Perchlorate interferes with the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb iodine inhibiting thyroid hormones that are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of infants. The chemical has been found not only in drinking water but also in lettuce and milk. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration reported finding perchlorate in 217 of 232 samples of milk and lettuce in 15 states.

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One in six people on the planet do not have access to safe, clean drinking water.

Your tap water is fine.

Worried it isn’t? Get it tested.
If it turns out that it isn’t get a tap water filter, and join a “stream team” (google it to find one in your state).
Need to take it with you? Get a re-usable bottle that will last long and not leach harmful chemicals into the water you are drinking.

There. Your water problems are solved, and I never once suggested purchasing bottled water.

Water is free (kind of) it falls from the sky. If it were Coke that came out of your taps and fell from the sky—I can’t imagine ANYONE purchasing it in a bottle for an incredible mark up. Afterall, it’s free (sort of)! So why buy water of a similar quality to that which flows from your tap, in bottles made from some of the most environmentally damaging chemicals on the planet? And why pay one, two, or three dollars?

…Why not pay twenty?

Seriously.

The only good bottle of water available for purchase is being sold by Scott Harrison and it costs $20!

“Why would ANYONE pay $20 for a normal-sized bottle of water?”, you ask.

Because this special bottle of water has the unique ability to drill wells!

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Researchers at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center in India are investigating the hollow carbon fibers as a potential water filter. They believe the unique chemical properties of nanotubes mean that only water molecules can pass through their interiors, while toxic metal ions, viruses, and bacteria cannot.

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The company is not only open about the fact that it’s selling purified New York City tap water, it makes that its primary selling point.

“Our goal is to remind New Yorkers to think local, drink their own water, support our community, and do their part for the planet,” reads the company’s online “manifesto.” Tap’dNY’s blog adds, “Seems a shame to drive a bottle of water halfway around the globe, what with the climate and oil situations being what they are.”

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Since I began trying to live sustainably, making sure I have sufficient water has been a significant challenge. I still mostly rely on municipal water (faucet water) from neighbors’ houses for my water needs, but that is soon to change.

Rain Water
Rainwater is an obvious solution for dish and clothes washing water, and bathing water. However, collecting it has been deceptively difficult. I tried to capture rainwater off my tent rain-proof tarp, but as the containers (currently two large plastic storage tubs) sometimes get in my way, I will move them if I think it’s not going to rain soon. Of course, I may be away from my tent for many hours and it does rain–or I set them up and it is dry for days. Still other times I have captured a small amount of water only to have it evaporate before I returned to cover the container. One day, I knew it would rain while I was away editing the film project, so I set up the rain water basin where I thought the water would collect off the tarp. But because I wasn’t there to watch it, I returned home, hopeful of excessive wash water, and… the tub was completely empty. My cup doth not overfloweth.

Even if I did have rain water, I would have a rough time trying to convert it to drinkable water. Of course, one can drink rainwater straight out of the bucket, though from the comments I have read about it, one should avoid the first batch of runoff because of the higher chemical content due to the droplets capturing more local contaminants in the air. Also, the first batch of rain water may be additionally dirty from the small debris picked up from the roof (or other surface).

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“Nasone“, the typical fountain of Rome

“Ti Voglio Bere” (”I want to drink you”) is the name of a project realized in the city of Torino to promote the use of drinking water. The similarity with the overused sentence “Ti voglio bene” (”I love you”) remind us we should appreciate more this basic element that arrives free in our houses.

Water is a public good even if the market wants to persuade us of the contrary. Water is not a drink as well as air we breathe is not a perfume. It’s a right we have to protect.

Italy is the main consumer of drinking water in the world. For us, there is no problem: not many households keep soft drinks or beer ready in the fridge, but everyone’s always got water. The only two beverages that you see on most Italian tables are water and wine.

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To help those in other parts of the world who are not as fortunate, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has developed The Tap Project, which runs this week through World Water Day on Saturday, March 23rd.

The concept is simple, but the results will be powerful: participating restaurants invite patrons to donate $1 for each glass of tap water that they normally receive for free. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days. Since the lack of clean and accessible water is the second largest killer of children under five, this is an important outcome.

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Let’s get the “yuck” factor out of the way. If you’ve ever passed a waste water treatment plant on a hot day, you probably got a whiff of what we’re talking about: the result of all our glorious indoor plumbing. Traditional waste-water treatment has one main goal: “reduce pollutants in wastewater to a level nature can handle.” When they’re done filtering out most of the undesirables, they release it into a waterway - in fact most major waterways. These traditional plants handle everything that goes down the drain: sewage, runoff, litter, chemicals, and even medication. This cloudy mix includes dreaded disease-causing bacteria but also nutrients, minerals and metals. Here are the basic steps for normal waste water treatment:

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Most wastewater and drinking water treatment systems are incapable of removing those drugs. Some scientists said there is probably little human health risk; others fear chronic exposure could alter immune responses or interfere with adolescents’ developing hormone systems

We used to have one of these merry-go-rounds on our playground when I taught elementary school. The insurance agent made the school remove it, because it went too fast. Just think, we could have been pumping water from the school well with all that kid energy!

Playpumps International provides “innovative, sustainable, patented water pumps powered by children at play. Installed near schools, the PlayPump system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round for children.”

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has raised numerous objections to the permit, which was blocked on October 1. One concern is that the permit may not sufficiently limit chromium, cadmium, silver, cyanide and other chemicals to meet water quality standards for Indiana.

This is the second uproar in recent months about pollutants in Lake Michigan after BP was issued a permit for its $3 billion expansion of the Whitting, IN refinery. This expansion would allow the refinery to handle large quantities of Alberta Tar Sands crude, and comes with a high environmental price tag for Lake Michigan, such as a 54% increase in ammonia and 35% increase in sludge particles being released. This permit was the first to be issued in years that would increase the amount of pollution that a company is allowed to emit into Lake Michigan by finding a loophole in the Clean Water Act.

Chicagoans were particularly alarmed by these plans because their drinking water intake is located just a few miles from the Whiting refinery discharge. Many area residents responded by signing petitions, participating in demonstrations and a boycotting BP products. The message was heard loud and clear. The company later announced that it would not increase discharge into the lake, and would investigate pollution control technologies.

Despite this announcement, the permit remains on the books and could set a lower standard for future discharge permits. This series of events does, however, demonstrate the influence that private citizens and politicians can have over the actions of corporations when government standards seem to be satisfactory. Recent threats to the water quality of Lake Michigan serve as a reminder of the importance of the lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in the United States.

Chicago Tribune: Indiana Giving Lake Polluter a Break

Also on GO:

Eco-Effective Decisions: Stick to the Claims in Your Ad Campaign. Who’s Not? British Petroleum & the EPA.