As more time passes since the Egyptian dive yacht sunk on November 25, survivors are asking questions of how so many things could have gone wrong. From lack of batteries in the life vests, to leaking life rafts, to an unresponsive army. Why did it take more than 36 hours for those that couldn't escape the wreck to be rescued. Why was the rescue done by a private crew and not the Navy?
Glaciologist Konrad “Koni” Steffen passed away at aged 68 on August 8 in an accident in Greenland. Steffan was a renowned researcher on rising sea levels, and died after falling into the kind of crevasse that global warming has created. “It looks like climate change actually claimed him as a victim,” a colleague said. His […]
Whether you travel alone or in packs, there is a new range of portable solar solutions by the Swiss company iLAND (said island) that will put crummy little solar panels on your backpack to shame: iLand has developed and now manufactures portable solar power packs for events with thousands and those small enough for one.
A small piece of plastic can save lives, preserve local eco-systems, and cut greenhouse gas emissions: finally, positive press for plastics. A Swiss-based company has developed portable water purifiers called LifeStraw that can be deployed at point-of-use to instantly convert water from hazardous to drinkable, without electricity and side-stepping the age-old practice of boiling. Nearly […]
They took their pilot run from Europe to Morocco, now the Swiss solar plane will fly across America. Sometime next summer, an airplane with the wingspan of an Airbus A340 but weighing not much more than a Toyota will fly from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., and on to New York. The history-making cross-country trip […]
The Solar Impulse flies from Switzerland into the Moroccan sun. Just 107 years after the Wright Brothers became famous for successfully flying the world’s first airplane, Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg made history in July, 2010 by piloting the longest solar-powered flight at 26 hours, 10 minutes, and 19 seconds. Now they have […]
Complete kits are now available for installing home solar energy systems
3G Solar moves on-grid, where the market is more lucrative than off-grid, developing countries The Israeli solar power firm 3G Solar will move on grid as part of a new ownership strategy, according to PlasticEletronics.com. What sets 3G Solar apart from most other photovoltaic solar companies is its unique technology based on the Dye Solar […]
Karin meets Prince Hassan of Jordan at a water security conference in Switzerland last week. It was a meeting of minds, water minds. Water consultants, ambassadors who’ve built water treaties, and government specialists and negotiators from around the Middle East and Europe gathered in Montreux, Switzerland for a two-day workshop on Water Security in the […]
Who would think that Switzerland and Israel have anything in common? Switzerland brings to mind lush mountains, flowing streams and delicious chocolate. Israel has the well known (and personally loved) chocolad para but it doesn’t quite compare. I guess it takes a diplomat to make the connection. Monika Schmutz-Kirgöz, the Deputy Head of Mission of […]