The initial frenzy kicked up by some media outlets over the H1N1 influenza (swine flu) has subsided to some extent, but of course there is a (slight) threat and beating it could have you walking down over a delicious road that you would lovingly embrace. You could simply get the vaccination shot and have it over with the flu thing, but having good food to increase the overall immunity is a great idea, shots or not.

The author of the book 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, Dave Grotto has revealed 10 foods that could help you on your way to a healthier immune system without putting your taste buds under compromise. Immunity enhancing foods on the list include dark chocolate, oysters, mushrooms, yogurt, tea and sweet potatoes. A single oyster can provide you with the Zinc you need for one day. Zinc helps development of the white blood cells and the immune system. Mushrooms have beta glucon that can put infection destroying “superhero” cells into action, and drinking five cups of black tea everyday could increase the body’s defense system four-fold in two weeks.

Strawberries can be good for reducing intensity and duration of the flu, Vitamin D in almonds and Vitamin E in wild caught salmon can prevent infections. Fresh Garlic too is great for the immune system.

Source: Yahoo Green

Indoor lighting accounts for nearly 15% of energy use in most of the households, and while new technologies are working to drastically reduce this energy consumption, things like Sparks LEDs could prove very useful. This design from Daniel Becker uses energy efficient LED light bulbs, which can be put together to create a striking light sculpture.

It is not very difficult to create the light sculpture, the design can be put together and dismantled the same way as one would screw or unscrew a traditional light bulb. But of course, the Sparks offer a lot of creative, aesthetic and environmental advantages over those plain old light bulbs.

These structures can be put together in a number of ways to suit the personal preferences of the user, and require no technical expertise to install, making the design all the more alluring. Spark lights can be installed indoors and outdoors, and their suction cups make it possible to put them on walls as well.

Source: Inhabitat

Nuclear power plants in Germany are on their way to an extended life, surmounting the huge obstacles in their path. There is a vehement opposition to nuclear power plants in Germany, and most of the population believes that the country should let go of nuclear power plants. The new policy aims at keeping the old plants running to ultimately have greener energy take over the existing system, but it may also pave the way for new nuclear plants.

The government managed to get the plan through by making big promises, like utilizing a huge chunk of nuclear earnings for public use. It was also assured that renewable power would get preference over nuclear power when fed to the distribution grid.

Earnings from these plants can be huge, going to the magnitude of nearly 20 million euros can come from a life extension of 20 years for plants operated by four major energy companies, whose plants produce almost a quarter of German electricity. The policy will give a new lease of life to 17 nuclear power plants, which faced closure in the next decade.

Source: Reuters

Tropical Ida is trying to get in on top of the radar, as opposed to under the radar before the season winds down. It’s near Nicaragua now.

Ida is the 9th storm of the season, down a bit and sending the global warming/climate change alarmists into a frizzy.

The most current info here.

Come back for updates.

The effect of millions of electric vehicles connecting to the grid during peak hours has been feared and discussed since long. While charging vehicles during off-peak hours may be good for utilities, in an interesting turn it may even earn some money for the owners. More specifically, EV/PHEV owners in West Texas and Illinois are being paid to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours, and that’s clean wind energy we’re speaking of.

With the growth of wind energy in these states, there is an oversupply of energy during off-peak hours, and this has in turn pushed prices into the negative range. Since wind turbine owners get a tax credit to the tune of 2.1 cents per kilowatt hour of energy generated, they prefer not to shut down the turbines during off hours and pass on a share of the subsidy to the end user.

Since there is no efficient energy storage system in place for off hours, the turbine owners are short of options. Smart Meters could prove to be useful for customers and utilities during such times, at least for the near future, until the demand increases or energy storage systems like Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) come into play.

Source: Reuters

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak, and used to be covered in snow throughout the year despite its proximity to the equator. The ill-effects of global warming however, have put up a drastic picture of the mountain, whose slopes went ice-free this year; probably for the first time in 12,000 years.

According to a study that is based on terrestrial and satellite photographs, and has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the mountain is rapidly losing its glaciers. In 95 years of data tracking since 1912, nearly 85% of the glaciers have disappeared, and 26% were lost after year 2000. The 12 square kilometers of ice coverage in 1912 reduced to a mere 1.9 square kilometers in 2007.

The second part of the study showed that extensive melting and refreezing of ice had taken place in the last 40 years, and the present degree of melting did not happen even during three centuries of drought that the region faced around 4,200 years ago. Researchers have pinned the cause on increasing Earth surface temperatures that get affect high altitudes badly.

Via: TimesOnline

These solar panel clad racecars aren’t simply racecars, they also function as hallmarks of solar and electric vehicle technology, and also help spreading environmental awareness. Moreover, the technology developed could also find use in mainstream vehicles. The best example here would be the Chevrolet Volt, which benefited from the technology used in the Sunraycer from the 1987 World Solar Challenge.

Source: Inhabitat

Designers and architects Iosa Ghini Associati have proposed a solar powered monorail system for the city of Bologna, Italy. Called Energy Belt, the 5084 meter long system will connect the airport to the city center. The monorail will operate at heights varying from 7 meters to 25 meters, will have an intermediate stop at Lazzaretto, and will be entirely powered by solar energy collected by photovoltaic panels placed at the track’s southwest side to maximize energy gain.

Stations along the route have been designed to serve as vertical gardens, thus providing natural insulation, protection from the elements and filtering the air. The entire system has been designed to have minimum impact on the landscape. The system is fast, convenient and will provide commuters with a very viable alternative for travel on the said route.

During its lower positions, when the monorail is just 7 meters above the ground, the structure broadens to include pedestrian walkways, while as it goes higher, it turns sleek, and takes on a lightweight appearance. Another interesting aspect is the inclusion of a pass over a major motorway, creating a landmark, a visual treat and sort of a “city gate” in one graceful arc.

Source: Inhabitat

The vast expanse of the Sahara desert has since long been seen as an available source of solar energy that can be tapped. However, there isn’t much progress to show on the issue. Now the idea seems closer to reality with a German-led consortium of 12 companies that intends to harness the desert sun to power Europe.

The Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) includes heavyweights like Siemens, E.ON, ABB, and Deutsche Bank. These, and the other organizations were brought together by an initiative of Munich Re. The plan is to supply 15% of Europe’s electricity by 2050. Energy tapped from the sun in the desert will be transported to Europe through power lines laid across the Sahara and the Mediterranean sea.

It is a huge project, with nearly 400 billion dollars investment, and the DII hopes to put the plan into action quickly, with the possibility of beginning supply by 2015. These solar plants will use Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) to generate energy. CSP has been in use for a long time, but it is the scope of this project that makes it newsworthy. DII says the North African governments have displayed a positive response for the initiative.

Source: Guardian

Southwest Airlines has unveiled a prototype that will help the skies go greener. Until now, little progress has been made in making the aircrafts environment friendly, and the new prototype aircraft Southwest displayed appears to be a step in the right direction. The new aircraft does not have any ground breaking technology as such, but a healthy dose of innovativeness is what makes this flier eco friendly.

They have used environmentally friendly materials for a number of functions on the aircraft, and have also put weight saving methods in place. The aircraft has InterfaceFlor carpet that is completely recyclable, and can withstand wear. Similarly, aluminum seat rub strips on the Boeing 737-700 have been replaced with plastic ones.

They have also replaced the leather seat covers with IZIT leather, changed the material on the life vest pouch, and used lighter foam for the seats. All these additions collectively add up to nearly 472 pounds of weight savings on the aircraft. These weight savings in turn translate to savings of 9,500 gallons of fuel. There is no word on when and if Southwest will put this bird at work.

Source: CleanTechnica