Bertrand Piccard is a Swiss doctor. Ever since he was a boy, he’s always wanted to figure out how things work and to see if he can make them work better. He loves to do things that people think are impossible.
Just over 20 years ago, he became the first person to fly around the world nonstop in a balloon. Five years ago, he was the first to complete a round-the-world flight in a plane with no fuel. It was powered only by the Sun.
On Tuesday, April 13, Bertrand and his wife Michèle, with their Solar Impulse Foundation, announced that they had found, tested and approved a full 1,000 solutions for saving energy and protecting the planet.
We’ll have a full report in WoW! News soon on their plan for a third round-the-world trip – this time to persuade governments and businesses to start using their 1,000 solutions. Here’s a taster from an interview with Michèle…
An interview with Michèle
Michèle Piccard told WoW! that she hopes that children will be inspired to think of their own ideas. She picked us out a couple that are really smart.
There’s the “smart bin” for hotels and restaurants. How smart? Well it works out exactly what foods are being throw away at the end of each meal and tells the chef how he can save on ingredients the next time around.
And then there’s doing away with “tyre graveyards”. What’s that? Well, old tyres from cars and lorries get thrown away in their millions every year and there isn’t much we can do with the dirty old rubber. Until now.
“These tyres can be recycled, for example into railway sleepers,” Michèle told us. A railway sleeper, or railway tie, is that slab of wood or concrete that goes between the rails to keep them the right distance apart.
“Recycled tyres last much longer than wood – and they make the trains more comfortable because they help cushion the ride!”
