Lazy Bee Gardens: Bee-lieving in Sustainability

The lower the frictional resistance of an aircraft in the air, the lower the fuel consumption. Using nature as a role model, the aviation industry has been intensively researching ways to reduce aerodynamic drag for many years. Now Lufthansa Technik and BASF have succeeded in making the breakthrough as part of a joint project. AeroSHARK, a surface film that mimics the fine structure of a shark’s skin, is to be rolled out on Lufthansa Cargo’s entire freighter fleet from the beginning of 2022, making the aircraft more economical and reducing emissions.  The surface structure consisting of riblets measuring around 50 micrometers imitates the properties of sharkskin and therefore optimizes the aerodynamics on flow-related parts of the aircraft. This means that less fuel is needed overall.

Breathtaking aerial images have revealed 11 heron nests perched 100ft in the treetops of a 17th century stately home.  The amazing pictures captured the scenes at the heronry at the National Trust run Belton House in Grantham, Lincs.  It is the first time a drone has been used for the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) annual census.  The flying gizmo hovered 50ft above the treetops and 100ft above the ground in order to take detailed pictures of the heron nests.  A total of 11 active nests were discovered clustered together in the branches of a Scots pine – nine more than experts expected to find.

The Global LEAP Awards Solar E-Waste Challenge is a program to support innovations in off-grid solar e-waste management in sub-Saharan Africa. For more information on the Challenge, see Background below. Halfway through the inaugural Solar E-Waste Challenge, key themes emerged from the eight projects implemented across sub-Saharan Africa.