water

Are you an avid bottled water drinker? Do your H2O drinking habits have you go to the grocery store or put change into a vending machine? If so, you should stop and rethink the way you are getting your source of water. Bottled water takes a tremendous toll on the environment – the manufacturing and transporting of plastic bottles burn up oil, create pollution, and emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Not to mention, all the plastic waste they will end up becoming!

Many people may feel the need to choose bottled water over regular tap water because they think it is tastier and healthier. However, it is the bottled water corporations that have made you believe in this false notion. In fact, 40% of bottled water in the U.S. and Canada comes straight from the faucet! Bottled water is essentially the same as tap water! That’s right, the math is clear: municipal tap water + hefty price + environmental damage = bottled water.

So, save yourself some money and do the planet a favor. Take the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge: “[I opt] for public tap water over bottled water; and [support] the efforts of local officials who prioritize strong public water systems over bottled water profits.”

• As an activist, direct your local officials to cut city spending on bottled water and invest in strong public water systems.
• As a restaurant owner, serve tap instead of bottled water to encourage more sustainable eating habits.
• As a student, raise public awareness by organizing events, such as the Tap Water Challenge and the World Water Challenge. You can get support from Conscious Lifestyle for it.

Do your part to challenge the corporate control of water, for the environment, for your health.

Photo courtesy of Corporate Accountability International.

What is greywater?

Water that’s kinda dirty because it’s been used once, but clean enough to be used for something else.

Examples: Water from rinsing fruit that can be used to then water plants; or water from washing hands, laundry, or dishes that can be reused to flush the toilet.

Why I use greywater:

Last year I saw this Greentime video and began using greywater in my apartment. I was amazed by how easy it is to save lots of water.

The more I use greywater the more I realize how nonsensical our normal water system is. Think about it. Our bathroom sink is located a few feet from our toilet, but instead of using water from the sink to flush the toilet, the water from our sink is sent miles away to be purified, then sent miles back to our toilets. This is crazy. Why do we need water that is pure enough to drink for our toilets? As someone who loves efficiency (like any good social entrepreneur), I couldn’t stand for this normal water system, so I put a bucket under my sink and collected the water used for washing my hands, shaving, and brushing my teeth to flush the toilet. I do the same with water used to wash dishes. I also collect water that is normally wasted while it heats up and use it to water plants. By doing this, I save gallons of water everday and am more mindful of the global water crisis that is affecting billions of people.

There are a lot of great resources about greywater where you can learn more about the subject, as well as how to get started. Make sure to search for “greywater” on Goodsearch.com to support your favorite charitable organiation. Thesimpleway.org has a post on greywater that is short, sweet, and convincing. The greentime video mentioned above is a perfect introduction to the subject. And there are other videos that range from washing machine greywater system to ways to use greywater to irrigate your backyard.

If you are a student leader who wants to learn more about living a conscious lifestyle and get support for your student venture, apply now for a Conscious Lifestyle social entrepreneur grant.

Picture from thesimpleway.org

Water is everywhere right? Yes and no. Sure, the wondrous liquid surrounds us everywhere we turn, but the vast majority of it is not fresh, drinkable water. Only about 3 percent of the total water on the planet is freshwater, and only a tiny fraction of that 3 percent is actually available to humans. Most freshwater is locked up in ice caps and glaciers. However, the price of water is extraordinarily cheap, and most people use it without a second thought. Environmentalists direly predict that the next world wars will be fought over precious water.

What are some solutions?

Desalination can be used to transform salt water to freshwater. However, this process can only be viably done in coastal areas and is quite expensive, because it takes an enormous amount of energy. Some places, such as the Middle East, are experimenting with desalination. Read more about it at National Geographic.

Cloud seeding is another option. In this procedure, silver nitrate is planted into clouds to promote rain. Today, Texas uses cloud seeding over a third of its area. However, conditions have to be very specific for the process to be effective. Additionally, there are concerns about the chemicals used raining down onto earth, and the fact that artificially producing rain in one area is robbing another area of rainfall. Here's an article about cloud seeding at ABC News.

Withdrawing greater amounts of groundwater may be feasible, but this too has some disadvantages. If the water table becomes too depleted, the ground above it may actually sink down into a depression. By the coast, low levels of groundwater may lead to salt water intrusion, where water from the ocean actually pushes into the groundwater system.

The best strategy? It may be boring and trite, but conserve water! This does not have to be a painful process. Turn off faucets tightly to prevent leaks, install water-saving showerheads and toliets, and don't use sprinklers mindlessly. If you're really feeling adventurous, save leftover water from rinsing dishes to water plants. Small changes can have big impacts in the future.

This image is from the New York State Assembly.

There's news about environmentally friendly cars, homes, and workplaces, but rarely do I hear any good changes happening in schools. Well, that's changed, thanks to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification program. Schools that intend to make their buildings more water and energy efficient can register for this program.

There are many wonderful benefits to these changes, including a better air quality for students. Now, when people think of air pollution, they mostly think of outdoor pollution. However, I recently learned in my AP environmental science class that indoor air pollution can be more harmful, because we spend the majority of our time indoors, and because pollutants can build up in enclosed spaces. Polluted air leads to respiratory problems, and bad health can cause poor concentration and overall learning.

Additionally, many LEED schools lower energy usage by 40%. This not only helps the environment by reducing the amount of fossil fuels used, but also saves taxpayers a lot of money. The savings could be used to buy more supplies for students or to upgrade and repair old facilities.

These develops are great, but I believe there are still many areas in which schools can improve. For example, my high school in Virginia keeps the AC on all year round. Now, I can understand this practice on the hot 90 degree August days, but in the middle of February? Most students complain about the freezing indoor temperatures and teachers urge them to wear layers. It is silly and a total waste of money and fuel.

Anyways, I think this program is heading the educational sector in the right direction. Hopefully, if inner city schools are given the initial cost of revamping their systems, they will be able to save enough money in the long run. Also, the students themselves in all schools can learn from the changes and start thinking in an eco-friendly manner.

If you're interested, the article is from LOHAS online.

The image above is from Inhabitat.com.