Green Options » fresh water

Freshwater Dreams and Schemes

Dave Dempsey — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:53:42 +0000

The North American Great Lakes contain 6 quadrillion gallons of freshwater, about one-fifth of the world’s available freshwater supply.

For more than 25 years, residents of the Great Lakes region have feared large-scale public works projects to take freshwater from the Lakes to thirsty, faster-growing areas of North America. That’s why the eight Great Lakes states and Congress last year approved a compact barring most water diversions of the Lakes, which contain 80% of the continent’s fresh water. But ideas about turning the Lakes into a cash cow, floating around for years, are not dead yet. At the same time, relatively little attention has been paid to the idea of “sharing” the water of the Lakes to alleviate a global humanitarian emergency in an era of freshwater scarcity.

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Amazon River Dated at 11 Million Years Old

Bryan Nelson — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:57:28 +0000

A new drilling study has definitively dated the Amazon River at over 11 million years old, and it has held its current form for at least the last 2.4 million years.

The Amazon is one of the two longest rivers in the world, and its flood basin is home to one third of all the species on Earth. Discovering the river’s age is a stark reminder of just how ancient and intertwined the Amazonian ecosystem is, including the immensely rich biodiversity which calls it home.

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Water as a Socially Responsible Investment Vehicle

Brenda Keener — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:13:15 +0000

A fundamental necessity for ALL life forms on earth is clean, potable water. Yet sustainable sources of fresh water are in limited supply, particularly in poorer areas of the world. Water is the ONLY resource that is not replaceable with another - oil can be made obsolete through the use of new, renewable energy sources, food sources can be substituted one for another, but pure water has no equal.

According to the United Nations, two thirds of all nations will be water stressed in the near future, and nearly 1.8 billion people suffer from water scarcity. Alhough the earth is mostly water, only about 3% of it is fresh. Investing in the creation of new technologies that can create fresh water from other sources, such as fog and sea water is not only socially responsible, it is potentially very lucrative as well. Other areas where extensive research efforts are focused include new, sustainable ways of managing the existing water supplies without degradation of the local ecosystems, water conservation methods, and new methods for water transportation and delivery.

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Turn Your House into a Water Conservation Station

Joe Mohr — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:37:59 +0000

On average, humans need approximately 13 gallons of water a day. In the U.S. the average family uses 245 gallons per day!

If you did your homework and purchased the Blue Planet Run book as I suggested last week, then you will find most of what I’m about to share in the beautiful charts and graphs on page 174 and 175.

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Dry and Thirsty? No Great Lakes Water for You!

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:03:27 +0000

A Great Lakes compact that would prevent the region’s water from being siphoned off into the thirsty Southwest and other dry parts of the country is a little closer to taking effect, now that lawmakers in Michigan have OK’d the deal.

The Great Lakes Water Resources Compact aims to protect the water rights of the eight states bordering the lakes: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Michigan’s approval of the agreement brings the number of states signed on so far to five: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and New York.

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Could You Get By on 5 Gallons of Water a Day?

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:31:32 +0000

Think you could get by using only as much water as a rural African villager: about 20 liters (a little over five gallons) per day? Brits Sophie Morris and Paul Martin each describe their experiences taking the 20-liter challenge. (Hint: both suffer bouts of “flushitis” in facing the fact an average toilet uses eight to 10 liters per flush.)

Taking Water for Granted? Think Twice

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:41:59 +0000

Water is essential for life, but humans are placing a growing burden on this natural resource … risking our own future well-being. More and more news comes out every day about the dangerous game we’re playing with our water supplies, and a growing number of people are warning water could become just as volatile an issue as oil in years to come.

Consider some of these water facts, and the implications they have for humanity:

Just this week, Sandia National Laboratories warned more than half the countries in the world could face “freshwater stress or shortages” by 2025. By 2050, that percentage could rise to 75 percent.

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