Hi there,
If you follow my blog you might have received an email with a post in a weird language. It is not an error. I have just launched a new page in Portuguese. The blog will remain in English as a main language, but for the Portuguese community I will be providing posts in Portuguese too.
So let’s get connected!!!!
Oi pessoal,
A pedido de várias pessoas que curtem o meu blog, é com muito orgulho que apresento essa página dedicada ao público de língua portuguesa. Sei que nem todo mundo fala inglês e artigos em português vão com certeza nos aproximar mais.
Se você curtiu essa ideia, não deixe de compartilhar com seus amigos para que possamos divulgar mais ideias sobre sustentabilidade. É importante que tenhamos consciência de que juntos podemos sim mudar muita coisa nesse mundo. Muita gente vai me achar ingênua, mas eu acredito sim que podemos mudar nossas atitudes para que no futuro nossos filhos possam viver em um mundo com menos poluição, desmatamento, catástrofes naturais e também com menos problemas de saúde ligados ao meio ambiente.
O blog continuara em inglês, mas teremos à partir de agora essa página em português onde eu espero possa ser uma plataforma de troca de ideias. Espero que curtam e divulguem por aí essa ideia: SUSTENTABILIDADE vem que vem com tudo!!!!
Many brands are investing in sustainable packaging. This year Crystal the water brand from Coca Cola Brazil has launched their new bottle made with 20% less volume PET plastic. Chemicals and Petroleum products are usually used to produce PET. The Crystal bottle is manufactured using PET plastic that contains 30% sugar cane. Thanks to the new process and technologies used, Coca Cola claims that carbon emissions are reduced by 20%.
Another advantage of the design of the new bottle is that you can crush it once you finish drinking. This crushable bottle takes 37% less volume than a conventional water bottle making it easier to be transported and stocked by companies that collect and recycle PET packaging.
The idea of this kind of packaging in the beverage industry is not new. In 2009 Coca Cola launched Plantbottle Technology in Japan. The technology also uses plants in the production process to reduce carbon the materials carbon footprint.
The Crystal brand says “We did our job producing and implementing a new bottle more environmentally friendly, now it is up to the consumers to crush the bottle after use and help to reduce the volume of the recycled waste”. 
The brand invites people to participate to projects involving recycling around Brazil. The country is considered as a leader in recycling in South America but has a very long way to go.
The marketing team from the Brazilian brand Crystal also came up with a great campaign that says “Crush it, make a wish and attract good vibes”. This slogan suits Brazilian culture. We love things where you have to make a wish.
It is inspiring to see more and more brands investing in sustainable packaging.
Click here to watch the video and understand more about the PlantBottle technology.
Looking for new glasses? Do you live in USA or Canada? So why not contribute to the Warby Parker project: “Buy a pair, give a pair”? For every pair of glasses that you buy, they provide a pair of glasses to someone in need.
Approximately one billion people don’t have access to affordable glasses. Poor vision can cause severe learning difficulties at school, find a job or simply perform in the everyday life. Warby Parker helps people to find clear vision and it has a real impact into people’s life. Moreover the company is carbon neutral! So I totally support the cause sharing their website in my blog and I hope you will also share it with your friends. A great project like this deserves attention and support.
Every day, 2 million tons of human waste are disposed of in water courses.
Water is the primary medium through which climate change impacts the earth’s ecosystem and people. In developing countries, 70 percent of industrial wastes are dumped untreated into waters where they pollute the usable water supply.
Climate change is predicted to have a whole range of impacts on water resources. Variation in temperature and rainfall may affect water availability, increase the frequency and severity of floods and droughts, and disrupt ecosystems that maintain water quality.
We know that, but why are we still witnessing images like these?
Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
The fashion industry is the second largest user of water in the world. Petroleum is one of the toxic materials used to produce synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon. Sheep, alpaca, llamas and other wool-bearing animals contribute to the production of methane gas, a major greenhouse gas.
Over 90 million items of clothing end up in landfill sites all over the world each year.
This is why some textile and fashion industry players are trying to find ways to make their production more sustainable and less harmful to the environment, wildlife and human population.
Some companies have come up with very innovative ideas of producing fibres. Many people have heard about organic cotton and hemp, but there are many of other types of textiles produced with other materials such as PET bottles! 
This year the Earth Summit in Rio had some bad press, but one clever project was agreed between Italy and Brazil. TRACES is an Italian-Brazilian innovative project on carbon footprint survey and social environmental impacts in the fashion industry. The aim of the project is to reduce the social and environmental impacts caused by fibre production for the textile industry. This collaboration also involves the brand Osklen that is internationally recognized for its design and alternative raw materials.
Together with Instituto-e the project will work on new ways to produce textiles. Instituto-e is a Brazilian organisation that promotes an environmentally friendly economic development in Brazil. The label of e-fabrics® defines the use of the following sustainable materials: organic and natural cotton, recycled cotton and PET, ‘pirarucu leather’ eco-jute, organic silk.
If you are wondering what ‘pirarucu’ is…it is a fish that you can find in Amazonia and it is mostly used as a food. The problem with this fish is that its skin can be harmful for the environment causing biological pollution when disposed of the landfill. Here using the skin as a textile is very beneficial for the environment and the local population creating jobs opportunities.
Pirarucu
Plastic bottles represent more than 30% of waste collected in Brazil. 
The project will aim to reuse them producing fibres for the textile industry. If you google ‘PET textile’, you will see that the concept is not totally new.
However in this project it will not only help the environment but also promote ethical work giving women from disadvantaged areas an alternative source of income.
The project has the objective of further the use of sustainable raw materials in order to protect biodiversity and improve social conditions. If this project continues it will be a great step forward for the fashion industry. I really hope that both governments will keep their commitments to this amazing project.
And you know what? I can’t wait to buy my “pirarucu” leather jacket!
After Times Square in New York, now it is up to Sao Paulo, in Brazil to bring together thousands of people around the Yoga theme. “Yoga pela Paz” means “Yoga for Peace” and it has the objective to promote a healthier and balanced lifestyle, raising awareness of all the benefits that yoga has for your mind and body.
Workshops for yoga teachers and people with advanced levels will be held during the event, but many free activities, seminars and conferences will be available for new Yoga adepts too. If you have never tried yoga before, don’t worry, this is your chance to get together and find out about the discipline. The event will run from 13th to 19th August 2012. For more information and the complete agenda from the event, please check the website Yoga pela Paz.
Good Love. Good Life. Good Luck.
all about the Partnerships
waking up new (daily posts since 2010)
Two of the Great Joys in Life!
WordPress Meetups in Melbourne, Australia
Landfill Harmonic is an upcoming feature-length documentary about a remarkable musical orchestra in Paraguay, where the musicians play instruments made from trash.
Sustainable and Fashionable 