Monthly Archives: April 2010
Gulf of Mexico oil spill much worse than thought
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to have even worse consequences than the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989, off the coast of Alaska. Last week, an oil rig from the UK company BP (British Petroleum) exploded, [...]
Notes on the environmental situation of France
When studying in Paris, in 2008, I was surprised by the fantastic public bike system, called “Vélib”, the excellent bus service, and the fantastic “metro”. Besides, in the building where I lived, we had to separate our trash, and leave [...]
Connecting people to foster gardening
Shared Earth has developed a brilliant concept: getting together people who want and know how to garden with people who have a piece of land and want to share it. Gardeners and farmers get to grow plants and food, and [...]
Meeting of the minds 2010: cities can be more sustainable
We have seen, here in Sustentator, many examples of cities working hard to become eco-friendlier; Adelaide, Malmo, and Curitiba, among others. In June this year, an important event will take place, in which the private and public sector will be [...]
Curitiba: a sustainable city in Latin America
It’s certainly encouraging to have a city like Curitiba in our continent, America, and to know that it’s from the developing world. Curitiba is Brazil’s 7th largest city, and is a milestone in sustainable urban planning. Its transportation system is [...]
Use.less: a designer’s answer to useless consumption
Her main products are three. They aren’t new products, just existent ones with a pinch of originality, which gives them a sustainable tone. Nika Rams has designed three objects aimed at helping people use less water, paper and energy. Verónica [...]
Forget mowers, hire goats!
This is the sort of creative yet simple solution I love finding. If we can use goats to mow overgrown fields, why should we keep using fossil fuel consuming mowers and herbicides? Google has “hired” some goats to eat extra [...]
Zurich Recycling program: an example of waste management
As world population continues to grow, so does our trash. The need for innovative and smart ways to manage our waste becomes increasingly important. Cities like Zurich show as that solutions are possible, and reducing waste is within our reach. [...]
The story of Earth Day
Next Thursday is Earth Day’s 40th anniversary. It started with a US Senator’s intention to make environmental issues more public, and now more than a billion people participate. After its first celebration, a couple of environmental laws were passed. What [...]
Understanding power grids
Why is your computer on right now? Maybe also a light or two are on, the fridge in the kitchen, the elevator. All of that works thanks to electricity. And electricity is brought to each of us thanks to a [...]
Interview to Paul Downton, from the eco architecture firm Ecopolis
Last week, I posted about the green neighborhood Christie Walk, in downtown Adelaide, Australia. It was developed by the architecture firm Ecopolis, whose founder and director is Paul Downton. I interviewed him and got some brilliant thoughts. 1) What is [...]
Towards a change in technological paradigms
Current fossil fuel technologies are rooted in the world as technological paradigms. Are these paradigms becoming obsolete? Problems caused by their externalities become visible as time goes by, but apparently these are not enough excuse to leverage a change. How [...]
