The recent rise in food allergies may have a cause, according to new research from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: pesticides common in tap water.
Read More:Food Allergies Connected to Pesticides Leaching into Water Supplies
Food Allergies Connected to Pesticides Leaching into Water SuppliesDecember 6th, 2012 - Jill EttingerInfuse Your Drinking Water with Organic FruitJuly 24th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Fruit-flavored waters are a refreshing change of pace, especially during the hot summer months. But there are several disadvantages to buying premade brands:
You can overcome these problems by creating your own fruit-infused water, and the Takeya Fruit Infusion Jug makes the job a snap. It’s glam enough for formal entertaining, yet practical enough for everyday use. The 66-oz. airtight pitcher is made with Takeya’s proprietary AcraGlass, an FDA-approved, nontoxic, BPA-free acrylic that’s lightweight, stain- and odor-resistant, and dishwasher-safe. Simply add your favorite water and organic fruit, whose flavors will meld naturally. When you’re ready to pour beverages, a built-in screen prevents pieces of fruit from dropping into glasses or mugs. When you’ve finished serving and want to store leftovers, pop the pitcher in the refrigerator door or lay it on its side on a fridge shelf. Need a birthday or bridal gift? The aesthetically pleasing pitcher’s retail price is $27.50, and you may qualify for free shipping on Amazon.com. Read More:Infuse Your Drinking Water with Organic FruitHBO Documentary Exposes Natural Gas in Water SupplyJune 28th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Ever try to light your tap water on fire? Josh Fox has witnessed the phenomenon firsthand (see photo, above). The filmmaker chronicles the largest natural gas drilling boom in U.S. history in his documentary GasLand—and the environmental ramifications aren’t pretty. The film premiered on HBO last week and will air through 2012. (Click here to view the trailer.) The film’s genesis was Fox’s discovery that natural gas drilling was about to start in the Catskills/Poconos region of New York and Pennsylvania, where he lives. He was offered $100,000 to sign over drilling rights to his land. Fox traveled to 24 states to expose how Dick Cheney’s pals at Halliburton developed a new drilling system called “fracking” (hydraulic fracturing), which may permanently contaminate the country’s water supply and worsen air pollution. Chronically ill residents in drilling areas shared common symptoms and discovered that an urban legend held true: They could light fires straight from the faucet. Drilling-related pools of toxic waste were also killing cattle and vegetation. Oil-well blowouts and gas explosions regularly occurred, only to be covered up by officials. Not an HBO subscriber? A 2010 Sundance Film Festival award winner, GasLand will be available on DVD in December. Photo courtesy of International WOW Company Read More:HBO Documentary Exposes Natural Gas in Water SupplyWater Violations on the Rise – No Money to Fix ItSeptember 15th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
That cartoon isn’t just a coincidence, especially the part about the polluted water. Turns out, clean water violations are on the rise across the United States, with 10% of Americans being exposed to unhealthy drinking water. The culprit is agriculture and industrial practices and poor enforcement of regulations. It all comes down to money. The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes the problem, saying today’s water does not meet public health goals and enforcement is unacceptably low, but state officials are handcuffed by lack of funding. So in the meantime millions of people are unknowingly ingesting toxins. Via The New York Times. Image credit: Mean Joe Green Read More:Water Violations on the Rise – No Money to Fix ItMonsanto is Hogging Hawaii’s WaterSeptember 9th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Molokai is where much of the research into the seed corn takes place, making Monsanto the largest employer on the island. Putting people to work is awesome, but Monsanto’s massive farming operations gobble up a bunch land and suck down a lot of water. That’s the problem. Monsanto wants to make money and maximize profits, so these research and farming facilities need to run full-steam ahead, which demands the lion share of the island’s water supplies. So when a drought on Molokai dried up reservoirs, prompting the local irrigation company to demand water cutbacks of 20%, Monsanto petitioned for the right to take more water—threatening small farmers. By law, two-thirds of Molokai’s water must go to homestead farmers, but companies like Monsanto drink up 84% of the irrigation system. That’s why local farmers are currently seeking legal action against Monsanto. Image credit: ismaSan Read More:Monsanto is Hogging Hawaii’s WaterTap vs Bottled Water, Which is Safer?July 15th, 2009 - Laura KleinWater has gone to Washington.
Summing up the problem nicely is Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the non-profit consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch:
FDA vs. EPA Under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, bottled water companies have complete latitude to choose what, if any, information to divulge to consumers about their water. Compare that to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — the federal agency that oversees the nation’s municipal water utilities. All 52,000 nationwide community tap water suppliers need to produce an annual water quality report detailing the water source and pollutant testing results, as required under the Safe Drinking Water Act. (Although tap water does come with its own set of problems…) Watered Down Labels Furthermore, EWG researchers analyzed labels and websites from 188 bottled waters to learn which bottlers voluntarily disclosed the same information as required of community water suppliers. EWG found that many disclose little to no information at all on water source and purity. What You Can Do To sum it up, aqua junkies, I suggest that you:
If you have to buy bottled, make it one that counts, like:
Estrogen in Our Drinking Water!July 3rd, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Stephen Colbert is very entertaining, but this is a serious issue. Drinking water is taking the brunt of American’s obsession with pills and chemicals. In March, depression medications were found in fish across the U.S., and in June artificial sweeteners, like saccharin, also washed up in water. Via Colbert Nation. Read More:Estrogen in Our Drinking Water!Save Toilet Paper with Poetry…February 2nd, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Apparently, wiping too much is a major cause of global warming in the country. Researchers claim putting a poem at eye-level of someone sitting on the bowl can actually reduce toilet paper usage by up to 20%. And Japanese turd-smiths have crafted catchy snippets like, “Fold the paper over and over and over again,” reports Reuters, or just “Love the toilet.” The group behind the idea wants to post these sayings in 1,000 public toilets. Now, the rise in the number of public bathrooms in Japan is being blamed for the increased usage of toilet paper. Since it’s free, people are more inclined to be wasteful. The pooper poems should help save water too. Holy crap! Via Earth First. Read More:Save Toilet Paper with Poetry…Global Warming will Leave 3 Billion HungryJanuary 15th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Warming temperatures raise sea levels, threatening islands in the Pacific, and climate change increases the spread of deadly diseases, such as avian flu, cholera, tuberculosis and yellow fever. All of which harm humans. And now, a new study claims global warming could starve 3 billion people by 2100. The majority of the victims will come from developing countries, but the effects might stretch as far as Europe and Russia. Published in the journal Science, researchers believe there is a 90% chance 3 billion people will go hungry by the end of the century, due to dried up farmland and higher food prices, and the tropics and subtropics will be the hardest hit, where most of the denizens rely on locally grown crops. These regions could face their highest temperatures ever. Scientists claim areas in the Sahara, like the Sahel Belt, a semi-arid region stretching across Africa, where farming employs 60% of the population, are at increased risk for desertification and drought, forcing people to move away, which will cripple the economy, where farming supplies 40% of the gross domestic product. Industrialized nations are also at risk. Temperature changes in Europe and Russia have already impacted local harvests. Maize yields in Italy dropped 36%, France had a 50% cut in fruit production and in the USSR grain outputs dipped 13%, disrupting global grain prices. And farmers in China are in trouble too. Climate change is threatening their water supplies. Via NewScientist. Read More:Global Warming will Leave 3 Billion HungryThe Paper Shredder that Makes Paper…December 17th, 2008 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Recycling on your own is pretty limited. You can reuse plastic containers and glass bottles, compost newspaper and bundle other recyclables, but barring the impractical, that’s about it, until now! A Japanese company has invented an in-office paper shredder and recycler that actually makes usable sheets of paper. The Meiko SEED paper recycling system can transform used business paper into 1,500 sheets of new paper. It takes 10 hours to produce 1,500 sheets and requires 200 liters of tap water and 38 kWh of electricity. The environmental footprint looks like this:
Paper can be recycled up to 10 times. The Meiko system uses 30% less water than similar systems and costs a mere $86,000. Apparently that’s a competitive price because the company expects to sell 100 units in the first year. Although cynics wonder what happens to the wastewater. A lot of paper is made with chemical coatings. Via TreeHugger. Read More:The Paper Shredder that Makes Paper… |
Monsanto, your friendly neighborhood producer of genetically modified organisms, is catching some heat for its water-hungry ways on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.
The Environmental Working Group presented an 18-month study to a congressional oversight hearing about the gaps in government regulation of the 
Climate change is a serious problem. It’s beyond anecdotal at this point. The dangers are real. And its not just animals that are at risk.
