ECOVISION MAGAZINE

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 ...