http://www.piccoli-gesti.ch/

A brand new (almost) page with different suggestions on how to save energy and CO2 emissions in our daily life: the page is Swiss and available in German, French, Italian.


Learn how! CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE PAGE!



Wish you a great day,

Josephine

Rapid ice loss found in survey supports trend to summer ice free Arctic within decade

London, UK - New data, released today by the Catlin Arctic Survey and WWF, provides further evidence of thinning Arctic Ocean sea ice, supporting the emerging thinking that the Ocean will be largely ice-free in summer within a decade.

The Catlin Arctic Survey, completed earlier this year, provides the latest ice thickness record, drawn from the only survey capturing surface measurements in the last winter and spring.

The data collected by manual drilling and observations on a 450 kilometre route across the northern part of the Beaufort Sea suggests the survey area is comprised almost exclusively of first year ice.

© Martin Hartley / WWF-Canon

This is a significant finding because the region has traditionally contained older, thicker multi-year ice.

The average thickness of the ice-floes measured 1.8 metres, a depth considered too thin to survive the next summer’s ice melt. The findings were analysed by the Polar Ocean Physics Group at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Peter Wadhams, one of the world’s leading experts on sea ice cover in the North Pole region.

“With a larger part of the region now first year ice, it is clearly more vulnerable,” said Professor Wadhams. “The area is now more likely to become open water each summer, bringing forward the potential date when the summer sea ice will be completely gone.“

The Catlin Arctic Survey data supports the new consensus view, based on seasonal variation of ice extent and thickness, changes in temperatures, winds and especially ice composition, that the Arctic will be ice-free in summer within about 20 years, and that much of the decrease will be happening within 10 years.

“That means you’ll be able to treat the Arctic as if it were essentially an open sea in the summer and have transport across the Arctic Ocean.” According to the scientists who have studied the data, the technique used by the explorers to take measurements on the surface of the ice has the potential to help ice modellers to refine predictions about the future survival or decline of the ice.“This is the kind of scientific work we always wanted to support by getting to places in the Arctic which are otherwise nearly impossible to reach for research purposes,” said Expedition leader Pen Hadow. “It’s what modern exploration should be doing. Our on-the-ice techniques are helping scientists to understand better what is going on in this fragile ecosystem.”

The results of the analysis of more than 6000 measurements and observations collected by the survey in 73 days on the ice were unveiled today in London with warnings that rapid climate change in the Arctic risked the release of vast quantities of carbon stored in hydrates on the Arctic seabed or in frozen tundra soils.

“The arctic sea ice holds a central position in our Earth’s climate system. Take it out of the equation and we are left with a dramatically warmer world,” said Dr. Martin Sommerkorn from the WWF International Arctic Programme, which was a partner in the survey.

“Such a loss of Arctic sea ice cover has recently been assessed to set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the Arctic itself – self perpetuating cycles, amplifying and accelerating the consequences of global warming. This could lead to flooding affecting one quarter of the world’s population, substantial increases in greenhouse gas emissions from massive carbon pools, and extreme global weather changes."

“Today’s findings provide yet another urgent call for action to world leaders ahead of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen this December to rapidly and effectively curb global greenhouse gas emissions, with rich countries committing to reduce emissions by 40% by 2020.”



Source: © WWF PAGE (click here)

Test your ecological footprint

Worried about your impact on the environment? (if not, this is a good chance to realize we all should....).

Our ecological footprint — the impact of humanity on the earth – has increased two and half fold since 1961.

The way we use the planet's resources makes up our ecological footprint.

Use WWF's global footprint calculator and learn how small steps can make a BIG difference! It takes just 5 minutes and could set you on a life-changing journey...


CLICK HERE TO START!

© WWF - Panda.org

Riciclaggio del PET di vitale importanza: sapevi che...?

Con la diffusione - a livello universale - il PET ha acquisito un grande significato nell'industria degli imballaggi ed è diventato una materia prima rara e costosa.
Per questo motivo c'è una grande richiesta per il PET riciclato.
Il PET fa parte delle materie sintetiche con un impatto ambientale ridotto sia durante la lavorazione sia durante lo smaltimento. Per il PET riciclato sussistono molte possibilità d'applicazione: nel settore tessile quale materiale di imbottitura di cuscini, quali fibre per giacche sport e in fleece, sacchi da montagna, scarpe sportive, rivestimenti per tappeti ecc.
Nel settore dell'imballaggio quali bicchieri per yogurt, vaschette per margarina e biscotti ecc. È preferibile riportare al negozio le bottiglie in PET.


Cos'è il PET (polietilene tereftalato)?
Il PET viene prodotto al 100% con petrolio grezzo o gas naturale. Con 1,9 kg di petrolio grezzo si ottiene 1 kg di PET. Questo necessita di un consumo energetico di ben 84 MJ (23 kwh). Il PET è riciclabile al 100%. Con la separazione del PET è possibile risparmiare - nei confronti di una nuova produzione - il 60% di energia. Sul mercato svizzero il PET è apparso, come bottiglia, nel 1984. Da allora la bottiglia di PET ha riscontrato un forte aumento della richiesta.


Cosa avviene con le bottiglie di bibite in PET raccolte?
Tutte le bottiglie di bibite in PET vengono lavorate per ottenere un granulato.
Questo viene utilizzato per la fabbricazione di nuove bottiglie per bibite in PET o trova applicazione nella produzione di fibre e fogli.




Perchè le bottiglie di olio e di aceto non vanno messe nei contenitori per la raccolta dal PET?
I residui delle bottiglie di olio e aceto provocano un forte insudiciamento e pregiudicano il riciclaggio delle bottiglie per bibite in PET.



Dove posso smaltire le bottiglie vuote in PET?
Le bottiglie vuote in PET si possono smaltire presso i negozi e nei punti di raccolta dei comuni. Onde poter tenere bassi i costi e proteggere l'ambiente, le bottiglie dovrebbero essere consegnate in primo luogo nei negozi.


Perchè le bottiglie vuote in PET dovrebbero essere riportate in primo luogo nei punti di vendita?
In passato, si è a più riprese dimostrato che i punti di raccolta per il PET su suolo pubblico sono stati utilizzati - inadeguatamente - dagli utenti per lo smaltimento di rifiuti di ogni genere e che, solo con punti di raccolta controllati, è possibile ottenere un risultato soddisfacente. Le bottiglie in PET provenienti da punti di raccolta pubblici vanno ancora assortite (separate dai rifiuti). Questo causa notevoli costi supplementari per i comuni. Per questo motivo dovrebbero essere privilegiati punti di raccolta sorvegliati presso il negozio al dettaglio. In aggiunta può essere utilizzata la significativa ed ecologica retrologistica (consegna del vuoto al momento della nuova fornitura) "dalla filiale alla centrale di distribuzione" del commercio al dettaglio. Questo evita spese di trasporto supplementari.


Cosa posso fare quando si accumula molto PET?
Gli alberghi/ristoranti, i proprietari di appertamenti di vacanza, i campeggi, le scuole, gli ospedali, le infrastutture sportive e di svago, le cantine ecc. presso i quali viene raccolto molto PET, possono farsi registrare presso PET-Schweiz quale punto di raccolta. I punti di raccolta possono ritirare sacchi di raccolta per il PET. Se vengono riempiti almeno 5 sacchi di questo tipo, si può avvertire il servizio di raccolta regionale affinché i sacchi vengano ritirati.


Come viene finanziato il PET-Recycling?
Dal 1991 la società "PET-Recycling Schweiz" preleva, sulle bottiglie in PET a perdere senza deposito, un contributo per il riciclaggio. Con questo finanzia la rimessa in circolo delle bottiglie a perdere per bibite in PET nel giro economico.


Per maggiori informazioni, curiosità, contatti e dettagli visitare PETRECYCLING.CH.

Ne vale davvero la pena!



Source:
http://www.abvo.ch/
http://www.petrecycling.ch/

Help save the Western gray whale

Continuously threatened by oil and gas developments,entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships and occasional whaling by Japanese fishermen, the Western gray whale is on the verge of extinction.These special creatures were thought to be extinct in the 1970s, but a small number - around 130 - are now known to survive. But their main feeding habitat in summer time, the waters off Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East, is a region now being developed by the oil and gas industry. 


Last year the number of whales counted was lower than normal. According to experts, this may be related to underwater noise produced by oil and gas development in the area. This is a cause for major concern as the population has only 25-35 breeding females remaining.


WWF is urging the companies involved in Sakhalin - Exxon, Shell, Gazprom, BP and Rosneft - to postpone any development until a commission of experts have assessed the impact on Western gray whales and made recommendations about further development in the area. WWF is also demanding that the companies avoid any future activities inside the proposed new Sakhalin Marine Federal Wildlife Reserve.

Thanks for taking action @ www.panda.org!


Source: http://www.panda.org/

RICICLA!

Stop the madness of wasteful paper consumption

Dear Friends, I am extemely sorry I didn't update this blog for several months. Job and activities took 120% of my time, so here I am now on holidays taking you some material to think about, as usual.

Paper is a thing that nobody could think living without. It's everywhere in our daily use, work, private life, shopping, business. Everything has something to do with paper.

Around the world we use around 1 million tonnes of paper every day, with half of the trees cut down commercially ending up in paper products. Yet much of this paper use is wasteful and unnecessary.

1. It's Christmas Time, presents time. You know of course that making a great present to those you love, means a lot, I know it as well and I am maybe one of the people who love most preparing presents and making them beautiful and putting lot of care in them. But you surely also now, that after opening those shiny boxes, the paper wrapping them will be thrown away, in the best case, in the fireplace. So, please! don't use plastic, or polish paper! there are also very beautiful recicled gift paper. Even package paper can be very elegant and sober if you decorate it with some writings and paper stars or small Christmas trees. This way, paper can be recicled and if it still ends up into your family's fireplace will release consistently less CO2 emissions. Think about it!

2. Re-use printed papers you would throw away (drafts, projects); as for handwritten notes, as for a second printing, simply turn back the papers and replace them into your printer. You'll easily see in just one week or even one day, how quick it is to save a pack of white chlorine paper.

3. As at your workplace (but I know sometimes it depends on the company's ecology policy), as at home, be very careful printing out things you know you don't need to, and most important pay attention differentiating your waste!! Paper, plastics, metal waste and vegetables have their own category to be disposed.

4. Placing a sticker "no advertising" on your mailbox will avoid you to throw away unuseful tons of paper you don't even read! Anyway, surfing on the web or going to the shops, you'll always find the same publicity and offers showed, so you don't really need to have them brought to you.

Remember, paper is an extremely valuable product with many important uses for society.

But despite advances in digital technology we have become careless in our use of paper and too often take it for granted. Europeans and North Americans, only 10% of the world's population, use half of the world's paperproducts, 6 times the world average.

Expanding production and harvesting of pulp wood for paper threatens some of the last remaining natural forests, and the people and wildlife that depend on them.

Paper production and consumption also create significant climate change emissions.

But there is a lot you can do as an individual to reduce your paper consumption. From taking simple actions such as printing double sided to buying recycled paper you can make a real difference. And not only will this help save the planet, but it will also save you money at the same time! Take action now changing your habits in using and wasting paper, you can also "save trees" by using more sensitively the paper you have at your disposal. Get to the WWF site and subscribe to take action, now! http://passport.panda.org/campaigns/campaign.cfm?uNC=12444549&uCampaignId=1861

Thanks for attention and Merry Christmas, my dear readers!