ILoveGain.com allows consumers of the Gain laundry detergent to hop online and share with the world their love for Gain. I became aware of this website from a TV commercial–a Gain TV commercial to be exact–and I thought: “Wait a second I may love Gain and not know it! I better do a little research to find out. Because if it turns out that I do love Gain, I certainly want to know, and thanks to the world wide web, I want EVERYONE to know!”
Combined Water Issues Map from WaterCAMPWS
In reporting about our current and impending national freshwater issues I have occassionally received criticism/feedback along the lines of “water conservation may be important in places like Africa, but we live in the U.S…so quit the scare tactics!”.
I find this ‘we-invented-water!’ attitude troubling considering the myriad of water issues facing our country today. Issues that, if not dealt with soon, will become a crisis making the oil problem look like a bad hair day.
So how best do I illustrate our current water woes to the folks who do not appreciate my water conservation tips?
…I got it! How about I get some leading minds in the field together to impart their focused wisdom? And accompany said wisdom with PICTURES!
Great idea me!
WaterCAMPWS, help!…
WaterCAMPWS (Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems) consists of university faculty, research scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, and municipal practitioners in fields related to water purity from University of California Berkeley, MWRDG-Chicago, Clark Atlanta University, Howard University, University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NRMRL-EPA, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Sandia National Laboratories, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Yale University.
WaterCAMPWS has listed the threats to our water supply as:
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It was often highlighted after the infamous tragedies of September 11th that terrorism was hardly discussed or barely even mentioned during the campaigning that led up to the 2000 election (Al vs. W). Searching for a way the horrible acts could have been avoided led to a lot of finger pointing and mudslinging on both sides (that I won’t get into again here).
I bring this up only because I see a similar looming issue (crisis in some areas of the US) that is not being given the attention that I am confident it deserves. An issue that I see us looking back on–as we did terrorism–and thinking: “How could this have been prevented?” or “Look at the campaign of ‘08. The two candidates hardly mentioned water pollution and conservation issues.”
The two most notable offerings were answers to specific questions–one from Science Debate 2008 and one from DISCOVER.
When asked by DISCOVER contributor Thomas Kostigen,
Ensuring an adequate water supply is a huge issue, arguably a bigger challenge than energy. Recent estimates say we are going to have to increase our supply of freshwater by 20 percent in the next 20 years to meet world demand. Two-thirds of the world’s population will experience water shortages by 2025. Meanwhile, the Clean Water Act hasn’t been updated since 1972. What plans do you have for addressing the freshwater issue?
here is how our candidates responded:
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We are dealing with our current financial crisis after it became a crisis. This reactionary style is very “American”. Therefore, I propose we do something “un-American” and attack the looming water crisis with more of a preventative strategy. In fact, that is our only option. It’s not like we have a choice to be reactionary in this potential crisis. We can’t borrow water like we can money.
Waiting for this issue to officially hit home will be too late. Our dehydrated brains will wonder (with increasing difficulty–because our brains are over 80% water) “how could we have prevented this?”
Here’s how.
1. Showering–Shower with someone. Keep showers under 4 minutes. Purchase a low-flow showerhead.
2. Grooming–Turn off the water while you brush your teeth, shave, and while you lather up when washing your hands. Also, make sure there are aerators on all of your faucets.
3. Toilet–If it’s yellow let it mellow. When you need to replace a toilet purchase a low-volume or dual flush toilet.
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The Environmental Working Group found that some of the Sam’s Choice bottled water bought from stores in Mountain View and Oakland, California, came from the Las Vegas Valley Water District’s public water supply, which is sometimes chlorinated. Scott Huntley, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, said he had no knowledge that Wal-Mart was using Las Vegas’s water supply for bottling.
On Tuesday, the Environmental Working Group filed a notice to sue Wal-Mart, stating that the chain did not effectively warn the public about the health risks of their bottled water. Read the rest of this entry »
Up for a round of golf with three of your friends? A burger afterwards? Coffee? That’ll be 25,148 gallons of water! According to Blue Planet Run, based on the average water use of US golf courses, approximately 3,350 gallons of water is used to water the grass for every round of golf. Approximately 2,900 gallons is used to make a quarter pound burger. And approximately 37 gallons make one cup of joe.
This bad news only get worse when you factor in the effect the enormous amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers have on the water that runs off the course and into our water system. Or, when you take into account the horrible treatment of the cow that your burger came from and how that treatment affects the quality of the meat.
Now, I never intend to be the bearer of bad news causing you to feel guilty for doing the things you enjoy to do, but I do intend to make a difference and inspire you to take action…
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But not until after his Slingshot has worked its magic!
The Super-Inventor unfortunately most known for the failure of his Segway has segway-ed into world-changing inventions. His latest, the Slingshot, can turn any collection of water-containing cocktails (ie. urine, ocean water, toxic sludge, sewage etc.) into pure, distilled drinking water. The Slingshot does all this without the use of filters or reverse-osmosis membranes. It purifies the water-containing source using vapor compression distillation, and can run on cow manure! And as if that weren’t enough, the manure-powered Slingshot generates enough electricity to light 70 energy-efficient light bulbs.
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If you did your homework and purchased the Blue Planet Run book as I suggested last week, then you will find most of what I’m about to share in the beautiful charts and graphs on page 174 and 175. Read the rest of this entry »
American missiles are not the only threat to Iran’s physical stability. A geological study has found that the nation’s groundwater is running so low from decades of over-use that many parts of the country have sunk dramatically, causing damage in both agricultural and urban areas.Fifty percent of the country’s water is sourced from the wells and only ten percent of the population is able to survive on rainwater alone. The groundwater level has decreased by 1.5 feet annually for the past 15 years, and with little rain and increased water use for Iran’s growing population, the aquifers have had no chance to refill. As a result, some areas have been sinking up to 20 inches a year.
I can see the Freecycle post now:
OFFER: I have six million carp, good condition. Nothing wrong with them; just have more than I need. You must pick up.
The State of Utah might just be posting like this something soon. Apparently, they’re in the market to unload a few carp–approximately six million–that are tearing up the bottom of Utah Lake, destroying habitat for an endangered species.
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