water

Bottled water has contaminants too

As if you needed yet another reason for why you shouldn’t buy bottled water, here’s one more: tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants often found in tap water, according to a study released this week by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group. Even worst, despite this reality, all the brands met federal health standards for drinking water, and two violated a California state standard.

New film takes on water profiteers

Water is viewed by many financiers as the “new petroleum” of the 21st century – a commodity that is in ever-shorter supply, and that people will be willing to pay more and more to have access to. However, global water supplies are at risk from a wide variety of threats. Global warming is shrinking glaciers and snowfields that millions rely on for drinking and irrigation water. Mining of ancient groundwater supplies can only go on for so long before the aquifers run dry, and industrial and agricultural pollution is widespread.

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Cindy Crawford starts at home

Submitted by CelebsGoneGood on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 15:05

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Submitted by Huntre on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 15:27

the problem:

There are an estimated 15,000 people in Austin, TX that are homeless. In the summer when temperatures are normally in the high 90s to over 100 degrees, even something as simple as having a bottle of water to properly hydrate one's self is not always available to those who are forced to live on the street . Many of us take for granted our ability to just walk into a store and purchase a bottle of water, walk to the sink in our apartment or home, or even use the water fountain inside of retail establishments. The homeless rarely have money to purchase anything, are not always allowed to use water fountains in retail establishments, and obviously do not access to a sink.

My project will focus on obtaining an adequate water supply during the summer for Austin's transient population. Retail businesses such as Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, and Central Market will be asked to donate bottled water or funds to purchase bottled water and service groups in the community will be asked to volunteer their time in the distribution of water bottles. Local churches and Boy Scout troops will be focused on.

vital stats:

people impacted:

0

people involved:

0

why it's important:

n/a

the plan of action:

n/a

how you can get involved:

n/a

project updates:

Submitted by projectH2O on Tue, 01/15/2008 - 23:14

the problem:

The goal of project H2O is to (a) increase awareness within the Eastern High School student body and faculty and the general public regarding the lack of adequate clean water supplies within both local and global communities, (b) use this increased awareness to inspire students, faculty and the community to support our fundraising efforts, with the goal of providing walter filtration assistance to a needy family or community, and (c) inspire others to volunteer in water sanitation projects by documenting our own volunteer initiatives. Our Senior Gifted and Talented class intends to document our own experiences when volunteering in clean water activities locally, demonstrating how others can similarly advance this cause.

vital stats:

people impacted:

0

people involved:

0

why it's important:

n/a

the plan of action:

n/a

how you can get involved:

n/a

project updates:

Submitted by Care-Fleet on Sat, 01/12/2008 - 16:28

the problem:

“Going Green” is basically humanities efforts to reverse or rectify the destruction that we have wrought on this blueberry planet we call earth. I really do not mean to sound negative, but as the dominant species, our intelligence and ingenuity has gotten us into a precarious situation. Global Warming is real, the depletion of necessary resources is real, and the break down of our fragile eco-system is a scary thought but is as real as the flesh on our bones. As a result of this grim reality that has presented itself we must take action. If not for the children and if not for future generations to come, do it for yourself. Because our world is currently going through a rapid change and whether people believe it or not, we will and are witnessing significant change in living conditions within our lifetime. As always, we do have various courses of actions available. We can either act now, or we can procrastinate and wait for a certain shade of green. Honestly, the longer we wait, the darker the shade gets therefore turning into a rotten ball of mush (absolutely unlivable). Now to make this not sound like a pesky rant, I will present a solution to one aspect of the situation.

Care-Fleet, an excellent environmentally friendly company, offers affordable vehicle maintenance services. What makes us different from our competitors is the quality of service rendered and the technique used to execute the request. Our innovative method of using steam to clean vehicles is ingenious because there is absolutely no water/chemical run-off and it conserves water. Most people are not aware of the harmful effects of chemical/residual run-off into our drainage systems. Allow me to enlighten you with some recent facts and figures. As of October 2007 in Miami-Dade and Broward County, there were a total of 3,354,519 registered vehicles (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). Realistically, not everyone has vehicle maintenance high on their (I) priority list so let’s estimate that half of those registered vehicles are regularly washed. Half of 3,354,519 would be 1,677,259 which is still a large number. These numbers are significant because those who wash their cars use chemicals detergents which contain properties such as phosphates, sodium, potassium, boron salts, enzymes, cellulose ethers, flurescers, silicates and sulphates. Run-off from the paint and properties on the car include zinc, rust, and chlorine. This is detrimental to marine life and humans because of the large concentration that has been pumping into our waterways steadily over time.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), some of the chemicals mentioned above over stimulate the growth of algae blooms which in abundance is capable of suffocating fish. Harmful algae blooms can also be fatal to humans if they ingest seafood tainted with the algae blooms. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United (II) Nations states, “Recent global assessments of freshwater resource availability confirmed that some regions are or will be facing serious water shortages. Demand by, and competition among, various sectors for water - in terms of quantity and quality - will increase significantly in the future. ” Major reasons for water scarcity are water contamination, waste, and drought. (III) South Florida is no stranger to water restrictions and droughts. Hopefully, most of you are aware of the fact that South Florida has been on a water restriction and will continue on that restriction due to Lake Okeechobee’s current levels standing at ten feet above sea level. Water levels are expected to drop to eight feet below sea level. Our source of fresh water at optimum standing is seventeen feet above sea level. We as South Floridians cannot afford to waste (IV) water by means of misuse or contamination.

How can Care-Fleet help the environment and humanity? Basically, when we maintain vehicles we use around one liter of water for both the interior and exterior of a vehicle. Our competitors use an average of twenty gallons per wash (average includes SUV’s, compact cars, and trucks). By using a self-serve car wash, at gas stations, people use on average twelve to fourteen gallons of water. Some may think it is more efficient to wash a vehicle at home, but facts state the contrary. Washing a vehicle at home uses at least fifty gallons of water.(V)

By: Kymberlee Osborne

Bibliography

(I)
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/reports_and_statistics/CVR-1007.pdf
(II)
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/coasts/hab/welcome.html
(III)
http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/13820
(IV)
https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=3034,19800838,3034_19800997:303...
(V)
http://www.greenct.org/carwsh.htm

vital stats:

people impacted:

3

people involved:

0

why it's important:

n/a

the plan of action:

n/a

how you can get involved:

n/a

project updates:

Submitted by Care-Fleet on Sat, 01/12/2008 - 16:28

the problem:

“Going Green” is basically humanities efforts to reverse or rectify the destruction that we have wrought on this blueberry planet we call earth. I really do not mean to sound negative, but as the dominant species, our intelligence and ingenuity has gotten us into a precarious situation. Global Warming is real, the depletion of necessary resources is real, and the break down of our fragile eco-system is a scary thought but is as real as the flesh on our bones. As a result of this grim reality that has presented itself we must take action. If not for the children and if not for future generations to come, do it for yourself. Because our world is currently going through a rapid change and whether people believe it or not, we will and are witnessing significant change in living conditions within our lifetime. As always, we do have various courses of actions available. We can either act now, or we can procrastinate and wait for a certain shade of green. Honestly, the longer we wait, the darker the shade gets therefore turning into a rotten ball of mush (absolutely unlivable). Now to make this not sound like a pesky rant, I will present a solution to one aspect of the situation.

Care-Fleet, an excellent environmentally friendly company, offers affordable vehicle maintenance services. What makes us different from our competitors is the quality of service rendered and the technique used to execute the request. Our innovative method of using steam to clean vehicles is ingenious because there is absolutely no water/chemical run-off and it conserves water. Most people are not aware of the harmful effects of chemical/residual run-off into our drainage systems. Allow me to enlighten you with some recent facts and figures. As of October 2007 in Miami-Dade and Broward County, there were a total of 3,354,519 registered vehicles (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). Realistically, not everyone has vehicle maintenance high on their (I) priority list so let’s estimate that half of those registered vehicles are regularly washed. Half of 3,354,519 would be 1,677,259 which is still a large number. These numbers are significant because those who wash their cars use chemicals detergents which contain properties such as phosphates, sodium, potassium, boron salts, enzymes, cellulose ethers, flurescers, silicates and sulphates. Run-off from the paint and properties on the car include zinc, rust, and chlorine. This is detrimental to marine life and humans because of the large concentration that has been pumping into our waterways steadily over time.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), some of the chemicals mentioned above over stimulate the growth of algae blooms which in abundance is capable of suffocating fish. Harmful algae blooms can also be fatal to humans if they ingest seafood tainted with the algae blooms. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United (II) Nations states, “Recent global assessments of freshwater resource availability confirmed that some regions are or will be facing serious water shortages. Demand by, and competition among, various sectors for water - in terms of quantity and quality - will increase significantly in the future. ” Major reasons for water scarcity are water contamination, waste, and drought. (III) South Florida is no stranger to water restrictions and droughts. Hopefully, most of you are aware of the fact that South Florida has been on a water restriction and will continue on that restriction due to Lake Okeechobee’s current levels standing at ten feet above sea level. Water levels are expected to drop to eight feet below sea level. Our source of fresh water at optimum standing is seventeen feet above sea level. We as South Floridians cannot afford to waste (IV) water by means of misuse or contamination.

How can Care-Fleet help the environment and humanity? Basically, when we maintain vehicles we use around one liter of water for both the interior and exterior of a vehicle. Our competitors use an average of twenty gallons per wash (average includes SUV’s, compact cars, and trucks). By using a self-serve car wash, at gas stations, people use on average twelve to fourteen gallons of water. Some may think it is more efficient to wash a vehicle at home, but facts state the contrary. Washing a vehicle at home uses at least fifty gallons of water.(V)

By: Kymberlee Osborne

Bibliography

(I)
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/reports_and_statistics/CVR-1007.pdf
(II)
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/coasts/hab/welcome.html
(III)
http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/13820
(IV)
https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=3034,19800838,3034_19800997:303...
(V)
http://www.greenct.org/carwsh.htm

vital stats:

people impacted:

3

people involved:

0

why it's important:

n/a

the plan of action:

n/a

how you can get involved:

n/a

project updates:

Submitted by danielbachhuber on Tue, 12/04/2007 - 19:43

the problem:

The Sadhana Clean Water Project is addressing the obstacles to clean water access in rural India. With 1.25 billion people, India has the second largest global population. 226 million of these people do not have access to safe water. In the state of Maharastra in western India, and the site for our conference, approximately 700,000 people contract water-related diseases annually. The problem of clean water access is further exacerbated by competition for the limited supplies available. Demand for water in India is expected to double by 2025. Our project is a community-based effort exploring possible solutions with local NGOs and communities to improve the conditions of safe and sustainable water access. We are doing this with a two-pronged approach:

  1. An Appropriate Technology (AT) Study Group with India’s Sadhana Village NGO and United World College (UWC). More >>
  2. The Safe and Sustainable Water Conference we are hosting in Mumbai, India on 19 March 2007. More >>

vital stats:

people impacted:

0

people involved:

0

why it's important:

n/a

the plan of action:

n/a

how you can get involved:

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project updates:

Submitted by pw2pmiya on Wed, 11/07/2007 - 10:58

the problem:

The problem: The average Ngome Bugle, Panamanian Indian has seven to eight nasty parasites in their body from the polluted water that they drink. I am concerned about their health. I believe they need pure water to serve their community of men, women and children.

Our solution: Myself and team A will travel to Indiana to build a water purifier and transport the purifier from Indiana to Pennsylvania in January 2008. Then myself and group B will transport the purifier to Panama in February 2008. We will give the purifier to a village of Ngome Bugle, Panamanian Indians in late February early March 2008.
For more questions please email or call me at:
[Personal Contact Info Edited out by DS Staff]

vital stats:

people impacted:

0

people involved:

0

why it's important:

n/a

the plan of action:

n/a

how you can get involved:

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project updates:

Submitted by dtweedkent on Tue, 11/06/2007 - 09:49

the problem:

Ailis, my sister, traveled to the country of Lesotho in the summer of 2005. After her interactions with the children in the Touching Tiny Lives Foundation’s safe home, she vividly described the stories she discovered during her time. These children are either orphaned because their parents passed away from AIDS or are stricken with the disease itself. My brother and I decided it was time to act and we could not and would not remain silent. We then contacted some members on the Touching Tiny Lives Foundation board and decided to run this relay.
My identical twin brother and I organized a 1,000 Mile Relay. Each participant in the Relay gathers donations from friends, relatives, and the community in order to raise money for Touching Tiny Lives Foundation. One day in the spring everyone gets together and we symbolically walk or run our way to a 1,000 miles in memory of those suffering across the ocean. My brother and I gave presentations at over eight schools and spoke to people one and one in order to raise this awareness. Also, we solicited money from companies and made t-shirts to hand out to participants.
Berkshire County learned more about AIDS in Africa and also about AIDS within its own community. The participants understanding of their role in the global community helps to spread the children's story. Over 11,000$ in the first year and over 21,000$ in the second year the children were provided food, water, and basic medications. Also the money is helping to build infrastructure, such as purchasing vehicles-to reach the suffering in the remote mountains - and even help to purchase another safe-home to expand the program. It reinforced our bond as a community while helped to improve the lives of the impoverished.

vital stats:

people impacted:

500

people involved:

0

why it's important:

n/a

the plan of action:

n/a

how you can get involved:

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project updates:

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