Water | Indoor Air Quality Lab

Clean Drinking Water Breakthrough: Tree Branch Filter share

A new water filter uses a tree branch as a filter to provide clean, safe drinking water in areas without access to this necessity.

There are millions of people worldwide who live without access to clean drinking water because of water pollution. Many of these people live in rural areas and in poverty, and that presents a big challenge when it comes to creating viable water filtration solutions. You need to change water filters, and that costs money. Water filters don't grow on trees.

Or maybe they do, thanks to a recent breakthrough in clean drinking water technology.

The breakthrough comes from a team at MIT and it uses sapwood as the key component for this low-cost water filtration device. Sapwood isn't a particular sort of tree. It refers to the new wood growth between the bark and the center of a tree branch. That center part is called heartwood. Newer branches tend to have more sapwood, which means this component of the water filter will be easy to find in rural areas where clean drinking water is scarce. Rhot Karnik, one of the mechanical engineers on the project, explains:

There’s huge variation between plants. There could be much better plants out there that are suitable for this process. Ideally, a filter would be a thin slice of wood you could use for a few days, then throw it away and replace at almost no cost. It’s orders of magnitude cheaper than the high-end membranes on the market today.

The MIT team tested their filter with white pine, but the device has the potential to work with many types of wood.

There's no word yet on when this device will become available, but when it does it is going to make a huge difference for people living with contaminated drinking water sources.

via: Ecopreneurist

Posted: | Categories: clean drinking water, Concept+Design, Innovation, sapwood, Water, water filter

Nov

How much water does it take to make bottled water? share

This might seem like a silly question, right? After all, we are talking about a bottle of water. Isn't the answer right there in the question?

The thing about producing bottled water is that not only are there wasteful (and toxic!) plastic and unhealthy carbon emissions to consider, but bottled water production actually uses a lot of water.

Bottled Water by the Numbers

NPR's The Salt dove into the bottled water issue recently, sharing some numbers from the International Bottled Water Association (IBA), who claims it takes 1.34 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water. So according to them it takes about 30 percent more water than just turning on the tap.

Thirty percent more might not sound that bad, but remember: the IBA is a lobby group for the bottled water industry. Trusting their numbers is like trusting Monsanto when they tell you that GMOs are safe or trusting McDonald's when they say they are helping their workers. What the IBA's number leaves out is all of the water used in the supply chain. Here are some examples of the bottled water supply chain:

sourcing that water
moving it from the source to the bottling plant
sourcing the plastic for those bottles
making bottles from the plastic
creating labels and adhering them to the bottles
bottling the water
shipping those bottles to your store

When you take all of that into account,

NPR quotes Ertug Ercin from the Water Footprint Network who says:

"Packaging makes a significant footprint," he says, adding that three liters of water might be used to make a half-liter bottle. In other words, the amount of water going into making the bottle could be up to six or seven times what's inside the bottle.

Drilling for oil to make plastic, Ercin says, uses a substantial amount of groundwater. And you need water to make the paper, too, he adds. (emphasis mine)

Ercin does concede that producing bottled water is a bit less water-intensive than producing soda, because soda uses all of those resources plus the resources needed to make dyes, produce sugars and add carbonation.

So what's the best choice when it comes to staying hydrated? Good old tap water. If you're worried about the tap water quality on the road, there are water bottles out there that include a built-in filter! A little digging turned up this stainless steel filtered water bottle from Ecoflo, for example.

What do you think about the water footprint of bottled water? Does the IBA's 30 percent sound accurate, or does the WFN's six to seven times seem more correct?

Image Credit: Remixed Creative Commons photo by ToddMorris

Posted: | Categories: bottled water, Living, News+Opinion, plastic, Water, water bottles, water footprint

Aug

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 8.30.13 share

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

Marcacci Communications publishes a daily roundup of energy and climate news and opinion. Inclusion of articles does not mean endorsement.

COAL

Doctors petition state regulators to curtail emissions at three Texas coal plants (via Dallas Star-Telegram)

EMISSIONS

EU seeks more feedback on carbon permit proposal from central bank (via Reuters Point Carbon)

Billions wiped from blue-chips as carbon tax hits Australia’s top companies (via The Telegraph)

California water district dumps fossil fuel investments (via Environmental Leader)

New technology said to neutralize carbon fuel pollution emissions (via TreeHugger)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS

Report: Keystone XL will drive oil sands growth, boost emissions (via The Hill)

Bipartisan senators to Obama: Don’t let Keystone decision drag into 2014 (via The Hill)

Enbridge gets approval for some Michigan dredging activity (via Houston Chronicle)

RENEWABLES

UK’s clean power output rises 30% in 1Q 2013 compared to last year (via BusinessGreen)

Quebec outlines 450MW wind power tender (via Recharge)

Kenya scaling up its wind power program (via Renewable Energy World)

Germany sets another record: 5.1TWh of solar in July (via Greentech Media)

Renewable energy mandatory for all India utilities (via The Times of India)

NREL study says solar & wind to be cost-competitive without subsides by 2025 (via CleanTechnica)

US DOE taps into 1,400TWh of clean ocean power (via CleanTechnica)

NREL patents catalyst that boosts economics of biofuels (via Green Car Congress)

Carnegie Wave Energy plans world’s first wave-powered desalination plant (via Inhabitat)

A startup that would be the eBay of solar (via Greentech Media)

ENERGY POLICY

Will Mexico’s energy reform hamper its climate change legislation? (via Breaking Energy)

New ideas in energy finance: Crowd-funding (via Energy Trends Insider)

GREEN BUSINESS

US creates 38,600 new clean tech jobs in Q2 (via Environmental Leader)

Excessive water consumption puts American businesses at risk (via EarthTechling)

Sports sustainability gurus share their all-star plays (via GreenBiz)

OIL

Saudi Arabia lifts oil output to record 10.5 million bpd (via Reuters)

Feds launch “Bakken Blitz” of oil-by-rail inspections (via The Hill)

TRANSPORTATION

Americans are driving less in nearly every state (via Climate Progress)

Nissan joins Tesla selling California green car credits (via Bloomberg)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Department of Energy unveils new efficiency regulations (via The Hill)

Why are some states trying to ban LEED green building standards? (via Atlantic Cities)

Big US utilities add negawatts to their gigawatts (via Renew Economy)

Hidden barriers to energy efficiency (via Energy Manager Today)

GRID

Grid congestion for renewables may expand to South Japan (via Bloomberg)

Norway approves Arctic transmission line to boost new wind power (via Recharge)

New York State builds smart city technology hub (via GreenBiz)

WILDFIRES

Future wildfire seasons to be longer, smokier, cover more area (via Yale e360)

Let it burn? Yosemite park officials won’t say that, but it’s policy (via Los Angeles Times)

Gripping time-lapse video of Yosemite wildfire (via Climate Central)

POLITICS

Scientists leaving GOP due to attitudes toward science (via Salt Lake Tribune)

Virginia gubernatorial candidates spar over energy issues (via Politico)

OPINION

It’s God’s creation – let’s protect it (via Washington Post)

Why Terry McAuliffe is in a box on climate change (via National Journal)

See what 1,000 tiny, fracking-caused earthquakes can do to a home (via Atlantic Cities)

Posted: | Categories: australia, Bakken Shale, barack obama, biofuels, california, cap and trade, coal, Demand response, desalination, Divestment, DOE, drought, emissions, Enbridge, Energy Efficiency, EU, EU ETS, Fossil fuel divestment, fracking, germany, green building, green business, green jobs, grid, india, japan, Ken Cuccinelli, Kenya, Keystone XL, LEED, mexico, michigan, new york state, News, Nissan, norway, NREL, oil, oil spill, Pemex, Quebec, renewables, saudi arabia, smart grid, solar, tar sands, Terry McAuliffe, Tesla, texas, tidal power, Transportation, uk, united kingdom, virginia, Water, Water scarcity, Wave energy, Wildfire, wind, Yosemite

Apr

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.15.13 share

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

CLIMATE

NOAA: Arctic summers to be nearly ice-free earlier than predicted (via The Hill)

Antarctic summer ice melt accelerating – report (via RTCC)

US, China vow to boost climate efforts amid “increasing” dangers (via The Hill)

Kerry pushes US climate ambition in Japan (via RTCC)

As flood threats rise, federal reform to diversify insurance risk sinks (via ClimateWire)

EMISSIONS

Cutting specific pollutants would slow sea level rise, research says (via Phys.org)

Europe braces for verdict on climate chief’s carbon plan (via Bloomberg)

EPA will delay rule limiting carbon emissions at new power plants (via New York Times)

KEYSTONE XL

Keystone XL pipeline to take center stage in US House this week (via Bloomberg BNA)

RENEWABLES

Clean energy investment falls 22% in Q1 as subsidy cuts stall projects (via Bloomberg)

EU on track to meet 2020 wind, renewables targets, but current policies alone insufficient (via Greentech Media)

Brazil plans three renewable energy tenders in 2013 (via Recharge)

(more…)

Posted: | Categories: Antarctica, arctic, arizona, Arkansas, barack obama, battery, Blackout, Brazil, california, China, Chris Nelder, clean coal, climate, Climate Change, coal, Connie Hedegaard, Electric Vehicle, emissions, energy storage, EPA, Ethiopia, EU, europe, European Union, ev, Extreme weather, Exxon, fast charging, Flood, fracking, FutureGen, grid, japan, Keystone XL, Lithium-ion battery, Microgrid, News, noaa, nuclear, oil, oil spill, peak oil, Pipeline, Portugal, renewables, San Antonio, Sea ice melt, Severe weather, Smart cities, smart grid, Smart homes, solar, texas, Transportation, Water, wind

Apr

5 Easy Ways to Start Conserving at Home share

You can help your state avoid an energy crisis like California experienced simply by implementing a few common sense changes in your home. Get your family involved and other energy efficient changes will follow naturally. You will be amazed how much your utility costs will come down.

Self-Watering Plants

Just because you like having houseplants doesn’t necessarily mean you are an avid green thumb. It just means you like plants and you know they help to purify the air in your home in addition to looking nice.

The trouble is, unless you are conscience of their needs, they easily die. To help avoid forgetting to water them there are a lot of self-watering options available including some you can make yourself. Not only will this save your plants and your sanity, it will also save you money. No water is lost due to spillage, leakage, or evaporation. In addition, you won’t have to be constantly replacing plants or switching to fake alternatives because you forgot to water them.

Water Saving Toilets and Faucets

Did you know that on average it takes 1 - 7 gallons of water every time you flush a toilet depending on the toilet you have? Items like water saving toilets can save your family of four up to 16,500 gallons of water annually. That’s a lot of water worth saving!

Equally, water saving faucets will help cut down on tens of thousands of wasted gallons when you wash dishes or run the disposal. Washing only full loads of dishes or laundry can save an additional 50 gallons every week. Saving water also saves electricity so you get two perks for the effort of one.

Lights

Replacing old incandescent bulbs with energy efficient bulbs makes a huge difference in energy usage. You will get the same amount of light, but only use one fourth of the amount of electricity to run them. An added bonus is they can last for many years there for leaving less waste for the landfills.

Doors and Windows

Many people are losing nearly half of the household energy they use right out their doors and windows. Check for leaks and drafts. This can be as easy as going window to window with a lightweight ribbon or thread and holding it up to see if any breeze makes it move. Seal the draft out with caulking or weather stripping. You can also use heavier curtains to help keep out excessive hot or cold air which will help with heating and cooling bills.

Energy Saving Appliances

Washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, and dishwashers take a lot of energy. The older they are, the more they use. Thanks to federal energy efficiency standards appliances now use considerably less energy than ever before. In fact, the most energy efficient models today use less than half the energy a model from twelve or more years ago.

There are so many benefits to conserving energy, especially in our homes. Saving energy helps you to do your part for the environment, it helps you raise environmentally conscience families, and it saves your household money you can spend it on other things your family can do together.

Photo: Some rights reserved by D.H. Parks via flickr