EcoBook: the Whiteboard in school notebook format

The concept is the same as a whiteboard of those who find themselves in schools: write as many times as you want and delete as many times as you want. However, this is not a picture, but rather of the EcoBook, a notebook and reusable eco-made from the same material of the school boards, which allows the re-use of leaves without the stain or damage.

Behind the EcoBook are, two young men of Viseu, who created the concept this year when they were still in the last year of secondary education. The idea arose from the frustration of having damaged leaves by use of rubber or the impossibility of erasing ink stains. And thus arose the EcoBook, which embodies the advantages of the pencil, the possibility to erase and re-write, but without leaving marks, together with the pen, allowing for greater smoothness in the writing process.

The project started in June this year, through a campaign of crowdfunding, during just over a month, has raised about € 2,300, 85% more than young people needed to start the project. With this money the company could create and produce stock.

"The acceptance of the product has surpassed very positively our expectations. In less than two months we can sell to Brazilian companies, a multinational, hearing health for public institutions and others, "says Peter Lee. "It's hard and we get many sleepless nights, but we see what we have achieved already so new it makes you wake up every morning with a smile on her face and a huge willingness to at least try to change the habits of the Portuguese and, who knows, in the world," he adds.

The EcoBook is available in formats A4 and A5 costing €8,99 and €6,99, respectively, and are accompanied by a black marker. The ecological notebook can be purchased in online shop of the EcoBook.

Photo: EcoBook

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Demand for rhinoceros horn in Vietnam decreased by 38% in one year

Efforts to stem the illegal trade of animals appear to be bearing fruit in some African and Asian countries. Vietnam is one of them. The demand for rhino horn in this country decreased about 38% in the last year.

After a long public awareness campaign in Vietnam, only 2.6% of the inhabitants continue to buy and use the rhino horn, which has enough medicinal value according to the local customs.  And also the number of people who still believe in the medicinal value of the Horn, which is of the same biological material that the nails and hair, decreased by about 25%.

However, around 38% of Vietnamese continue to believe that the animal Horn achieves treating diseases such as rheumatism or cancer.

The findings are from a survey carried out by Nielsen for the Humane Society International and the Cites Vietnamese, referred to in the Guardian.

Vietnam is one of the key markets for trade in rhino horn, a factor that triggered the awareness campaign to deter people from buying and consuming the product. The campaign has focused on debunking the myth that the rhino horn has medicinal value. The action took place mainly in commercial spaces, schools, universities and women's organizations in the country's capital, Hanoi.

Demand for rhinoceros horns in the markets of China and other countries of Southeast Asia are putting the African rhinos in danger. In the last year about 1,004 animals were slaughtered by poachers in South Africa, which has more rhinos than any other African country. This year have already been slaughtered 821 animals.

The increase in poaching the rhinoceros is relatively recent â€" in 2007, only 13 rhinos were slaughtered in South Africa. One of the main reasons for the slaughter are the high prices that the rhinoceros horns can reach on the black market, about € 78,700/kg, which puts this product at the same level in the price of gold or cocaine.

Foto: Stephen Kelly Photography/Creative Commons

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Tibetan monks build artificial glaciers to provide water to local villages

In Ladakh, a desert region in the Tibetan plateau, the consequences of climate change are already felt severely by its inhabitants. Farmers in Ladakh are facing a water crisis due to the rapid melting of the glaciers and as such decided to act and build artificial glaciers in cone shape.

As the natural glaciers around Ladakh are decreasing in size from year to year, due to global warming, the amount of water available every spring is smaller and smaller. But during the hot summer months, the water released is enough, which decreases the size of glaciers. This situation is extremely worrying for the inhabitants of the region, who depend on the water for centuries provided by glaciers.

In January this year, SECMOL School students Campus began working on a solution to the water shortage by creating artificial glaciers. The structures were called Stupas of ice, due to similarities shared with the traditional Tibetan stupas.

In late February, the students had already created a prototype structure of two years floors which stored about 150,000 gallons of water from excess water from glaciers during the winter.

After the first prototype has proved a success, the structure was blessed by a Tibetan monk who requested a full-scale version of the artificial glacier to the land involving the Phyang monastery, referred to Inhabitat.

To raise funds for the Stupas of Ice of Phyang, monks and villagers launched a fundraising campaign. So that there is funding, the objective is to use the stupas to create enough water to irrigate the desert region of Ladakh.

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Abandoned by his mother Leopard is created on the bathroom attendant

The baby Leopard Nimbus was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, in the Natural Park Cotswold, in Oxfordshire, England. The animal Wrangler, Jamie Craig, discovered her along to a brother who, unlike Nimbus, didn't make it, and didn't think twice before taking to his own House, where the fed by hand for six weeks â€" the perfect time for the animal return to healthy Natural Park.

According to the Daily Mail, Craig rode the whole support structure the Nimbus in the bathroom. It can be tricky getting out of the shower with a Leopard on the side, but that fact not worried JHA of 13 years, and Niemi, of 10, Jamie and sons who helped create the animal.

"The first time I warmed up and gave her food be surprised by the strength that she had. Put him in the bathroom for her to walk from one side to the other, without restrictions, "explained the dog Walker.

Jamie monitored the animal's health every day, and this was one of the reasons why led Nimbus home. Is that Nimbus belongs to the species of leopards-nebulous, who live mostly the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and China and which are considered vulnerable by the IUCN-International Union for conservation of nature.

Nimbus spent six weeks in Jamie's House, until it was returned to its habitat (artificial). A success story.

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USA: how the FBI will handle cases of animal cruelty

Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States changed its policy in relation to abuse animals, and include them in the list of separate offenses in the National System of reporting of Incidents, following the recommendations of the Office of animal welfare and the National Association of Sheriffes.

So far, the FBI classified the animal abuse as "other" in the categories of your databases, this category where the offenses were less relevant. Such categorization made the work of organizations of animal rights and defense agencies that oversee law enforcement to monitor and combat the mistreatment of animals across the country.

However, with the new crime classification will be included in the group are other crimes like murders, rapes and robberies. "It will be a group A offence and a Crime Bill to society," reads a statement from the FBI that the Dodo had access. "Criminal activity and group information will be expanded to include four types of abuse," reads the statement. The four categories of abuse will be simple negligence, intentional abuse and torture, abuse and sexual abuse.

The FBI clarifies the concept of cruelty as "intentional execution, knowingly or recklessly actions that hurt or kill any animal without just cause, such as torture, mutilation, harass, poisoning or neglect".

Still in the examples of abuse include the denial of food, water, shelter or veterinary care when needed, or the imprisonment of an animal in a manner that causes injury, death, excessive or repeated pain and suffering.

The new classification given by the FBI abuses against animals has two immediate effects, as indicates the political director of abuse against animals the humane society of America. "First, the fact that the FBI classify animal cruelty crimes so serious enough to be monitored broadcasts a message to all law enforcement agencies that the problem is serious and should be taken very seriously," says John Goodwin. The second result is real-time monitoring of animal abuse in all 50 u.s. States, which will be compiled in monthly reports by the local authorities. The reports will start to be made in 2016.

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Scottish island on sale for € 315,000 can become a haven of ecotourism

Located in the Shetland Islands, North of Scotland, the Isle of Linga has an unusual beauty, keeping almost all the natural characteristics anti-civilização: no water supply or electricity, just some holiday homes in ruins.

According to the British press, the island has just been put up for sale by Bob Thomson, who asks € 315,000 ($ 1 million) for her and hopes that its new owner can make Lanyard a haven of ecotourism.

"Owning an island in Shetland is the best feeling ever and it's always sad to have to sell, especially because my development plan received strong support of local communities," explained Thomson to the Daily Mail.

The island has 26 hectares and permission to build wind turbines, a pontoon for a maritime access and restore two houses in ruins as holiday homes. If it goes through, will be the first time in 80 years that someone lives in Linga â€" the last known person to do so was Captain James Fraser, who died in 1931.

Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the island is surrounded by azure waters and is small enough to be covered in half an hour â€" in fact, it's closest to the Norway that of Scotland, according to the Daily Mail.

Although remain untouched a generation ago, the island has a rich past, having been found evidence of prehistoric communities that inhabited for several thousands of years.

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400 people bury my head in the sand by climate change

A group of 400 people gathered in the famous Bondi Beach Beach in Sydney, Australia, and buried their heads in the sand to draw the attention of the country's Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, who refuses to include the topic of climate change on the agenda of the next G20 agenda.

"Obama wants to talk about it, Xi Jingping want to talk about it, all want to talk about it except one man," said Reuters activist Pat Norman, of 28 years. World leaders gather tomorrow and Sunday in Brisbane, capital of Queensland, Australia, for the annual meeting of the G20.

In 2009, Abbott called climate change a "bullshit" of science and also said in October that "coal is good for humanity". In recent months, the Australian Prime Minister said repeatedly that his priority is economic growth and climate change.

According to the Deputy, the Australian leader also proposed the reduction of investment in renewables, in a country that already has one of the highest levels of fossil fuel emissions per capita. Abbott's scepticism is all the more incomprehensible when we know that Australia is hit annually by fires extremes, heat waves and floods increasingly severe.

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