M13: (sad) story of a bear.

M13 was a brown bear living in the mountains of Trentino. 

He was broken down on February 2013 by Swiss authorities of Cantone Grigioni as he was thought to be a threat for men. 

The bear used to live in the Italian territory, in Trentino, but unfortunately he didn't know the state borders...

In 2012 his brother, called M12, died in a car crash in Bolzano area. 

At the beginning of winter M13 had been captured by the forest rangers, who examined and measured him and then equipped him with a radio collar to monitor his movements. 

Sadly, during the hibernation the collar came off and when M13 awoke he headed towards Switzerland searching for food. 

He was betrayed by a winter made too short by global warming. As he woke up too early, hunger drove him close to population centers. His lack of fear of humans and the obtuseness of Swiss local governments did the rest...

Greenpeace: greener electronics.

Each year hundreds of thousands of old computers and mobile phones are dumped in landfills or incinerators. Thousands of electronic waste produced in the Europe, US, Japan and other industrialised countries are also exported, often illegally, to Asia and Africa, where (even very young) workers touch with bare hands waste, exposing themselves to a cocktail of toxic compounds and poisons. 

If the producers don't engage in an appropriate manner, the current rate of growth of technological waste will create a crisis of major proportions. It is possible to make products which are durable, which can be improved, free from dangerous substances and that can be recycled or dumped in fairness, so as to grant a life-ending to the products without endangering anyone, even the poorest people. 

From years, Greenpeace has been pressing hi-tech companies to make their production more sustainable thanks to a periodic publication of the Eco-guide to the "green" electronic products. 
In 2009, Greenpeace launched a new campaign to force hi-tech companies to look for technological solutions to fight against climate changes. They have been asked to reduce their ecological footprint and to politically commit to climate action. 
Greenpeace asks them to develop a business model which helps the world to get to real emissions reduction. A victory for this sector, which will become the pioneer of a global changing towards a clean energy economy. 

On November 2012, the guide to Greener Electronics is headed by Wipro, an Indian electronics company (7,1/10), followed by HP (5,7/10), Nokia (5,4/10), Acer (5,1/10), Dell (4,6/10), Apple (4,5/10), Samsung (4,2/10), Sony (4,1/10), Lenovo (3,9/10), Philips (3,8/10) and Panasonic (3,6/10). The absolutely worst ones are LGE (3,5/10), HCL Infosystems (3,1/10), Sharp (3,1/10), Toshiba (2,3/10) and RIM (2,0/10). 

Throwback Thursday: the beauty of Helsinki.

During the last December, I went to Tallinn and Helsinki with my boyfriend. 

We spent three days in Tallinn and six days in Helsinki. It was an amazing trip and I fell in love (even more than before) with the Northern European countries! 

We arrived in Helsinki by ship and then we went to the apartment we had rented (I have to admit that we had some problems to get there..!). I immediately thought that it was my place! The atmosphere that reigned there inebriated me, it is inexplicable by words. 

We visited lots of places, and there are some in particular which captured my heart. 

Senate Square and its surroundings, where you could breathe the classic "nordic air", the place where during the Christmas period the typical market takes place, with a wonderful, great fir in the middle of the square, at the foot of the stairway leading to the Cathedral. Unfortunately, in that period the Christmas market wasn't set up yet.

Another beautiful site to visit is the sea fortress on Suomenlinna Island, which can be reached by ferry from Helsinki Market Square. The fortress was founded in 1748 and in 1991 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to be preserved for future generations as an example of the European military architecture of its time. Six museums are located there, but we visited only the Suomenlinna Museum and then we had a walk around the island. The view was wonderful and there were also very nice households on the island. 

Korkeasaari is the Zoo, placed on one of the islands connected to the city. It was established in 1889 and so it is one of the oldest zoos in the world! It is very well made and all the animals have a lot of space for them. There I saw one of my favorite animals, the Snow Leopard, but also the Amur Leopard, the lynx, the lions and lots of other beautiful and interesting species. Sadly, both the Brown Bear and the tiger were not there in that period. Anyway, it was a fantastic experience and I would like to visit it again, maybe in summer (the air was frosty!). 

Of course, as I love fashion and shopping, it was impossible for me not to lose my mind in Alexanterinkatu, the incredible shopping street of Helsinki! In fact, I bought a couple of things...

Oh, I forgot to say that in Senate Square there is also the Martiini Knives shop, where typical Finnish knives are sold (I bought one for my dad, but honestly if I could I would have taken away the whole store!) and it is an obligatory stop if you like knives (as I do). 

Other places that we visited are the National Museum, Uspenski Cathedral, Hesperian Puisto, Hietalahti Market, the Military Museum, the Helsinki City Museum and the Market Square. 

If you are going to Helsinki, I strongly recommend you to buy the Helsinki Card. We did it and it is very useful, as it allows you to use the public transport free, it gives you discounts or free access to many museums and it enables you to get reduced prices if you buy in certain shops and in some restaurants. 

Brown Bear: the situation in the Italian Alps.

In the Italian Alps, there are only 35 brown bears left. 
Reduced to the brink of extinction, the Brown Bear had almost disappeared at the beginning of the last century from the alpine zone, because of poaching and poisonings. 

Today bears are returning but in the Alps people are no more accustomed to their presence and they have lost the precautions for peaceful coexistence. 
Garbage cans, hives and hen houses are devoid of protections and it is clear that they are irresistible temptations for bears. 

Bears are increasingly forced into a fragmented, anthropized habitat and this inevitably leads them more and more in contact with men. 
Damage caused by these animals provokes strong resentment in the local population and this can be eliminated only by an adequate forest policy and by a greater ecological awareness. 

Swedish Big 5: the Bear.

The Brown Bear is an undisputed symbol of the wild and maybe the most magical of Sweden's Big Five predators. It is a mysterious and elusive animal. In effect, notwithstanding the large bear population, few people could tell they have seen one in the wild during their whole life! 

To debunk a myth and remove any doubt about that, in Sweden there are NO polar bears! If you want to see them, the nearest place to go is Spitsbergen (Norway), almost 1000 miles north from Stockholm. 

The bears inhabiting the mountains and forests of Sweden are all Brown Bears (Ursus arctos). 

The Scandinavian Brown Bear Research Project in 2004 estimated a swedish bear population in a number between 1635 and 2840 individuals, with an annual increase of 4.7%. 

They are widely distributed in the northern part of the country, especially in the West side. 

As Brown Bears are omnivorous, they eat a wide range of foods, including berries, ants, roots but also bees, voles and even larger animals such as mooses. 

During the autumn, they fatten up in preparation for hibernation, which usually takes place in a disused anthill or a spot at the foot of a large fir tree. 

Mothers give birth to the cubs during the winter in the dens and when they are 6 months old, they're ready to leave their mothers and start a new life on their own. 

In the past, bear hunting was common, but today the Brown Bear is a protected species. 

In Sweden there is the opportunity to take part in beautiful Brown Bear watching, organized by Wild Sweden. Here is the link of their website, so you can take a look! http://www.wildsweden.com/short-tours/brown-bear-watching-from-hide/

GMOs: dangers to the health and the environment.

First of all, what does GMO mean? Its meaning is Genetically Modified Organism, namely an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. 
There are two main kinds of GMOs: the industrial ones and the alimentary ones. 

Regarding the industrial GMOs, there are pros and cons. Of course the GM textile fibers are more resistant, the GM plants require a lesser amount of water and textile fibers such as cotton can grow already colored, so there is a minor use of industrial dyes, which are toxic to the marine ecosystem; but what are the negative aspects? There is a serious danger of dispersion of GM seeds in nature, there could be allergies to the new GM tissues and the multinationals producing GMOs have created a lobby. 

As of the alimentary GMOs, the objectives of the genetic modification are making animals and plants more productive, making them more resistant to deseases and pests and making them grow faster. 
However, there are some perils such as a quite high risk of human allergies to the new products, dispersion of animals and plants in nature going to occupy ecological niches of "real" animals, replacement of GM plants and animals to the natural ones. 
Furthermore, the GMOs lobbies are making more and more expensive the products, making sterile animals and plants so as to oblige farmers to buy every year their products and seeds. 

NAU! optics: fashion and environmentally friendly.

Today my eyeglasses have finally arrived! Yes, I have some eye problems...
Anyway, I couldn't buy a pair of glasses which were not sustainable...! So, I bought them from NAU!, which is an Italian optics with a fixed idea: offering their customers eyeglasses which are full of color, design and respect for the environment. 

They create glasses made from up to 96% recycled plastic. Moreover, in their shops they use recycled materials for the furniture and their bags are reusable for the waste separation. 

The mounting of their glasses and the coloring of their lenses are entrusted only to companies performing a proper waste disposal of these processes and operating respecting the environment. 

It is the first italian brand of optics to have earned the environmental certification "UNI EN ISO 14001", which fixes the requisites for a correct environmental management system. This certification defines the adequate business management system to keep under control the environmental impacts of the activities and to search for an improvement in a coherent, effective and sustainable way. 

NAU! minimized all packages, to reduce waste and unnecessary costs. 

NAU! uses energy derived from renewable sources for the lighting of stores and offices, minimizing the environmental impact even in small things. 

These are my new NAU! glasses! 

Overpopulation: environmental damage.

The rapid growth of the world population, now of 7 billion people, and the struggle of the poorest peoples in underdeveloped or developing countries to survive are causing enormous damage to the environment. 
For instance, several countries are burning or cutting down their rainforests merely to get money. 
Furthermore, they are overgrazing grasslands and exploiting croplands in a desperate effort to produce more food. 

What should governments do? 

First of all, the goverments of underdeveloped and developing countries should promote education, especially amongst females, in order to ensure they get married and start having children later. Moreover, an educated mother wants to educate her children too, triggering a positive chain reaction. 

I know a system of birth control such as the Chinese one may seem unfair, but if they hadn't done so, how many people would have lived now on the planet, with all the negative consequences? In my opinion, in some regions of the world, where the birth rate is still extremely high, that would be a good solution. 

Another way to lower the number of births is the transition from a pre-industrial society to an industrial, so that the children are no longer seen as a labor force for agriculture, but as individuals to maintain for a larger number of years. 

If the world population exceeded 12 billion people the consequences, not only for the environment, would be devastating, so it is vital that governments adopt strong policies in this regard as soon as possible. 

Swedish Big 5: the Lynx.

The Lynx (also called "Tiger of the North") is Europe's largest wild feline. In Sweden, the estimated population is around 1.500 specimens (out of a total of 2.000 specimens throughout Scandinavia!) and it is the third most common large predator there. 
It is not easy to see lynx in their natural habitat, as they are shy and elusive creatures. However, lynx populations are increasing, so in a (hopefully) near future, a higher number of people will be able to see them. 

In Sweden, they can be found mostly in the northern and central regions, but they are expanding their territories and moving to other counties such as Småland, Halland,Västergötland, Sörmland, Uppland and Östergötland. 
In Sweden lynx are legally hunted (controlled by quota), like also in other countries (Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia), while in Switzerland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy and France reintroduction programs have taken place. Eurasian Lynx are quick to rebound if hunting pressures are lessened and protected areas with good prey bases are set aside. 

The main threat to lynx populations is the loss of habitat due to forestry activity and development and expansion of agriculture. 

The Berne Convention adopted an Action Plan for the conservation of lynx in Europe. It requires trans-boundary management of lynx and the formulation of national action plans for each country where lynx are present. 

H&M. Conscious.

Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) is a Swedish multinational retail-clothing company. The first shop was opened in Västerås in 1947. Nowadays, it exists in 53 countries and as of 2013 employed around 116,000 people. 
H&M is carrying out a campaign called "conscious", based on seven commitments: provide fashion for conscious customers; choose and reward responsible partners; be ethical; be climate smart; reduce, reuse, recycle; use natural resources responsibly; strengthen communities.  

"At H&M, we have set ourselves the challenge

of ultimately making fashion sustainable and 

sustainability fashionable."

Karl-Johan Persson, CEO 

H&M has increased its in-store electricity efficiency by 14% since 2007; 18% of its electricity comes from renewable sources and its goal is 100%; it has its own solar panels, and last year these generated enough energy to supply 145 European households for an entire year. 

In 2013, H&M used 340 million fewer litres of water to make denim; they did 30,000 tests to make sure their products are safe for people and the environment.

They've collected 3,047 tonnes of garments: that's the equivalent of about 15 million t-shirts; they've used the equivalent of 9.5 million plastic bottles of recycled polyester; all their regular shopping bags are made from recycled plastic.

Furthermore, H&M is a defender of human rights, in fact they've adopted the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, they teamed up with Civil Rights Defenders to support human rights and equality, 193,000 people were helped with safe drinking water through the sales of H&M Gift Cards, 3,555,687 garments were donated to charitable causes, more than 12,000 additional jobs were created, since 2008 they've helped educate 894,975 workers in Bangladesh and India about their rights and they launched their plan to help their suppliers pay all their workers a fair living wage. 

So, we can buy at H&M knowing that we're not harming the environment or violating someone's rights. 

And I think this is a fundamental thing. 

Throwback Thursday. December in Tallinn.

The cold wind that blew from the Baltic Sea, the thin layer of snow which covered the streets, the lighted square...
I have a beautiful memory of Tallinn, that city surprised me. I spent 3 days there last December with my boyfriend. We had fantastic walks around the city and we visited a couple of museums, and all of them were very interesting. 
During those days, a huge Christmas tree stood in the middle of Town Hall Square and it was surrounded by a lovely Christmas market. The atmosphere that reigned there was magic, I almost felt like I had been catapulted in a marvellous winter tale! 
I'll never forget how beautiful were the streets of the city center by night, the scent that came from the pubs and the small typical restaurants. 
Everything there captured my heart, from St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to the Towers' Square, from the Tallinn City Museum to the Museum of Occupations, not to mention the beautiful view you can enjoy from several viewing platforms. 
As you can easily understand, that city stole my heart. I strongly recommend you to visit it, you won't be disappointed! 
Here are some photos, to give you an idea of how pretty Tallinn is. 

 Town Hall Square 

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Town Wall 

And, finally, this is me on Cat's Well (yes, as you can easily imagine, it was a bit cold there..!)

This is Greenpeace.

Yesterday night I went to a meeting with some Greenpeace volunteers from Turin. I'm not a volunteer yet, but I would like to, even though in this period I don't have plenty of time because of the exams. 
Anyway, it was interesting: the volunteers explained us how Greenpeace works, their methods, their campaigns, their core values. 
As I said in a previous post, I am an environmentalist, so I'm going to write more than one post on evnvironmental matters. 
Today, I'm going to tell you about Greenpeace in general (oh, I forgot to say that, even if I'm not a volunteer yet, I am a supporter of Greenpeace, which means that each month I donate a sum of money for their causes). 
Greenpeace was born in 1971 in the USA and its first aim was to stop nuclear experiments in an island that, today, is a protect area.
Since that year, Greenpeace has been fighting against the indiscriminate exploitation of our planet with a lot of different campaigns, that I'm going to talk about in the next posts.
I absolutely suggest you to watch the videos that you can find by clicking on these links: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVu9eawb1QY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70RhRIeJVw0
They summarize very well all the things that Greenpeace does to safeguard as much as possible the health of our planet. 

Direct and non-violent action, scientificity and independence. These are the core values of Greenpeace.

Argan oil. Healthy hair and environment.

Today I've tried the Argan oil for hair for the first time, and I am amazed! My hair are straighter and softer, I absolutely advice you to try it! 
As I am an environmentalist, I was wondering if it is a sustainable product, and here is the answer. 
I was surprised to find out that, as well as being good for your hair, it is also good for the environment! 
Argan oil is produced from the kernels of the argan tree that is endemic to Morocco. The Argan tree is a protection against desertification. It also provides shade for other agricultural products and its leaves and fruit provide food for animals. Producing argan oil has helped to protect argan trees from being cut down. 
RARBA (Réseau des Associations de la Réserve de Biosphère Arganeraie, Network of Associations of the Argan Biosphere Reserve) was founded in 2002 with the aim of ensuring sustainable development in the Arganeraie. It has been involved in major projects, including the Moroccan national anti-desertification programme, which involved local populations and helped with improvements to basic infrastructure, management of natural resources, revenue generating activities, capacity reinforcement and others. 
So, everybody, go and buy some Argan oil! 

This is the one that my mother has bought today in a supermarket. It isn't expensive, it costs only 3 euros and the brand is "Color look" by Oyster Cosmetics SpA. 

Be Nordic event. A day in Milan.

Today I went to Milan with my boyfriend to see the Be Nordic event. It took place in the bautiful Giureconsulti Palace. It was organized by the major travel agencies of the Scandinavian countries, to give advice about travelling in the "great North" and to show some aspects of the nordic culture, from the food to the languages. Well, I have to admit that my expectations were higher. It was a kind of "stand" with some hostesses who were available to provide information about the 4 Scandinavian countries. There were some desks with small samples of nordic drinks and biscuits and a "children corner" on the outside while, on the inside, there was Santa Claus who was willing to take photos, and some videos of the Aurora Borealis and other nordic landscapes were projected on the wall. 

I took a lot of brochures about Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, and they are very well made.

Here are some photos of the event. 

After having been to Be Nordic, Lorenzo and I went for a walk in the center of Milan. It's a nice city, but it's too chaotic for me! I couldn't ever live there! 

I had already been there, but today I realized that I had never seen the Sforza Castle. That's huge! Beautiful, and Sempione Park, next to the castle, is very nice. 

And this, as you may know, is the famous "Duomo" of Milan...

...and these are me and Lorenzo, with the "Duomo" behind us. 

It was a nice day, and obviously I bought something :) A pair of beautiful high-heeled shoes, that you're seeing in a couple of weeks in the photos of my sister's confirmation. 

My daily life.

Let's talk about...me! Maybe you're wondering "how is her typical day?"...or maybe not, but I'm going to tell you about that, anyway :) 

As I told you in my first post, I am attending the first year of Law in Turin. So my life is mainly made of study. Although, I am quite lucky, since I have a very good memory and I don't have to spend too much time on the books to store the concepts. 

At the moment, there is my book of History of Law staring at me and saying "c'mon, read me!". Yes, because on the 27th of this month I have my first exam of the summer session.

Between January and February I took two exams: Philosophy of Law (that I passed with only 22/30, but it was so confusing..!) and Constitutional Law (that I passed with 27/30). 

In this summer session, besides History of Law, I have two other exams: political economy and...Private Law, maybe one of the hardest exams at the faculty of Law. In fact, I'm studying all summer long for it. 

But maybe now you want to know what I do in my life when I'm not studying... 

Well, I often see my boyfriend (yes, I didn't tell you, but I have one), who is called Lorenzo and is 23 years old. We study Swedish together, or go out for a walk, or something else. We've been together since the 14th of December of 2012, so yes, that's a bit of time :) We love each other and, honestly, I think we're perfect together. He's my soulmate.

When I don't see Lorenzo...I see my best friend, Giorgia! We go out for a walk in the city center, we often go shopping, or seat in a bar chatting all the time. She's my person, she makes me laugh and has always been there for me. We are crazy together and yes, during our almost 5 years of friendship, we did more than one crazy thing. You can be sure that you'll hear about her again in my blog :) 

Essentially, this is my life. I don't usually do incredible things, but I really love my life, in its simplicity. 

This is me.

Hi everyone! 

This is my first post, and the first thing that I want to tell you is that I don't want to talk about only one topic, but I want to let you see my daily life, tell you about my dreams and passions and so on. 

Well, let's start..! 

My name's Chiara, I'm 19 and I'm from Turin (Italy). You're probably wondering why this blog is called like this... Well, because I absolutely love Scandinavia, especially Sweden, and one of the best symbols of those places is, without doubt, the Aurora Borealis. 

I am currently attending the first year of Law and I would like, one day, to work for the EU, or NGOs or international organizations in the human rights and environmental field. 

In two years and a half, I am moving to Lund (Sweden) to study International Human Rights Law, for two years, and then I would like to remain in Sweden. For this reason, I am improving my English and I am also starting to study Swedish...it's such a nice language :) 

I really like fashion and I often read some books about it, but I'm going to talk about them and about this side of me in another post. 

I have a sister, Francesca, who is 13 and, unfortunately, already taller than me, and a dog, called Molly. I love her so much and she is so sweet! She is almost 4 years old. Here is a picture of her. 

And, finally, this is me :) (with a "bear", last December in Tallinn)

Now you know something about me, but I still have so many things to say..! So, there are going to be other posts really soon!