Category: News
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Solar-powered flight beats record
A solar-powered aircraft, the QinetiQ Zephyr, has reportedly broken the official world record for unmanned flight. It flew for 82 hours 37 minutes, exceeding the 30 hours 24 minutes set by Global Hawk in 2001, QinetiQ says. The Zephyr is a fragile-looking ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre aircraft that is launched by hand. “By day it flies on […]
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Monsanto to sell rBST unit
Monsanto has announced that it wants to sell its rBST business. rBST is an artificial hormone used to boost the milk output of cows. Use of the hormones is banned in many countries and in “organic” milk. There has been a growing trend among consumers to reject milk from cows treated with the hormone. In […]
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US firm plans to make cement from power station emissions
A company in California says it can turn the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by power stations into cement by bubbling it through sea water, Scientific American reports. The company, called Calera, is preparing to open its first cement plant next door to a gas-fired power station on the California coast. The cement-making process […]
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Why can’t GM foods be labelled?
An article in the Sunday Times yesterday reported that many South Africans are unknowingly eating genetically modified maize. The article listed the following products as testing positive for GM maize: “ProNutro original flavour (52.7 %), ProNutro Toddlers Instant apple and banana flavour (97.5%), Iwisa Maize Meal (27.2%), Tiger Brands Ace samp (53.7%) and Purity cream […]
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How green is your office?
Green buildings are healthier to work in, use less energy and water, and are built using materials and techniques that minimise their environmental impact. Although the green building concept is relatively new to us ordinary South Africans, there’s obviously a growing interest. But how do you know whether the Tuscan-style office park-cum-golf course that’s calling […]
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Enviropaedia’s online green guide is a stunner
I’ve seen the Enviropaedia book in shops and it’s never grabbed me, but their online Sustainable Lifestyle Guide is a completely different story. It looks beautiful and is packed with all the info you need to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Best of all, you don’t have to pay for it and no innocent trees […]
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Nutty prebiotics
Finely ground almonds have been found to increase the levels of certain beneficial gut bacteria. The potential prebiotic properties of almonds were identified in a study by the Institute of Food Research published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Prebiotics are foods that help good bacteria that live in the colon to thrive. These good bacteria […]
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Olive oil and other Mediterranean health secrets
Like Italian food? Well, eat up, because it’s good for you. The traditional Mediterranean diet helps protect against the onset of Type II diabetes, according to a study published recently in the British Medical Journal. The diet is rich in olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts, veggies and fish, and low in meat dairy products and […]
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Cement industry focus of new clean-up campaign
South Africa’s Environmental Management Inspectors, the Green Scorpions, launched a “Clean Cement” campaign this week with a series of compliance inspections at cement manufacturing facilities across the country, says the department of environmental affairs and tourism. “The cement industry has been prioritised in this new environmental compliance campaign because of the growing demand for its […]
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Organic milk is healthier, study finds
Need a good reason to convince you to buy organic milk? It’s just plain healthier, according a study by Newcastle University. Cows on organic farms that are allowed to graze as nature intended are producing better quality milk that contains significantly higher beneficial fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins than their conventional “high input” counterparts, says […]