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It is a pleasure for João Pessoa to welcome once again the International Conference of the series NOCMAT. In 2013 March, we receive more than 60 researchers from all parts of the globe, and a lot of Brazilian post graduate students that presented the results of their work with enthusiasm. Yes, we must be motivated to carry out research into no-conventional materials, and one of the reasons is that planet Earth is finite. The so much industrialized construction materials request a large amount of energy, generate pollution and waste difficult to be reincorporated to the Nature. Energy is a problem in the Earth with 8 billion of people, and it has been the cause of several international conflicts in the last decades. The current system of life, based solely on capitalism, has not proven adequate to solve humanity's problems. A system that is based on increasing consumption and the accumulation of goods is incompatible with a finite Planet. The results of the current lifestyle can be clearly seen around: two billion people are practically homeless, and hunger is still present. Add to this the lack of treated water and sewage in densely populated parts of the world. Damage to the environment is reaching unbearable levels. It is impossible for future generations not to be concerned about it. 

In our field of work, architecture and engineering, we have to be aware that industrialized construction materials consume enormous amounts of energy. Just look at the temperatures required to manufacture them, almost always above a thousand degrees Celsius. Energy is a problem on a finite planet. Thus, it has been responsible for the armed conflicts of recent decades. The dominant countries, to maintain and increase an exaggerated standard of living, need more and more energy so they seek to appropriate the energy sources of the weakest. That is why military force has been used so much, killing thousands of innocent people everywhere. And oil, gas, coal, products that are so harmful to the environment, remain controlled by a few mega companies whose only objective is increasing profits.

But what can we do to minimize what is happing? Go back to using natural materials, renewable materials, thinking about simple technologies from the past. Evidently adapting them to today. Transform agro-industrial waste into construction materials, develop less impactful binders, roofing systems based on biomaterials, use thermal protection elements of natural origin, work with ventilation to minimize artificial air conditioning, use rainwater, and so many other possibilities in favor of less impact on Nature, which can no longer support so much aggression.  All of this is the theme of the NOCMAT conference series, and we hope that young researchers will become increasingly aware of the impasse to which we are leading the planet, in a practically suicidal process.

We end with words from The Earth Charter, a document written at the beginning of the millennium, with the aim of improving the quality of life of humans in harmony with Nature, and which has unfortunately not been observed by the governments of the world: “Fundamental changes to our values are needed, institutions and ways of life. We must understand that when basic needs are met, human development will be primarily focused on being more and not having more”.