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On Saturday, June 25th at 5PM local time, thousands of people worldwide will participate in Global Water Dances. Beginning in the Pacific Rim and rolling westward through time zones, each dance will celebrate our most precious resource with local flavor and support of a specific cause or issue surrounding water.

The 24 hour series of dances will blend local water issues with the global struggle to ensure safe drinking water for all. Each dance will be composed of a 4-part series, one part including standard choreography to be incorporated into every dance and other parts open to local interpretation and audience participation. Some dances will also be accompanied by other events such as art installations or boating, while others will use forms of media to raise awareness about access to water and water conservation. Many of the performances will also be either filmed or streamed live over the web to introduce the performances to a larger community. Every dance will also occur in public places around local waterways to further connect communities and bring attention to environmental problems.

By going to the Event Map, viewers can see the many different, specific locations in which dances will be held, what causes each dance will promote, and how to get involved. Some U.S. locations include Boston, Burlington, DC, Detroit, Lexington, New York City, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Seattle. Many other, smaller communities will also host dances such as Darien, Georgia and Belfast, Maine.

There is still time to register your town as a location by visiting Join the Dance and to get involved.

Locate the dance nearest you and join us at 5PM on the 25th for this international, annual event to celebrate water!

Photo Credit: "Solstice River XV" from Global Water Dances 

Governor David Paterson has taken the middle ground on the issue of fracking until more of the science and groundwater effects are documented.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a technique used to access natural gas by drilling into rock formations and injecting a slew of chemicals, water, and sand.  Many environmental groups argue that this process can be extremely hazardous in polluting groundwater sources, since companies are not obligated to disclose the types of chemicals that they use.  There are two types of fracking: lateral and horizontal. While lateral is the most common, horizontal fracking is the more worrisome of the two. After drilling deep into the ground, they proceeds horizontally, reaching more surface area, which has a higher risk of contaminating the water table with chemicals and gas.

 

Paterson vetoed a bill that would have curbed fracking, and instead issued a moratorium on "high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracking."  While the moratorium is set for a longer period (July 1, 2011) than the original bill's May 15, 2011 expiration date, it only applies to certain kinds of  horizontal fracking, that are less common. The vetoed bill would have applied to all fracking activity. 

 

Executive Director Brad Gill of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York is "pleased" on the governor's decision and agrees with Paterson's statement that the bill was "well intentioned, [but] would have a serious impact on our state if signed into law," including job losses.

 

However, not everyone is so contented with the outcome.  Watershed program director Craig Michaels of Riverkeeper, a New York based environmental group, worries that companies will abuse this partial moratorium.  "The environmental community will be watching closely to assure that industry does not side-step environmental review by conducting an onslaught of vertical drilling and then converting those vertical wells to horizontal wells."

 

Governor Paterson is not the only decision-maker on the topic of fracking, though.  The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees the Delaware River watershed is moving to allow fracking, which will affect parts of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.  Paterson objected to these proposed rules, stating that it would only cause "confusion, duplication, redundant regulatory fee assessments, differing regulations in different locations, and possible mismanagement."

 

The EPA is investigating the potential effects of ground water pollution while Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is debating forcing gas companies to disclose the chemical concoction they inject into the ground during hydraulic fracturing.

Photo Credit: PGH2 10, Marcellus Protest from Flickr used under Creative Commons Copyright.

One great way to be more sustainable is to  eliminate single-use plastic bags by replacing them with reusable ones.  Well, that may be the right answer to the problem, but you have to be careful of what types of reusable bag you use.

 

There are reports that several types of plastic reusable bags contain levels of lead that may cause issue when they are disposed of, seeping dangerous heavy metal into the groundwater.  They may also be harmful if paint from the bag begins to flake off and touch food.

 

Many New York City residents are frustrated by the news, feeling that using reusable bags should be reducing waste, not creating potential water pollution. Yet there is a solution to the lead problem: don't use plastic reusable bags. Instead, try canvas or other cloth bags. 

Bags such as those made by The Cloth Bag Company are made in the United States and can be made from either 100% cotton or EcoSpun®, a fiber made from recycled soda bottles. Bags can also be printed with a customized image such as a company logo using silkscreening or heat transferring, neither of which will leave you worrying about dangerous heavy metals.

Other companies such as One Bag At A Time also offer tons of great options for reusable, non-toxic bags, including bags made of the plant jute, which is completely biodegradable in your garden or compost pile once you've gotten years of use out of it.  They also offer canvas-like bags made of recyclable, non-toxic, and non-allergenic polypropylene. Bags can be made in dozens of colors, including custom designs. One Bag At A Time also makes a wide variety of specialty bags such as insulated, wine, and lunch bags. 

Also check out ReuseIt.com, who makes "reusables for every part of your life." They also give ideas for all types of reusable products, including gift wrap and produce bags.

 

New York Democrat Senator Charles E. Schumer has written the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the issue, but in the mean time, start thinking about the benefits of using toxic-free bags such as those made by The Cloth Bag Company or One Bag At A Time.

Photo Credit: One Bag At A Time

The US Open Started yesterday in Queens, New York. I am excited every year when this massive tennis event comes to New York. All the best players come to town, and it is always exciting to watch.

The US Open has been a very successful event, with tickets selling out every year. The event has also taken some great strides in spearheading large green initiatives.

By working with environmental groups and consultants such as NRDC and EcoEvolutions, they have been able to recycle the 60,000 tennis balls used during the event. They have used post-consumer recycled content for napkins at concession stands and all other paper used for ticketing and administration. There will also be 225,000 reusable bags available for all merchandise sold at the event.

Where did they fall short? Bottled water. Evian is the official water for the event. All the concession stands are selling it and all the players are knocking back Evian with abandon in the late summer heat. It is a little crazy, with all their green initiatives, that the event would ship water from the French Alps, across the ocean in plastic single use containers to a city with great tasting, world class water. That is just not very green.

Let the US Open know. Email: publicrelations@usta.com and tell them US Open should be bottled water free!

The New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), who is responsible for the New York water supply, has partnered with Fishs Eddy, a Manhattan housewares retailer, to encourage New Yorkers to stop using bottled water and switch to tap water.

Fishs Eddy has produced a line of glasses, t-shirts and coasters carrying the slogan  "drink NYC water" with the DEP's tap water logo.

"We're very New York and we see ourselves as an institution. And we developed this idea with a fun graphic on the glasses to promote NYC tap water", said Julie Gaines, the store's owner. "I think the bottled-water industry is getting ticked off at us because of this". Great to have them onboard! Glasses will run $5 or $20 for a set of four. Coasters are $3.95 for a set of ten. Order them here.

photo credit: Fishs Eddy

New York has some of the best water systems in the country. We are surrounded by water and rely on our waterways for so many things. It is one of New York's greatest assets.

As in any highly populated area, New York's waterways are very much threatened. Some of the area's waterways are very polluted. Residents are in a constant struggle to keep our water clean and clean up some of the dirtiest areas.

On Earth Day, PBS Channel Thirteen put out a great documentary on New York's trials and tribulations with its water. It is almost an hour long, but very worthwhile if you interested water issues. You can watch below:

As we have mentioned in earlier posts and cannot mention enough, there is a conglomeration of plastic waste, at least the size of Texas, floating in the Pacific Ocean (see also 'Plastiki'). In my opinion the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' is the single most shocking reminder of our impending plastic crisis. It is easy to forget that the 80% of our plastic waste that is not recycled has to go somewhere, and a great deal of it ends up in the oceans.

A new project called The Plastic Planet in New York City is planning to draw awareness to how much plastic waste we actually create. The plan is to section off a fenced in area of a school playground and have everyone in the neighborhood add their plastic bottle waste to the area, everyday. As you can imagine, it will be no time at all until there is a massive mound of plastic filling the playground, drawing attention from residents and the media. It will be called the 'NYC Plastic Ocean'.

Right now you can read about their plans at The Plastic Planet blog or to get in touch, write theplasticplanet@yahoo.com. Ideally this project could be launched in a few cities at once to maximize exposure to the plastic crisis.

The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded an Innovation in Design credit under its LEED program for a specific two-stage water filtration system to eliminate the need for bottled water.

The combination of filtration technologies - an automatic self-cleaning screen filter at the main water supply's point of entry, followed by point-of-use filters at each faucet - delivers tap water of a quality equal to bottled water, without the environmental impact associated with the production, distribution and disposal of plastic bottles.

The two-stage process is what makes this system so innovative and environmentally friendly. By removing suspended sediments from the building's water supply at point of entry, the automatic filter minimizes the load on the point-of-use filters. This significantly increases the longevity of the cartridges in the home units.

And, they're made by an NYC company!

Photo: Betterwaters.com

Do you have a stash of old cell phones, outdated digital cameras and other unwanted electronics? Or have you thought about what you'll do with your cell phone when you (fingers crossed) get the new iPhone this Christmas? If you send your old devices to the landfill--and many people do considering 117 million cell phones end up there each year--they can adversely impact our water supply. As electronics sit in landfills, lead, mercury, cadmium and other toxic chemicals leach into the soil and travel to our waterways.

Luckily there's a better solution that's incredibly easy and might provide you with some extra shopping money. If you're shopping for gadgets this holiday season check out the Wired Store pop up at 415 West 13th Street in Manhattan. Bring your old devices with you and toss them in YouRenew.com's recycling bin.

YouRenew, an e-waste recycling start up, will data clear, refurbish and resell your unwanted electronics. If you bring something beyond repair (a Zach Morris phone circa 1989 for example), they'll send it to We Recycle, an e-waste recycling company that makes use of the plastics and metals.

Wired's gadget-filled store will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 12pm to 9pm now through December 27 if you want to donate your old stuff. But you can always visit YouRenew.com to recycle your gadgets and that's how you'll get paid! Simply visit YouRenew.com, search for your device and input information about its condition to find out how much YouRenew will pay you for your item ($100 on average). They'll provide a free shipping label so all you need to do is print the label, pack up your device, drop it in the post and wait for your check.

The NY Times reported this morning on Grand Central Terminal's beautiful drinking water fountain. The fountain has been there since the terminal opened in 1913 - although most people don't notice it, preferring instead to pay $2 for water in a plastic bottle.

Rivaling any fountain in Europe, the bubbler sports carvings of oak leaves and acorns -- a Vanderbilt family symbol - and is set into a marble wall. Stylish!

Upon testing, the NY Times found the water to be lead free, and after a phone call to Metro North, discovered that Grand Central's two fountains are cleaned twice a day - no safety concerns there!

So next time you're in Grand Central - don't reach for your wallet, go looking for this beautiful fountain instead. You'll save yourself some cash and reduce plastic waste that ends up in landfills!

Photo: Josh Haner, The NY Times