Category Archives: gaia

Green Links – Something I have not done for awhile

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Sometimes I like to just go to cool Energy/Green links just to listen to idle chatter. Here are some places you might like to visit.

Did you know that Earth Day has its own place?

http://network.earthday.net/

Looking for a house? Keep in mind the three rules of real estate: location, location, location.

Good location is typically thought of as a safe community with good public schools. New data, however, confirms that where you live has a direct effect on how long you live.

According to a team from Brigham Young and Harvard universities, reducing air pollution has extended average life expectancy by five months for urban residents in dozens of U.S. cities over the past two decades. Average life expectancy improved 2.72 years (with five months of that increase attributed to cleaner air). However, the improvements were especially high in the District of Columbia, where residents are living roughly three years longer—most likely because of the profound reductions in particulate matter made in the region. This evidence that extensive clean-up efforts are worth the up-front investment can help environmentalists breathe easy.

Though the study represents the first time researchers have documented, conclusively, a link between air quality and longevity, urban air quality is no newcomer to the national stage: Earth Day Network released its own Urban Environment Report in 2007. The Report ranked 72 U.S. cities according to more than 200 environmental, health, and quality of life indicators. It also introduced, for the first time, a “Vulnerable Population Index” (VPI) which factors in each city’s susceptibility to an expanded list of environmental challenges based on the percentage of its population that is most at risk.

To link to the Washington Post Article, click here

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There are so many places selling green now that I must believe that the future is here:

 http://www.lilgreenhouse.com/

One of Little Green House’s main focus is water, life?s essential element. It drives our passion for sustainability and inspires our commitment  to you and to our planet.

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Or that their are millions of people in the world that will give stuff away for free/

 http://www.freecycle.org/

Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,676 groups with 6,385,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them’s good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!

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Or that there was a cool ecology magazine only available online?

 http://www.emagazine.com/

OBAMA MAKING GOOD ON GREEN PROMISES
As though making up for lost time, the federal government has initiated a whirlwind of activity over greening the economy since Inauguration Day just two weeks ago. By Roddy Scheer

 BUSH?S QUIET ENVIRONMENTAL TRIUMPH?
No one will be holding up former President George W. Bush as an example of a great conservationist. But one of his last presidential acts may stand the test of time as a key move in the conservation of marine ecosystems. By Roddy Scheer


COMMENTARY: CALIFORNIA WATER WORRIES
California is in the midst of a water crisis. By Linda Bozung and Ryan Leaderman

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Then there is the mother of cool. The guys and gals that have been at Green for 40 years this year. I have both the Black copy and the White copy and the only thing I ever order out of it was Rope Sandals from East Wind Collective in Missouri. But just like the original Sears Catalog it was so much fun to read. I Give You Whole Earth Catalog

http://www.wholeearth.com/

 

About Whole Earth

 

After the WHOLE EARTH CATALOG and its descendants ceased publication, New Whole Earth LLC, headed by entrepreneur and philanthropist Samuel B. Davis, acquired the intellectual property and physical assets of the family of publications from the Point Foundation.

We thought it was important to preserve the heritage of the WHOLE EARTH CATALOG and its succeeding publications. Although the CATALOG’s heyday was during a specific and turbulent period of American history, the ideas found in it and in its related publications continue to engage the brightest minds of the 21st century—and Whole Earth LLC believes that those ideas should be preserved as they were originally disseminated.

This collection is not complete—and probably never will be—but it is a gift to readers who loved the CATALOG and those who are discovering it for the first time. The great stuff found on these pages is a celebration of the genius of Stewart Brand and all those associated with the WHOLE EARTH family of publications.

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This I Believe – This is brought to you by a very inattentive listner

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It’s true. I have been driving around in my car this week and listening to local Public Radio Station WUIS. They have been calling on people to write a This I Believe essay. The deadline was tomorrow.

http://wuis.org/

That generally does this:

 

Impact of Layoffs

February 3, 2009 — The Firestone Tire Company announced it would close its Decatur production plant back in 2001, displacing more than 12-hundred workers. Last week, another major employer, Caterpillar, announced it would be cutting jobs at its plants in Decatur, Aurora, and East Peoria. Robert Hironimus-Wendt is a sociology professor at Western Illinois University. He conducted extensive research on those Firestone workers in the months following their layoffs. In an interview with WUIS’s Jenna Dooley, Hironimus-Wendt says the experience of the Decatur workers provides some insight into the current state of the job market…

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Was doing this:

http://www.wuis.org/artsentertainment/TIB_2009.html

Deadline for essay entries: Thursday, February 5, 11:59 p.m.

Entries can be delivered to:
WUIS – This I Believe
One University Plaza, MS WUIS 130
Springfield IL 62703

Or they can be e-mailed to:
WUIS@uis.edu
Questions?:
Call (217) 206-6403

March 9-20 Essays are broadcast at 7:55 a.m. & 4:45 p.m. on WUIS
WUIS encourages area high school seniors to enter the This I Believe essay contest designed to capture their viewpoints and share them with the community. During the spring 2009 semester, some area high schools have even used the This I Believe high school curriculum in their English classes.

In February, a judging panel meets to read the submitted essays and ultimately select ten winners, who will record their essays under the supervision of WUIS News Director Rich Bradley. The winners will each receive $100 scholarships from The Rotary Club of Springfield Sunrise.

Listen to the winning esays on WUIS at 91.9 FM, 89.3 FM or stream them here at WUIS.org March 9-20, weekdays at 7:55 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.:}

Feeling like a fool because I had already written my essay and everyone will tell you I AM NOT a high school student, I went to National Public Radio:

http://www.npr.org/

Who normally does this:

U.S. To Cap Executive Pay
For Recipients Of Bailout Funds

President Obama announced rules limiting executive pay to $500,000 a year for companies getting taxpayer bailout funds. In addition to the salary cap, there will also be restrictions on bonuses, payouts or “golden parachute” severance packages for companies accepting taxpayer assistance.

So I scroll down past Arts and Entertainment, past Breaking News, Past a cute little article on Conquering A Baker’s Fear of Yeast, past Most Popular, past Listen Now – Helene Grimaud’s Bach, past an amusing little article – Obama Meets Spidey: The Intervention, past Sports (about a woman and her sail boat  – whew hew) and there finally was This I Believe

Which is:

http://www.thisibelieve.org/index.php

What is This I Believe?

 

This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief, written by people from all walks of life, are archived here and featured on public radio in the United States and Canada, as well as in regular broadcasts on NPR. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

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So I submitted this:

This I Believe. We must love the Earth more than we ever love ourselves. Science fiction is a myth. We are stuck on this planet for the rest of our great great grandchildren’s lives. Yet we squirt poisons into the air and the water like it doesn’t matter. Like birds and fish are not food.  We use poisons on our soil to plant food. If we are not very careful soon the Earth shall tire of this. A new dominant species shall replace us. This is a practical matter this love. Past generations of humans had their faults but they were not disrespectful of Planet Earth. They sailed its waters. They traveled its land. They enjoyed its wonders without plunder. Every child should be taught from the time they are born that walking is better then riding. That riding a bicycle is better than riding on mass transportation. That taking mass transportation is always better than riding in a car. That cars when used should have more than one person in them. Every Child should be taught that there is no Away in “throwing things away”. That litter is not tolerated. That recycling of everything is mandatory. That Garbage dumps are an affront to God.

 

We humans have depended upon the dead for our energy. That is all fossil fuels are. Coal, Oil and Gas are the products of long ago dead forests. That is why they stink. We can no longer release them into the air. We should leave the dead to rest in peace. Burning things up is a primitive behavior worthy of Neanderthal and early Humans. It is unworthy of us. We are surrounded by energy. Our World travels at 27,000 miles an hour causing Aurora Borealis to crackle at the poles. Our Moon exerts enough power on our planet to lift water 25 feet in the air. Our Sun Burns at 27 million degrees and plasma bursts forth at 2 million degrees. It inundates the surface of this planet with 27 gigawatts of power a day in photons. Our winds blow daily. Why in the stratosphere they howl as the Earth rotates. Humans burn at 98 degrees. With properly built homes and adequate nourishment we could heat our homes with ourselves. Ironically the earth is cool at a given depth and we can cool ourselves with it when it is hot. We are engulfed with resources that we squander daily while half the world’s population lives in squalor and ignorance. This will only truly change when we use the energy that we have been given, not what we can dig up.

 

We can begin this change by the simple act of not doing. If for one day everyone just stopped drinking gasoline the world would begin anew. If for just one day we did not throw anything away but our love for each other, and if everyone celebrated Earth Day in awe for all we have been given, the damage could be undone. This I believe.

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Maybe someday you will hear it on the Radio, but I got my doubts. They said no rants…

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Cisterns, Another Personal Story – A house that was meant to recycle water

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I was reminiscing with a Guy who grew up in a rural Sangamon County household whose house was built to recycle water. I was telling him about my daily bucket brigade duty when I was staying at my great grandparents house. His name is David. He said, “OH yah well I had to do that everyday for almost 15 years”. He said that he grew up next to his grandmother’s house and she already had a well. It was hand dug by his dad and his grandfather. There was no way his dad was going to dig another well. So when they build his families house they put in a huge tile lined cistern feed from all of the downspouts off the roof. That was fed into  a tank inside the house by an electric pump which pressurized the whole system. The holding tank fed a hot water heater and a cold water line. The rest of the house was plumbed like a regular house.

The reader is probably thinking that what we are describing is a classic quaint little farmhouse setting with the large kitchen with the little bedroom off the kitchen for the married couple. They had a slightly larger “sitting room” that had a couch, some over stuffed chairs, a desk and some pictures on the wall for more formal entertaining and the children lived in the cramped attic. Where they sweltered  in the summer and froze in the winter. These house were usually all porch because folks spent most of their time outside. Well yes I am talking about those houses BUT these people have a cistern too:

 

http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~liz/home.html

 house_dec03.jpg

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That’s right please also note that there is a solar water preheat system (not shown) on the garage. This is a house in Floirda that is totally disconnected from any centralized distribution system, and they use a chemical composting toilet.

They did not drink cistern water mainly because of taste. Dave said the well water from his grandmothers house was so sweet it was like drinking candy. So that was his job as the little man in the house, he went to the well and filled up a 2 gallon porcelain bucket twice a day everyday until he went off to college. He noted that the job changed as he got older and so did his grandmother. He first started checking on her to see if she needed anything. Pretty soon he was getting water for her too. He said she had a reservoir on the back of her cob cook stove (which I had forgot about – my grannies did too). Eventually he was taking her ashes out for her too. The advantage was he got one breakfast from mom and then another from his grandma. 2 Breakfasts in one day. What a treat.

But the funniest stories were the ones about water conservation. He said repeatedly, “We were taught water was precious”.  Those lessons have not changed:

 http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=1681

He said, “You got whatever it was wet (teeth, body, dishes) and then you did whatever you needed to do. Then you turned the water back on BRIEFLY.” He said,”When you were in the shower if you heard the pump come on you knew it was time to get out of the shower no mater what because it was about to get real cold.” Laundry day was the toughest because his mother had a wood rod that she could stick in the cistern to measure its level. She knew that she could only use so much water washing clothes because they needed it for other things..the nearest water was 10 miles away.

Finally he said, “This was rammed home to us every couple of years because when it got really dry in some summers and falls we had to buy 500 gallons of water at a time. This guy from Sherman had a water truck and he would fill it up. He run a hose to your well or wherever you wanted it and dumped away.” It was kind of exciting when you were a kid. But, as he got older he realized that those gallons of water meant fewer new clothes for the school year, or that his shoes would have to last longer, or that maybe his sister couldn’t go to the Prom at school.” Then he said it again, “You know water is precious.”

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These people think so too:

 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/30/MNC615JNHB.DTL

Severe drought expected after mild January

Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, January 30, 2009

 

California teeters on the edge of the worst drought in the state’s history, officials said Thursday after reporting that the Sierra Nevada snowpack – the backbone of the state’s water supply – is only 61 percent of normal.

January usually douses California with about 20 percent of the state’s annual precipitation, but instead it delivered a string of dry, sunny days this year, almost certainly pushing the state into a third year of drought.

The arid weather is occurring as the state’s water system is under pressure from a growing population, an aging infrastructure and court-ordered reductions in water pumped through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – problems that didn’t exist or were less severe during similar dry spells in the late 1970s and late 1980s.

“We’re definitely in really bad shape,” said Elissa Lynn, chief meteorologist with the state Department of Water Resources. “People can expect to pay higher prices for produce … and more agencies may be rationing … some raising fees. We just don’t have enough water.”

In Sonoma County, water managers are expected to take a bold step Monday – telling residents to prepare for severe rationing within weeks.

“We have entered uncharted territory,” said Pam Jeane, deputy chief engineer of operations at the Sonoma County Water Agency. “A 30 percent mandatory rationing order is just the beginning. Further decline in reservoir levels could necessitate 50 percent cutbacks.”

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Life With Cisterns – My Great Grandparents were big water recyclers

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When I was a young boy in the 1960’s I spent 2 weeks with Edna and Court Lutz, my great grandparents. They were independent hog farmers on a subsistence farm in a rural unincorporated village called New Philadelphia Illinois. It was a subsistence farm which for years had no running water. Part of the roof runoff went into rain barrels, and part of it ran directly into their well. The well was in the back of the house and it had a big 3 foot tall pump on the top it. Court had run a water line from the well into the house in the pantry/sink area off of the kitchen and put in a much smaller hand pump on the edge of the sink. We ate and cooked in the much larger 15 x 15 kitchen area which housed a 6 burner corn cob cook stove a big kitchen table and the refrigerator.

pump.jpg

www.depagro.com

short-pump.jpg

www.oak-barrel.com

I learned a lot about hard work from those folks, but in many ways they were the original eco friendly folks. I got my first tastes of many things the Christmas before our first summer stay. The Ross side of the family had Christmas dinner at Court and Edna’s  house. After dinner (it was actually late lunch but they called the evening meal supper) Edna said, “Would you boys pump some water for me”. So we rushed into the pantry and proceeded to pump and pump and pump. Finally between the two of us we got the water coming and filled up one of the sinks. But we were tuckered out.

Edna filled up a large kettle to heat water to wash the dishes and then started in on them.

kettle.jpg

www.physics.uc.edu

Mabel (my grandmother) decided that she wanted some lemonade and needed a gallon of water to make it. Court offered to go out to the bigger pump and get it. Steve and I said,”Will do it”! Once bundled and outside Court watched amused as we tried to get the pump arm to even move. Both of us at 6 and 7 years couldn’t budge it. Court laughed and said here let me get it started for you and he pumped the handle a couple of mighty pumps. We got water on about the third pump but we filled up the bucket which was way to much water. Damn thing was hard to control. We never asked about the toilets. We were not there long enough to need them. As we were leaving, I asked Court why they had rain barrels on the front gutter downspouts. He said that I would find out soon enough.

rainbarrel.jpg

www.iaswcd.org

We went back the next summer of 1961. We had been prepared somewhat. We had been told what outhouses were and of course because our father was a Biologist we were told how they worked. We had been told about chamberpots and how to deal with them. We had been given a deck of cards and informed that they had no TV. We had been told about their half acre garden and had been given some gloves. Also some advice on dealing with blisters. We had been warned about hogs (they had 5) and that Court got up early in the morning. BUT WE HAD no idea what we were infor. And yes that is all one word.

outhouse.jpg

truenorthhh.org

pot.jpg

www.crabcoll.com

truck.gif

truckpatchfarms.com/products.html

hogs.jpg

www.soc.iastate.edu

Little did we know we were about to become water mules. Court got us up at 4:30 in the morning. Gave us coffee. Something that we had never had before, and then took us out to “slop the hogs”. Which involved hauling food scraps and water in 8 gallon pails out to the hog lot. Then we had to “mix the mash” which amounted to us hauling water out to an out building and pouring it in barrels of corn to ferment. Then we hauled already fermented mash out to the hogs. Then we hauled our sad asses into the house for breakfast. Which we ate ravenously. More coffee. Grandma clucked. Then we went to take care of the garden. Which amounted to….you guessed it hauling water in 8 gallon buckets out to the biggest garden I had ever seen. I mean row after row. We hauled it from the rain barrels which were much closer and easier then pumping at the well. Yep that is what water recycling is all about. PHwefff  Sometime I will tell you about the 2 hole outhouse. Nothing left that farm but pigs and people. The pigs mercifully did not come back.

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For more info about up close and personal water recycling please see:

 http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/

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Green Roofs – The ultimate water recycler

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Green Roofs or the idea that you could grow plants on the roof as a form of insulation and an absorber of water are gaining traction in the US Market. This new, some would say radical, idea is actually not new for people who live in rammed earth homes and underground or planned caves. These structures seed what are their roofs with grass. In the summer they allow the grass to grow tall which adds insulation value to the home. Green Roofs are this idea transferred up in the air.

I think that this idea would work best for low slope roofs with some access to enjoy the greenery. We have a sharply sloped roof so it would not work on our house. We have low sloped roofs on the garage and a very large shed so we could do Green Roofs there. It has the advantage of some carbon sequestration as well, depending on what you do with the green waste.

http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Roofs/green-roofs
Find manufacturers of this PATH Technology Inventory item

Green roofs, also called living or planted roofs, are systems of living plants and vegetation installed on the roof of an existing or new structure. The green roof concept is not new. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon constructed around 500 B.C. were perhaps one of the first green roof systems. Planted components of a prevegetated modular green roof system. Photo courtesy of LiveRoof, LLC Terrace structures were built over arched stone beams and waterproofed with layers of reeds and thick tar on which plants and trees were placed in soil.

Popular in Europe for decades, technology has improved upon the ancient systems, making green roofs available in and appropriate for nearly all climates and areas of the United States. All green roof systems consist of four basic components: a waterproofing layer, a drainage layer, a growing medium, and vegetation. Some green roofs also include root retention and irrigation systems, but these are not essential.

Green roof systems are often broken down into two types—extensive and intensive systems. An extensive system features low-lying plants such as succulents, mosses, and grasses. They require relatively thin layers of soil (1-6 inches), and plants usually produce a few inches of foliage. Extensive systems have less of an impact on the roof structure, weighing 10-50 pounds per square foot on average, and are generally accessible only for routine maintenance. Most residential applications are composed of extensive green roof systems. Intensive systems feature deeper soil and can support larger plants including crops, shrubs, and trees. Intensive systems can be harder to maintain, depending on the plants used, and are much heavier than extensive systems—they range from 80 to more than 120 pounds per square foot. Intensive systems are typically designed to be accessible to building inhabitants for relaxation and/or harvesting.

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For people who are “doing it” so to speak:

http://www.hadj.net/green-roofs/project-info.html

Welcome to the project! We intend to examine the feasibility of green roofs (extensive roof gardens) for residential scale construction. As you know, green roofs are common in Germany, France, Swizerland, and England, and are gaining a foothold in Canada and the U.S.

However, the vast majority of these roofs are commercial scale. The total area of residential roof surface, compared to commercial roof surface, is much larger and has a much more profound impact on the environment. Also, the largest and fastest growing encroachment on open space and riparian waterways is not commercial but residential development.

There are several challenges to developing a residential market:

  • The intial cost of green roofs is higher (however, their life cycle cost is competitive with conventional roofs).
  • Builders and developers want to offer a low sticker price for their product. They are responding to a market that does not frequently calculate life cycle costs.
  • Weight: the 3″ to 6″ of soil plus geotextiles on a roof can require added structure. In seismic zones there is a concern in that more weight is placed higher up in a structure.
  • The simple novelty of green roofs. I remember when the U.S. construction industry was talking about going metric, 35 years ago.

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AND:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/49803/doityourself_green_roofs_eco_roof_installation.html

Home Improvement for the Planet

Green roofs or eco roofs are an excellent way to reduce energy costs and reduce urban “heat island” effects that increase atmospheric temperatures. A green roof is a roof that is covered with vegetation. Green roofs are still relatively scarce in the United States today but appeared throughout the Midwest prairie homes of decades gone by. They are common throughout European commercial and residential areas today, covering over 100 million square feet of rooftops.

In both commercial and residential applications, green roofs offer many benefits to property owners. Green roofs reduce energy costs by adding insulation in winter and absorbing heat in summer. Estimates of energy savings range from 6-50% depending on the roof size. When installed in new construction, the incorporation of a green roof into the project’s design allows a reduction in the size of heating and cooling systems needed. This adds an upfront savings s smaller units may be installed for smaller heating and cooling loads. In today’s housing market, energy savings equals increased property value. Some green roof projects are eligible for tax credits and other “green” incentives. Green roofs transform impervious surfaces such as tar and asphalt into useable green space that absorbs solar radiation and carbon dioxide.

Until now, green roofs in residential areas have been outnumbered by commercial coverage because the task of installing a green roof can be overwhelming for individual home owners. In part this is due to expense but also attributed to a lack of knowledge in general about green roofs, their benefits and how to install them. As such an important feature of a home’s structural soundness, the thought of an “outside the norm” roof treatment can be intimidating.

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For much more information please go to their sites and thank them for being pioneers.

Gray Water VS Clean Water – OK so the water is in the tank

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Now What? The first time you may run into the idea of Gray Water is in discussions of what to do with the water headed for your cistern when it first starts to rain. This is because that water could be polluted with natures by-products like leaves and dirt but more importantly bird poo, pesticides, and degraded gasoline products.

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 http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1978-05-01/The-Homestead-Cistern.aspx?page=3

To aid in keeping their collected water clean, most cistern owners install a “shut-off” (or short length of movable pipe) in their systems’ downspouts. Then, during the first few minutes of a rain—when all the soot, bird droppings, etc., that have accumulated on the roof’s surface begin to wash away—the runoff can be diverted away from the cistern. (This tainted water can be shunted to the garden or used in any way you’d use “gray water”.) Shortly afterwards—when it has rained a few minutes and the water flowing through the downspout appears clear and clean—the shut-off can be switched back to direct the remaining portion of the shower or storm into the cistern.

The filter mentioned above is usually nothing more than a concrete enclosure (see diagram) that’s divided into two sections by a partition reaching two-thirds of the way to the chamber’s top. One of the two sections is left empty, while the other is layered full of filtering material(s) . . . usually gravel, fine sand, and/or activated charcoal. The idea is that as water flows from the downspout to the first (i.e., empty) section of the “filter box”, bits of leaves, dirt, etc., will settle out . . . then—as the collected liquid spills over the partition and begins to percolate down through the layers of filtering material—smaller impurities also will be removed. A screen prevents any remaining debris from flowing into the supply line that connects the filter box with the cistern.

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Not to get too technical but water is usually divided into Black Water, Grey Water and White or Clean Water. Water is also heavily regulated. It is regulated by people who are interested in drinking water. It is regulated by people who are interested in pollution control. It is regulated by people who are involved in pest and animal control. If you are on an island or in a deeply rural area you only have to worry about your own personal health. If you are in the middle of Chicago, good luck.

But for simple presentations Black Water is what goes down the toilet. Some people use dry chemical toilets and they recycle there own human waste as soil enhancers. This is only for the very hardy right now. Other people use septic tanks to recycle at least the water and some nutrients back into the environment. This can be dicey at times. But hundreds of thousands use these devices. Most people would have to (yes say it) “let that go”.

OK so you have this tank full of rainwater. If you are smart and your storage is up in the air then all you need is a hose attached to it. Then using gravity you can direct that water where you like. If it is stored on the ground you may need a little pump to achieve that end. If your tank is below ground well you need a bigger pump.

Gray water is that water not considered good enough to drink. This is where the legal tussles began. To give an example, some people flush their toilets with spent dish washing water. They use a bucket and pour it in the toilet tank. Other people divert their clothes washing water to their garden by either running a hose there directly or by running the water into a tank. Why do I raise this? Can a person drink the water in your cistern?

For an EXTREMELY spirited discussion of all of this please see:

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http://www.greywaterguerrillas.com/

The Greywater Guerrillas are a collaborative group of educators, designers, builders, and artists who educate and empower people to build sustainable water culture and infrastructure.

We teach about sustainable water use through hand-on workshops and presentations.

We recently published the anthology “Dam Nation: Dispatches from the Water Underground” 

Available from 100 Fires. Read more about the book.

The politics of water – as this brilliant anthology makes clear – are the politics of human survival. Read this, and believe me, you’ll never flush with the same equanimity again.”

Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz and Dead Cities

A sweeping overview of water use issues. Dam Nation is an accessible and energizing resource for the next generation of activists and radical plumbers.

—Art Ludwig, author of Create an Oasis with Greywater

Dam Nation is a people’s history of water—and the water grid; a detailed accounting of  the fallout from a century of Manifest Destiny’s attacks on wild rivers. The book traces how—across five continents—beleaguered commoners block the neoliberal makeover of the world and endeavor to restore balance between humans and watersheds. These strategists and innovators blow open the scarcity myth to show how local democratic control coupled with watershed restoration can provide water for everyone.

Check out dozens of greywater and composting toilet systems.

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Water Conservation And The Purpose Of These Posts – Americans have gotten complacent about water

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Most people in the US assume and expect when they turn on a facet or flush a toilet that water will magically appear. When it doesn’t they have no idea what to do. The point being that global warming could change all that.

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http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/awr/dec99/Feature2.htm

Global Water Shortage

Looms In New Century

When most U.S. citizens think about water shortages — if they think about them at all — they think about a local problem, possibly in their town or city, maybe their state or region. We don’t usually regard such problems as particularly worrisome, sharing confidence that the situation will be readily handled by investment in infrastructure, conservation, or other management strategies. Whatever water feuds arise, e.g., between Arizona and California, we expect to be resolved through negotiations or in the courtroom.

But shift from a local to a global water perspective, and the terms dramatically change. The World Bank reports that 80 countries now have water shortages that threaten health and economies while 40 percent of the world — more than 2 billion people — have no access to clean water or sanitation. In this context, we cannot expect water conflicts to always be amenably resolved.

Consider: More than a dozen nations receive most of their water from rivers that cross borders of neighboring countries viewed as hostile. These include Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, the Congo, Gambia, the Sudan, and Syria, all of whom receive 75 percent or more of their fresh water from the river flow of often hostile upstream neighbors.

In the Middle East, a region marked by hostility between nations, obtaining adequate water supplies is a high political priority. For example, water has been a contentious issue in recent negotiations between Israel and Syria. In recent years, Iraq, Syria and Turkey have exchanged verbal threats over their use of shared rivers. (It should come as no surprise to learn that the words “river” and “rival” share the same Latin root; a rival is “someone who shares the same stream.”)

More frequently water is being likened to another resource that quickened global tensions when its supplies were threatened. A story in The Financial Times of London began: “Water, like energy in the late 1970s, will probably become the most critical natural resource issue facing most parts of the world by the start of the next century.” This analogy is also reflected in the oft-repeated observation that water will likely replace oil as a future cause of war between nations.

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Water Cisterns – Once you have done the little stuff there is so much you can do

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LowFlow Showerheads are mandatory but once you start there is serious stuff you can do to save water. Cisterns. It used to be that everyone had them. Some were as simple as a hole in the ground covered with screening. Sometimes they were even built as part of the house. Sort of your own personal water tower. But with the advent of modern drinking water systems they fell by the wayside.

http://www.harvesth2o.com/plumbing_codes.shtml

History

Cisterns are an ancient technology. In the Middle East in 2000 B.C., typical middle-class dwellings stored rainwater in cisterns for use as a domestic supply as well as private- bathing facilities for the wealthy.

The world’s largest cistern may be the Yerebatan Sarayi. On the European side of Istanbul in Turkey, it was constructed under Caesar Justinian (A.D. 527-565) and measures 140 by 70 meters. It can store 80,000 m³ water. The underground structure is based on intersecting vaults. Today, it is a tourist attraction which is visited by boat, drifting through a forest of columns. Another cistern in Istanbul is called Binbirdik, believed by some sources to have been constructed under Caesar Constantine (A.D. 329-337), with a capacity of 50,000 m³. Each cistern served as centralized storage for water collected from roofs and paved streets and featured a sophisticated system of filters that assured clean water.

These municipal underground cisterns may be the only examples of urban centralized rainwater harvesting of their kind. This technique was likely abandoned for two primary reasons: 1) the construction of underground cisterns is considerably more expensive than the construction of dams; 2) there is a danger of accidental pollution through human excrement in dense urban areas and a corresponding risk of epidemics.

Water Classifications

Harvested rainwater is shrouded in confusion. Some jurisdictions consider it reclaimed water and others refer to it as gray water. Actually, it is neither. To clarify, UPC offers the following definitions.

• Black water is toilet waste.

• Gray water is untreated wastewater that has had no contact with toilet waste such as used water from bathtubs, showers, lavatories and water from washing machines. It does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers.

• Reclaimed water is water which, as a result of tertiary treatment of domestic wastewater by a public agency, is suitable for controlled use. The controlled use can be the supply of reclaimed water-to-water closets, urinals and trap seal primers for floor drains and floor sinks. In areas under the jurisdiction of the UPC this system is usually called a “purple pipe” system because the reclaimed water is conveyed in pipe that is purple.

• Harvested rainwater is storm water that is conveyed from a building roof, stored in a cistern and disinfected and filtered before being used for toilet flushing. It can also be used for landscape irrigation.

As noted, Appendix J of the UPC describes reclaimed water, but according to the above definition, rainwater harvesting is not reclaimed water. Plumbing officials who do not know how to classify rainwater-harvesting systems consider them reclaimed water systems and therefore require plumbing engineers to design systems that conform to Appendix J of the UPC. This is because of the lack of guidance in the code. Since these systems are becoming more prevalent in the U.S., both the UPC and the IPC must include a section dedicated to rainwater harvesting.

Rainwater Harvesting Basics

The components of the rainwater-harvesting system include:

Roof. Rainwater should only be collected from a roof and stored in a cistern. Rainwater runoff from parking areas and other outdoor surfaces typically contain harsh chemicals and other contaminants that are undesirable in a rainwater catchment system.

Rainwater conductors. Leaders and gutters or an internally piped roof drainage system that conveys the storm water from the roof to the cistern.

Cistern. A storage tank that allows large particulate matter to settle out of the water.

Overflow from cistern. A pipe that takes overflow from the cistern to the storm drainage system.

Pumping system. Provides the pressure required at the fixture most distant from the tank.

Disinfection system. Various filtration and disinfection systems can be used.

Potable water makeup. Makeup water provided to the tank during dry seasons. Appropriate backflow prevention is required.

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But this is to CODE which may or may not apply…First you have to figure out where you are going to put the water.

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 http://www.braewater.com/index.php?/solutions/

Rainwater Harvesting

As much as 60,000 gallons of precipitation falls on a 2,000 square foot roof in Mid-Atlantic States each year. BRAE distributes Complete rainwater harvesting system solutions to put this water to beneficial use. Rainwater harvesting systems offset demands on municipal and private water supplies for outdoor watering while conserving valuable drinking water resources.

The concept of collecting and using rainwater is not new.

In addition to the advantages that rainwater is free of charge, it doesn’t have to be treated nor transported over long distances, the two most important arguments supporting the utilization of rainwater are:

1. Supplement drinking water resources
-with the benefit of saving precious potable water
2. protecting water quality by reducing impacts of stormwater runoff
-with the benefit of limiting flooding and degradation of streams and lakes

Thanks to its characteristics the use of rainwater also has positive advantages:
-Ideal for plant growth
-Better washing efficiency -up to 50% less detergent required when compared with hard water
-No calcification of fixtures and washing machines

All projects are not created equal and thus rainwater systems do not conform to a “one size fits all” sales format. There are different systems for two primary types of rainwater systems residential and commercial. Use the following resources to design and select the right system for your project.

Residential systems generally supply rainwater to toilets, washing machines, garden irrigation and hosebibs (ie car washing)

http://www.braewater.com/index.php?/products/tanks_cisterns/

Tanks/Cisterns

Water storage is the most critical component of a rainwater system. In selecting a water storage tank or cistern, there are several important questions you should ask before selecting the right tank for your project.Ask yourself…

Will I store the water above ground or below ground?
How much storage do I need?
Are there space limitations that restrict the size of water tank I may chose?
What appearance do I want for my tank?
Will the neighbors care?
Are there restrictions regarding water storage tanks?
Is my site accessible or hard to reach with a delivery truck?

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Energy Consumption And Water Consumption Go Hand In Hand – Throw it away throw it awa….

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Only contrary to the new environmental mantra there really is an “away” to water. Once its befouled (I love that word), then un-befouling it is difficult. Take for instaces what is happening to the bulk of the fresh water in the world, the Artic and the Antartic ice sheets. If we are going to melt them off we would be better off trying to transport that water to some storage location like a dried up lake bed(s), than let it melt into the sea. Because then it is really hard to get it to be fresh water again. Same with pollution, once you dump contaminates into water then it is very hard to clean up. We have been doing that in a big way for 300 years.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5562906.ece

January 22, 2009

Ecologists warn the planet

is running short of water

Leo Lewis in Tokyo 

A swelling global population, changing diets and mankind’s expanding “water footprint” could be bringing an end to the era of cheap water.

The warnings, in an annual report by the Pacific Institute in California, come as ecologists have begun adopting the term “peak ecological water” — the point where, like the concept of “peak oil”, the world has to confront a natural limit on something once considered virtually infinite.

The world is in danger of running out of “sustainably managed water”, according to Peter Gleick, the president of the Pacific Institute and a leading authority on global freshwater resources.

Humans — via agriculture, industry and other demands – use about half of the world’s renewable and accessible fresh water. But even at those levels, billions of people live without the most basic water services, Dr Gleick said……..

A glass of orange juice, for example, needs 850 litres of fresh water to produce, according to the Pacific Institute and the Water Footprint Network, while the manufacture of a kilogram of microchips — requiring constant cleaning to remove chemicals — needs about 16,000 litres. A hamburger comes in at 2,400 litres of fresh water, depending on the origin and type of meat used:}

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Will Barack Obama Make A Great President? If he stands as tall on the environment and energy as he talks

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He has said some very good things on the “Green Economy” or Sustainability. If he does what he says he will be a great President. If he doesn’t, he won’t be a great President. Simple as that.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Environment.htm

Barack Obama on Environment

Democratic nomine for President; Junior Senator (IL)

Government should invest in clean energy & green jobs

Q: What would you do for the environment?OBAMA: It is critical that we understand this is not just a challenge, it?s an opportunity, because if we create a new energy economy, we can create five million new jobs, easily. It can be an engine that drives us into the future the same way the computer was the engine for economic growth over the last couple of decades. We can do it, but we?re going to have to make an investment. The same way the computer was originally invented by a bunch of government scientists who were trying to figure out, for defense purposes, how to communicate, we?ve got to understand that this is a national security issue, as well.

McCAIN: We can move forward, and clean up our climate, and develop green technologies, and alternative energies for battery-powered cars, so that we can clean up our environment and at the same time get our economy going by creating millions of jobs.

Source: 2008 second presidential debate against John McCain Oct 7, 2008

Willing to suspend ethanol subsidy to keep food prices down

Q: Ethanol usage in gas is criticized for raising food prices. Would you be willing to change ethanol subsidies so that people are not using corn for ethanol, & lowering food prices?A: We?ve got rising food prices here in the US. In other countries we?re seeing riots because of the lack of food supplies. So this is something that we?re going to have to deal with. There are a number of factors that go into this. Changes in climate are contributing. There?s no doubt that biofuels may be contributing to it. My top priority is making sure that people are able to get enough to eat. And if it turns out that we?ve got to make changes in our ethanol policy to help people get something to eat, then that?s got to be the step we take. But I also believe that ethanol has been a important transitional tool for us to start dealing with our long-term energy crisis ultimately. Over time we?re going to shift to cellulosic ethanol, where we?re not using food stocks but we?re using wood chips & prairie grass.

Source: Meet the Press: 2008 ?Meet the Candidates? series May 4, 2008

Genesis teaches stewardship of earth: sacrifice for future

Q: Could you give an example of how you relate your faith to science policy?A: One of the things I draw from the Genesis story is the importance of us being good stewards of the land, of this incredible gift. And I think there have been times where we haven?t been [good stewards], and this is one of those times where we?ve got to take the warning seriously [about climate change]. And part of what my religious faith teaches me is to take an intergenerational view, to recognize that we are borrowing thi planet from our children and our grandchildren. And this is where religious faith and the science of global warming converge: We have to find resources in ourselves to make sacrifices so we don?t leave it to the next generation. We?ve got to be less wasteful, both as a society and in our own individual lives. I think religion can actually bolster our desire to make those sacrifices now. As president, I hope to rally the entire world around the importance of us being good stewards of the land.

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And he has been saying these things all campaign long:

http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/07/30/obama_factsheet/

Obama on the Issues

A look at Barack Obama’s environmental platform and record

In the early months of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, enviros were skeptical of his (now heavily qualified) support for coal-to-liquids technology and unvarnished enthusiasm for ethanol, but he earned their respect with his aggressive climate and energy plan. The plan centers on a cap-and-trade system that aims for 80 percent emission reductions from 1990 levels by 2050 and calls for auctioning 100 percent of the pollution permits. It also includes a $150 billion investment to boost clean energy and create green jobs, along with fine-grained proposals to boost efficiency, build a smart electricity grid, and encourage public transportation. Enviros have also applauded Obama’s refusal to endorse a gas-tax holiday and his now somewhat qualified opposition to offshore oil drilling. Obama earned an 86 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters for his first three years representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate (a lower score than might have been because he missed some votes while campaigning for president).

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These folks are a good start:

http://enviros.barackobama.com/page/content/enviroshome

enviros.jpg

Welcome to our new website, Environmentalists for Obama!

Now, more than ever, our nation and world needs a strong environmental leader as President. The challenges posed by global warming and energy needs can only be solved by someone with a proven commitment and ability to engage all people in the critical effort to provide a safe, clean future for America. Barack Obama’s dedication to the environment has been well-established during his years as a state legislator and U.S. Senator. Environmentalists for Obama know that he is the answer to the tough challenges facing us today.


We represent people from all walks of life who are eager for a leader who will promote innovative solutions and reach across partisan and societal divides in our race to save the planet. Join us now to support Barack Obama’s vision for a cleaner, more secure future.

And please join the discussion on our blog. We only ask that participants show consideration and respect for each other. The Environmentalists for Obama blog is not an expression of the positions of Barack Obama or the campaign.

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