June 2009 Archives

If you like hanging out in remote places where you can't be sure that your drinking water source is safe, or if you want to reduce your drinking water footprint to zero, this innovative bottle might be for you.

The Blu-Bottle harnesses the users kinetic energy to create water from thin air via a manual pump and various chambers and valves. A sudden release in pressure on a coolant unit results in a drop in temperature creating drinkable compensation.

I wonder, do you have to pump more if you're in a very dry State like Colorado or less if you're in a humid state like Virginia?

Back in 2008, Evan Gant of Altitude, Inc. won the Gold Award in the Design for Poverty contest for his concept of the Rain Drops water harvesting system. The innovation is a connector that allows people to attach regular plastic bottles to their downspouts and collect the rainwater that runs from the guttering.

Although the water is not ideal for drinking (unless the same folks had the Lifestraw!), its perfect for other home uses like doing laundry and washing up. And it's much more affordable and uses less space than typical rainwater storage units. 

The reason we at TapIt love Rain Drops, is its repurposing of plastic bottles that would otherwise go to landfills. One of the benefits of using transparent plastic bottles as a water collection system is that they allow the sun's UV rays and heat to remove pathogenic microorganisms that cause disease, thereby making the water safe for hand washing and bathing.

Photo: Raindrops/Evan Gant/Altitude Inc

Ecorazzi featured a post today about Matt Damon and his trip to Zambia with the onexone campaign. Damon, acting as spokesperson is asking for your support in getting co-sponsors for the Durbin-Corker Water for the World Act of 2009.

Over 100 million people would stand to benefit from the passage of the legislation, which would increase access to clean water and sanitation by 2015. However, the Bill is stuck in the Committee on Foreign Relations, and it needs at least 20 co-sponsors in order to get the attention of Senate leaders.

Damon is asking you to sign a petition asking your senator to co-sponsor the Act and help improve access to clean water and sanitation for the world's poorest people. 

A company called Brand Image who touts a responsible design philosophy, has created a paper water bottle to 'challenge the norm of the category around the world.' The bottle is made from sustainable sheet stock of bamboo and palm leaves which is pressed into two halves to encapsulate a micro-thin PLA film that creates a barrier for liquids and is used to fuse the two halves together.

The design addresses water containment from every angle including production, shipping, filling, shelf impression, labeling, multipacking, structural integrity and disposal. If you love design, download the case study here. 

Although the 360 Paper Water Bottle addresses the problem of bottled water from the 'PET bottles overflowing our landfills' perspective, Brand Image doesn't mention anything about sourcing the water that would fill these bottles. However, I would say that if these bottles were filled with cleaned up municipal tap water (like Dasani or Aquafina), AND if that municipal water was paid for (not at the same rate paid for use of water in the production process) AND if all local and state taxes, licenses and production process water rates were paid promptly and no subsidies were given - then I could learn to love bottled water!

I recently discovered the Reef Dram Sandal. Thinking it was a hilarious and mildly disgusting way to stay hydrated in summer I jumped onto Amazon to take a look. Hey, anything that does away with plastic bottles is alright with me!

The Reef Dram Sandal features a hidden flask in the heel of the sandal that can hold fluid. But that's where its association with hydration ends. The Amazon description states that the Reef Dram Sandal 'features a hidden flask so you can smuggle your moonshine into any sporting event, concert, or boring lecture.' Aha, got it, pretty funny.

But even funnier than the sandal itself are the Amazon product reviews. John Blackburn from DC complained that 'it barely holds one shot' failing to recognize the meaning of the word dram. N. Lyons from Florida complained that he was highly suspect of the sandals because they didn't disclose the fluid capacity (IT'S A DRAM!) and was disappointed when he got them and realized 'he could never get buzzed off these.' Most people just complained about leakage. What I really want to know is, what happens if you step in dog shit?

Even in places that have no lakes, rivers or groundwater, considerable amounts of water are stored in the air. Their process captures that water. As an added bonus the technology is based exclusively on renewable energy sources such as thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic cells, which makes it completely energy-autonomous and able to function in areas where there's no electrical infrastructure.

The researchers say that their concept is suitable for various sizes of installation. They're already imagining single-person units and plants supplying water to hotels. Lets hope the rooms are better than the straw filled tower of the German king!

Image credit: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Although New York City's water is virtually lead free at the source, many residents, especially in the outer boroughs, are concerned about lead pipes that may contaminate their drinking water. Fortunately, New York City has a solution; The Free Residential Lead Testing Program. Under the program, all residents in New York City can get a free lead-testing kit by calling 311. If a harmful level of lead is found, the city will replace all city-owned pipes distributing water to the building and educate residents how to bring their building's plumbing up to code.

Rest assured, NY's Department of Environmental Protection takes great care in ensuring the city's drinking water is safe. The DEP has 965 water sampling stations throughout all five boroughs. In addition, a corrosion inhibitor called Orthophosphate is added to New York's water supply to prevent lead from leaching into drinking water. Orthophospates have been approved by New York's EPA as well as an independent, non-profit organization called NSF International that researches the safety of tap water's additives.

If you are concerned about your tap water, run cold water for 30 seconds or until it feels noticeably cooler before drinking, and cook with cold water instead of hot water since lead is more likely to dissolve in warmer temperatures. To conserve water, wash dishes during the flushing process and fill up large jugs or pitchers with drinking water to avoid having to flush water each time you get a drink. For more information, check out the DEP's page on the topic.

Photo by Gamma Infinity Photography

Democratic Representatives Diana DeGette of Colorado and Maurice Hinchey of New York will introduce legislation next week to repeal a ban on regulating a controversial drilling practice called hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act. If enacted the bill would also require gas producers to disclose what's in fracturing fluids, which they guard as proprietary information. You may recall that TapIt's Margaret Teich wrote about this process of natural gas extraction, the Marcellus Shale and environmentalists fear of water contamination back in May.

The U.S. Representatives say they're not opposed to drilling but that they want it done in a way that doesn't injure people or their property or contaminate water supplies. There have been no comprehensive studies on whether hydraulic fracturing can introduce chemicals into water supplies, which is a problem for the dialogue as its left interest groups playing tit for tat over anecdotal evidence. 

The issue poses a problem for gas producers who have been trying to portray the industry as environmentally friendly; burning natural gas releases less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than burning coal or oil. In response to the bill, it has launched a massive lobbying and public relations effort to defend its practices, stressing economic benefits such as jobs, state revenues and energy prices. 

Closer to home, Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), chairman of the council's Environmental Protection Committee, wants to prevent drilling in the Catskill-Delaware watershed, where NYC gets its water. His jurisdiction is protecting the city's one million-acre drinking water supply from such activity. New York is one of only a handful of cities in the U.S. that is exempt from filtering its water because it's in such pristine condition. The city has been making huge efforts over the last 20 years to buy up land around the watershed and protect it from development so as to qualify for the waiver. Gennaro says, "if drilling proceeds, that would be the end of the exemption. The city would have to build a water filtration plant costing as much as $20 billion plus $1 billion each year to maintain and operate." 

Gennaro introduced a resolution in the council last year calling for a ban on hydraulic fracturing in the watershed but the council has yet to vote.  Gennaro says the resolution had a clear effect on gas companies, who have largely halted attempts to lease acreage upstate.   

Photo: DSC_0091 by Peffs under Creative Commons Licence

Betsy Hnath: You wrote your book, Bottlemania in 2008. Have you seen any changes in the bottled water industry since then?

Elizabeth Royte: Yes. In response to environmental (and economic and public-relations) concerns, the major bottling companies are "lightweighting" their plastic bottles and claiming to support curbside recycling programs. Coca-Cola has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to improve water efficiency, and it opened a giant new recycling plant in South Carolina; it remains to be seen how much recycled content they will use in their water or other beverage bottles. As the weak economy has hurt bottled water sales, Nestle is refocusing on its less-expensive Pure Life brand, which is sourced from tap (not spring) water. Other brands are buying carbon offsets in an attempt to mitigate their energy use.

BH: What is the most surprising fact you gleaned from your research for Bottlemania?

ER: I was most surprised by the threats to our municipal water systems - from agricultural and industrial pollution as well as from deteriorating pipes and treatment plants.

BH: You mention in your book that only 15% of bottles make it to be recycled. How can we as consumers address that staggeringly low percentage?

ER: The percentage of water bottles that are recycled is now closer to twenty percent. The single best thing we could do to improve this rate is pass a national bottle bill, or container deposit law.

BH: How do you feel the current economy might impact environmental issues, particularly that of the bottled water industry?

ER: The poor economy gives the environment a break: we're consuming less, which means there's less fossil fuel burned and less air and water pollution generated by raw-materials extraction, manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of consumer goods. But there's a flip side to this downturn: individuals and businesses are putting off investment in energy-saving technologies. Regarding bottled water, I think that people who drink it out of convenience or for status reasons are returning to tap water - bottled water's rate of growth (in the U.S.) has declined about six percent in the last year.

BH: With states declaring bankruptcy, and municipal funding at an all time low, how can communities ensure the purity of their water supply?

ER: Citizens must let their elected leaders know that clean water and watershed protection - from development, industry, and agriculture - are important to them; it will give those leaders "cover" to insist on more clean-water funding. Citizen groups can monitor watersheds and organize to halt polluters and enforce "polluter pays" laws. Decent water is a measure of civilization; if we can't drink our water, our communities can't survive. Switching to privately bottled water isn't a great solution - not in the long run. It's too expensive, and its environmental price is too high.

BH: Is there anything that a basic consumer can do to clean up his or her personal drinking water?

ER: Everyone should read his or her annual water-quality report (it's usually available online, through your utility), then test your water at the tap. If you find contaminants of concern, find out which is the best filter for you. There are links to filter comparisons at bottlemania.net.

BH: What is the easiest and cheapest way to test your own water supply?

ER: To find a state-certified lab to test your water, look at the EPA's website or call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 800-426-4791. If you live in New York City you can get a free lead-testing kit by calling 311. Other cities may have free lead testing programs as well; call your utility or department of public works.

BH: What subject do you plan to tackle next?

ER: I'm not working on a new book right now, though I seem to remain interested in both waste and water...But you never know when or where inspiration will strike.

Betsy Hnath holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Old Dominion. She writes articles for various local papers in Virginia and works in childcare and as a swim coach. She lives in Portsmouth, Virginia with her husband George and three children, Emily, Liam and Jackson.