Phonebloks

The PHILOSOPHY of this video is that when a mobile phone is broken, we have to throw it away. But is it necessary? Usually, the majority of discarded phones have only one faulty component that is nearly impossible to replace/repair.


                                                       

Dave Hakkens came up with the excellent idea. Phoneblok is made of detachable BLOKS. The bloks ( parts of the phone) are connected to the base which locks everything together into a solid phone. If a blok ( one part)  breaks you can easily REPLACE it; if it's getting old just upgrade.

                                                       

                                             Phoneblocks can REDUCE cellular phone WASTE by as much as 90%.

                                                       

                                                                                  Your own ARRANGEMENT of bloks

                                                        

                                                                                                   Do you like this IDEA?!

                                                           Give support so the phonebloks can be real and not just a idea!                                                                                              
                                                                                                    Support it here                                 


Source:                                                                       http://www.phonebloks.com/

Clean Up The World Action

                                         

Clean Up the World engages an estimated 35 MILLION volunteers in 130 countries each year, making it one of the largest community based ENVIRONMENTAL campaigns in the world.

                                                            

By facilitating local action, Clean Up the World brings about GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE.

                                                              

Everything started by creating Clean Up Australian Day in 1989 in Sydney. The idea was cretated by Australian builder and solo yachtsman Ian Kiernan. As he sailed through the oceans of the world in his yacht 'Spirit of Sydney' he was shocked and disgusted by the POLLUTION and RUBISH that he continually encountered in areas such as the Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean. Therefore he decided to ACT.

                                                    

Clean Up Sydney Harbour Day in 1989 received an ENORMOUS public response with MORE than 40,000 Sydneysiders donating their time and energy to clean up the harbour.


                                                    

Nowadays, it is held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 

                                                                     

                                        EXAMPLES of community-led Clean Up the World activities include

           

• Recycling and resource recovery                       
• Tree planting  
• Education campaigns                                       
• Water reuse and conservation               
• Competitions Exhibitions                             
• Fix up projects   

                                          

                                                           WATCH video about Clean Up The World

                                                                                                or visit their facebook


source.                                       http://www.cleanuptheworld.org/

                                                http://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/

                                                                  http://www.unep.org/

Bobble Water Bottle

 

This bottle is NOT just a simple, ordinary bottle which is used everywhere. NO.
Bobble is a STYLISH, REUSABLE bottle that filters water as you drink, using an
INGENIOUS replaceable CARBON FILTER.

                                                                      How does it work??!!
When water passes through the filter, the carbon REMOVES chlorine and organic contaminants.
Bobble is intended for municipal tap water making WATTER BETTER, with every sip.



                        It was launched in the United States in February 2010 by Move Collective LLC.
Bobble Water Bottle is now available in all 50 states in the USA, from department and specialty stores and mass-market retailers to corner boutiques. It´s in more than 35,000 stores, nearly three dozen countries and on five continents. MILLIONS OF BOBBLES have been sold worldwide.



Every filter equates to 300 single-serve bottles. After a year, you’ve removed thousands of bottles from the environment, simply by filtering the water from your tap. Bobble is FREE of BPA, Phthalates and PVC.


source:                                                http://www.waterbobble.com/

HidePark Nitra, Slovakia

                                          

In Nitra, 8 people from Civic Association Triptych turned  an illegal dumpster into cultural centre in 2010.
The idea of creating a centre for young people were supported by another 10 civic associations.

                                         

            Nowadays, it is place where concerts of all kinds are held. ( dnb, reggae, elektro, rock ... )

                                           
                                     
                                           

                                              Also practicing parkour, playing petanque league...

                                         

                                             ... cultivating vegetables in the community garden

                                          

                                                                                     ....  chilling

                                         

                                                                            and much more! :))

                                                    Watch video of a whole transformation here :)

                                             

                                                                 More photos on their facebook

source:                                                          http://hidepark.sk/
                                                       https://www.facebook.com/hideparkNitra

Boc'n Roll

                                                                                                                HI GUYS,

let me introduce you an ECOLOGICAL and reusable WRAPPER for sandwiches, baguettes, fruits, cookies and all kind of snacks which everybody has to have it!!!! :))

                                                                                                         

The MOST GREEN information is that it replaces throw-away wrappers - paper or plastic bags, aluminum foil etc. 
According to official web page, more than 1 000 000 Europeans already use Boc'n Roll and therefore
 it saved over 200 TONS of aluminum foil in 2011. 

                                                                                      It can be also a great gift for somebody! :))) 

  

• Read more information HERE

• Watch quick video Boc'n Roll saves our planet

                                                                   source:            http://www.greenbottleonline.eu/4/go-green

Climate CoLab Project

I would like to introduce you the online platform and community Climate CoLab. 

The Climate CoLab is a site where people from all over the world can create proposals on what should be done about climate change. The CoLab is currently hosting contests in 18 different topics on everything from Electric power sector to Reducing consumption , and the creators of the best proposals will be invited to present their ideas at a conference. The creators of the top ranked proposal will also share a Grand Prize of $10,000. The goal of the project is to harness the collective intelligence of thousands of people from all around the world to address global climate change.

See the introduction to this project here.

Did you know that you can contribute to the protection of the environment when simply surfing the Internet?  That's pretty easy - just use the right searcher!
There is one called http://www.ecosia.org/ which donates 80% of its revenue to the protection of the rain-forests! 
Not worse than Google at all and looks very nice, just try it :) 

Travelling and sustainability

Travelling is a fundamental source of experiences that enrich our lives. I love travelling and many of you probably feel the same way. The season of summer holiday, changing places and knowing new cultures is coming on. Therefore I decided to collect some information about travelling and what should we consider as important to be more environmentally aware while travelling.

Travelling has a deep influence on the environment and on people. There are many factors which play a role while travelling: the means of transportation, the destination, our behaviors,  the length and the reason for the trip. Every trip leaves a certain footprint in the environment and in the places we visit. As a first step It is important to become aware of this fact.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

According to the definition of UNWTO (World Tourism Organisation - committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Developments Goals),

"Sustainable tourism should:

1.     Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

2.     Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

3.     Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.

Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them."

How is it possible to combine our right and desire to travel with the need of not affecting the climate and having a sustainable impact on the local population?  

IDEAS / SUGGESTIONS

Before the trip:

• Preparing Your Home. Turn out the lights, unplug electric devices, adjust the termostat.
• Learn about your destination. Read, learn the language at least a little, get ready to share your culture too and study the issues there. 
• Basic Tips for Packing a Green Suitcase. Extra weight requires more fuel and produces more carbon dioxide emissions. Packing light can be a challenge if you're not used to it but, ultimately, you'll probably find that not only is it more eco-friendly, it's also more convenient! :

            Reusable items. Create less waste in your destination by bringing these items with you: a reusable water bottle, reusable batteries (and a charger), a reusable shopping bag

.  

           Paper weight. When possible, reduce paper weight by downloading books, articles, maps, etc., on an electronic device and leaving the hard copies behind. If you only need a few pages from your guidebooks, tear out those pages (or make copies of them). If you make notes on those pages as you travel, you'll have a handy mini-journal.  

       Pre-trip recycling. Remove packaging materials from new items and recycle those materials before you leave.  

       Natural, non-toxic products. Depending on your destination, consider bringing small quantities of natural, non-toxic items—toiletries, cosmetics, laundry soap, etc. because, in some places, such products can be difficult to find or prohibitively expensive.   

          Travel clothes. Laundry services are almost always available. And when they're not, you can use the sink! For easy laundering, bring quick-drying, wrinkle-resistant clothing.  

        Nonessentials. Train yourself to take as few nonessential items as possible. In most cases, you'll find that you can function without them. If you find that you really need them later, you can probably borrow them or buy them locally as you travel.

http://www.responsibletravelreport.com/component/content/article/2637-green-suitcase

During the trip:

• • 
    
  • • Travel behaviour :                                                         Advantages :

Transportation · Use collective ground transports · Share a car ride · Use airplanes more efficiently (fly less often, stay longer if you fly to distant destinations; avoid flights to near destinations, compensate your emissions if you considere this practicable) · Hitch-hiking · Ride a bike · Go on foot	· Affordable price (depending on mean of transportation, country, season, etc.) or for free · Diminishing the ecological impact, up to 0 · Many possibilities of meeting new people, socialising · Health and training (by bike and on foot)
Accomodation ·  Use accomodations facilities owned directly by the locals (e.g small pensions, private rooms) · Camp with your tent (check the legal dispositions on camping for the place you are visiting) ·  Avoid all-inclusive holidays and hotels	·  Affordable price or for free ·  Many possibilities of meeting new people, socialising · Discover the "true spirit" of your destination by meeting locals
Alimentation ·  Try out local foods and drinks · Cook your own food, if you have the possibility (e.g. while surfing a couch, in a hostel) ·   Avoid international food chains	·    Discover the local food · Support the local producers and agriculture ·    Sharing/learning/teaching cooking skills
Relationship with the locals and their environment · Inform yourself about history, politics, culture of your destination ·  Respect the local cultures, costumes and traditions ·   Try to communicate in the local language, at least a few words · Buy locally produced products, paying attention that they are not illegal  or  ethically dubious (e.g. endangered animal species, precious wood, ivory, etc.) ·  Respect and protect the environment and the nature	·  Easier comprehension of the local culture, minimising "culturale shocks" ·      Easier and deeper communication with the locals ·   Support the local producers and economy ·       Better protection and conservation of the environment

http://www.sustainablecouch.org/more/sustainable-travelling

After your trip:

Calculate your carbon footprint of your journey  (flying, driving, hotel stays and events) with https://sustainabletravel.org/utilities/carbon-calculator/ .

This comprehensive list should get you well on your way to more sustainable living. It may look daunting, but remember, you don’t have to do everything at once. Pick one or two ideas that sound good to you. When you’ve mastered those, pick one or two more. According to a report published in 2009 by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): "Tourism is an effective way of redistributing wealth and a catalyst for gender equality, cultural preservation and nature conservation." Let´s make some small steps to make it come true and find your own way of travelling. I will probably start with unpluging all the electronic devices this time. 

                                                                            I wish you perfect summer and great experiences;).

Eva

sources:
                                                                           http://www.sustainablecouch.org 
                                                         http://sustainabletravel.org
                                                         http://www.responsibletravelreport.com

other useful links:

· http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org: Promoting responsible travel and ecotourism, supporting sustainable development, and helping travellers and travel providers protect the cultures and environments they visit,

·  http://www.responsibletravelreport.com/:news, events, awards around the world in sustainable Tourism,

· http://www.responsibletravelreport.com/travel-green/travel-tips : great tips how to prepare yourself before your travel, what to take care of while travelling and what to do after you finish your travel.