Aspiring Peruvian Geoengineer Begins Project to Whitewash Andes Peaks, Hoping to Slow Glacier Melt
In an effort to restore Andean glaciers to their former color, a Peruvian inventor is breaking out the paint at 15,000 feet. Eduardo Gold -- who is not a scientist -- is working with a small crew of Peruvian villagers to mix egg whites, lime and water to make an environmentally friendly whitewash, once again giving the Andes a snowcapped look. Gold and a team of painters wearing protective suits are clambering over rocks near the now-extinct Chalon Sombrero glacier, which used to irrigate a valley and feed several rivers in the Andean region of Ayacucho in southern Peru. They don't have paintbrushes, so the workers are using jugs to slosh the mixture -- a recipe used since colonial times -- onto the rocks. Gold's idea had enough merit to win him a $200,000 prize from the World Bank as part of its "100 Ideas to Save the Planet" competition. Gold...