💙 Tietê River Day: pollution increases 40% in one year
The Tietê River saw progress in the dirtiness of its waters between 2021 and 2022. The pollution spot in one year increased by more than 40%, going from 85 km to 122 km in the 55 measurement points in its basin, according to monitoring by the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation. In the same period, the The length of good quality water fell from 124 km last year to 60 in the current measurement.
ADVERTISING
Among the reasons for the loss of water quality are the transfer of contaminated sediments accumulated in the Pirapora do Bom Jesus reservoir to Médio Tietê. According to the report Observing Tietê 2022, these sediments with high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) loads carry remnants of sewage and diffuse sources of pollution, such as garbage, agricultural pesticides, car soot, among others.
Gustavo Veronesi, coordinator of Mata Atlântica, says that the resumption of economic activity after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic also counts, but cannot be seen as solely responsible for this increase. “Even during the pandemic, people continued to generate domestic sewage, agricultural production continued to take place, but, yes, having more people on the streets generating diffuse pollution that ends up going into the river contributes to the advancement of pollution", it states.
Monitoring was carried out by 35 volunteer groups from SOS Mata Atlântica, between September 2021 and August 2022, along 576 km of the Tietê River.
ADVERTISING
The report released this Thursday (22), when the Tietê River Day, is part of the Observing the Rivers project, which has the support of Ypê.
♻️ Business Coalition launches global treaty to combat plastic pollution
In total, 83 organizations came together in New York this Wednesday (21) for the launch of an ambitious global treaty to end pollution plastic.
A Business Coalition is an initiative of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in partnership with WWF and encompasses NGOs, financial institutions and large global companies that share a common vision of combating this environmental problem. They include Nestlé, PepsiCo, Danone, Coca-Cola Company, Essity, Orestia, BNP Paribas, Rockefeller, 3M and others.
ADVERTISING
During the meeting, it will be proposed to “Coalition Vision“, a document that comprises common goals and obligations that member states must implement, as well as expectations regarding the actions of the United Nations (UN).
“To end plastic pollution once and for all and increase the pace of change, we need a system-wide transformation that stops the creation of plastic waste in the first place, using a circular economy approach that addresses every step of the value chain with a high level of ambition”, says the Coalition document. (*)
🌱 Vivara opens 300 store with sustainable concepts
Completing 60 years of presence in the market, the jewelry chain Vivara opens its three hundredth store with innovative and sustainable actions.
ADVERTISING
The sustainable project – which follows certification guidelines LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) – seeks to encourage and accelerate the adoption of sustainable construction practices. The space reinforces the brand's commitment to socio-environmental responsibility, bringing benefits to the environment, employees and customers.
From 2023 onwards, the brand's new projects will meet the sustainability objectives established by Vivara in its strategy. "The engineering, architecture and sustainability team will work together to deliver more sustainable stores from conception, through construction to store operation, with a focus on greater energy efficiency and the development of partners that supply materials with responsible attributes environment in different locations in Brazil, where we will have inaugurations", explains Marcos Tada, Engineering Executive at the brand.
Among the sustainable actions considered in store 300 are:
- Reduction in lighting power by 12% compared to a reference store of the same type, using LED luminaires;
- Use of an Air Conditioning system with a VAV system (variable air volume) that allows the supply air flow (and fan consumption) to be reduced at times when the store is less occupied, consuming less energy.
- Use of a high-efficiency electric motor in the air conditioning system fans;
- Store lighting with automatic shutdown;
- Choosing a furniture supplier that is committed to purchasing reforestation wood and approved by the FSC;
- Use of paints with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions.
- 100% of construction waste diverted from landfill, which is reused and recycled.
In addition to the environmental benefits, such as reducing water, energy and carbon footprint, the implementation of LEED certification also brings a reduction in risks and operational costs, and also encourages the development of suppliers, and awareness of employees and customers on ESG issues.
ADVERTISING
"Sustainability is an issue integrated into different areas of our business and it could not be different in our store expansion. We know the challenges, as we are in different regions of Brazil, and for this reason we work on continuous improvement, encouraging our teams and areas to deliver projects that reduce environmental impact, and bringing a better work environment to our employees. LEED certification brings these premises to construction and operation, which is why we are seeking certification for our store 300", concludes Marina Kaufman, Director of Marketing and Sustainability at Vivara.
O Curto Verde is a daily summary of what you need to know about the environment, sustainability and other topics linked to our survival and that of the planet.
(With Estadão Content)
(🚥): may require registration and/or signature
(🇬🇧): content in English
(*): content in other languages is translated by Google Tradutor
