If you search around long enough on words such as altruism and design–both topics we pay attention to on this site–eventually you will encounter these folks. This particular product caught our attention and we see no harm in promoting it:
GOEDZAK IS A SPECIAL GARBAGE BAG FOR ITEMS THAT ARE STILL USEABLE. IT’S A FRIENDLY WAY TO OFFER PRODUCTS A SECOND CHANCE AND STIMULATE SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOR. Continue reading
Schematic showing how buildings are disassembled from the inside out. Image via Taisei Corp.
As Raxa Collective continues its work on a historic waterfront building in the Mattancherry section of Fort Cochin’s harbor–currently in the demolition phase of a portion of the property that was built in recent years–we have been doing our homework on methods that make the process as “clean” as possible. We came across EarthTechling, oriented to consumers rather than techno-professionals but with broad and deep coverage of clean tech. This brief article is of interest to our demolition task:
We all know about ways to build greener more energy-efficient buildings, but what about the other side of this coin? Is there such a thing as “green demolition”? Many of today’s small buildings are torn down slowly with wrecking balls and earth-moving equipment. Taller structures are more economically brought down by explosives and gravity, becoming eye-popping media events that bring out the destructive inner-three-year-old in all of us. Continue reading
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary is Kerala’s first officially recognized bird sanctuary. Named after the late renowned ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali, the small but intensely biodiverse area lies snugly between two branches of the Periyar river and the serenity of the Anamalai hills. This bird watcher’s paradise was once a rubber plantation, but due to its abundant wildlife and in order to protect the wide range of resident and migratory birds it was declared a sanctuary in 1983.
Beach-combing can yield wonderful surprises. Click the image above to see where this wonder was found:
A man finds a rare rock of valuable whale vomit on the beach in Morecambe that could be worth up to £100,000. Ken Wilman and his dog Madge were out on a walk when they discovered the valuable substance. The musky vomit comes from a sperm whale and is a rare commodity used in perfume
Jalisco, Mexico
The Story Behind a Dream Shot – The Bird-of-Paradise Sunrise -A Greater Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea apoda) male greets the sunrise from his tree top display perch in the Aru Islands, Indonesia.
It shouldn’t seem surprising that the videos of such charismatic creatures have gone viral. But the study and associated film, book and lecture series seem to pack a similarly powerful punch.
Click the photo above to read about more about the million views and Tim Laman’s amazing stories.
Thevara
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
India is the largest producer of Araca nut and at the same time the largest consumer. The nut, popularly known as supari, is extensively used during religious practices. Kerala produces about 30 percent of India’s total production. Continue reading
Yale Environment 360 has an excellent story on the various animals in this protected area, including the warden and those he is committed to protecting, but also the beasts who prey on those wards. Supporting national parks, wherever they may be and at whatever risk, has never been more critical:
The Perils and Rewards of Protecting Congo’s Gorillas
Virunga National Park, home to one of the last remaining populations of mountain gorillas, has witnessed years of war and civil strife. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, the park’s warden describes the lethal threats faced by his rangers and the remarkable survival of the park’s gorillas. Continue reading
Kerala has about 700 domesticated elephants. Of these 90 percent are tuskers (the local term for male elephants), who play a major role in religious festivals. Apart from their role in temple ritual, the elephant’s strength and power has been effectively harnessed in work in the logging industry, primarily in loading timber for transport. This is unique to this region. Continue reading
Continuing a topic covered recently in MIT’s Technology Review–namely the use of alternative energy to solve some basic needs in India’s rural areas–today’s Green Blog covers another innovation:
Milk? Garbage. Spinach? Garbage. Leftover Thai takeout? Garbage. For millions in the Northeast, clearing out the fridge after days without power was just one more unsavory chore that was part of the cleanup process after Hurricane Sandy passed through.
But in the developing world, throwing out food because of inadequate refrigeration isn’t just annoying, it’s a devastating and irreparable economic blow that keeps farmers trapped at the level of subsistence and threatens food security. In India, the government estimates that anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of food spoils long before it finds its way to the table. Continue reading
Yelapa, Mexico
Starry Night is one of the world’s most iconic paintings and this isn’t the first time we’ve shared unorthodox reproductions of the work.
This rendering may be considered iconoclastic by some, but I challenge you to find a more kinetic one!
Azalea plants are flowering shrubs with colorful, trumpet shaped flowers in the genus Rhododendron. Native to Asia, North America and Europe, they are widely planted as ornamentals in the Western Ghats of India above 1500 meters. Continue reading
It is a new publication, and we like its irreverence. Challenging vegan ethics, at least to those of us still carnivorously inclined, is a task best carried out by such audacious writers and editors tasked with building an audience (that actually reads) from scratch. We wish Aeon the best and will point to it whenever the story seems worth passing on, and can recommend this for starters (as if the picture did not already capture your imagination):
The animal rights movement wants to prevent the most powerful species on the planet from oppressing every other species, just as human rights campaigners try to stop the most powerful people from oppressing those who are least powerful. The problem, they say, is ‘human privilege’, a privilege that almost all of us abuse.
It is well-documented on this site that we are feline-lovers, but our Bird Of The Day commitments force our full disclosure of the facts. Among those of us contributing to this blog–or anyone otherwise affiliated with Raxa Collective–we are contributors to the problem reported here (citing numbers specific to the USA only):
Behind This Cute Face Is A Cold-Blooded Killer
There are as many as 47 million pet cats out hunting for prey. Add that to the tens of millions of feral cats and strays, and researchers estimate that the furry felines are responsible for billions of bird and small mammal deaths every year.
Click the image above to go to the story. Don’t ask us what we plan to do about it. If you have any suggestions, we are all ears.
Kerala’s Temple Art is rich, vibrant and tells vivid stories. Most of Kerala’s temples built during the 15th and 16th centuries have murals depicting gods and goddesses, sages and episodes from Hindu mythology. These are mostly painted on the outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum. Continue reading
Ernakulam
