Thanks GSK, Pfizer etc.

Drinking tap water in America is unsafe. Associated Press has uncovered a massive scandal over pharmaceuticals in the nation’s drinking water.

“A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans,” AP found. In fact the figure is far higher – this is all they have been able to prove. (more…)

Mr Pur - Greg Allgood in Africa

If you are outdoors and nowhere near a supply of drinking water, then help is at hand. A new product from P&G will remove all parasites “cysts,” viruses, and any “heavy metals,” and turn cloudy water clear. Whereas existing products can kill bugs but little else, Pur claims to provide clean, safe water with only a hint of a chemical taste.

And its cheap. The kit is just $15, for 60 litres. (more…)

Home Depot has not only caught onto the green movement but is offering “how to” clinics to show us how to. Their clinics are not only offered in their stores, but for those of us with tight schedules they offer “Green Your Home Inside and Out” as an online choice. The local Home Depot even has a “Do-It-Herself Workshops^{sm” for “}The Smarter, Warmer Eco-Friendly Bathroom” being offered this month. You can check your local ad, store or go online to see when it’s being offered in your area.

Knowing that main stream stores are not only jumping on the band wagon but trying to get to the front is hopefully a sign of how the move to be self-sufficient and efficient in our energy and utility usage is moving toward being a viable option for everyone. Clinics, classes, seminars, etc. have been around for a long time, unfortunately you usually have to travel to different locations and most workshops are only offered a few times a year, if your lucky. Or your other options were to take course at the local colleges and universities (that dealt with theory more then hands on), find someone local who is willing to and able to share, or stock up on how-to manuals and surf the web for information. Seeing this information being put out by a large retail chain does show how popular becoming more responsible in our energy, water and other resources is becoming.

Popularity equals reduced cost as more demand for materials goes up. Also a louder voice in our communities when decisions concerning our environment, energy production, water conservation, etc. are made. Just looking at large companies jumping into the green movement can be a bitter pill to those who had to fight those same companies just a few years ago, but even if their reasons don’t mesh for the why. The fact is that they’re now trying to promote and help mainstream Americans be resource responsible and for that alone we should be willing to give them a chance.

Save the worms!

A New Zealand inventor with a new kind of anaerobic toilet has had some trouble with the thought police. He was told to get an expert’s report on the mental impact of his “wormorator” on the tiger worms being used in the composting toilet he has developed. City officials became concerned that the creatures might become traumatised by the procedure.

Coll Bell from Auckland says the official felt the worms were being unfairly treated and that it could affect them in a psychological way. Mr Bell was told he had to get someone with the necessary qualifications to say the worms were happy. (more…)

Eco-plumbing - we’re on it!

Do you have any questions about off-grid water management? From boreholes to hot showers, rainwater harvesting to greywater treatment, our resident Drain Brain, Cameron McNiece, can help answer your questions. She was one of the first in America to call herself an eco-plumber, and as well as living off-grid herself, she wants to help others make the change.

Cameron, from Washington DC, trained as a plumber in San Diego, and has worked for many eco-communities across the continent, installing everything from composting bathrooms to hydro power. She is planning to set up an eco-plumbing course in Cambridge, Mass, and she is looking for other plumbers in the area who are similarly interested. (more…)

Off-Grid goddess

Cate Blanchett’s hot off the set of “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”, but she won’t be indulging in any wasteful showering. Dailysnack.com reported that the 38-year-old Oscar-nominated thespian had a timer installed in her shower, limiting her shower-action to just four minutes.

“I heard something silly the other day that I’d stopped washing my hair to cut down on using even more water but that’s not true,” she said. “I’m just trying to do my bit. I do live in a desert called Australia you know.”

This environmental concern is nothing out of the ordinary for Cate, who lives in a solar-powered apartment in Sydney. And she recently announced plans to take the Sydney Theatre Company off-grid. (more…)

Kim -living on world’s driest continent

Australia is in the grip of its worst drought on record — the victim of changing weather patterns attributed to global warming, and a government that is only just starting to wake up to the severity of the position.

The federal government is struggling with expensive proposals to desalinate sea water and recycle raw sewage. Meanwhile some locals have decided to meet the crisis head on.

Kim and Paul Roginson of Elimbah in Queensland say if their bore water ran out tomorrow, they would start drinking their recycled sewage water. (more…)

Biolan composter

Canada is taking to the composting toilet with a speed umatched in any other advanced industrial nation.

Although Toronto Mayor David Miller told a conference of Great Lakes mayors they should ban conventional toilets and switch to low-flow models, others go much forther. Shane Jolley, provincial Green Party candidate in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, goes further. He says it’s time for technology that might allow builders to take toilets in new subdivisions off the grid altogether - no-flow composting models instead of the low-flow ones Mayor Miller suggests.

“People have an aversion to dealing with our own waste,” Jolley says, “but this type of toilet uses far less water and makes far fewer demands on our resources. There’s work to be done educating people about how compost toilets work and the benefits, but there should be financial incentives and effort made to implement this concept.” (more…)

Naked in Wales

A dozen beautiful lakes and ponds where you can swim without fear, and go nudie without shame.

Argyle and Bute

Luss

West coast of Loch Lomond

There’s a broad sandy beach on this gorgeous loch, and it’s a popular barbecue spot.

Easdale Island (more…)