Tap It Talk: October 2009 Archives

Atlanta Brewery Debuts First Beer From Harvested Rainwater

By Kylie Harper on October 30, 2009 1:16 PM | No Comments

Atlanta's 5 seasons brewing recently debuted its first beer made from harvested rainwater. Working with Rain Harvest Systems, who installed a 6 stage filtration system followed by a dual-beam ultraviolet sterilization, 5 seasons brewing has created high quality water that they believe tastes better than municipal tap water and results in a smoother, better tasting beer.

So, if you're in the Atlanta area, pay them a visit in Prado, Alpharetta, or at their new restaurant on the Westside.

New York Water Bottle Deposit Starts Saturday

By Julie Knapp on October 29, 2009 8:16 AM | 1 Comment

Water bottle drinkers will have to pay an extra 5 cents in New York starting this Saturday, October 31. The nickel fee is just a bottle deposit, so if those who have the bad habit of drinking bottled water want it back, they'll have to recycle the plastic water bottle by returning it to a store. The new deposit applies to all containers of water under a gallon and works like the soda and beer bottle deposits that have been in place for years.

This sounds like a great idea to us. While a 5-cent bottle deposit might not make anyone switch from bottled to tap, at least, in theory, more bottles will get recycled. Right now, on average, only 20% of water bottles get recycled, so any improvement would be a good improvement.

This bottle bill has gotten a slow start. It was originally supposed to go into effect back in June. But, surprise, surprise, the International Bottled Water Association filled a lawsuit calling it unconstitutional because water bottlers wouldn't have enough to time to make packaging changes to accommodate the new deposit in time. So the bill was temporarily stopped, until now. Almost. While the law is effective on Oct. 31, New York officials are giving retailers a grace period until Nov. 8 to comply with the new rule.

Image by Rex Roof on flickr under a Creative Commons License.

What is Net Zero Water and Is It Possible?

By Kylie Harper on October 28, 2009 10:27 AM | 1 Comment

While searching around the 100K house website this morning, I came across the concept of Net Zero Water. Now you all know what Net Zero Energy is - building with zero net energy consumption, zero carbon emissions annually and being 'off the grid.' Well, Net Zero Water is a similar concept.

In order to be considered 'water independent' a building needs to capture all precipitation, manage its storm water runoff and re-use all household wastewater.

Wastewater can be considered either greywater or blackwater (water that has come into contact with human waste or other organic matter) and different types of water require different types of treatment. Rainwater can be captured, stored, and treated with a relatively small amount of energy. Rainwater is fairly clean - it just requires ultra-violet sterilization to be used for drinking purposes. Greywater can be naturally filtered in a constructed wetlands system, or living machine.

Now you have to admit, the concept of Net Zero Water is a tough call, even for those of us who live in areas that get a lot of rain. For people living in Arid regions of the U.S. its basically impossible. But if you're building and you want to build green, you can opt for a greywater system. This one is a nice little streamlined stand alone system designed to serve a typical household of 4 - 6 people. It captures water from your bath and shower, cleans it and channels it to your toilets. After all, why flush clean drinking water!

Find Free Tap Water in Rome

By Kylie Harper on October 27, 2009 1:48 PM | No Comments

Summer holidays are over I know, but I wanted to give you this little travel tip anyway because I know there are a lot of people out there who, like me, prefer Europe in the Fall (no waiting in line, it's cooler, it's cheaper and residents are back from their own summer vacations.)

So here's the tip, if you're going to Rome, take your reusable water bottle with you. Rome has about 2500 drinking water fountains (or "nasoni"), with good clean water spouting forth. There are maps that you can download to help you find them - although I sometimes prefer to wander aimlessly hoping to strike it lucky, you never know what else you'll find. Globespotters has more about the fountains and how to get free Rome fountain maps.

If you're used to using TapIt, and this map printing business seems a little 'dial-up' for you, have no fear. The Director of one of the maps, Watermap, hopes to release an iphone application in the near future that will show you all the locations and even provide users with information on the water they're about to drink. Bravo!

Photo: Une fontaine dans Borghese from Flickr under Creative Commons License

Toilet Tank Bank Helps to Conserve Water

By Kylie Harper on October 26, 2009 10:08 AM | 2 Comments

While surfing the web today, I came across an article on sincerelysustainable.com showing this simple device that helps you reduce your water consumption.

It's called the Toilet Tank Bank (bank because you 'deposit and save' - hehe) and it's basically a leak proof bag that you fill with water and place in your toilet's tank. The volume of water in the bag displaces the volume of water in your toilet tank meaning that your toilet requires less water to fill.

This is a great idea for older toilets which use much more water than needed. You can displace almost a gallon of water per flush, reducing your water consumption and your water rates! And, at $1.25 it's cheaper than installing new fixtures.

There's only one drawback. Toilets were designed to 'clear' based on the amount of water they were designed to hold, so the Toilet Tank Bank might reduce your toilet's effectiveness. A bit of trial and error should help - if your toilet doesn't 'clear' well when the bag is full, try filling it half way.

Jessica Biel Works with Live Earth and Dow Chemical to Promote Clean Water

By William Schwartz on October 23, 2009 8:28 PM | No Comments

Jessica Biel announced last week she will be continuing her water activism with a partnership with Live Earth's Run For Water campaign. She will be joining Pete Wentz and Alexandra Cousteau (daughter of Jacques, the undersea explorer) to promote a series of 6K runs that symbolize the average distance woman must walk for water in the developing world.

The runs and related events will take place all over the globe, including Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Cape Town, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Singapore. The event Sponsor? Dow Chemical, who's most notorious environmental blunder involved the contamination of the water supply in Bhopal, India. The 1984 incident killed 15,000 people and is still unresolved today. So, Dow Chemical must naturally be met with skepticism when sponsoring clean water events.

Alexandra Cousteau is no stranger to ironic charity events. As we wrote about in April, Cousteau embarked on 'Expedition: Blue Planet' sponsored by Coca Cola owned Dasani to clean up trash. Jessica has been part of many water charity campaigns. Hopefully she knows is this one may involve a bit of greenwashing for Dow.

Grand Rapids Michigan to Promote Tap Water at City Events

By Julie Knapp on October 22, 2009 4:19 PM | No Comments

Earlier this week Grand Rapids, Michigan joined New York, San Francisco and Portland, Maine in Food & Water Watch's Take Back the Tap campaign. The city has agreed to stop purchasing and distributing bottled water for city events as part of the efforts to encourage residents to drink tap water instead.

"Tap water is a better choice than the bottled brands, for our health, our environment and our wallets," Mayor George Heartwell told the Grand Rapids Press. True, true and true! And this is coming from a city that used to bottle their own water, labeled with their own logo! Incidentally, in 1945, Grand Rapids was the first city in the world to fluoridate its municipal water supply.

The Wege Foundation, a local organization that promotes clean water and ecology campaigns helped kick off the program along with Saint Mary's Health Care who will encourage tap water drinking even though they'll keep bottled water in on-site vending machines, Grand Rapids Community College and The Gilmore Collection, a group of about twenty local restaurants. Hopefully as the campaign continues more restaurants and business will sign up to choose tap over bottled.

The City of Grand Rapids is considering biodegradable water boxes, filling stations where residents can refill their own bottles and other bottled water alternatives for events according to Joellen Thompson, the Water Department Director. And next, how about local restaurants and cafes signing up to provide free tap water, too?

Get Involved! International Climate Day of Action is October 24

By Julie Knapp on October 21, 2009 10:23 AM | 2 Comments

This Saturday, October 24 is the International Day of Climate Action. The event was created by 350.org "an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis." If you didn't already know, scientists have determined that 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. We're already above that limit at 390ppm and 350.org wants to help ensure we get back to and stay in the safety zone.

So they're asking the world to get involved by encouraging individuals to organize action events in their hometowns. 350.org says that people in over 1000 communities in 150 nations have announced events. Even if you don't want to organize an event, you can participate in one by searching for "Actions" near you.

In New York, San Francisco and Boston, you can join participate in a future seal level ride, wearing snorkel masks, floaties and other underwater gear as you bike to bring attention to the ways in which global warming can affect our water levels and shorelines. Also in New York you can dance out your support for climate change at Studio 54. Or if rowing and kayaking is more your thing, you can join a group in the Hudson River flying giant '350' banners. In Chicago, go on the Climate Action Day bike ride or participate in a rally and enjoy a green fair in Oak Park. And in Des Moines, Iowa you can attend a Climate Carnival for with fun climate-related learning activities for kids and families.

Image by 350.org on flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas Made By Recycling Plastic Water Bottles

By Julie Knapp on October 20, 2009 3:00 PM | 2 Comments

Looking for a homemade Halloween costume idea? Why not put old plastic water bottles to good use? We found five amazing DIY costume ideas for Halloween that will save bottles from the landfill -- later, you can recycle them. Since we bet you're not buying bottled water anymore, look for old ones lurking around in the back of your cupboards, ask friends and family or be on the watch in your neighborhood. If you come up short, sign up for Freecycle.org and use the site to round up some nearby.

Plastic Queen: Use old plastic water bottles or soda bottles to make accessories for a girly, modern costume. You'll use two bottle bottoms, a zipper and some sewing skills to make the bubble clutch. Then cut plastic water bottles into strips and color with permanent markers to make beads for a colorful bracelet. Photo and idea via Greenupgrader, inset via Threadbanger.

The Paparazzi: Don't bother dressing up as one paparazzi photographer, dress up as the entire paparazzi with lots of flashes. Collect as many water bottles as you can in different sizes to create the backdrop of camera flashes. Then go through your (and your friends') past Halloween costumes for a bunch of masks to include as your subjects. Bring your real camera on Halloween to catch anyone in a celebrity costume who reaches for a bottle of water. Photo and idea via Mental Floss.

Scuba Diver: Dress up as a scientist ready to explore the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in DIY scuba gear. Here, the costume is shown on a child, but we think it's okay for adults, too. Dress up in a wet suit or a rash guard and swim suit. Get a big pair of goggles and attach pictures of fish or create underwater shapes using craft foam. Unless you want to walk around in real flippers, make flipper shaped covers out of blue craft foam and attach them to your shoes. Finally, your air tank is made from two plastic bottles, the bigger the better. Fill them with blue tissue paper, attach plastic tubing for your breathing tube and some duct tape and craft foam add the finishing touches. Photo and idea via Parents magazine.

Suit of Armor: Plastic bottles are designed to last for centuries. Because of their abundance and durability, designer Kosuke Tsumura thought they'd be the perfect material for a suit of armor. We think so too, though this costume gets a difficulty rating that's off-the-charts-hard! If you want to give it a try, you'll need to slice up lots and lots of PET bottles and sew the pieces together. If you can pull this off, we bet you'll win the costume contest. Then again, maybe you should just start with a plastic water bottle sword? Photo and idea via Pink Tentacle.

Recycled Robot: For this robot costume, which is fun for kids and adults alike, you can use lots of recycled items. The biggest part of the costume comes from cardboard boxes -- find one that your body can fit into and another smaller one the size of your head. Use plastic bottle tops to create buttons on the front of the box. The bottles, use 20-ounce or bigger, become your robotic hands. You'll cut the tops and bottoms off of the soda bottles and cut the remaining part in half length-wise to make them. If the costume is for kids, the bottles can even work as hard plastic robot arms. Photo and idea via How Did I Do It?

Water Scarcity Could Lead to Global Security Issues

By Julie Knapp on October 19, 2009 9:05 PM | 1 Comment

With seemingly endless water talks going on in California and the recent news that Chicago will face a long-term water shortage that could reach outlying suburbs by 2015 and that Sana, Yemen could be the first capital to run out of water, water scarcity due to climate change is becoming a pressing issue right in our backyards. And some say water and lack there of will cause global conflicts in the future.

Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the intergovernmental panel on climate change and a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Price spoke about the issue earlier this month at the Nobel Conference. "At one level, the world's water is like the world's wealth," he said. "Globally, there is more than enough to go round. The problem is that some countries get a lot more than others."

In fact, Latin America holds 31 percent of the world's freshwater resources with 12 times more water per person than South Asia. Canada and Brazil also have more than enough water to go around, but the Middle East falls short. By 2020, Pachauri says increased water stress will affect 81 million Latin Americans, 250 million Africans and up to 1.2 billion people in Asia. And with water shortages comes infectious disease, malnutrition and other health issues, making water scarcity one of the most important health consequences of climate change according to Pachauri.

Water has already been the subject of wars. India and Pakistan have fought over the Indus, India and Bangladesh have fought over the Ganges and in 1967 the war was all about the river Jordan.

The future of the world's water is the most crucial issue for society today in Pachauri's eyes. And he doesn't think we have much time to ensure that the worst effects never become a reality. "Unless we act with a sense of urgency, there will certainly be conflict and a disruption of peace," he says. "Global emissions of greenhouse gases will have to decline by 2015. If we can achieve that we may be able to avoid the worst effects of climate change."

Image by Stuck in Customs on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Flammable Tap Water In Colorado

By William Schwartz on October 16, 2009 8:55 PM | No Comments

If there is anything to make New York decision makers change their minds about allowing gas drilling in the Catskill watershed, this should be it. In the current segment of the ongoing documentary, 'Water Under Attack' about natural gas drilling's effect on our water supply, the filmmaker Josh Fox, found residents in Colorado were able to light their tap water on fire.

After tests were done, it was confirmed (no surprise) that the water was severely contaminated with natural gas and other chemicals due to a nearby gas drilling operation. This gas company and local regulators have not yet solved the problem. Residents are trying to cope with the situation (See the video below).

If any of this is inspiring you to take action to stop gas drilling in New York's watershed's, you can write in the public comments at the New York Department of Conservation website (among other things).

This is the full video from the 'Water Under Attack' Segment.

Super-Size Your Water Conservation Efforts

By Julie Knapp on October 16, 2009 9:09 AM | No Comments

Rain barrels are great for water conservation, but not necessarily so great to look at (unless you were in Chicago this summer). So for those who want something different, meet the Waterwall Fatboy Tank, a super-sized 650-gallon rainwater tank. The cool part is, even though it holds a lot of water, it's less than 2-feet wide so it's still easy to fit into small urban spaces.

Collecting rainwater in your backyard or on your roof top helps reduce storm water runoff, which helps keep sewers from overflowing during heavy rain. And since for many, about 40 percent of summer household water use is for the lawn or garden, it makes sense to put rainwater to good use.

The Fatboy lets you save much more water than your average rain barrel. It comes in four colors so you can attempt to make it blend in or stand out in your backyard. And you'll get everything you need to keep the water working for you from two taps to a mosquito-proof leaf strainer. Wondering if you could even collect enough water from your roof to fill the giant tank? Try the Waterwall Tanks' website calculator to find out.

Sana Might be First Capital to Run out of Water

By Kylie Harper on October 14, 2009 12:48 PM | No Comments

Sana, the capital of Yemen, might be the first capital in the world to run out of water, the LA Times reported yesterday. According to a recent prediction by the Sana Water Basin Management Project, which is funded by the World Bank, Sana could run dry as early as 2025.

Yemen has faced water shortages for many years, but the government has done little to manage the resource effectively which would mean implementing a plan to oversee bulk water extraction (99% of water drilling in Yemen is unlicensed), building additional wells, laying water mains to service its population and reforming the way water is used in the agricultural sector.

In Sana, shortages have been compounded by population growth. As water has grown increasingly scarce in rural areas, families have migrated to Sana at the rate of 8% per year, pushing an already strained system to breaking point.

60%-70% of Sana residents already rely on privately owned tankers to draw water from around the region and deliver it. For those who can't afford such deliveries, water is purchased from corner stores by the gallon or taken from public spigots outside of mosques.

Last year, the World Bank funded the drilling of 10 new government wells about two-thirds of a mile deep near Sana. But groundwater levels are dropping by 20 to 65 feet a year, and a reports show that 19 of Sana's 21 aquifers are no longer recharging during the rainy season.

Photo: Yemen by Al@ce from Flickr under Creative Commons License

New Poll Shows we do Some 'Green' Things but Could be Doing More

By Kylie Harper on October 13, 2009 3:54 PM | 1 Comment

A new Harris Poll that surveyed just over 3000 adults between July and September this year shows that millions of Americans are taking steps to protect the environment.

In fact, a majority of people often turn off the lights when leaving a room (83%), recycle (68%), and reuse things instead of replacing them (65%). When asked what environmental activities they had done in the last year, 63% said they had installed energy efficient light bulbs, bought a more fuel efficient car (13%), purchased energy efficient appliances (36%) and made 'green' home improvements that provided a tax credit (14%).

But the categories TapIt was happiest to hear about were, installing low flow bathroom fittings (17%), switching from bottled water to tap water (29%!!!!) and making an effort to use less water, a whopping 60%!

But the poll also shows that we could be doing more. Only 15% of those surveyed said they bike or walk to work and only 16% said they carpool or use public transportation. The poll also showed that many people are doing little or nothing to protect the environment and reduce their carbon footprint. So 90s!

Read more about the Harris Poll here.

Photo: Heart-tastic by carbonNYC on Flickr under Creative Commons License

Plastic Water Bottles Banned From North Carolina Landfills

By Julie Knapp on October 13, 2009 1:07 PM | No Comments

Since October 1, all rigid plastic containers, including plastic water bottles, are banned from North Carolina landfills. Officials hope the law will encourage more citizens to recycle their plastic bottles -- currently only one in five are recycled. And in 2007 nearly 7 billion pounds of plastic bottles were dumped in landfills nationwide.

Along with the new law, North Carolina will soon be home to the country's largest PET bottle recycling facility. The new plant will be able to process 280 million pounds of plastic each year, or about 5 billion bottles. The joint venture, Clear Path Recycling, was created by two companies that make polyester based products. Most of the recycled material will go to the two partners: Shaw Industries Group, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, which can use recycled PET to make polyester for carpeting and DAK, a PET Resin and Polyester Staple Fiber producer.

Clear Path Recycling will help North Carolina meet their solid waste reduction goals (which they have failed to meet so far) by conserving one million cubic yards per year of landfill space. The facility also boasts an energy savings of 2.5 trillion BTU's of energy each year, which is the same amount needed to power 18,000 homes in the U.S according to Energy Information Administration data. And roughly 100 new jobs will be created to operate the plant.

Image by Vaguely Artistic on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

TapIt Listed in Treehugger's 100 iPhone Apps for Green Shopping, Eating, Travel and Fun

By Kylie Harper on October 12, 2009 7:05 PM | No Comments

TapIt is proud to be listed in Treehugger's 100 iPhone Apps for 'green' shopping, eating, travel and fun. If you haven't downloaded any 'green' Apps yet, take a look at this list - it'll whip you into eco-shape in about a second. From calculating your carbon footprint to finding the best vegan restaurants to finding water (hehe), you'll be in eco-heaven.

Picture: treehugger.com

Sacramento Debates Over Water Bottling Plant

By Julie Knapp on October 12, 2009 10:50 AM | 3 Comments

California is in its third year of drought. Sacramento is already short on water and residents must abide by stricter water restrictions than before. Even so, Nestle Waters is preparing to open a water bottling plant early next year to start selling the area's precious tap. The debate is on.

Sacramento's mayor Kevin Johnson supports the plant because it will bring in 40 to 60 jobs. And because the plant is planned for an industrial zone, Nestle didn't need the city council's approval. Some councilmen disagree with the bottling plant. Also on their side is the local advocacy group, Save Our Water Sacramento, which wants to block the project.

According to the Department of Utilities, Nestle will use 81 million gallons of water per year. Nestle says they'll use both local tap and spring water that will be trucked in from sites outside of Sacramento. While 81 million gallons is only .2% of Sacramento's total water consumption, the city already has three bottling plants that combined use nearly 200 million gallons each year. Plus, even though residents can't water lawns between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Nestle will able to access water and bottle the natural resource anytime.

Save Our Water Sacramento also plans to join forces with a Northern Californian group Local Water Stays Local, which is trying to stop an unnamed bottling company (possibly Nestle) that's taking water from Shingletown, Inwood, Viola and Manton. In fact, some speculate that this may be where Nestle is getting the spring water from for the Sacramento plant.

Only time will tell whether the plants will be permitted to go on bottling local tap water. But when Sacramento's City Council discusses the issue, they won't be sipping bottled water -- it has been banned from their meetings.

Image by JillDoughtie via Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

In NZ Ancient Creatures Keep the Water Pure

By Kylie Harper on October 9, 2009 2:47 PM | No Comments

Ancient slater-like creatures that hitched a ride when New Zealand split from Australia 18 million years ago have been found alive and well in Christchurch's water supply.

Scientists believed the bugs were extinct after they went missing from the scientific record for 60 years. But a search found all nine known species (and four new ones) living unnoticed in South Island pools, swamps and drains.

The inch long creatures play a major role in cleansing Canterbury's groundwater and keeping Christchurch's drinking water naturally pure. In fact, Christchurch's water is so pure that it goes straight to homes without chlorination! It seems the Canterbury plains act like a big bio-filter, removing any contaminants from the surface. And, the bugs are a big part of that, eating clay-sized particles and digesting bacteria that might be harmful to humans.

The bugs' future survival depends on New Zealand protecting its wetlands, as they can't live in rivers. Apparently they need constant water but they don't like big flows that wash them away. So here's hoping NZ does the right thing and looks after its wetlands, its bugs and its people.

NYC DEP Wades into Fight Over Natural Gas Drilling - You Can Too

By Kylie Harper on October 8, 2009 9:52 AM | 1 Comment

New York City is stepping into the natural-gas debate in the Catskills, warning that chemicals from drilling could put NYC's drinking water at risk. And we could not be happier!

"The potential consequences of these impacts cannot be overstated," said the city's DEP, in a statement. "Any material degradation of the watershed or lack of faith in DEP's ability to protect water quality could "force the City to build a $10 billion filtration plant, requiring nearly a 30 percent increase to the City's water rates."

Of particular concern, the DEP said, are the more than 430 products and 350 chemicals used in the gas-drilling process.

The city is pressuring state officials to do more to study the effects of modern drilling techniques on water quality. It's also preparing comments and paying for its own study to submit to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which will oversee drilling permits.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is accepting public comment about its Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement On The Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program. This 809-page document, also known as an SGEIS, will dictate how the DEC issues permits to companies and how it regulates their activities. And we need you to get involved.

To submit a comment to the DEC, which will be entered into the public record:

E-mail
dmnsgeis@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Mail
Attn: dSGEIS Comments, Bureau of Oil & Gas Regulation, NYSDEC Division of Mineral Resources, 625 Broadway, Third Floor, Albany, NY 12233-6500.

Go Online
http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/SGEISComments

From: record online. Photo: MICHELE HASKELL record online

EPA to Study Risks of Atrazine

By Kylie Harper on October 7, 2009 10:40 AM | 1 Comment

In an about face the Environmental Protection Agency plans to conduct a new study about the potential risks of Atrazine, a widely used weedkiller. Recent research suggest that Atrazine may be more dangerous to humans that previously thought.

Atrazine is mostly used on corn fields, lawns and golf courses, but has become one of the most common contaminants found in drinking water.

The EPA will announce the new study on Wednesday, which will asses possible links between Atrazine and cancer and other health problems like prematrue births. The EPA will then determine whether new restrictions are necessary.

You might recall back in August that the NYT published an article about Atrazine in its series Toxic Waters. The Times reported recent studies that suggested that even small amounts of Atrazine in drinking water might be associated with birth defects. The Times also reported that in some U.S. towns (mostly rural towns) Atrazine levels had spiked sharply for a month in some seasons but that these spikes were not reported to regulators.

Anyway, this is great news. Atrazine is already banned in the European Union. We hope for a similar outcome in the U.S.

Photo: Blue Skies Over Corn Fields by Antean from Flickr under Creative Commons License

NYC's USPS Building Has a New Green Roof

By Julie Knapp on October 7, 2009 10:01 AM | No Comments

There's a new green roof in town and it might surprise you that it belongs to the United States Postal Service (USPS). In fact, the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center at West 30th and 10th Avenue boasts the biggest green roof in New York City at 109,000 square feet -- it's one of the biggest in the country, too.

So why did the USPS want to spend money on green space? Sure, with benches, an FSC-certified wood art wall and lots of native vegetation, it's a nice spot for postal employees to take a break, but since the building's roof needed to be replaced anyway, the USPS took the opportunity to go eco-friendly.

The roof is a good thing for our drinking water. According to the Postal Service, it will reduce the amount of polluted storm water runoff that enters the New York municipal water system by up to 75 percent in the summer and up to 40 percent in the winter. Going green will save money, too. The new roof will last 50 years, that's twice as long as the old roof. It's also more energy efficient and should save $30,000 in heating and cooling bills each year.

Unless you're a postal worker, you won't get to visit the green roof, but you check it out on a video tour. This isn't the only green thing the USPS is doing either. The Denver facility is LEED certified, which is the next step for the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, some markets get deliveries via three-wheel electric vehicles and there are already lots of alternative-fuel capable vehicles driving around. What's next? We'd love to see USPS reusable water bottles for all mail carriers!

Matt Damon's New $2 Millon Water Goal

By Julie Knapp on October 6, 2009 10:17 AM | No Comments

Matt Damon is at it again raising major money for clean water initiatives with his charity Water.org. At the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting Damon announced the organization's $2 million commitment to provide safe water and sanitation to 50,000 people in Haiti over the next three years.

"The situation in Haiti is extreme -- it's the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and nearly half of its people don't have access to clean water," said Water.org co-founder Gary White. "Expanding Water.org's programming to Haiti will help people break the cycle of disease and poverty."

The non-profit, which just launched in July, is already actively helping to bring clean water to Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Bangladesh, India and Honduras. Water.org's projects have a great success rate, too -- 100% of projects are still operational according to a recent Emory University study.

The Haiti Challenge could use your help with both fundraising and "friend-raising." You can donate your Twitter status and Water.org will automatically retweet their most important announcements on your feed to get the word out to all of your followers. Or invite friends to get involved -- you can track how much you and your friends have raised on the Haiti Challenge site. Or go the traditional, and absolutely helpful, route and donate money -- just $25 will provide safe water for life to one Haitian and $100 can help a family for a lifetime.

Image via Water.org

London To Install Water Bottle Refilling Stations in Bus, Rail Stations

By William Schwartz on October 4, 2009 6:01 PM | 1 Comment

The City of London is taking more steps to help residents and tourists get off bottled water.

Through a partnership with Thames Water and the transit authority, the city will install water bottle refilling stations, called Hydrachills, in Hammersmith Bus Station and at the Tower Bridge Museum. There will be 20 pence (about 30 cents US) charge for a refill of up to 500ml. All proceeds from sales will go to Waste Watch, a charity that works on reducing consumption.

If people use the fountains and the project is a success, it will be extended to The London Underground train system as well as bus stations all across the city. The refill locations would be completed before the 2012 Olympic Games.

The plan is considered a major blow for the UK bottled water industry. Many London residents are realizing that the city's tap water quality is really good. Making water accessible for people while they are on-the-go is another reason to skip the bottled water. UK bottled water sales dropped 12% this last year.

Photo credit: From Flickr by 'Natalia Romay'

DEC Report Says Gas Drilling in New York's Watershed is OK

By William Schwartz on October 2, 2009 2:05 PM | No Comments

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation released its guidelines for natural gas drilling in upstate New York yesterday. The report unfortunately did not ban drilling for gas in the New York City water supply watershed in the Catskills.

This was a very disappointing turn of events for those concerned with the long term safety of New York City's highly regarded and pure drinking water supply.

The proposed drilling would be in shale beds. Shale bed natural gas drilling has a bad track record in other states where it has been tried. A technique called hydraulic fracturing that is combined with horizontal drilling has the potential to contaminate the water table.

The natural gas industry argues that the reward to the economy outweighs the risk to the water supply. However, the idea that a marginal change in gas prices is worth risking the safety of the water supply of 15 Million people (including 9 million people in NYC) does not seem logical.

Only 8.5% of the area in New York where natural gas can be found is in the watershed. The watershed needs to be off limits for drilling.

For more information, you can read RiverKeeper's reports on natural gas drilling. You can also take action at RiverKeeper here.

Watch NASA's Water Experiment

By Julie Knapp on October 2, 2009 10:16 AM | No Comments

Last week the New York Times reported that evidence from three spacecraft indicates a presence of water on the moon. Now, another spacecraft, NASA's LCROSS probe, is scheduled to join the water hunt, this time looking specifically for hidden caches of water-ice. The best part? You can watch.

On October 9 at 7:30 a.m. EST, LCROSS will crash into the Cabeus crater, which has the highest concentration of hydrogen (an H2O clue) on the lunar south pole. The crash will create a debris plume that should be visible from Earth and space-based telescopes that are at least 10-to-12 inches. After flying through the first plume to collect data about any water-ice, hydrocarbons or organics, it will create another plume for us to see.

There are LCROSS Impact watch parties happening at planetariums and universities all across the country including at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Unfortunately the sun will already be up in New York, but the Inwood Astronomy Project is having a stargazing party at 6:30 a.m., followed by breakfast and a viewing of the impact live on NASA TV. Can't make the party? Watch NASA TV online.

If the moon does have usable water, TapIt can certainly think of a couple ways to use it. And the water would be great for moon missions to supply drinking water to astronauts or to create rocket fuel by splitting it into oxygen and hydrogen.

Image by dimitri c via stock.xchng

Making Water from Air in the Office

By Kylie Harper on October 1, 2009 10:49 AM | 3 Comments

While surfing the web today I found this great new water cooler for offices without a water supply. It looks pretty much like a normal water cooler (see pic) - only it has no water supply. Yep, none of those ugly big containers lining the office hallway, and no back strain from lifting them into the top of the cooler. You just plug it in, and for the cost of a little electricity it makes clean drinking water by pulling moisture from the air. How great is that!

Looking at the Poland Spring trucks lining the streets of my neighborhood, I know that U.S. offices are buying water by the truckload - literally.

Whether its in those big water cooler containers or in single serve plastic bottles, its a big waste of money. That money could be put to better uses - like drunken office parties! It's also a bad deal for the planet.

So, if you work in an office without a faucet and your boss has a Christmas list, get the Wataire Atmospheric Water Generator on it. It's about $1500 but it will save money in the long run and it'll provide you with some of the greenest water on earth. The only draw back - no hot delivery guys coming to the office each week - bummer.

Photo: tonic.com


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