Tap It Talk

Find Free Used Stuff With Yoink

2010-02-05T17:10:55Z

Buying reused stuff is the most environmentally friendly way to shop. What is even better is getting it for free. A new service called Yoink lets you use your iphone to locate free stuff stuff near you.

While other sites like Craigslist and and Freecycle offer a similar service, Yoink allows stuff to be located using GPS and never requires shipping.

The app includes a way you can upload a picture from the camera on you phone and immediately post it with a short description and your location. If you don't have an iphone, you can use the website to upload photos and post the location of your items.

We all have stuff that we don't need. Any way to efficiently get that stuff to those who need it, reduces our overall environmental impact and saves on energy and money. It's a win-win!

Coke Goes for Zero Waste At Olympics

2010-02-04T17:54:32Z

In a recent post, we reported that the City of Vancouver had failed to stop bottled water from being the beverage of choice at the Winter Olympics. This was unfortunate because Coke, who is serving drinks at the event, was estimating that they would serve 7 million beverages during the games. That's a lot of bottles!

It is worth noting that Coke has some of its own sustainability plans for the Winter Olympics. The goal is an ambitious net zero carbon impact for the games.

To do this they are first using their new Plantbottle, which is made from 30% plant based material, for all beverages. Second they are delivering the drinks from their energy efficient coolers with electric carts and hybrid vehicles. Lastly, after the bottles have been used, they will be up-cycled in to clothing such as vests and jackets and given to locals in need. While all this takes a bit of energy, carbon credits will most likely need to be purchased to reach neutrality.

It is important to give Coke credit for this effort. At least they are trying. But they are trying to improve on a pointless practice. The bottom line is that bottling water in any kind of bottle and shipping it around is always going to be unsustainable. Using filtered tap water refill stations serving local water and offering biodegradable cups would cut out the transportation, plastic recycling and a need for massive coolers.

New Plastic Bag Tax Has DC Shoppers Thinking Twice

2010-02-03T19:25:48Z

On January 1st, 2010, Washington D.C. implemented a 5 cent tax on all plastic bags used in the districts grocery stores. Now, when shoppers are checking out, they have to pay 5 cents for each plastic bag they use for their groceries.

While this does not seem like a hefty price to pay, after only a month, shoppers have been going out of their way to avoid those bags. Shoppers all over town are bringing a reusable bag or simply trying to carry all their groceries or takeout in their arms to their car or office. A Safeway in the Northwest area has seen 6,000 less bags being used a week!

By most measures, it has been a huge success. DC's experiment proves that a price on something that was previously free has a huge effect on people's behavior. The downside, of course, is the outrage from some of the public who may be slow to understand the benefits of such a tax and only see it as a scam.

There have been states to implement bottled water taxes, but never with this kind of success. What kind of policy do you think would work to make bottled water less appealing? Ideas?

GOOD: Water Animation Series

2010-02-02T17:55:02Z

I recently rediscovered Good Magazine's video animation series on topics from wireless parking to viruses to the world water crisis. These mini educational films are perfect for a getting the basic idea on a subject and they are also quite enjoyable to watch.

I decided to find all the clips on water and post them here for you to watch. The first one illustrates the dwindling world water supply and potential crisis. The second video highlights inexpensive solutions for people without clean drinking water. The third shows ways that we can reduce our water use in our daily lives, with some surprising tips.

Enjoy!

Los Angeles Proposes Rainwater Catchment For New Developments

2010-02-01T16:28:35Z

A proposed law put forward by the Los Angeles Department of Public Works would require many new developments to build rainwater catchment and reuse systems to their buildings.

Unitl now, urban rainwater catchment has been a concept mainly used in developing countries such as India. But with California's looming water crisis, these kind of measures are getting more attention.

Water crisis or not, urban rainwater catchment has many benefits. First off, catchment reduces a buildings water footprint by giving it a new source of water. Buildings can use filters to allow rainwater to be used for anything from heating to drinking water. Secondly, catchment systems prevent rainwater from running through the streets of urban areas, where they pick up pollutants and then run-off into other bodies of water such as rivers or lakes, bringing the contaminants with them.

To strongly encourage this water conservation and water pollution prevention, the LA Department of Public Works has also proposed a fine of $13 per gallon for water that ends up as run-off and not caught in the catchment system. While the fee is quite high, it sends a strong signal that rainwater is important.

I'd like to see this kind of legislation introduced in other cities so people recognize the importance of rainwater in conserving water.

Vancouver Fails to Ban Bottled Water at Winter Olympics

2010-01-29T19:46:44Z

As part of their effort to become the most sustainable city in the world, the City of Vancouver, BC has made a pledge to work towards ridding the city of bottled water.

In April of last year the City Council voted to do everything they could to discourage it's bottled water consumption. The city actually phased out sales of bottled water in it's sports facilities that would be used for Winter Olympic events.

Unfortunately, the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee has control over the city facilities during the Olympics. The committee also has a relationship with Coca-Cola, purveyor of brands such as Dasani and Vitamin Water. So the rules have changed and Coca-Cola will sell an estimated 7 million drinks at the games.

While Coca-Cola insists they do their part for the environment, the effect of this many plastic bottles in one city will be enormous. An multi-national event like the Olympics needs to have higher standards when it comes to waste. This is especially true right after Copenhagen, where it was widely acknowledged that big environmental actions need to be taken as soon as possible.

photo credit: Uncleweed via flickr

RecycleMania 2010 Competition Kicks Off On Campuses Around The Country

2010-01-28T14:10:42Z

Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right? The organizers of RecycleMania think so. They have organized a competition among more than 500 colleges across the country to see who can recycle the most and reduce the most waste per student.

Schools compete in various categories including who can collect the most recyclables and increase the overall recycle rate per student. The competition now also includes a waste reduction category so there is incentive to not just to recycle but also to use less.

The school to recycle most and to reduce the most waste generated per student becomes the Grand Champion.

Last year, Recyclemania helped recycle 69.4 Million pounds of garbage. Last years Grand Champion? California State University San Marcos, who has won 5 years in a row, which is impressive to say the least.

Starting on Friday, results will start coming in each week for the 2010 leaders. You can track those results here. Can anyone beat CSU San Marcos? Check to see if your school is participating here.

WaterGeeks Filtered Stainless Steel Bottles, Now Benefiting Haiti Earthquake Victims

2010-01-27T21:05:10Z

If you're an avid tap water drinker, but like it filtered so you know your H2O is pure, the WaterGeeks have a great solution for water on-the-go. Their Filtered Stainless Steel Bottles are made from unlined, food grade stainless steel and come with a filtering cap. You can choose between two different filter types that last for up to 800 refills. One removes chlorine, bad taste, smells and lead, while the other works even harder to also filter out any bacteria or ground water contaminants.

Even better than their innovative water bottle designs, the WaterGeeks give back to important water organizations. Now through February 4 they'll donate $5 to Hope for Haiti from every filtered stainless steel bottle purchased online. They already sent 500 Bio-Filtered Bottles to the charity, which will provide Haiti earthquake victims with over 40,000 gallons of clean water.

In the past, WaterGeeks supported the Tap Project, and from November 2008 through June 2009 they donated at least 20% of the price of their premium water products, including the filtered sport water bottles, to the US Fund for UNICEF. Plus, they also donated $9 from every sale of the FLOW DVD.

Protesters Descend on Albany To Protect New York Drinking Water

2010-01-26T18:37:09Z

Despite some very contentious public hearings and thousands of public comments against hydraulic fracture gas drilling in the Catskill-Delaware Watershed, the DEC has still not banned the practice, putting more than 9 million New Yorker's water supply at risk.

So yesterday, protesters from all over the state descended on the Capitol of New York to tell their state representatives this is not acceptable.

There were around 1200 protesters in total but somewhere around half of them were for gas drilling while the other half were against it.

The pro gas drilling rally was organized by the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York State (big surprise) and consisted of land owners who wanted the right to drill on their land. The anti hydra-fracture gas drilling protest was organized by various environmental and community groups and consisted of people from all over the state who were mainly concerned with water supply issues.

What struck me was that the pro gas drilling rally did not address drinking water issues at all but mainly focused on the right of landowners to use their land for whatever they wanted. They argued that they would be the first to feel the impact of environmental problems, so they would not do something that was not environmentally safe.

The problem with this argument is that landowners are getting paid for the environmental risks that they take. In the mean time, millions of other residents take a huge environmental risk and get next to nothing for it (besides a marginal increase in tax revenue).

Ultimately, damages done to our water supply cannot be taken back. State regulators need to protect public assets over the short term interests of a few land owners. Our water supply needs to be kept safe for generations to come. I hope yesterdays call to protect our water was heard.

Olympic US Ski and Snowboard Teams to Use New Wave Enviro Water Bottles in Vancouver

2010-01-25T14:44:20Z

As the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboard Team gear up for 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, they'll have a brand new water bottle. New Wave Enviro will provide stainless steel reusable water bottles to the athletes so they can fill up with tap water and stay hydrated during the Games.

Skiers and snowboarders like Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White, Marco Sullivan, Ted Ligety and Gretchen Bleiler will receive the bottles. They're made from New Wave Enviro's #304 Food Grade Seriously Safe Stainless Steel, without any type of liner or coating inside.

If you're a fan of the games or plan to cheer on the team at the Olympics in Vancouver, you can get a bottle for yourself. They're available in either a 600 ml size with a carabiner clip to attach to your ski jacket or bag, or a 40 oz size that comes with a stainless steel loop cap.

The Lazy Environmentalist Helps Reduce Sundance Bottled Water Waste

2010-01-22T17:07:02Z

As throngs of celebrities flock to the Sundance Film Festival this week, The Lazy Environmentalist Josh Dorfman will be on hand to serve filtered tap water and talk about the benefits of ditching bottled water. Good thing since TapIt hasn't landed in Utah yet!

Dorfman will be working with the FilterForGood campaign. This is the second year the campaign has set their sights on Sundance. Last year thousands of reusable bottles were distributed and filled with tap water. As part of this year's efforts festival-goes will see more Brita Hydration Hubs throughout Park City where they can fill one of the 40,000+ FilterForGood bottles Nalgene is donating.

Beyond providing bottled water alternatives to reduce waste, the Sundance Film Festival is asking green-minded attendees to take advantage of the Park City walking paths, recycling bins, Online Film Guide, Sundance Film Festival iPhone app and eco-friendly Sundance goodies.

If you're not lucky enough to have a ticket to Park City, you can still take the FilterForGood pledge to "fill your reusable bottle instead of a landfill." Or you can buy your own FilterForGood Nalgene bottle.

Photo via Ecorazzi

Colorado Company Supplies Haiti With Solar Water Filters

2010-01-21T15:56:17Z

Innovative Water Technologies, a Colorado producer of water filtration systems, has donated 14 solar powered water filter stations to earthquake relief in Haiti.

With the help of the GE foundation, Pentair and private donors, the 14 Sunspring solar powered water filters will be permanently installed to provide drinking water in different areas of the island.

These innovative filters each have capacity to serve up to 5,000 gallons per day, can last up to 10 years and require no power source except the sun. They can be installed by rivers, streams, wells, lakes or any fresh body of water and remove all harmful bacteria to create safe drinking water.

Each unit runs about $25,000. Many more are needed in Haiti to make sure there is clean water without shipping water more in. I can't really afford it, but anyone that is interested in buying one to be sent to Haiti can do so at the company website.

Clean Drinking Water for Haiti Earthquake Victims

2010-01-20T13:38:30Z

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti last week, everyone from the Red Cross to water bottlers is sending bottled water to victims. This is an important short term solution, but as the most poverty stricken country in the Western Hemisphere Haiti's access to clean drinking water was a problem before. The disaster has only intensified the issue. Many of the water and sanitation facilities have been damaged, making long term solutions important, too.

Matt Damon helped launch Water.org's $2 million goal for the Haiti Challenge at the Clinton Global Initiative in October and project is even more relevant now. Water.org says it's committed to bringing safe water and sanitation to 50,000 Haitians over the next 36 months. Their first order of business is to help local NGO partners get back in order so they can repair and expand sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure there. To help, you can donate to Water.org's efforts in Haiti.

Canadian non-profit Clean Water for Haiti has also been working to provide sustainable solutions to Haiti's water crisis. They bring easy-to-use, affordable water filters to Haitian families. In the coming months their efforts will be increasingly important and donations to Clean Water for Haiti are also appreciated.

Photo via Water.org

FDA Reconsiders The Safety of BPA

2010-01-19T17:20:00Z

Bisphenol-A (BPA), the industrial chemical found in many plastic water bottles, some reusable water bottles, plastic forks and the linings of canned goods, is being revisited by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a possible hazardous substance for humans.

In the past, the FDA had concluded that BPA shows little health risk to humans in small doses. This conclusion happened to come from two industry funded studies.

More recently, scientists within and outside of the FDA have been speaking out, pointing to the numerous other studies that did show that BPA poses a risks to human health. There had been literally hundreds of such studies, apparently ignored by the FDA, that indicated various health risks for small dosages of BPA in humans. Canada banned the use of BPA from all products sold in the country as a response.

While the FDA may start asking manufacturers to label containers that contain BPA, there is no signal of a ban yet. Right now, many containers that we often use, contain BPA. Beyond water bottles, BPA is found in the lining of many food cans including some baby formulas.

To make sure the products you buy on a regular basis that contain BPA, visit the Environmental Working Group's guide to avoiding BPA products.

Also, you can tell Congress to pass legislation to ban BPA here.

photo credit: stevendepolo via Flickr.com

'Faucet Face' Uses Design to Market Tap Water

2010-01-15T04:57:37Z

Many city governments still buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bottled water for their employees, even though they often offer an equivalent product of their own.

As you can imagine, city governments that don't use their own water, often do a poor job promoting to everyone else.

Faucet Face, a Los Angeles based water bottle start-up company, has made it's mission to promote tap water where the city has not.

Founder Mason Gentry feels that the city government's marketing of tap water has not been effective and that "they don't have the resources to create a campaign that rivals the sophistication of the private bottlers."

So what is Faucet Face bringing to the tap marketing movement? Super cute glass water bottles with artwork on them. Right now there are three designs available for pre-order at $14.99. My favorite is the one with a bird sipping nector but the 'Tap is Terrific' bottle is pretty cool too.