Climate change: Nigeria uses bottle brick technology.

Climate change: Nigeria uses bottle brick technology. Nigeria, millions of plastic bottles are discarded blocking waterways.The term using what we have to get what we need applies to the innovative use of plastic bottles. Reduce,reuse and recycle is a method of stemming effects of climate change and the use of these waste bottles to provide affordable housing is a novel idea.

Plastic Bottles Light Up Kenya's Slums.

Plastic Bottles Light Up Kenya's Slums.

How to turn plastic bottles to solar bulbs.

How to turn plastic bottles to solar bulbs.

How to make greenhouse using plastic bottles.

Reuse your plastic bottles

Recycled greenhouse project using plastic bottles.

Recycled greenhouse project using plastic bottles. The concept was born out of Oluwalana’s own experience with poor waste management in his home country of Nigeria. There, due to a lack of effective management practices, bottles are commonly discarded in streets, blocking drainages and leading to floods and erosion. As part of his studies in the Sustainable and Resilient Communities track of the Master of Environmental Management Program at Western State Colorado University, Oluwalana recently completed a 10-foot by 12-foot greenhouse built from clear, plastic bottles that allow light through while at the same time trapping heat. The intention of the project was to serve as a teaching tool in more ways than one — both showing the potential for re-using a commonly discarded item, as well as a demonstration for anyone interested in building a similar structure. Among the many advantages of re-utilizing plastic bottles to build structures, Oluwalana viewed the project for its ability to improve economic and social conditions — especially in a cold climate. Oluwalana is working for Western currently, splitting time between custodial services and the position of sustainability coordinator — helping the university reduce the amount of waste generated on campus that’s directed to the landfill.

How cooking boost nutrients in tomatoes and spinach.

How cooking boost nutrients in tomatoes and spinach. Water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and the B vitamins, which include folate, leach out of vegetables if you boil them, but some will be retained in the stock, so “use it if you’re making soup,” said Helen Rasmussen, a senior research dietitian at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Vitamin levels are reduced the longer you expose them to heat; “they’re just not stable,” she said. Levels of other nutrients, however, may increase. One study found that while cooking decreased the amount of vitamin C in tomatoes, the cooking process increased levels of antioxidants that could be absorbed by the body, including levels of lycopene, the carotenoid plant pigment that helps protect the body from free radical damage. “You might be able to get more lycopene out because the heat starts to break down the cell matrix and that actually allows some of the tied-up carotenoids to be released from the cell walls,” Dr. Rasmussen said. Raw spinach provides a lot of fiber, but cooked spinach may provide more beta carotene: One study found that three times as much beta carotene — an antioxidant that’s a form of vitamin A — was absorbed from cooked spinach compared with raw spinach.

A tomato a day keeps the doctor away.

A tomato a day keeps the doctor away.Forget avocado, rosehip or coconut oils – the latest miracle ingredient to fight ageing might just be sitting in the bottom of your crisper.Tomatoes are the key ingredient in a new skin care range by plant breeder Abundant Produce, including the latest release of lip balm, Tomato Infusion Lips Alive but the nutraceutical maker isn’t stopping there when it comes to turning salad ingredients into beauty products. Abundant’s Sydney-based seed breeding program has found success with other vegetables such as cucumbers, but the company remain tight lipped about just how far their vegetable horizons extend. “We are a science-based business and do more than just pulping fruit,” chief executive Tony Crimmins said. “The special tomato that we have bred is extremely high in lycopene and is proven to reduce inflammation.” Commonly found in not just tomatoes but other red vegetables, the chemical compound lycopene is extracted from tomatoes and according to ABT “naturally helps the skin to defend itself against sun damage… and to reduce roughness, wrinkles and other visible signs of ageing.