this draft, according to Fortune, Branson will have spent € 150 million ($ 467 million).

Promise to invest in sustainable innovation is easy â€" the hard part is keeping promises. And even Richard Branson escape this reality.

Foto: Jarle Naustvik / Creative Commons

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United Nations Headquarters will be lit with endangered species

The walls of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, will reflect and rare creatures facing extinction, according to those responsible for the climate March, which takes place this weekend.

These animals will be screened on Saturday, 20 September, between the 8:0 pm and the 11:0 pm â€" time to New York â€" and the 3:0 pm and 6:0 pm, Lisbon time.

The action will be developed by The Oceanic Preservation Society, a u.s. NGO specializes in marine conservation and responsible for the movie "Racing Extinction", which follows a team of activists as they are telling the story of climate change through the lens of a mass extinction of species.

The film aims to draw more people to the cause of conservation and galvanize the population to save these species before it's too late.

According to conservationists, the Planet will be losing about 30 thousand species per year, many of them haven't even been discovered by humans.

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Global certification of sugar more slowly than anticipated

Sugar plantations grew globally from 19 million hectares in 2000 to nearly 24 million hectares in 2010 â€" the same number of palm oil and coconut together â€" and the expansion is expected to continue to grow as the demand for food and confection sugar ethanol persists.

In recent years, organizations such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and IFOAM Organic have been trying to enverdecer this industry, but the efforts have been in vain. In 2008, the Bonsucro â€" former Better Sugarcane Initiative, a program developed in partnership with the WWF â€" tried to get sugar certificate to a global market, but all initial projections have been flouted.

Today, approximately 3.66% of the entire global sugar is certified. However, in 2012, the former CEO of Bonsucro, Nick Goodall, promised to reach 5% in two years â€" what didn't happen. With numbers revised downwards, the prospects to reach the 20% until 2017 are nonexistent.

The Bonsucro included companies such as Coca Cola, Ferrero or pertolíferas such as BP and Shell, but there are other rocks in my shoes of the organization. The Tate Lyle & resigned from the partnership earlier this year, after allegations that they have suitable land in Cambodia.

"The standard of the Bonsucro takes into account the social and environmental impact. Farmers, Millers, brands, NGOs came together and said: we need to do something. They want a standard that could change the industry, "explained the CEO of Bonsucro, Natasha Schwarzbach, the Guardian.

One of the founding members of the Coalition, Bacardi, pledged to buy 100% sustainable sugar until 2022. Two other brands, Ferrero and Coca-Cola want to anticipate this date in two years.

However, this will not be easy. The sugar is planted in 102 countries, but the Bonsucro just got certified factories in two of them, Brazil and Australia. There are six priority countries: Thailand, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico, Fiji. Central America is one of the priorities of the Coalition, according to Schwarzbach, which admits has a long road ahead of you.

Foto: Jenny Mealing / Creative Commons

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Fish with 140 million years ago on the brink of extinction

The Chinese sturgeon, one of the oldest living things on Earth, are facing extinction due to pollution of the Yangtze River. The Chinese sturgeon is considered a "national treasure" in China, but even that didn't save a disappearance announced, due to the pollution, overfishing and habitat loss for the construction of dams.

In 2013, according to the Chinese Academy of fishery Science, there was no natural reproduction of Chinese sturgeon for the first time in 32 years that scientists monitor this species.

"The fact that there is no natural reproduction means that the Chinese sturgeon can not expand their population and, without protection, may be on the brink of extinction," said Wei Qiwie, a researcher of the Academy.

Currently there are only 100 Chinese sturgeon in their habitat. And this is not the only species to lose biodiversity in the Yangtze River: the population of dolphins 99.4% decreased between 1980 and 2006; and the Alligator population fell 97 percent from 1995 to 2010, according to AFP.

Over the past 50 years, according to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), the level of pollution grew 73% on the Yangtze River, mainly due to industrial, agricultural waste and sewage discharged into the water.

The exorbitant amount of polluters led to eutrophication, a process in which the excess of nutrients creates a low oxygen condition, making it almost impossible for life to all species.

The Chinese sturgeon is considered a living fossil â€" have been contemporaries of the dinosaurs, there are 140 million years.

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Flavors market received 20 thousand people

About 20 thousand people passed this weekend by Meo Arena in Lisbon, to taste the gastronomic market portugality Flavors, according to the Continent, organizer of the event.

The market of flavors was attended by the chefs Just Noble, Henrique Sá Pessoa, Kiko Martins, Luís Baena and Hélio Loureiro and was inspired by the "street food, street food. In addition to wine tasting and olive oil, the site featured a restoration zones, workshops of soft eggs and cheese production, showcookings, showcases and regional products stalls for tastings of the best makes in Portuguese cuisine.

The event was attended by 68 national producers from Mainland Producers, from four regions of Portugal â€" North, Centre and Vale do Tejo, South and Islands.

The Mainland Producers Club gathers 267 members that correspond to more than 4,000 individual producers and about 12,800 jobs, distributed from North to South, Azores and Madeira. Since 1998, the Producers Club has already bought more than 1 million tons to the national production, which go beyond the billion euros.

More than eight tonnes of fruit and vegetables, wine bottles and 210 were sampled more than 1,000 bottles of wine producers from Mainland Producers Club, in tasting.

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Allow renewable energy self-sufficiency the Quintinha de Monserrate, Sintra (with video)

Since July the Quintinha de Monserrate, a pedagogical farm situated less than three miles from the historic centre of Sintra, is more sustainable. The Farm off the net is what you might call a green project-inside-of-another-Green project and gives the Monserrate a first approach to the concept of green economy.

"The farm is a place where we privilege all contact with the rural surroundings and traditions, particularly in this region country. We want to make known to all the people on Earth and the animals, "he explained to the green economy Susana Morales, the Sintra Parks.

To enverdecer the project was created the Farm outside the network, generating electricity of renewable origin for self-consumption. "In the Sierra de Sintra can harness wind power, hydro and solar power. This project allows us to be self-sufficient. We're not dependent on the public network for what we need in terms of energy consumption, "explained Green Savers Susana Morales.

This structure does not require a cumbersome licensing process, unlike other renewable energy solutions. "It's within reach of all [implement this system]. Just have the will and effort to want to change something, "explains Nuno Oliveira, the Sintra Parks.

And money, we've added. The Sintra Parks invested € 60,000 in small farm outside the network, distributed between a wind turbine â€" wind energy â€" a hydro turbine-hydro energy â€" and a set PV-solar power. All are connected to a central, as you can see in episode 301 of the green economy.

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