Magic Forests

In the early 1900s people with illnesses related to their lungs, like turbeculosss, went on pilgrimage to the "fresh air of the alps" to get rest and hopefully get better. Infact the air is cleaner than most of Europe. An easily seen indicator of that can be seen in the woods from Kummenalp to Ferden during any of the hikes going over the Lötschenpass. The indicator is lichens.

Lichens are organisms consisting of one fungus and usually one alga. Lichens are very tough organisms when it comes to clima. They can i.e. be found in deserts, in arctic places, rain forests, rocky coasts etc. They need no soil to be able to grow, because they take the water directly from the air. The fungus part takes care of collecting water and the alga part takes care of providing the organism with energy through photosynthesis.

The way they collect water though, makes them very vulnerable to air pollution and especially a substance called Sulfur dioxid (SO2). Sulfur dioxid comes mainly from petroleum and therefor cars, motorcycles, planes, industries and power plants. Fortunatly the air here in the alps is clean enough so that these magic forests may be. Lets keep it that way!

Simon (SE)

Summer High Season 2012

Juicinator - The Juice Maker

One of the newest Eco activities available at KISC is the Juicinator! But what is the Juicinator?!

The Juicinator is an old bike that has been given new life, by our hardworking Pinkie crew, as a man powered juice-maker. In less than 5 minutes you can blend your own custom juice or smoothie, using just the strength of your own two legs.

But how does it work? The back wheel of the Juicinator is pressed against a much smaller wheel that turns the blades of a blender. So as people pedal the bike the blender whizzes to life. All parts used to convert the original bike are pre-loved… that’s right the entire bike is recycled to make this activity that much kinder to the environment.

The Juicinator ran for the first time this week, a very exciting moment, and the verdict so far has been glowing. Guests have loved the bike as well as the delicious smoothies that have resulted. We now have two recipe suggestions for people to try:

BP’s Favourite      
1 Handful Berries                                           
2 Oranges (squeezed or chopped)  
2 Kiwis                                                            
2 Spoons of Sugar 

Pinkie’s Twist

1 Handful Berries

2 Banana’s

2 Cups of Milk

1 Spoon of Sugar

Ana (PT)

Sarah-Jane (AU)

Summer 2012