ECOVISION MAGAZINE

Any business can be divided into: Input, Process, Output.  The inputs, are TOOLS a business needs to function. Processes, are ACTIVITIES carried out in & by the business. Outputs, are the RESULTS that come from combining inputs and processes.  An example of a simplified scenario  would be    Energy + Manufacturing = Waste.   The  PDCA model  can be modified to help  "green" your business.   1. PLAN: Make a list of your business inputs, processes and outputs. For example INPUTS         PROCESSES                             OUTPUTS  Energy            Manufacturing                                Waste ...

Necessity, they say is the mother of invention. With each passing day, sustainability is being recognized for what it is, a necessity. IFIA and iENA organize an annual world competition of green inventions.They urge inventors to come up with sustainable solutions to fast-evolving ecological problems. The 5th Green  annual  world competition  was held in Germany, October 29 - November 1, 2015. Here  are some popular energy saving  Inventions/ Innovations.   Clean Cook Stoves Tesla Electric Cars WAACS-Rollable Solar Charger Sage glass Hydrobee The New Urban E-bike  Eton Rukus Solar Wireless Stereo Speakers    Tesla Battery For Homes Cyclus Personal Electricity Generators Philips Dimmable LED Lights   What do you think about turning your body into electricity? Inventions like Smart Clothes ,  Theremoelectric generator armbands , and body heat powered flashlights   can harness body heat, and convert it to el...

When there is a deviation from the norm in nature, should it be characterized as an "anomaly" or "one-of- a kind"?  Here are some interesting "anomalies"/ "one-of a kinds" Carnivorous plants . Plants generally get their nutrients from the soil but carnivorous plant get most of their nutrients from consuming or trapping insects or other animals. Flowers with no fragrance . Flowers in general are known to be fragrant, but it turns out not all of them are. Octopus blood . An Octopus bleeds blue blood. The Australian Eucalyptus tree , a tree that resists fire. Natural eternal flames . Flames usually burn out, but not these ones. The Hukou waterfall . The only yellow waterfall in the world.  Balancing rocks,rocks that seem to defy gravity The Arctic circle, a place where the sun never sets .  What do you think? Are these "anomalies" or  "one-of-a kinds"? SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!!!!

Oil exists as two main types in nature.One as  organic oil, produced from plants and animals. The other as  mineral oil namely crude oil,  found within the earth, and originates from fossilized organic materials like algae and zoo-plankton .  Organic oils derived from plants (Vegetable oils) and animals ( lard & tallow) have a wide variety of food and non -food uses . The most experimented non- food use of organic oils is,  vegetable oil  as a bio-diesel . These experiments begun since  the 1900's. The 1900 world fair, was the first public demonstration of biodiesel.The diesel engine was commissioned by the French Government, and designed by the Otto company  to run on peanut oil.  The first industrial biodiesel plant was set up in 1989, by the Austrian company Gaskoks. Crude oil,  although naturally occurring is nonrenewable . It's hard to imagine crude oil as nothing but the  "most important" natural resource of in...

Life can sometimes get  stressful. In order to  stay healthy and function optimally, it is necessary to find a way to keep your stress levels down, and energy levels up. Here are 10 natural  boosters.  Stay hydrated .  Remember  60% of your body is water.Aim to drink about eight-8 ounces of fluid a day. Don't  skip breakfast or go hungry, learn how to eat for energy instead.Combine carbohydrates and proteins, this will help keep your blood sugar even. Get more oxygen to your brain. Normalize your breathing. The ideal breathing pattern provides the brain with 3 minutes of oxygen at rest.  There have been claims the buteyko oxygenation therapy helps .  Throw few splashes of cold water on your face when you feel tired.  Laugh more. Laughter  is a form of Eustress Implement natural lighting. The human body responds best to light from the sun,because it contains vitamin D .  Sleep 6- 8 hours sleep each night......"Early...

How much is water? This question has nothing to do with cost. It is more about water content. As you know, all living things contain water.So, how much do you really know about it?  Here's some information. Water is made up of two elements hydrogen and oxygen. It's chemical formula is H 2 O. Water has 3 different states, liquid, solid, gas. It covers 70% of the earth surface, of which 97.5% is ocean and 2.5% is fresh water. Up to 60% of the human adult body is made up of water. The brain and heart are composed of 73% water. The lungs are about 83% water ,while the skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys 79%, and bones 31%, approximately.  All natural food contain water.  Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid including sulfuric acid. 75% of a living tree is water. A jelly fish is made up of 95% water.  Water can be used to generate electricity, hydro power.  Water does not burn. Only about 1% of the earth's fresh water is ...

The first historical evidence of constructed roads were  stone paved, and date back from 4000BC, in Mesopotamia, now known as  Iraq.  There is also the Corduroy or Log road , found in a swampy area of Glastonbury,  Somerset, England.  The first modern roads are credited to Thomas Telford and J ohn Loudon McAdam.   McAdam, designed roads with harder surface using broken stones placed in symmetrical, tight patterns and covered with smaller stones. His design was called “Macadam”. The "Macadam" design led to the bitumen-based binding, Tarmacadam . The Champs-Elysees Paris , was one of the first "tar" roads. It was covered with asphalt in 1824, making it the first modern road in Europe.  Fast forward 191 years, and Asphalt mixes can now be made with recycled   materials. In Sydney, Australia, a road contractor and cartridge ink recycling company team up for the world's first commercial use for toner waste .   In Jamshedpur, I...

Money     Trees make the world go round. Do you agree? And it is not just because, they produce half of the earth's oxygen. It is also  because, they give credibility to most of life's  endeavors. How?  What  record / evidence do you have of your birth? years of learning , qualifications? Ownership of your home and other properties? Partnerships of marriage or business? How do you know what you do, about history? Finally,what is your money made from?  PAPER!!!!! So you see, it is all about the trees, because as you know, paper is made from trees.  It is important to pay tribute to visionaries like Professor Wangari Maathai , whose Green Belt Movement have planted over 51 million trees. Also, a big shout out to all the arborists around the world.  Just in case you were wondering how the other half of the earth's oxygen is  produced, it is produced by phytoplankton . SO NOW YOU  KNOW!!!!

Ever dipped into nature's medicine chest? A significant amount of prescription drugs are derived from plants, animals and microorganisms .An estimated, 121 prescription drugs currently sold worldwide, come from plant-derived sources.   Vincristine used in cancer treatment is derived from  Ros y periwinkle found in Madagascar. The blood pressure lowering drug, Captopril was crafted using the design template found in the venom of Bothrops jararaca . Can you imagine a world without antibiotics? Well that was the world before the discoveries made by Sir Alexander Fleming , Howard Florey and Ernst Chain .   There are still thou sands of  species  untapped for their chemical potions. Imagine the possibilities . Who knows? The cure for Alzheimer's , AIDS , may just be i n the top right corner of nature's cabinet , right next to CONSERVATION.   On a lighter note, ever heard of agar art? SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!!! 

Nature is indeed full of surprises.  Do you know these? Marble Caves of Chile Thor's Well,USA Valley of Geysers, Russia  Crooked Forest, Poland  Sounding Sands Desert, China  Spotted Lakes, Canada Danakil Depression, Ethopia Lençóis maranhenses, Brazil Blood Falls, Antarctica Door to Hell, Turkmenistan Waitomo , Glowworm Caves, New Zealand Caño Cristales Colombia ( Liquid Rainbow)   SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!!!!

It is important to take a break now and again. Even more so, is where you choose to take your breaks.Hotels, are very popular choices. So, how amazing  is it, when these hotels are made from nature? Hospitality industries across the world, have  begun to explore, limitless and mutually beneficial relationships with nature.  Here are some examples. Ariau Amazon Towers Brazil , Zand hotel Netherlands ,( the world's first sand castle hotel), Palacio de Sal Bolivia (built from salt), Fairy Chimney Inn Turkey , Conrad Maldives Rangali Islands,   Hotel de Glace Canada, Kolarbyn Ecolodge Sweden. "Unconventional" they may be. But, it doesn't get any better than relaxing in nature.   SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!!!   You may also like Rain forest Pent houses   4 Of the World's Most Amazing Tree Top Hotels Top 10 Hotels for Nature Lovers

How  much do you really know about wind?  Here are some Wind facts.   Wind refers to the movement of air resulting from the differences in air temperature  The origin of the word wind is the Indo-European root we- meaning “to blow"  Depending on its strength it can be known as breeze, gale, storm or hurricane Wind speed is measured using an anemometer while its direction is measured using a wind vane The unit of measurement for wind speed is a knot Electricity can be generated from wind via a wind turbine. The first electricity wind turbine was invented in 1888 by Charles. F. Brush  The world's first wind farm was installed 1980, in New Hampshire by US Wind power  Alta Wind   Energy Center , USA is the largest operational onshore wind farm in the world Wind energy has been described as one of the safest and most environmentally friendly forms of electricity generation  SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!!!  

What would happen if there was no gravity? Simple, you would float out into the atmosphere , along with all other matter on earth. Just ask the astronauts who go on space missions. The force of gravity, is said to be stronger on heavier objects, than lighter ones. In other wards you would expect gravitational force to be more on a rock, than a feather, right? Tell you what, there are rocks in nature that seem to defy the force of gravity.Here's just a few of them.  Krishna's butter ball India , Golden Rock Burma , Balancing Rock Nova Scotia , Epworth Zimbabwe,   Idol rock United Kingdom , ER  rock USA . Amazing aren't they? SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!! You may also like Rain forest Pent houses 10 Famous Balancing Rocks Around the World Why 10,000-Year-Old Gravity-Defying Rocks Haven't Toppled

What  could be more dramatic than watching waters that  flow side  by side but don't mix? At least not immediately. This amazing  water phenomenon appears to occur on all the continents except for Australia. Ikogosi warm springs Nigeria , Rio Negro & Rio Solimoes Brazil ,   Alaknanda& Bhagirathi India , Green & Colorado  USA ,   Jialing and Yangtze China  , Rhone & Arve Switzerland , Thompson & Fraser Canada. With this, nature clearly demonstrates, "collision" and "mixing" don't necessarily occur  simultaneously. SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!!! You may also like 11 Incredible Points In The World Where Major Bodies Of Water Join Together

Are you a fan of spa treatments?  Maybe psammo therapy is for you. Described as a very natural spa treatment, Sand bathing has been practiced since ancient times. It has been said to cure ailments    like lumbago, diabetes, anemia, infertility. Sand bathing, has also been credited with aiding weight loss and  enhancing the total body beauty. Sand baths  exist across the world.   Merzouga, Morrocco ,   Siwa  Egypt ,    Ibusuki, Japan , to name a few.    Japan, also has a Sand bath beach, Beppu . More luxurious versions of sand therapy can be found in Brenner's park Germany , Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Abu Dhabi . The Saudi Governments massive tourism project,  Al Uqair,   set to open in 2017, will feature an entire sand bathing center. Gharieni's innovative MLX Quartz sand tables, have brought penetrating heat of sand baths, to top spas like  Spa Nalai, New York .  The sand tables, allow s...

People's  love  for spectacular views have made sky scrapers popular around the world. The Burj  Khalifa  is a perfect example. How about an earth scraper?   Well, as a solution to lack of  urban space, in Mexico, an architectural firm, BNKR Arquitectura , is championing building an inverted pyramid. The pyramid will descend about 340 m below the surface and has the potential to house about 100,000 people.  The Earthscraper concept may be new, but subterranean dwelling is not. Underground cities have been in existence for a long time. From Derinkuyu in ancient Cappadocia , to Coober Pedy, Australia.   There are other underground cities like Reso, Montreal , and semi- underground cities like the Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain. .  An earth scraper may not be for everyone, particularly, if you are claustrophobic. However, living underground does have it's benefits. It  is energy efficient and will prove to be a safe place in case o...

Mirrors,  you can not ignore them, be they natural or man-made. You see your reflection almost everywhere you go. So what do you know about them? MIRROR HISTORY In ancient times, people used  water mirrors. Small pools of water collected in darkly colored containers.  The first man made mirrors, were made, in Turkey about 8000 years ago from polished stone and black volcanic glass, obsidian . Around 4000 BC, ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians,  started making mirrors from copper. People in Central and South America, made mirrors from polished stone. While the  Chinese manufactured mirrors from speculum metal , and  polished bronze, around 2000 BC. The first recorded use of glass mirrors  was in first century A.D. Tin-mercury backed glass mirrors began to surface in Venice around the 16th Century In 1835, German chemist Justus Von Liebig ,invented silvered glass mirrors, which are now found throughout the world Present day,mirrors are m...

 Ever considered walking around with your house? No? Impossible? Crazy?  Well apparently,  Mr. Liu Lingchao has. The portable house was made from plastic bags, bed sheets, and bamboo.  A bit extreme? Welcome to the world of "ECO-TECTURE FASCINATING "ECO-TECTURE" FROM AROUND THE WORLD 1  Falling water , United States.  A house built on an active waterfall. 2 Water Tower house , Begium. An old water tower turned to a modern family home. 3 House on a rock , Serbia. Built on a rock, and has stood for about 45 years. 4 House  under a rock, Mexico. The roof is made from a boulder. 5 Stone house , Portugal. Built with four different boulders 6 Robo hobbit house , Prague. Built to rotate. 7 Hobbit house , Wales. Dug into the hillside 8 Buried house, Switzerland 9 Shipping container houses , Australia 10 Multistorey tree house, Japan. Fancy a bit of  "Eco-tecture"? SO NOW YOU KNOW!!!!

Food, sustains. art,  expresses . So, what do you get when you combine them?   Rice , has been described as a staple food, for more than half of the world's population. It is typically grown in flooded fields known as rice paddies. Through the tanbo art process, rice paddies are being transformed into stunning works of art. It began,in  Inakadate , Japan. In 1993, the first rice paddy art was created, using purple and yellow rice plants. It was the picture of Mt. Iwaki along with letters. Here's a picture, beautiful isn't it?  How is it done?  To begin with, it takes about 1200 people  and costs $35,000 to create. Followed by these steps STEP 1:Choosing a design STEP 2: A sketch is made of the desgin STEP 3: A three- dimensional perspective is generated STEP 4: Selection of  the rice varieties to be used. STEP 5: Creating the design plan using Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) STEP 6: The design is drawn on the field u...

Do you know what happens when lightning strikes sand under the "right" conditions? It turns it to glass. Fulgurite to be exact. How does this happen? Apparently, lightning  fuses the silica or quartz in the sand to make hollow glass lined tubes. Amazing isn't it?  How much do you really know about lightning though?  LIGHTNING FACTS Lightning  is a burst of electricity(about 5 billion joules) that happens during thunderstorms. It travels at a speed of about 60,000 miles per second. The temperature of lightning is 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, approximately 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun Thunder is the sound caused by lightning Lightning can be made in a laboratory using the Van de Graaff static electricity generator The fear of lightning and thunder is known as Astraphobia A flash of lightning can power a light bulb for 1 month. Lightning can strike the same place twice or more Lightning occurs mostly over land than the oceans, with 70% occu...

In order to survive, man has always had to adapt to his environment. So when people build stilt houses , they are simply adapting to their environment. Stilt houses are commonly built above water. They can also be built on land  e.g. Nipa huts. Stilt houses are built from bamboo or other water resistant timber. They can be  found across the globe.  The "Kelongs" of South east Asia, "Palafitos" of South America , Guinea stilt houses of Papau New Guinea, Stiltville in the United States of America. Stilt houses  have really come a long way since the prehistoric times  . One industry that has really cashed in on this eco architectural concept, is the hospitality industry.Popular stilt hotels are,  Likuliku Lagoon resort,Fiji , Punta Caracol Acqua Lodge , Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives,   Pangkor laut, Malayasia ,   Bora Bora, Four seasons   ,  Hotel  Palafitte, Switzerland,  (the only hotel in Europe built on stilts). In...

 Did you know the sun is a yellow star? It is in fact our nearest star.  At any moment, the sun emits about 3.86 x 10 26  watts of energy.   Over time,bright minds, have been able to develop ways, to harness and store some of this energy. 1767 ,   Horace-Benedict de Saussure  invented the first solar collector, which later widely became known as the first solar oven. 1883 , Charles Fritts  created the first solar cell. 1941 , Russel Ohl invented the silicon solar cell. 1958 , solar power was used commercially to power space satellites and stations. 1981 , Paul Maccready invented the first solar aircraft. 1982, solar powered cars were developed in Australia.  1999,  the largest solar power plant was commissioned, producing more than  20 kilowatts of electricity.  2009, the first solar powered stadium was built in Taiwan . 2014, a whole indian village is powered by solar energy, thanks to Greenpeace. ...

Thanks to successful   "modern" inventions by Wright brothers , Albert Ballin , Karl Benz , George Stephenson  . People can  access different parts of the world in record time. With air transport , described as the fastest means.  .  Can you make a connection between air transport, litter and accident?  Here's  a hint, can you imagine what havoc litter can cause on an airport runway? It can cause a fatal accident. Now that's not possible as most airports are located away from residential areas and well maintained, right? How about when the runway is a road for vehicle traffic as well? Well that's the case with the Gibraltar International airport.   The airport runway intersects a road. Motorists, literally have to wait for a plane to land. Yet there has been no record of crashes since 1943. No, the 1943 crash was not caused by litter, in case you were wondering.  Other  airport runways that intersect roads can be found ...

You most likely know who an entrepreneur is right? How about an ecopreneur?  Well simply put an ecopreneur is an entrpreneur with a green edge. By green edge, I mean,  knowledge of how to work with nature, rather than against it. Any business exists and thrives because nature allows it to. Beg to differ? Lets start with  you. Can you survive without food, shelter or clothing? The food you eat, the materials for your shelter, the clothes that keep you warm, all come from nature.Same applies to the entrepreneur. In order for the entrepreneur to come up with those brilliant business ideas, he needs to first be able to survive. Now to  business. So  brilliant business ideas have now become a reality, congratulations.  Can you run your business efficiently without electricity? How is this electricity generated? You may want to give it some thought?  Thanks to technological advancements, business transactions are conducted globally with significant...

Man has always been fascinated by his environment. A fascination that has lead to thrilling explorations, life changing discoveries and inventions. The under water environment has not been exempt from this fascination. As early as 1535,   Guglielmo de Lorena  built and used the first modern diving bell to reach deep down under water. It has been said that a picture says a thousand words. So when Louis Boutan invented the under water camera in 1893,the  indescribable beauty of the under water world was shown to the world. In present day,the merge between mans under water quest, and natures beauty has given rise to, SUSTAINABLE UNDER WATER TOURISM, an Eco money making venture.  Under water landmarks like the    Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai , Manta resort, Zanzibar , Musa Cancun, Mexico ,  Channel tunnel (between England and France), to mention a few,can attest to this. The future holds more under water wonders.  The Gotthard base tunnel, Switze...

The human mind is very powerful. Don't you agree? Think of all the inventions and discoveries . The stone axe crafted 2.5millions years ago, the discovery of electricity.Can you imagine a world without electricity?  In 1831 Micheal Faraday  invented the first power generator which allowed the generation of  electric current in an ongoing way, making it viable for use in technology. In 1882, Edision used his direct current system(DC) to provide power to light the first street lamps in New york, USA. Fast forward 120 years and  Alfredo Moser invented the "Moser lamps'' in 2002, using 2 liter plastic bottles, 2 capfuls  of bleach and the power of the sun. Amazing isn't it?  The light produced by this lamps are betweeen 40- 60 watts depending on the power of the sun. According to the United Nations: A 50 Watt light bulb running for 14 hours a day for a year has a carbon footprint of nearly 200kg CO2 Moser lamps emit no CO2. Since it's invention, Moser ...

Thanks to passionate environmental campaigns around the world, most people are now familiar with the 3 R's; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But do you  know you can also  upcycle? Upcycling is converting old material into something new and useful.For example when you refashion an old pair of jeans into a pair of shorts that is upcycling, fun isn't it. Upcycling differs from recycling, in that, the old material's composition remains the same. Upcycling is becoming popular  in the world's  industries. Fashion companies like Mima-te  , Mozambique , upcycle vintage clothes found in local markets in Maputo. Trmtab , India, use leather scraps from factories around the world to create sleeves for tech devices. Hipcycle ,  a US based online store sell  upcycled products. These are just a few examples of companies who are making money from upcycling. Upcycling, is here to stay so why dont you get on board? Upcycle, make something beautiful, today. Enjoy th...

"Under pressure is the only way I work, and by myself is the only way i'm hurt".......   Diamonds are actually carbon in its most concentrated form. You do know every living thing on earth contains carbon, right? DIAMOND FACTS A diamond is an allotrophe of Carbon It is the hardest mineral in the world Most diamonds found in nature are between one to three billion years old Diamonds were first discovered in India approximately 3000 years ago In 1477,the first diamond engagement ring was  given to Mary of Burgundy by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, beginning the tradition of a man proposing to his intended with a diamond ring.  The worlds largest private collections are; The crown jewels, Aurora pyramid of hope, Iranian Yellows Diamonds are presently mined in about 25 Countries on every continent except Europe  To produce a single one-carat diamond, 250 tons of earth will be mined The largest diamond ever found was the Cullinan at 3106 carat...