Hull Ice Rink Opening Times

"Evergreen 2009 "The

The partnership between Friends of the Earth and Obi hard for the past 4 years and over time it has established.
The campaign "Evergreen, immortelle" reaches its third edition and the intent is to make each year more and more effective above the targets, even in terms of numbers, achieved in previous years.
This year's new goal is to get them through the replanting of 3,500 trees were implemented over the last edition. First
is therefore only right for us to thank the Obi is guaranteeing the consistency and commitment to this important initiative for us. For more info please visit also the site of OBI at: http://www.obi-italia.it/it/company/it/Ambiente_e_sociale/SempreverdeSemprevivo/index.html

But if all this will be possible thanks to the narrow, vital collaboration offered by the Nursery "Bani" which is based in Castel San Niccolò and is considered the third protagonist of this wonderful initiative.
Company Bani fact, in addition to cultivating and put Trade in the fir trees, it offers each year, the availability of its own plot of land able to replanting of trees that would otherwise not be retrieved and saved from a grim fate.
Thanks to a well-established formula, the Obi Italy sells at all its points on the Italian territory commercial trees in tubs (that is still equipped with roots and soil) at a cost of € 10.00 per piece. To all those who returned, along with their proof of purchase, the same tree in good health after the holidays and no later than January 9, 2010 will receive a voucher of equal value be spent at the centers OBI by March 31, 2010. Fir returned will be taken "in the temporary custody" by Obi, which in turn organize the expedition, it would be better to say, his "return to the place of birth", in Castel San Niccolò where he will be replanted in an area already identified and allocated for the purpose within the nursery Bani, just behind the control and verification of proceedings by the Friends of the Earth who will be guarantors as well as perpetrators, at least in its startup phase.
To celebrate the initiative Sunday, January 31, 2010 Friends of the Earth will be holding a "shipment" of volunteers, of course, also open to anyone else who wants to participate and in particular so paid to families with young children. Children
fact we were the principal architects and actors of the initiative because it is to them that in the first turn our attention because it is mainly adults of tomorrow that we hope to convey a message that goes in the direction of a growing respect for nature and the environment in general, and because Christmas has always been, in the tree along with the crib is one of the two main symbols is the celebration par excellence of the children.
But the day, besides being an opportunity for everyone to spend some time outdoors and in a pristine environment such as the forests of Casentino adults will also offer some interesting hints as to be able to learn about the various species of trees present and grown in our region: from spruce to the white, Abbot Normandy (probably the best) to that of the Caucasus, each with characteristics and different methods of cultivation.
Did you know for example that a fir of about 1 meter and a half (the average height of trees on sale), through a long and arduous journey lasting about 10 years to reach that height? Every year we see regularly in the massacre of these plants that are first abused in the home where they are forced to adapt to temperatures average around 22-24 ° C, ie much higher than those of their natural habitat in this time of year, often only to be abandoned soon after the holidays, next to a dumpster in the house because we do not want more, we do not need more.
Here, the final wish is just to succeed with this initiative to send a different message that inspires us all (and in this case, especially in adults, because then the children look to adults looking for an example) a greater sense of responsibility and awareness that man must have more and more, all for the environment.

Participation in the day of the January 31 is absolutely free, with no cost to participants. We have, among other things, designed to make it even more interesting by offering the possibility of a guided tour of the castle fortress of St. Nicholas.
Lunch will instead be offered to all participants by the Company Bani.

For the detailed program of the day, ask for further information and / or book, you can visit the following address: http://www.amicidellaterra.it/adt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view & id = 685 & Itemid = 1

or contact the Friends of the Earth in Florence either by phone at 055/2207304, either by e-mail address: info@amicidellaterra.org

remember that the participation in the final event, due to limited space, is under an obligation to booking subject to availability.

Michele Salvadori

President Friends of the Earth Florence Onlus

Can A Grown Man Have Wet Dreams

Slow Economy and the" Sinocentrismo "by F. Rampini

Federico Rampini's new book, titled " Slow Economy - Reborn wisely" (ed. Mondadori, Euro 17.00 ) proposes the theory that the world is heading towards an economic model "sinocentrico. China will be the country's future business leaders World? Probably.
Rampini, from both a deep knowledge of the Asian world, (among other things, is the author of another fine book "The Empire of Chindia" by which two years ago he analyzed the reasons for the strong economic growth that was developing in Asia in countries such as China and India), that of the U.S., compares these two seemingly different worlds and far, and now for a difference of reasons are forced to live in close contact and confront each other, anticipating some sort of way deliveries between the two with Europe relegated to a marginal role.
In the clash between these two worlds as China, according Rampini, is intended to overcome the current crisis is actually a great advantage for a people like the Asia that has always made frugality a way of life even among its more affluent social classes.
theory as a metaphor for his own use the rickshaws Rampini, also rose to the fore most recently in our local chronicles of Florence. For several years now, New York seems to have adopted this vehicle as a means of transport and it is undeniable that it is primarily the product of a labor market recession exhausted. In Asia these carriages, pulled by a man on foot or pedaling on a bicycle, are a staple of the urban landscape for over two centuries. Yet today this means of transport may be a valid response to the crisis not only economic but also environmental pollution that besiege our cities: "In the concrete jungle , - writes Rampini - the risks exceed the car, slips in the middle of the lane, take the shortcuts. CO2 emissions: zero. Noise: zero ... It 's one example of "frugal consumption," which comes from Asia. " But the book cites many other examples of comparisons that do not involve only the US-China relationship, but perfectly valid for us too Europe. I will mention just a few:
- The soap, and when we are going to end them, we typically throw away: Chinese women Instead, put aside and then when they have collected a sufficient number we produce a new soap mixture between them.
- Washing dishes, in a few among the Chinese, they use the dishwasher, consider it too expensive a tool, for use in many detergent Solvay soda that costs much less.
- Take a shower, dirty shower water is not discarded in the exhaust. This is collected in a tub and then using it to wash the floors of the house.
- rice cooking water (to us the dough), use it, once cooled, to water the plants.
- The expired yogurt, is not thrown away. They use it as a leaven to make the dough, (it seems to have the same qualities of our brewer's yeast).
- GAS to purchase appliances , we typically arise solidarity group purchasing for purchases of food. In China are ahead in this. From them, when at home you decide to change an electrical appliance you ride with friends and family to find other people interested in the same kind of purchase. Then we go together to the mall where you can earn a better price thanks to the collective purchasing power.
Because of the crisis for some time, similar examples of frugality can begin to find in California and in cities like San Francisco where he began to pass the idea that the model of ideal life is to retire in the country to raise animals and grow fruits and vegetables.
Of course, the secret of the success of the Chinese economy is not only related to this issue.
I found particularly interesting the analysis Rampini makes what he calls "selfish capitalism" which creates a source of anxiety and psychologically destructive to the emphasis placed on productivity and the resulting stress from competition.
In the Big Brother society many of us are confined to becoming rich and famous. Because only the goal of fame and wealth is equivalent to being successful. Unfortunately, all This experiment also the day I. In a school in Florence, at the end of the projection of the documentary film "Do not throw away" on the issue of reducing the production of household waste, and in which even I appear briefly in one scene, a student who had recognized me in the movie approached me and said: "Lucky you! Meanwhile, at least managed to do an extra in a movie! "
's second Rampini - and I fully agree with his thesis - the roots of our economic and environmental crises, there is also a deep crisis of values \u200b\u200band this is not certainly not be held liable precisely our model of economic development is too often self-referential, almost free from self-criticism and without humility is essential to growth.
course, as they say, "is not all that glitters is gold." China is also a country where you apply a heavy exploitation of labor, where there is censorship and repression and where they are committed serious environmental damage. From what very well known in the Three Gorges Dam to the most recent and current wretched project involves the construction of no less than 13 dams along the path of the Golden River region of Yunnan, the last paradise of our planet, which will result in the forced migration of hundreds of thousands of residents due to flooding of whole valleys, and against which have already been moved by all the main environmental organizations. But China, making its strong position against the rest of the world, now will go their own way, whether we like it or not, because it is officially still a developing country. The comfort of the data: in China, for example, today there are only 12 cars per thousand inhabitants, compared with 480 of the United States. When China and India argue that the West's first wildly looted natural resources of the planet and then get to preach environmentalism and austerity to the poorest countries, they are right. But there is no doubt that the impact on Chinese consumption of resources may be devastating if we fail to convince them that it is necessary in the interests of all, that they also change the development model.
To do so, concludes Rampini, it is essential to overcome the barriers of prejudice that still separate us from the Chinese and their world, strive to understand a philosophy often far from our thoughts, yet in some cases effectively.

We waited two centuries to appreciate the risks, perhaps it is the case, as Westerners, to make a move to better understand the rest.

Michele Salvadori

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Cottage Ham String Beans Recipe

scenario that will open the conference in Copenhagen


I try to sum up the situation ahead of the opening of the Conference in Copenhagen next December.
was created in 1997 the international treaty known as the "Kyoto Protocol" on global warming. The objective of this treaty is asking is to reduce global greenhouse gas production by 5% in 2008-2012.
In 2002, EU countries agree to reduce their output of greenhouse gases by 8% by 2012.
In 2005 enters into force the Kyoto Protocol, ratified by Russia, meanwhile.
In 2007 the U.S. announced it will not sign the Kyoto commitment.
In a study entitled "Climate: true emergency "(Brioschi Editore) economist Nicholas Stern, the London School of Economics, former chief World Bank economist, says that the impact of carbon on the atmosphere seems worse than that estimated up to only two or three years ago. Today, the probability that average temperatures on Earth will increase by 5 degrees by 2050 is 50%. The last time the Earth was so hot was the Eocene. If this were to occur would be almost inevitable destruction of a large proportion of arable land in the world and the consequent beginning of migration by hundreds of millions of people.
According to the British scientist meeting Copenhagen in December it can become the most important international meeting since the Second World War.
Developed countries, where he lives about an inhabitant of the Earth in six (one in ten will be in 2050) alone currently accounts for 70% of emissions accumulated since 1950. In the future, but the majority of emissions will come from the so-called developing countries, however, argue that those responsible for the greenhouse effect to date are the industrialized countries and therefore it is right that these are having to bear the costs under the old principle the "polluter pays" and added that needing to get out of poverty when they find it impossible to give up on burning fossil fuels or cutting forests except to get economic aid from its major industrialized countries.
Currently the two countries most responsible for the production of CO2 emissions are China and the U.S. (alone will produce almost half of the total), and even then much will depend on the strategies that they adopt and which, however, in a recession like we face do not hide their big concerns about possible reductions in CO2 emissions.
In particular, the U.S. fears that adapting to the choices of other industrialized countries at the end can offer large economic benefits to India and China.
Meanwhile, the European Union, which had already given the following objectives by 2020:
- 20% renewable energy
- 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (if the U.S. will do the same otherwise it will stop at 20% )
- 20% increased energy efficiency
last October reached a new agreement for 2050 a further reduction of their emissions equal to 80-95% compared to those produced in 1990.
In this context, Italy, having spent the roof upon it by the Kyoto Protocol, to open new power plants would have to pay one billion euro. "This money - said our Minister for the Environment Prestigiacomo - paradoxically would go to countries like Poland that are less virtuous than us. "
In short, the scenario that will open the meeting in Copenhagen, it is extremely complex.
The main problem is that the Earth's atmosphere does not respect the time and the usual rules of political compromise and a further postponement of certain choices could be really dangerous.
Already a rise of one degree of temperature and resulting in further melting of the polar ice caps would cause serious damage to the arable land of Bangladesh and other countries located at sea level.

Michele Salvadori

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