Recycling Labyrinth by Mona Sfeir

The "Recycling Labyrinth" by Mona Sfeir at the United States Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. Intended to commemorate World Environment Day, the work of art consists of 8,000 plastic bottles, which is the number of bottles that go into landfills worldwide every second, according to the artist.

Fracking Home

ITHACA -- With a July 1 deadline looming for a draft plan on how New York will regulate horizontal, high-volume hydraulic fracturing of gas-rich Marcellus shale, Tompkins County towns are struggling to protect public roads and develop regulations for drilling operations. 

"It could literally be this fall when they start issuing permits, and I think gas drilling will eventually get to Tompkins," said Town of Ithaca Supervisor Herb Engman. "We're going to try our best to get everything in place before a single gas well is drilled in Tompkins County."

Read the entire article in the Ithaca Journal.

New York Water Ranger Super Heroes

Do you care about New York's water? Then take the Water Rangers pledge!

I pledge to protect this body of water, to protect rivers, lakes, and streams, to protect my town's and New York State’s drinking water from dirty gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.”

I pledge to protect this body of water from the hundreds of toxic chemicals used in fracking fluids.

I pledge to protect the precious resources that provide millions of New Yorkers with their drinking water.

I pledge to protect my family from the dangers of dirty gas drilling.

As a New York Water Ranger, I’m prepared to share my concerns with state leaders and to tell my friends and neighbors about the dangers of dirty gas drilling.

Because everybody is a body of water, we must protect our health, water, and communities before we allow gas development in New York State.

Benefits of joining the New York Water Rangers include opportunities to get free Water Rangers gear, updates from the team at Clean Water Not Dirty Drilling, and the satisfaction of knowing you're not standing on the sidelines while your drinking water is at risk.

Join the New York Water Rangers today!

The Story of Bottled Water

In the last few decades, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle and other big beverage companies have spent untold millions making us afraid of tap water. They've told us that if we want to be sure what we drink is pure and clean--not to mention hip and fashionable--we should buy bottled water. After all, nobody cool or environmentally conscious drinks tap water, right?
The thing is, there are a lot of inconvenient truths the bottled water ads don't mention:
• Bottled water is subject to fewer health regulations than tap water. In 2006, Fiji Water ran ads bragging that their product doesn't come from Cleveland, only to have tests show a glass of Fiji water is lower quality than Cleveland tap. Oops!
• Up to 40 percent of bottled water is filtered tap water. In other words, if you're concerned about what's in your tap water, just cut out the middleman and buy a home water filter.
• Each year, according to the Pacific Institute's Peter Gleick, making the plastic water bottles used in the U.S. takes enough oil and energy to fuel a million cars. And that doesn't even include the fuel required to ship, fly or truck water across continents and state lines.
• Three-fourths of the half-a-billion plastic water bottles sold in the U.S. every week go to the landfill or to incinerators. It costs our cities more than $70 million to landfill water bottles alone each year, according to Corporate Accountability International.
But there's good news: People are getting the message. Last year, for the first time this decade, bottled water sales fell--not that much, but they went down. Restaurants are proudly serving tap water, adding carbonization on site for customers who want something fizzy. Consumers who want economy, portability and convenience are switching to refillable metal bottles.
Still, we've got a ways to go until everyone realizes that bottled water makes as much sense as a $10,000 sandwich.
So, if you haven't already, you can get started by making a personal commitment to drink from the tap.
Then join a campaign for investment in clean tap water for everyone, like those sponsored by Food & Water Watch, Environmental Working Group or Canada's Polaris Institute. Work to ban the purchase of bottled water by your school, company or city--Corporate Accountability is helping states kick the bottled water habit--and lobby local officials to bring back drinking fountains.
Together, we can send Coke, Pepsi and the rest of the industry a message as clear as a glass of crystal-clean tap water: We're not buying into your manufactured demand anymore. We'll choose our own demands, thank you very much, and we're demanding clean safe water for all! 

Read more by Annie Leonard in the Huffpost Green "The Story of Bottled Water: Fear, Manufactured Demand and a $10,000 Sandwich."

 

No Reason by Eric Daigh

In making this video for Circle of Blue, reporters of the global water crisis, Eric Daigh comments:

“We took a different approach to illuminating the topic,” said Eric Daigh, the film’s producer. “In the video we step sideways and do something that connects with people in new ways. We all know how many people lack access to safe fresh water. We all know how many die each year from dirty water. But we need to have the epiphany moment, to grasp the interaction between water and agriculture, the economy, culture and conflict.”

Circle of Blue goes on to report:

According to a press release by WEF, “Water security links together food, energy, climate, economic growth and human security challenges, which the world economy will face over the next two decades…. The world is now on the verge of water bankruptcy in many places with no way of paying the debt back.”

Hanging Clothes Out to Dry

I love the Spring for many reasons, one of them being I can begin hanging our clothes out to dry again.  I love the fresh air.  I love the act of pulling the wet, wrinkled clothes from the basket, shaking them, and attaching them to the line with aged and new wooden clothes pins.  I love the sound of the wind and the birds in the trees.  I love the grass and weeds beneath my feet.  And, I love those fresh, crisp clothes that come down from the line once air dried.

I wondered to myself how much energy and money I saved by doing this task that pleased me so.  A blog on The Simple Dollar answered some of my questions.

We have friends that hang their clothes indoors, close to their wood-burning stove, during the Winter months.  The savings and fun can happen year round!

Hydro Logic From the EPA

FACT: More water is used in the bathroom than any other place in the home.

ACTION: Turn off the water when you brush your teeth and shave. Install low-flow toilets, shower heads and faucet aerators and you’ll save thousands of gallons/liters of water a year. It’s a savings that should reduce your water bill.

FACT: Today there are many more people using the same amount of water we had 100 years ago.
ACTION: Don’t waste water. Use it wisely and cut back wherever you can.

FACT: A dripping faucet can waste up to 2,000 gallons/7,600 liters of water a year. A leaky toilet can waste as much as 200 gallons/260 liters of water a day.
ACTION: Check your plumbing and repair any leaks as soon as possible.

FACT: Lead in household plumbing can get into your water.
ACTION: Find out if your pipes are lead or if lead solder was used to connect the pipes. If you have lead in your plumbing system,when you turn on the tap for drinking or cooking, let the water run until it’s cold. Never use water from the hot tap for cooking or drinking.

FACT: What’s dumped on the ground, poured down the drain, or tossed in the trash can pollute the sources of our drinking water.
ACTION: Take used motor oil and other automotive fluids to an automotive service center that recycles them. Patronize automotive centers and stores that accept batteries for recycling. Take leftover paint, solvents, and toxic household products to special collection centers.

FACT: On average, 50% - 70% of household water is used outdoors for watering lawns and gardens.
ACTION: Make the most of the water you use outdoors by never watering at the hottest times of the day or when it’s windy. Turnoff your sprinklers when it’s raining. Plant low-water use grasses and shrubs to reduce your lawn watering by 20% - 50%.

FACT: Lawn and garden pesticides and fertilizers can pollute the water.
ACTION: Reduce your use of pesticides and fertilizers and look for safer alternatives to control weeds and bugs. For example, geraniums repel Japanese beetles; garlic and mint repel aphids; and marigolds repel whiteflies.

FACT: Although most people get their water from regulated community water supplies, others rely on their own private wells and are responsible for their own water quality.
ACTION: If you own a well, contact your local health department or Cooperative Extension Service representative to find out how to test the quality of your well water.

FACT: Your city government and state officials regularly make decisions that affect the quality of your drinking water resources.
ACTION: As the population grows and housing and industrial interest expand, attend local planning and zoning meetings and ask what’s being done to protect water resources from contamination. Let elected officials know that you expect them to use their hydro-logic to protect the water.

FACT: Public water utilities regularly test the quality of the drinking water they provide to customers.
ACTION: Call your water utility and ask for a copy of their latest water quality report.