brazil

Indonesian deforestation with fires in the distance, photo by Billy via flickr

Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, and Brazil , one of the most successful places where ethanol has been produced from sugarcane, have agreed to cooperate on sharing biofuel production knowledge.

Quoted at ENN, Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono indicated that Indonesia could learn from the research and dev...

Garimpo+Fuxique is the combination of a clothing and deco shops in Sao Paulo, Brazil, both centered on the idea of fabrics repurposing.

Garimpo stands for the decoration part of the shop, which hosts refurbished chairs, bed clothes, pillows, lighting accessories and even beach-ware such as umbrellas and bikinis. The style of the shop is defined by its hosts as a combination of extremes: romantic and modern, chic and popular, simple and luxurious, new and old. Fuxique is the clothing brand, which offers a whole line of garments, bags, accessories and necessaires. The clothes are produced with rare vintage pieces of ...

(Picture: the Brazilian Senate in session. Credit: Agencia Senado Brazil.) The Brazilian Senate approved last week a modification to the law that establishes the amount of land the government can concede for rural use in the Legal Amazon without the need for a tender process. The previous limit was 500 hectares and now it's gone up to 15 fiscal modules: each municipality establishes the extension of the modules, and in some places they reach 100 hectares, which sets the maximum to 1500 hectares.

Image: Colony of Mussismilia braziliensis (photo by Carlos Secchin, from report by SIGEP)
An extensive new reef – deep in the ocean and abundantly packed with unique marine life – has been located by scientists off the southern coast of Bahia state in Brazil. The discovery was made in the Abrolhos Bank in the Southern Atlantic, already one of the world’s largest and most bio-diverse reef systems. Yet it is believed that the newfound reef areas will potentially double the size of the known Abrolhos Bank.

"We had some clues fro...

photo by Ben Garland

Here’s something that, unless you are intimately familiar with how sugarcane is processed, you may not be aware of: The most efficient Brazilian sugarcane mills consume about 1,800 liters of water per tonne of cane processed. Considering that by most assessments water is going to be an increasingly important and scarce commodity, the development of a system for processing sugarcane which not only uses no additional water, but actually produces water as a byproduct, is certainly an interesting development.
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When I was working in Cuba, Castro used to talk for 11, 12 hours. When I am happy, I have a bit of the Cuban spirit. And tonight I am happy.

Clearly feeling the Cuban spirit, legendary former Mayor of Curitiba Jaime Lerner delivered the keynote address to the 2008 Ecocity World Summit last week, discussing his 40 years of experience working in cities, “urban acupuncture” in Curitiba and how to become an expert on public transportation in five minutes.

Via:: http://ecocity.wordpress.com/...

Melissa has been making plastic shoes in Brazil since the 1970's. They have been made to be durable, fashionable, utilitarian and recyclable --- since they're made of plastic, they're all of the above (plus they're cheap!) I found this cool article that discusses the attitude and future of the company http://pingmag.jp/2008/04/28/melissa-sweet-treats-for-your-feet/

(Picture: Getty Images) The Brazilian congress is treating a law project that establishes the need for permissions to enter the Amazon jungle. The permissions would be extended by the Defense Ministry to NGOs, foreigners and workers, and would be intended to prevent the illegal use of resources in the area.

The law project is supposed to be treated in the Congress until July. If it's approved, those who break it and enter the jungle without legal authorization could face bills that could go from five to 100 thousand USD.

::Via BBC Mundo (in Spanish)
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Never did I think I’d find myself nestled in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, sitting cross-legged in a jungle bungalow with local hero—Dr. Eugenio Netto. Eugenio is a medical doctor and the founder of Projeto Saude e Alegria, or, The Health and Happiness Project, a Brazilian NGO that has been working to restore health and social equality for at-risk indigenous Amazonian communities since 1987.

As we sip Capirhinas under the soft glow of kerosene lamps, it’s easy to let my thoughts drift and lead me to believe I’m on a glamorous Amazonian expedition. But all it takes is a firm and passionate reminder ...

In the first year Earth Day that has gathered attention in Latin America, a couple of the region's biggest musicians, actors and performers have participated in a campaign held by National Geographic to raise awareness in society about our part in the global warming cause.

Under the theme "What you do matters", these celebrities have recorded small television segments giving pieces of advice on energy and water saving, reusable bags, working at home, not-printing, planting trees, and unplugging. The segments are being broadcasted during a special programming this week.

Artists involved include Argentine musicians

Brazilian artist Carla Tennenbaum has found a way to turn tons of EVA foam leftovers into colorful pieces of art and accessories. Tennenbaum explains that her aim is to, "explore the frontiers between graphic arts, artisan work and objects design through the development of de-construction and reconstruction techniques to apply with industrial waste."

She began working with EVA foam in 2000, when she found this material was not recycled and, therefore, used to end in landfills. Her two main lines are called Party and Kinetics. The first is a set of puffs in which the transparent plastic covering shows the hundreds of small pieces of EVA foam ins...