September 2009 Archives

Australia's national science agency CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) began a storm water harvesting program a few years back as a way to prepare for a future with less rain. 

The projects aim was to demonstrate the value of water re-use and storm water recycling through the construction of man-made wetlands. The idea goes like this; urban and polluted storm water is diverted to man-made wetlands which allow particles to settle. The water is then pumped into porous limestone aquifers 160 meters beneath the city of Adelaide for slow filtration, storage and use as needed. Very cool!

At some point the scientists must have decided to go the extra mile and see if they could raise the quality of the water to that of drinking water. They succeeded - the water was laboratory tested before being aerated and filtered through a carbon filter and undergoing micro-filtration and ultraviolet disinfection.

They've bottled the water and dubbed it 'Recharge' and it's going to be available for public tasting at a couple of Aussie conferences and festivals this year. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!

We're always happy when we see celebs doing something sensible. Check out Scarlett Johansson and her husband, Ryan Reynolds with their refillable bottles and reusable Wholefoods tote walking in Midtown.

We wish Jennifer Aniston (or as Perez calls her, Maniston!) would follow their lead and stop promoting Stupidwater. 

Check out more photos here. Now all we have to get them to do is refill the bottle at a TapIt location!


Photo: Pacific Coast News Online

Defending Water for Life, an activist organization run by Mainers who have been instrumental in the fight against Nestle Waters in that State, is developing an art exhibition to "examine, confront and change the multiple facets of the world water crisis, from widespread pollution to water inequity."

"Mega-dams, bottled water and privatization, our global community faces major challenges to meet the our planet's water needs. This is an open invitation to friends, students, artists, teachers, workers, children and elders to collaborate on a collective initiative to connect our local, national and global water justice struggles."

Pieces must be submitted by October 25th, 2009 for the first show in Portland, Maine. Their goal is to create an exhibit that can be shown in communities throughout the United States working for water equity.

To submit entries contact Emily Posner at info@defendingwaterinmaine.org, And, please spread the word to all your artist friends!

A new drinking fountain was unveiled in Hyde Park, London this last week, and it's special because it's the first fountain built in the park for 30 years.

The new fountain comes on the heels of a growing backlash against the bottled water industry, which is accused by some Brits of squandering water resources and creating unnecessary waste.

A £30,000 drinking water fountain seems like a little bit of a waste if you ask me, but if it helps promote drinking tap water and gets citizens engaged in the issue, the price tag could be worth it.

Credit for quote and photo: timesonline.co.uk

The New York Times reported today that data from three spacecraft indicate widespread presence of water (or hydroxyl) on the Moon.

Scientists had long thought the Moon to be completely dry. But new data shows that there may be water near the Moon's poles in permanently shadowed craters.

If water is present on the Moon, it could make settlement easier, particularly if the water could be extracted by simply heating the soil. Oxygen would also be a key component - always good for humans - and hydrogen and oxygen can be used to make rocket fuel for power generation. I wonder what the name of the first TapIt partner cafe will be, I'm going for Moonstruck Diner!

Photo: Moon Dreams by Juveston on Flickr under Creative Commons License

 

The University of Central Florida raised the bar this week in its quest to reduce waste from plastic water bottles and be one of the greenest campuses in the country.

They retro-fitted existing water fountains with a user-friendly lever (see photo left) that allows students to refill a reusable bottle by simply pushing the bottle against it (a bit like one on a fridge). The water fountains were also fitted with filtration systems to ensure the purity of the water.

UCF started with one fountain, which proved to be a big hit, so they installed six more with another two on the way. The fountains costs $122 a piece including filtration unit. 

We hope more campuses (and cities) follow in UCF's footsteps and save their students money while reducing the waste associated with bottled water. Go UCF!

Photo: CFF.com 

Last week, a bill that would declare the human right to water as a policy of the state of California passed out of the state legislature. Authored by Assembly Member Ira Ruskin (D- Redwood City) and co-sponsored by the national consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch, Assembly Bill 1242 would add language to the California Water Code guaranteeing all people in the state the right to clean, safe, affordable water.

Today in California, severe water quality issues affect at least 150,000 consumers, who are unable to drink the water from their taps. In some areas children are reminded to keep their mouths shut while showering and schools stock up on bottled water because tap water is polluted with contaminants such as nitrates.

AB 1242 is a significant step towards ensuring that everyone in California has access to safe, affordable tap water. The next step will be to get Governor Schwarzenegger to sign it into law.

From Commondreams.org

Photo: Water for Life from Rudhach on Flickr under Creative Commons License

Looking to balance the state's budget, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is considering a bottled water tax. She has proposed a 1 cent tax on the sale of bottled water. 

Chicago has been collecting a 5 cent tax on bottled water since 2008. But the proposed tax in Michigan is already being challenged by the International Bottled Water Association, of course. They're calling it unconstitutional because of a 35-year-old amendment to the state's constitution that exempts food products from sales or use tax. We're sure they're also calling it bad for business--in a cash-strapped economy like Michigan's, every penny counts and one cent could be the last straw for residents on the fence about bottled versus tap.

Unfortunately, many state politicians already have little faith that the bill, which also adds 25 cents to the cigarette tax and charges a six percent tax on entertainment, ticket and spa purchases, will be passed. Even so, with more and more talk about a federal tax on soda and charging a tax on high-fat, sugary foods, bottled water taxes could gain momentum in the future. And we can't forget that here in New York, a deposit is expected to be collected for bottled water beginning this fall.

Image credit: Alanna@VanIsle on Flickr under a Creative Commons License

This last Sunday, TapIt spent a beautiful day at the West Side County Fair in Riverside Park talking to people about tap water and the growing TapIt network.

Thanks to 'Tap Into The City' we were able to offer a tap water challenge. We had two gallon jugs of water, both with Poland Springs Natural Spring Water labels. One jug was full of tap water, straight from the sink at home, while the other was Poland Springs. We offered blind taste tests to see what people preferred.

The results were decisive. Out of the 86 people who took the taste test, 61 thought tap tasted better (see results in the photo to the left).

Many of the kids taking the test offered their own water critiques. Surprisingly a few likened Poland Springs to salt water, and another thought the tap water was 'soft'.

One thing was for sure: everyone loved drinking water. After the taste test water ran out we spent the rest of the afternoon serving tap, refilling from a nearby water fountain.

Thanks to everyone who came out and visited us! It was great to talk to you all!

As some of you know, I used to work on a dairy farm - so for me, peeing outside was a necessity. Caught out the back of the farm, getting the cows in for afternoon milking - of course the first thing your body wants to do is pee. The cows never gave me a second glance.

Living in NYC is a little different. Peeing outside would definitely mean jail time unless you have your own private outdoor space. And even then, you have to look out for the low flying news helicopters - what's with the continual hovering?

I like the idea of 'Pee Outside Day' as a way to collectively conserve water (3 gallons per flush!) and have a little fun along the way. Stigmota, a town in Sweden has an annual 'Pee Outside Day' in which they save 50% of the municipal water used in a normal day. How can you not love the Swedes?

Peeoutside.org was founded in 2007 in Atlanta as a way to conserve water. Their annual event is April 19 - you can join up on FB. But it's not just a one shot thing for these guys, they encourage you to pee outside whenever you can (no exposing yourself please) and even offer tips like peeing into your compost pile to add nutrients.

If you don't like peeing outside, they offer some suggestions, like peeing in the shower or simply not flushing every time you pee. These are probably the best solutions for NY'ers - unless you're in a back ally at 3am in Chelsea.

Picture: Peeoutside.org

Starwood Inc., known for their ubiquitous Sheraton Hotels and 'dance club gigolo' looking W brand has launched a new eco-chic line of hotels called Element. The new eco hotels have opened in five states, with plans to open in 10 more including New York as well as one international location in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Element does not slack on green features. To start with, all hotels are built to LEED green building standards. The rooms have carpets made from recycled materials, are painted with non-toxic paint and feature art work made from recycled rubber tires. All lights are energy efficient and toilets and sinks are low-flow, saving lots of water. The rooms are stocked only with organic food and the hotel offers free shuttle service to nearby farmers markets. They even have bikes that guests can borrow to cut down on local driving!

By far the best feature from TapIt's perspective is the lack of bottled water. Instead of tons of single serve water bottles in the mini-bar, each room features a faucet fitted with a water filter so you can fill your own water bottle. Does life get any better?

While other Starwood brands don't have these commendable green features, the company claims that Element is a testing ground for all it's brands. And the cool thing about Element is, you can add to the green with your regular hotel guest training - hang your towels so they're not replaced each day and put the little card on the bed so they won't change the sheets. Now you can really have a dirty weekend!

The New York Times ran its second article in the series 'Toxic Waters' today, titled 'Clean Water Laws Neglected, at a Cost.' Its a sad indictment on the governments ability to police and enforce the Clean Water Act.

The NYT reports that records show that the Clean Water Act has been violated 506,000 times by 23,000 companies since 2004. In addition, some companies test what they're dumping only once per quarter or illegally avoid reporting emissions so infractions go unreported and could be much higher.

Regulators are often overwhelmed by the amount of work to do and acknowledge the lapses. Lisa Jackson, the new EPA administrator said that despite many successes since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, today the nations water doesn't meet public health goals and enforcement is unacceptably low. She added that strengthening water protections is one of her top priorities.

You can read the whole article here. 

Antibacterial soaps have gained popularity over traditional bar soaps in the past few years. They are marketed as a safer defense against germs that are brought into the household.

However, antibacterial soaps contains a chemical called Triclosan that is potentially harmful as a non-steroidal estrogen that has been linked to cancer. It has similar a structure to BPA, the chemical found in plastic water bottles.

Triclosan leaches into the water supply when people wash their hands in the sink and it drains into the sewer. The chemical has also been found to make it through water processing plants and back into the water supply.

Some will argue that antibacterial soaps are important because they keep us safer from germs than regular bar soap. The truth is, according to many studies, antibacterial soap is no more effective in killing germs than bar soap. And in the cases that it is, one has to keep the soap on their hands for more than two minutes, which is not common practice. Antibacterial soap also offers no protection from viruses, which is what causes most common sickness such as the common cold.

Using a regular, non-antibacterial liquid soap or regular bar soap will keep toxins out of the water system as well as save you money. Antibacterial soap costs you twice as much per ounce as regular bar soap.

Yep - we know he's campaigning, but Councilman Gioia, who is running for Pubic Advocate, has blown the whistle on New York City's outrageous spending on bottled water.

Despite the fact that NYC has a water source so pristine that it gets a filtration waiver from the US EPA, city agencies spend about two million dollars per year to provide free bottled water to staff so that they can avoid drinking tap water.

Does anyone see a mixed message here - the NYC DEP spends millions per year to promote NYC tap water to the public while at the same time the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) spends a cool two mill to help its staff avoid drinking the stuff. 

And they wonder why Americans don't trust their leaders! What do you think - are you happy with your tax dollars paying for bottled water for civil servants?

Photo: Bottled water is stupid by Optimal Tweezers on Flickr under Creative Commons License

The average American household consumes 70 gallons of water a day for indoor uses. Of that 70 gallons, 50%-80% of it is considered 'greywater' and can be recycled. This process can reduce household water use by as much as 80%.

Greywater is the water that comes from your bathroom and kitchen sink, shower, bathtub or washing machine. It is not clean drinking water but it is not sewage or 'blackwater' either. Greywater contains soap and detergents that act as contaminants when processed with blackwater and end up contaminating lakes and rivers. When you use the same greywater in your garden, nitrogen and phosphorus from the soaps and detergents act a fertilizer for many plants. Greywater can also be reused as toilet water, saving additional fresh water for other uses.

Households can install pipes and a tank, called a 'greywater system' that diverts their greywater through filters and often into a holding tank where it is stored until it is used for irrigation or toilet water.

Many areas of the world that face water shortages, are using these systems as an effective way to conserve water. Many new, certified green buildings are using greywater systems to meet water conservation goals.

Unfortunately, many areas of the United States still do not allow simple greywater systems to be installed under their current residential sewage regulations. However, earlier this month, California changed state-wide plumbing codes to allow this water conservation technique to be used residentially. Hopefully other areas will follow suite.

While there is no one stop shop for greywater installation, you can get more information on buying a system at Sloan Valve or Green Building Supplies. There is also a great garden watering system sold by a South African company called GardenResQ. If you are plumbing savvy, there are DIY instructions at greywaterguarrillas.com.

Cloud seeding, a process by which clouds are pumped with chemicals to increase precipitation, is being considered by the Southern Nevada Water Authority to remedy severe droughts in the Las Vegas area.

The Authority is looking to increase funding to the Desert Research Institute, who has been working on cloud seeding for many years.

The institute have figured out a way to effectively increase dwindling snowpack in the mountains in Northern Nevada and parts of Colorado. They set up stations on remote mountain tops and wait for particular cloud patterns to appear. They then add silver iodide to the clouds which cools ultra cold water particles in the cloud into snow or ice, which then drops into the mountains.

According to the institute they have been able to successfully produce 65,000 acre feet of precipitation a year from 23 cloud seeding stations around the region.

Not all parties in the Las Vegas area are happy about this potential new project. Many ranchers, Native American groups and environmentalists say that cloud seeding throws off the balance of the eco-system by taking needed precipitation from other areas. The program, they say will adversely affect ranches, residents and national parks.

Photo Credit: Desert Research Institute