PHYTOCHEMICALS: can sprays be safe?

Since the discovery of chemical compounds which can be employed in agriculture, spraying, fumigating and dusting have been the most widely used methods in pest and disease control. The development of more and more effective phytochemicals and their increasingly widespread use are causing concern among biologists and environmentalists because they state that man is altering nature's balance and endangering health and the food supply. 

Organic agriculture does not use artificial fertilizers or pesticides as they are compounds with high biological activity, which tend to have harmful consequences on physiological processes. Moreover, they may stimulate the growth of new pathogens and pests as they kill antagonistic organisms. However, sometimes chemicals must be used in organic production when there is a persistent and recurrent problem, which cannot be solved with completely organic products; so they can be used along with biological control techniques, when proved that they do not harm the rest of the system. 

Whatever their nature is, all sprays must be applied to crops correctly. This is essential both to ensure that they are effective and to minimize the harm to the environment. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

RAINBOW WARRIOR III, Italian Tour.

This post is written both in English and in Italian to well promote the Italian Tour of the Rainbow Warrior III. 

In occasione della campagna "Non è un Paese per fossili" l'ammiraglia di Greenpeace, la Rainbow Warrior III, farà un tour attraccando in diversi porti italiani. In particolare, il 28 e 29 giugno sarà ormeggiata al Molo vecchio crociere di Genova. La nave sarà aperta ai visitatori sabato dalle 11 alle 20 e domenica dalle 10 alle 18. 

Avrete la fantastica possibilità di conoscere l'equipaggio e i volontari, che vi faranno fare un giro della nave, raccontandovi la sua storia e parlandovi delle campagne di Greenpeace, in particolare la campagna "Non fossilizziamoci". 

Eccovi dei brevi cenni sulla storia della nave dei Guerrieri dell'Arcobaleno. 

La prima Rainbow fu varata nel 1977 (acquistata da Greenpeace con l'aiuto del WWF), ma il 10 luglio 1985 questa venne affondata dai servizi segreti francesi in Nuova Zelanda. Il fotografo Fernando Pereira vi rimase ucciso e ciò provocò una grande indignazione in tutto il mondo. 

Il 10 luglio 1989, ad Amburgo, venne varata la seconda Rainbow. Nel corso degli anni ha ospitato numerosi personaggi di spicco (tra i quali il Dalai Lama). Essa ha aiutato le popolazioni colpite dallo tsunami del 2004, oltre ad aver combattuto contro numerosi crimini ambientali in svariate parti del globo. Dopo 22 anni la nave è stata donata a una ONG del Bangladesh, Friendship, la quale la utilizza come come nave ospedale. 

Per quanto riguarda la terza Rainbow, è stata varata il 14 ottobre 2011 ed è la prima nave costruita appositamente da Greenpeace per portare avanti le sue campagne. La nave è dotata di un sistema di alberatura che sorregge 1260 mq di vele, tutto ciò per ridurre al minimo i consumi di carburante e farne un mezzo di trasporto verde e sostenibile. 

Per saperne di più...venite numerosi sabato 28 e domenica 29 giugno a Genova!!!! 

On the occasion of Greenpeace campaign  "Non è un paese per fossili" ("This is not a country for fossils"), the flagship Rainbow Warrior III is taking a tour in some Italian ports. In particular, on June 28 and 29 the ship is being moored at the old pier cruises in Genova. The ship is being open to visitors on Saturday from 11 to 20 and on Sunday from 10 to 18. 

You'll have the wonderful possibility to know the crew and the volunteers, who are making you take a tour on the ship and are talking you about its story and about Greenpeace campaigns, especially "Non fossilizziamoci" ("Let's not get fossilized"). 

Here are some brief notes on the story of the Rainbow Warrior. 

The first Rainbow was launched in 1977 (bought by Greenpeace with the help of WWF), but on July 10, 1985 it was sunk by French intelligence in New Zealand. The photographer Fernando Pereira was killed during the attack and this provoked a great outrage all over the world. 

On July 10, 1989, in Hamburg the second Rainbow was launched. During the years it hosted lots of prominent personalities (also the Dalai Lama). It helped the populations who had been affected by the tsunami in 2004, as well as having fought against several environmental crimes in various parts of the globe. After 22 years the ship was donated to a Bangladeshi NGO, Friendship, which uses it as a hospital ship. 

With regard to the third Rainbow, it was launched on October 14, 2011 and it is the first ship built by Greenpeace specifically to carry out its campaigns. The ship is equipped with a system of masting which supports 1260 square meters of sails, everything to minimize fuel consumption and make it a green and sustainable mean of transport. 

To find out more about it...come numerous to Genova on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 of June! 

Superpotato: bigger and stronger but...POISONED!

Some American scientists have recently produced potatoes which contain the gene of a bacterium called Bacillus Thuringiensis which is a natural killer of potato beetles. 
If a beetle grub ingests a Bacillus T. cell, that cell will multiply and produce a poison that would kill the grub. 
It goes without saying that in these scientists' opinion this superpotato is an incredible progress, as it avoids organic farmers the trouble of spraying Bacillus T. so these scientists can't understand why organic farmers aren't welcoming it. However, the reasons are obvious! The superpotato develops poison in every cell, so all of the tubers we eat contain toxin...and we can't wash it out!  

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post) 

Did you know...? The story of the prinsesstårta.

The prinsesstårta (princess cake) is a traditional Swedish layer cake consisting of alternating layers of sponge cake, raspberry/strawberry jam, pasty cream and a thick domed layer of whipped cream. 
This is topped by marzipan, usually green sprinkled with powdered sugar and sometimes decorated with an extra pink marzipan rose. 
The receipt was invented by Jenny Åkerström in the 1930s in honor of three princesses: Margaretha, Märtha  and Astrid of Sweden. 

Tree bombs against deforestation.

Reforest large areas of the planet by dropping trees from the sky...?

Yes, it is possible! 
Moshe Alamaro, an engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been carrying out a project which consists in dropping from airplanes or balloons small packed trees with water and fertilizers. 
When they reach the ground (at a speed of 140 miles per hour!) they penetrate the soil. 
The break of the biodegradable containers allows the plants to root easily and freely. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Finally salvation and justice for seals!

Canada and Norway LOST their appeal against the embargo imposed by the EU countries on the import of seal derivatives! 

The two countries had tried to appeal against the decision of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which during the last Novermber had confirmed the validity of the European embargo. 
The world public opinion is no longer willing to endure the despicable massacres on the Canadian ice and this is proven by the fact that, after the EU, also other countries decided to put an embargo on those products. These states are Taiwan, Russia (which alone took almost 90% of the slaughtered Canadian seals) and China, shattering Canadian hopes to dampen the western loss of revenue selling in the Chinese emerging market. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post) 

Green cities, Sweden: Malmö and Stockholm.

Malmö

It is the biggest town in Skane and at the end of the '80s it was in desperate decline after the dismissal of thousand Kockums shipyards workers. 

Today it is a completely new coastal city, which has worked hard and has been staking everything on sustainability and the environment. 

The first neighborhood to be converted was Västra Hamnen: this former industrial area has become a residential and commercial zone, powered by 100% 0 km renewable energy. It's the symbol of Malmö's transformation into a sustainable city. 

Another green neighborhood is Augustenborg: it is home to the largest concentration of green roofs in the world! 

In 2000 it was decaying and abandoned; the city administration adopted a sustainable approach to the problem, posing 10,000 square meters of green roofs to avoid floodings, extending the green areas and improving energy efficiency and the access to recycling facilities. 

Furthermore, Malmö was the first Swedish fair and equitable city. 

Stockholm 

It is one of the greenest capital cities in the world and its inhabitants pay much attention to the sustainability and the environment to better preserve their city. 

There are lots of cycle paths and the public transport in environmentally friendly and clean.

The city is full of parks and natural reserves and in and around the town nature is the undisputed protagonist. 

Hammarby Sjöstad is a known in the world ecological neighborhood. It is located on the shores of the lake which bathes the city and the water is its main source of energy. All domestic waste is used to produce energy and the hydroelectric plant and the solar panels produce electricity. 

The aim is to create a sustainable resources based residential system and a new way of life, compatible with the environment and nature. 

These two Swedish cities are fantastic examples of urban sustainability and respect of nature.