Are you not heading out on holiday this summer? Travel to Bengal by discovering the exhibition of photographer Xavier Desmier, “La vie dans les Sundarbans” (Life at the Sundarbans), at Jardin des Plantes in Paris! The winner of the Photo par Nature contest of 2011 displays astonishing snapshots, presenting the biodiversity and habitants of the biggest mangrove of the world. As a bonus, the exhibition is outdoors so you can enjoy the charming pathways of the garden. When nature rhymes with culture, there’s no reason to resist!

Photo credit: Xavier Desmier

Photo credit: Xavier Desmier

Photo credit: Xavier Desmier

Exhibition «La vie dans les Sundarbans, la plus grande mangrove du monde», until September 12th 2012 at Jardin des Plantes.
Entrée libre tous les jours de 9h à 19h30.

Jardin des Plantes
57, rue Cuvier
75005 Paris
France
T.: +33 (0)1 40 79 56 01

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What is biodiversity? Do we have reasons to think that life exists elsewhere? Why is earth inhabitable? What’s the future of nuclear power stations? A lot of people ask themselves these questions without being able to answer them. Thanks to the book Le joli petit monde (The pretty little world), Hubert Reeves and Christophe Aubel paint the portrait of a more beautiful world, and dream of a healthier planet and a just society respectful of the environment. The environmental stakes of our time are analyzed here, in order to understand the future of the Earth. To discover now.

Book “Le Joli petit monde” of Robert Reeves and Christophe Aubel. Editions Elytis. 9,90€.

Discover all the other good environmental plans suggested by the Gavarni Hotel!

Two steps away from Hotel Gavarni, in the heart of Trocadéro´s gardens, hides one of the most wonderful places in the west of Paris… Covering over 3.500 m^2, Paris’s aquarium, Cinéaqua, offers visitors the chance of discovering over 10 000 different fishes and invertebrates! From the Atlantic Ocean to the Tahitian coral reef, every ocean is present here making children and adults very happy.

The shark tunnel
Submersed in a submarine cathedral 10 meters tall and 33meters long, visitors tremble in front of 24 sharks from 4 different species. Which one would you fear the most? The gray shark, the zebra shark or the blacktip one? A mystery!

Petting in the tank
If there’s a section that children love the most, is this one. After somewhat behaving throughout the journey, your little ones will be able to pet the fishes swimming on this freshwater tactile tank. A new and playful experience for coming across the majestic kois.

The biodiversity sphere
On this particular room, you’ll discover all the unbelievable inventions of nature, from seahorses to clown fishes, from garden eels to leaf fishes that camouflage themselves within the vegetation.

Good to know: Cinéaqua counts with 2 theater rooms showcasing sea-related films.

Open everyday of the year (except July 14^th) from 10a.m. to 9p.m.
Rates: 19,90€ for an adult, 15,50€ for the 13-17 years, students, and seniors (60 years and over), 12,90€ for children from 3 to 12 years.

Aquarium de Paris – Cinéaqua
5, Avenue Albert De Mun
75016 Paris
France
T.: +33 (0)1 40 69 23 23
info@cineaqua.fr

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Green consciousness seems to get into many areas. The city of London has decided to host and organize the 2012 Olympic Games under the sustainable development banner. Focused on five themes, namely biodiversity, waste management, climate change, healthy living and social inclusion, the ecological plan set up for the summer games is titanic but very well constructed.

To start with, the Olympic Park will be located on former industrial contaminated land. It will allow the city to have a new green space (the largest urban park created for these last 150 years) and to identify habitats and species to protect in priority, such as otters, kingfishers and others. Moreover, in its northern part, a pumping station will be set up to manage better rainwater; while in the West, an innovative energy center equipped with biomass-fired boilers, a primary substation and a gas-fired combined cooling heat and power will be installed. Don’t worry, the South will host gardens, events, markets and bars. In addition, 2000 trees were planted and more than 300,000 wetland plants will enhance the green touch of the park.

As for social matters, the Olympic Village, which will host 17,000 athletes and officials, will be transformed later, in 2,800 homes, including 1379 low-rent.

The Olympic Stadium is designed with 75% of lightweight materials. The upper level, made with recyclable polymer, will be dismantled at the end of games. Finally, even the Olympic flame will be “green” using a cleaner fuel than paraffin, but it will still burn day and night.

For any further information, visit the 2012 Olympic Games official website.

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Forest is a top place of biodiversity, everybody knows it. The Palais de la découverte lead us in the heart of tropicales rainforests of Latin America, Africa and Asia in order to understand how much they have a key-role in the future of the world. Their regulating effects on the climate, grounds and water cycles and their ressources ( fruits, game animals, wood…) are useful for millions of people. This is the reason why it is crucial to manage to accomodate exploitation and conservation of these forests. To overcome this big challenge, sustainable managements would be used. The Palais de la découverte intend to bring some signs in order to win this bet.

Exposition « Forêts tropicales humides, avenir de la planète », until 25 september 2011 at Palais de la découverte.

From Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30am to 6pm
Sunday, 10am to 7pm
Closed Mondays.

Palais de la découverte
Avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt
75008 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.56.43.20.20

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The future will be green, respectful, fair, eco friendly and sustainable…or there will be no future! According to all studies, including the ones of the Ornithological Center of the Paris Area, and the League for the Protection of the Birds, to many species in Paris are about to be extinct. In order to prevent species like slugs, toads, hedgehogs, falcons, sparrows and insects that are irreplaceable for the fertilization of flowers to remain alive in Paris and in Europe in general, the Paris Council will come up with a list of measures before next fall. And that’s where the Parisians can play a crucial part. In order to elaborate a brand new project plan, we will need to be the best observers possible. Four different sites have been chosen to start with (the canals and their surroundings in the 19th, the Bois de Vincennes and the Bercy-Charenton area in the 12th, the Père Lachaise Cemetery, in the 9th and 20th, and finally the banks of the Seine in the Bois de Boulogne).We will have to set a perimeter of 10 x 10 meters and observe it during 10 mn, and count the number of insects who are coming and visiting the parcel or browsing. This observation is crucial in order to know their habits in terms of moving around and how they live in the city, and therefore ensure their survival. Since the month of March, you can have all the information on this study on the following website and also share you insights.

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