Environmental games under way
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 26, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - New innovative ideas on the environment are being exhibited by a group of creative students from across 40 countries in the annual International Environmental Project Olympiad. 80 projects compete for the prize
An exercise machine that uses manpower to produce hydrogen and an initiative to produce Soy yogurt were just two of 80 unique ideas presented at the 17th Environmental Project Olympiad, or INEPO, which began in Istanbul yesterday.
INEPO is an event run annually in Turkey by Fatih College, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment during Environment Week. It operates parallel to operations carried out by the United Nations Group, aiming to encourage youths to participate in projects that work to find alternative, eco-friendly energy sources. The international event includes students from 40 countries who establish friendships with those from different cultures and share ideas on pressing environmental issues. Andre Heinrichs and Florian Trost from Germany presented a project at the opening ceremony yesterday that aimed to produce hydrogen from an exercise machine powered by humans.
"Independent of weather conditions, every human being is able to produce and compress their own hydrogen with our developed system," Trost told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The duo built a conventional bicycle ergometer, which is used to produce hydrogen by splitting water into two components solely using human energy. "When someone sits on the exercise machine the human physical energy is transformed into a mechanical energy of moving parts, like the flywheel," Heinrichs said. Once the hydrogen produced has been compressed, it is stored in gas cylinders where it can be kept safely. Moreover, pure oxygen is emitted into the fitness studio through a glass pipe filled with water, thus increasing the air quality in the fitness studio.
Another unique project came from Vietnam as Huy Vu Tran Phuoc and Thien Duong Thai have been working on producing Soy yogurt. "Soybeans have been recognized as an excellent quality protein and lipid that contains no cholesterol, gluten or lactose, therefore we decided to research a way to produce pro-biotic yogurt from soymilk," said Phyoc. The group told the Daily News that they were inspired to carry out the project as an alternative that provides a rich source of dietary fibers, which accelerate the excretion of harmful chemical compounds and regulate the function of the intestines.
Improving water quality
A number of experiments were carried out by countries to find methods to improve water quality and sanitization. Olga Loza and Snisarevska Oleksandra from Ukraine took a different stance on water issues and have been examining the influence of coral water on living things. After a series of experiments the group found that coral water significantly increased the speed and height of plants, such as seed corn and kidney beans. Turkey also contributed to the competition with some creative ideas. Halil Çetiner and Mahmut Tarik Özkaya worked on research to produce recyclable plastic from conquer starch.
INEPO is an event run annually in Turkey by Fatih College, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment during Environment Week. It operates parallel to operations carried out by the United Nations Group, aiming to encourage youths to participate in projects that work to find alternative, eco-friendly energy sources. The international event includes students from 40 countries who establish friendships with those from different cultures and share ideas on pressing environmental issues. Andre Heinrichs and Florian Trost from Germany presented a project at the opening ceremony yesterday that aimed to produce hydrogen from an exercise machine powered by humans.
"Independent of weather conditions, every human being is able to produce and compress their own hydrogen with our developed system," Trost told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The duo built a conventional bicycle ergometer, which is used to produce hydrogen by splitting water into two components solely using human energy. "When someone sits on the exercise machine the human physical energy is transformed into a mechanical energy of moving parts, like the flywheel," Heinrichs said. Once the hydrogen produced has been compressed, it is stored in gas cylinders where it can be kept safely. Moreover, pure oxygen is emitted into the fitness studio through a glass pipe filled with water, thus increasing the air quality in the fitness studio.
Another unique project came from Vietnam as Huy Vu Tran Phuoc and Thien Duong Thai have been working on producing Soy yogurt. "Soybeans have been recognized as an excellent quality protein and lipid that contains no cholesterol, gluten or lactose, therefore we decided to research a way to produce pro-biotic yogurt from soymilk," said Phyoc. The group told the Daily News that they were inspired to carry out the project as an alternative that provides a rich source of dietary fibers, which accelerate the excretion of harmful chemical compounds and regulate the function of the intestines.
Improving water quality
A number of experiments were carried out by countries to find methods to improve water quality and sanitization. Olga Loza and Snisarevska Oleksandra from Ukraine took a different stance on water issues and have been examining the influence of coral water on living things. After a series of experiments the group found that coral water significantly increased the speed and height of plants, such as seed corn and kidney beans. Turkey also contributed to the competition with some creative ideas. Halil Çetiner and Mahmut Tarik Özkaya worked on research to produce recyclable plastic from conquer starch.