Rapha Continental – The Movie from RAPHA on Vimeo.

For a while now, I have wanted to put this into writing. I have followed the Rapha Continental for some time now and have wanted to try and discover some similar rides in South Africa. I know they are out there but I need you to tell me where they are.

We ride the most inaccessible parts on the mountain bike on our Epic Unsupported Tour, but typically of my demanding nature, I want more.

I want to ride the backroads with a few mates or a few people who share the belief that riding your bike is special. That it’s purposeful for so much more than riding fast. I don’t care if it takes 8 hours for a round trip, I want to ride the secret epic roads of South Africa. I want to document it and share it with the other 500 000 cyclists in South Africa. I want to make weekends of it and push the limits.

Who has a secret road for me? I want to come and ride it with you.

thank you Puma!

A couple of weeks ago there was a very interesting episode on Carte Blanche where the presenter discussed the dangers of cellphones to the human body. Another issue that was raised was the amount of E-waste that is created daily.

WHAT IS E-WASTE?

In very simple terms it is the waste of all electronic appliances on the planet. You see, we not only throw away plastic, paper, garbage or glass anymore, but also electronic appliances that has an effect on for how long our planet will survive for. Toyota created a 0 carbon printed vehicle called the Prius for example.

Nokia being one of the leaders in the cellphone industry is also busy creating a device that is completely recyclable. Although the process has not been launched and intensive tests still need to happen before the handset is revealed, Nokia has already set the tone of caring for our planet through various of other ways.

MATERIALS USED

Nokia carefully selects the materials that go into their products, ensuring environmental sustainability at every stage of the product life cycle.

* In 2005 Nokia introduced their first device to be compliant with the European legislation (RoHS) restricting the use of certain substances. The Nokia 5140i, was introduced over a year before the new law actually came into force.
* Already in 2006 their new devices, chargers and headsets were free of PVC.
* Nokia are currently phasing out the use of Brominated and Chlorinated compounds and Antimony Trioxide across their product range. This year the first of many of these phones where releases called the Nokia 7100 Supernova.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

An estimated two thirds of the energy consumed by a mobile device during its usage is lost when it is fully charged and unplugged but the charger is left connected to the mains – in so called “no-load” mode.

* In May 2007 Nokia was the first mobile device manufacturer to put alerts into all of their devices to remind people to unplug their chargers. The power that could be saved globally by all Nokia phone users unplugging their chargers when no longer needed is equivalent to enough energy to power 100,000 average-size European homes.
* During the last decade Nokia have reduced the amount of energy their best chargers consume in the no-load mode by more over 90%.
* During 2008 Nokia began rolling out the AC-8, our most energy efficient charger yet which consumes only 0.03W in no-load mode. By shipping these instead of chargers with 0.3 W no-load consumption (AC-4) the amount of energy Nokia will save by the end of this year could power 125,000 energy saving 15W light bulbs for a year.

RECYCLING

Nokia also operate the largest voluntary mobile phone recycling program globally.

* People can bring their phones back for responsible recycling to around 5000 Nokia Care Points located in 85 countries. Any device can be recycled and not only Nokia devices.
* These Mobile devices are not remodeled for new devices and accessories but the recycled raw materials can be reused in many other ways, for example to make new parts for bikes, kettles, or even dental fillings.
* Up to 80% of any Nokia device can be recycled and the rest, mainly plastics, can be used to fuel the recycling process, ensuring that nothing is wasted.
* Only 3% of people owning mobile devises claim to recycle their devices. If all the 3 billion people around the world using mobile phones globally recycled at least 1 of their unwanted devices, it could save 240,000 tonnes of raw material and reduce gases to the same extent as taking 4 million cars of the roads.
* To raise consumer awareness and encourage people to recycle their old mobile devices Nokia runs regular recycling campaigns around the world. These offer many different ways to bring back the devices such as offering pre-paid postal envelopes or using highly visible collection boxes placed in stores and other public locations.
* To find out where to find your recycle depot in South Africa, please visit www.nokia.com/werecycle.

original article on Urban Angel