Madeira Natural Parks

Homeless people as guided tours operators

 Just this week I found myself with a friend and we talk about a little news that he had found in a national newspaper, but from little news it didnt had nothing because it´s a story with a great impact on the city and the lives of those that will play some roll in it and also a new opportunity of life.

  The city of Porto is about to have some new tour guides that will be nothing less than the homeless people who live in that city and which are linked to the project Welcome Home (http://www.welcomehome.pt/) the idea begin when of the association and the Catholic University, get together for a project.

  The course in "Hospitality and Tourism Experience" will be given by the Catholic University and will primarily aim to train people that alredy have a great knowledge of the city and can use that same knowledge as a way of reintegrating these citizens and way to make the city more attractive to be visited by tourist.

 3 routes will be created which tour guides trained at the University IRAM go, thus showing the tourists that the city has to offer.

  An excellent idea that should be used by other cities in order to reintegrate its citizens.

Problem about over fishing

Sustainable office is also economic!

 Around the world we have small, medium and large companies trying to cut costs in order to be able to control the global economic crisis which we live in for a few years, so a green output can be the solution to the costs of many of these companies.

I'll start by explaining to all of you what is a green office:

• It is an ecological space where we use recycled paper, where the best use of the new technologies available in the space can be able to a reduction of paper using digital files instead of copies which often have a reduced life;
• It is a space energetically controlled  where people concerns with energy costs and take into account during the day, such as at the end of the day, disconnecting all unnecessary equipment during break periods;
• It is a space where the separation of waste is taken into account, and the waste of water is controlled by the employees or automatic devices;
• It is also a space where the visual and audible and pollution caused by these environments is taken into account and indoor air quality also.

  The implementation of such measures is to create a more environmentally friendly  space, but also more economically viable space also, because if we think we can through small actions reduce the bills at the end of each month, we can be sure that any business man will be in favour of giving a small training about environmental education to is employees, and will also have a change in the attitudes of some of the work processes implemented in their companies.

  Small steps such as dual flush toilet, faucets with proximity sensor (or time controlled sensors), the use of LED lamps, luminaires use appropriate and clean often  also the use of energy-certified appliances, waste recycling, among many other small actions can reduce the bill later this month.

Claudio Jardim

USA reduce the use of chimpanzees in medical research

Whit new scientific methods and technologies the use these animals become unnecessary.

The National Institute of Health of the United States announced that will significantly reduce the use of chimpanzees in federal scientific research. "These animals share 99 percent of our DNA" and thats wy they, "deserve special treatment." In the coming years it will be well taken 310 of the 360 ​​individuals that the state owns. The 50 left over will be used only in very specific cases and if there is no alternative.

The decision of the NIH was already expected for some time due to numerous group pressures to protect the rights of animals and after the publication of a study by the Institute of Medicine advising that the  research with primates, should be reduce.

"These animals have already given us so much. The new scientific methods and technologies become unnecessary the use off primates. " Said the Director of the NIH, Francis Collins, at a press conference.

This decision "marks the beginning of an era of compassion for these animals. Any biomedical study with chimpanzees want be allowed, only under strict conditions and it will be reviewed by a committee of experts. "

Despite this change in direction, the NIH has not accepted all the recommendations Institute of Medicine, one of which is the existence of a living space of 93 square meters for each animal.

Is not yet defined where will the chimps  will be now released. The NIH reported that some of them will join the 150 that are at the National Shrine of the organization Chimp Haven in northwestern Louisiana. According to an Act of the U.S. Congress, the chimps that are translated into a wildlife refuge can not be used again for investigation.

Retrieved from: http://www.cienciahoje.pt/index.php?oid=58057&op=all on 01/01/2013

Environmental Activist, Tim DeChristopher

Obama addressing the threat of Climate Change