The best photos of wildlife photography contest of the Smithsonian

O Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History inaugurou recentemente uma exposição fotográfica intitulada “Wilderness Forever: 50 Years of Protecting America’s Wild Places”.

The exhibition displays several images carefully selected by a jury, that capture the beauty of the natural spaces and wildlife of the United States. The exhibition is part of the celebrations of the Wilderness Act, a law passed in 1964 and that has protected wildlife million acres of American soil.

The photos to display were selected from over 5,000 submissions. Many of the winning photos depict the fabulous mountains and tundra of Alaska, the mountainous forests of the Pacific coast and the rock formations of the American Southeast. The exhibition will feature in the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian until the summer of 2015.

Here are some of the winning photos.

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Butterfly-shaped square absorbs solar energy through green roofs

The atelier of design Architecture Weatherhead recently unveiled the draft of Butterfly Square, a butterfly-shaped square which absorbs solar energy through green roofs. The square was designed for the Swedish County of Halland.

Crossed by a pedestrian zone, the square is composed of six buildings, arranged in the form of butterfly wings open. The buildings are coated with a wide of simple materials produced from wood and glass.

Heavily landscaped with green roofs and zones of cultivation, the Butterfly Square was designed in the manner of look like an extension of the Green Park that exists in that area. To create a more pedestrian space and suitable for children, the architects have created an underground car park. Beyond the scope of leisure and commerce, there is a covered Amphitheater for a green roof for cultural activities, referred to in Inhabitat.

The abundant green roofs will serve as habitat to birds and insects and one of the main objectives is the planting of a rare plant location to attract giant butterflies, which are threatened. Green roofs are also equipped with solar panels to mimic the way the butterflies get solar energy from the wings. The start of construction of the Plaza is scheduled for 2016.

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7 of the most beautiful natural pools in the world – and two are in Portugal

There is much that the luxury hotels strive to create artificial pools endless, imitating nature â€" there are no resorts of Maldives, Bora Bora or Tahiti you don't have. But nothing compares to endless pools, as these seven that you bring in this article.

Compiled by Conde Nast Traveler, this list includes Turkey's natural wonders, Zambia or even Portugal â€" the Old Boiler and Poça da Ferraria, São Miguel, Azores.

See the list of pools and, below, the photographs.

1. Travertine Terraces, Pamukkale, Turkey

Considered a world heritage site, this site contains hot springs that reach to 100ºc. Most of these pools are protected and prohibited to the public yet, there are some that can be used.

2. Devil's pool, Victoria Falls, Zambia

The Devil's pool just a misstep and can habilitarmo us to a drop of 110 meters. The swimming pool is glued to the waterfalls â€" however a stone wall beneath the surface protects swimmers from a possible tragedy.

3.Kuang Si Waterfall, Luang Prabang, Laos

The Kuang Si waterfalls are among the most impressive wonders of a country already, benefited by nature, Laos.

4. Pool of Ferraria, São Miguel, Portugal

There are numerous natural pools in the Azores, but this is one of the most well known and spectacular. You know her?

5.Top Ponds, Hot Springs, Villa Grove, Colorado

After an easy hike, visitors come to this natural pool, one of three lakes with connections between them and summer temperatures averaging 40° c. Are all surrounded by a natural beauty incomporável.

6. Beach of Coogee, Sydney, Australia

Sydney is one of the cities with the most natural pools along the coast, but the McIvors and Wylie Bths, in Coogee Beach are the most beautiful.

7. Caldeira Velha, Sao Miguel, Azores

These geothermal springs are hidden in the Woods but, nonetheless, are part of the many wonders that the Azores are known to all its visitors.

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Photo: Old Boiler, Azores. David Stanley/Creative Commons

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New Caledonia: a heart-shaped solar

For decades, the Islands suffered with the energy dependence of the continent, a highly unsustainable, inefficient and expensive. However, renewable energies came not only to give them a new impetus on energy independence â€" and the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, is the best proof of this new reality â€" how to contribute to a new ecological reality.

The archipelago of New Caledonia is the latest renditioned to renewable, and he's so happy with this option that will build a solar plant in the shape of a heart. The plant will supply power to 750 homes from New Caledonia, helping to reduce carbon emissions and giving a romantic perspective renewables.

The plan was developed by a local drink, the Froico, and is being built by Conergy. The plant will begin producing energy in 2015 and when its life cycle comes to an end, in 2040, will have saved about 2 million tons of carbon emissions.

The central design was inspired by a local forest that will have grown in the shape of a heart, known as Coeur de Voh. "This forest is an important heritage for the people of New Caledonia and shows how extraordinary nature can be" explained managing director of Conergy to The Guardian.

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Reusable cups firm launches limited edition Portuguese Cork

The KeepCup, Australian company of reusable cups, has just released a limited edition portguesa Cork. Named KeepCup Brew Cork, glass uses the Cork which, according to Abigail Forsyth, CEO and co-founder of the company, is the best in the world.

"People buy KeepCup for re-use which transmit message while using it, but continue to use it because they love the way it makes you feel, for its color and design," explained the responsible.

Forstyh believes that the anti-bacterial properties of Cork, as well as its lightness and biogradável feature can take the brand to a wider audience ". "Our mission [to be] the same â€" reduce the use of disposable cups," he explained.

The new glass is ideal for coffee, because Cork protects your hands from burns. With a toughened glass and sturdy, a flexible lever and a larger hole, the KeepCup Brew Cork is on sale for €27 â€" in small size-and €29-in the middle.

The KeepCup emerged in Australia, after its creators if encountering a daily problem in the café where they worked â€" too many disposable cups ended up in the trash.In fact, every minute are thrown in the trash over a million disposable cups worldwide.

Most existing reusable cups were too large to fit in the coffee machines, and seemed too utilities and unappealing. Since 2009, the company has sold more than 3 million units, and its users managed to reduce by several thousand million the use of disposable cups. Currently, the KeepCup is available in more than 30 countries

In Portugal, the KeepCup has exclusive distribution of the Green Footprint, a Portuguese online store of sustainable products, which can be reused and have no toxic substances.

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The world of the magic mushrooms of Vyacheslav Mishchenko

Vyacheslav Mishchenko is a photographer and lover of mushrooms. The passion for both began in childhood, influenced by father, who was a freelance photographer and was picking mushrooms in his spare time.

As they grew, the photograph was losing space for painting, but a passion for mushrooms remained. However, with the advent of digital photography, Slava, short for what is known, turned to interest for photography and decided to combine the two tastes.

That's how I began to take shape the first macro photos of mushroom, a fungus present in almost everywhere, but often ignored. With your machine, Slava shooting until the most common mushrooms, but angles that gives them a kind of magic. The picture gets even more composed when he manages to portray the interactions of small insects with the mushrooms.

Here are some of the great shots of Slava and their mushrooms.

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Fourth generation of entrepreneurs in the salt meets surprise enemy: climate change (with video)

For four generations the same family works in salinas de Rio Maior. Louis and John Lee remember help grandparents and parents in the marine Salt, from which this is taken, and it is now their turn to develop the business: the Salt store.

Although the salinas de Rio Maior is a millennial business, a new stage of evolution starts now and Louis and John already knows the name of one of its greatest enemies in the development of the company: climate change.

"Later this year, with the time [uncertain], the production is much more reduced, which may pose a risk to the satisfaction of all the requests that we have customers," explained John Lopes. According to his brother, Luis, this is a business that is completely dependent on the weather: the production exists only in summer. "We're limited by weather conditions," he explained.

"We need heat and we are also limited to the salinity of the water: If the temperature is greater in winter, will have a lower quality of water in the summer," continues.

With superior training in electrical engineering and psychology, Louis and John know that his high-quality salt-the salt pans are in a protected region. "The salt does not have any kind of additives or processing. Has a quality of excellence, and a large part of the product goes to Germany and Northern Europe and is marketed to large heads and Delicatessens, "explains Luis Lopes.

In the coming months, the Lee brothers predict launch new products, including bath salts, taking the name of salinas de Rio Maior other geographies. This, of course, if the changing climate will allow them. If climate change continues its saga of disruption of temperatures and multiplication of extreme phenomena, then the likelihood is that this development of business is seriously affected.

Foto: bjaglin / Creative Commons

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