All About Ecology

By Pedro Pérez, 1B

Ecology is the science that studies living beings, their ecosystems, their lives, their abundance and their
distribution. It is also the relation of living beings with their environment. When we say that we are ''ecological'' we want to say that we are respectful with the environment and with the beings that live on it, caring for their surroundings, which are also our surroundings. So, that we recycle, reuse, save, we don't waste...

We normally talk about the three Rs (3R): recycle, reuse, reduce. These are the original concepts, but we also have talk about others, such as:

• Reject, those products or materials that will become waste.
• Repair, although if the object will decompose, is better to repair it.
• Rethink, at the time of purchase, if the shopping is really necessary.
• Reform, rebuild or repair products such as clothes or shoes that can be used again.
• Reconvert to energy, waste that can not be reused can generate energy through incineration.

RECYCLING

Recycling is a physical-chemical or mechanical process that consists of submitting a substance or a
product already used to a cycle of total or partial treatment for getting a new product.

Containers:

• Yellow container: light packaging (bottles, jars, cans, etc.).
• Blue container: paper and cardboard (newspapers, boxes, cartons).
• Green container: glass containers.
• Gray container: organic waste (not recycled), especially biodegradable material.

RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION

Buy only what you really need. The opposite is wasteful. Not to waste is important in ecology because if you do not waste, you have what you really need and you waste what you really don't need. Another example of responsible consumption is the use of light, energy saving appliances, lighting, etc. Also with water, fuel or paper. In this last case we must take into account that, to make paper, we have to fell trees, which favors the drought and they need high cellulose factories that are very polluting. To avoid wasting we can do the following:

WATER: Turning off the tap when we are soaping, or brushing our teeth, and showering for only 10 minutes.
LIGHT: Turning on the least lights possible, or none if there is not needed or we can open the shutters.
ENERGY: Ventilating the house for 10 minutes, not more, or turning up the heat only when it is necessary.
PAPER: Using recycled paper and on both sides.

CONCLUSION

Not to pollute, not to throw things on the floor, etc. is another way to help the
environment. Saving the planet is in our hands, and we should all take ecology as a
behavior in our lives that is normal to be ecological and do these kind of things.
Also, it could be possible ask the mayor to do something in Madrid, where the pollution rate is very
high.

Using the Sun to Clean Water

By Elías Hernandis Prieto, 1B

Johnathan Liow with his water-purifying invention, the "Solarball."

Over two million children die annually from preventable causes, such as contaminated water, and that number is currently growing due to fast urbanization and population growth. In order to help those people who don't have access to clean water, a student called Jonathan Liow has created the "Solarball." Solarball is a ball divided in two parts, in the lower part you have to put the dirty water. Then you leave the Solarball in a place where the sun touches it. At the end of the day you will have 3 liters of the cleanest water you can think of.

According to Mr. Liow, he got the idea after a trip. "After visiting Cambodia in 2008, and seeing the immense lack of everyday products we take for granted, I was inspired to use my design skills to help others," Mr Liow said.

As a consequence of this incredible invention, he has won many ecological awards, but he has also been granted a job in an Australian design company. The Solarball has since been named as a finalist in the 2011 Australian Design Awards - James Dyson Award, and will be displayed at the Milan International Design Fair. Johnathan Liow is currently in the process of looking for money to get the ball manufactured and distributed thoughout the whole world.

More information here: http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/solarball-promises-deliver-clean-water-developing-countries. 

An Amazing Game!

By Elías Hernandis Prieto, 1B

When “Angry Birds” first came out in 2009, it was downloaded 12 million times. Today it has three versions and the creators of this game have enough money to live for dozens of years because of the game’s success.

This game is very easy; you only have to drop some birds onto the green pigs. You have seven types of birds, and each one is designed to destroy a part of the structure in which the pigs are placed. To pass a level, you need to know what each bird is for and you must have great aim. When you drop a bird it starts to travel through the air in a curve called a parabola. This parabola varies depending on the shape and weight of the bird.

“Angry Birds will continue to grow, and we aim to create more similar success stories,” Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said in a statement. “We will strengthen the position of Rovio and continue building our franchises in gaming, merchandising and broadcast media.”

And they have done it! Last Christmas they presented Angry Birds SEASONS, and on the 25th of March they launched Angry Birds RIO, which is related with the movie RIO that will come out soon.

This game is available for multiple platforms, such as the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad (all iOS devices), Mac OS X 10.6.6, some NOKIA Phones and every device with Andriod 1.1 or later versions. More platforms will be included soon. The game costs from $ 0.99 to $ 3.99. They have recently started to sell Angry Birds Plush toys, which are available at the Rovio Online Store (http://shop.angrybirds.com) starting from $11.99.

For more information visit: http://rovio.com.