This is a recent article in the Epoch Times and well, you may guess my reaction. Here are the facts from the 4th annual Canadian Water Attitudes Study:
- almost 3 out of 4 Canadians admit to flushing leftover food, hair, bugs, cigarettes and other items that could be disposed of elsewhere down the toilet, wasting 6 to 20 litres of clean water per flush; Albertans (83%) are most likely, Quebecois (65%) least likely do flush the wrong things down the toilet - do they not realise it's wrong?
- 55% Canadians believe water is Canada's most important natural resource
- 78% say they try reasonable hard to conserve water - how do you define reasonably hard????
- 80% know the water in the toilet has drink water quality - which does not stop them from wasting it.
- 76% are aware that almost half of the water used in a home is flushed down the toilet
- people between 18 and 35 (84%) waste more water than those over 55 (63%)
- Canadians use on average 327 litres per day - 67% underestimate this amount
- 46% leave the water running while doing the dishes
- the study assumes that Canadians waste water because they (61%) don't know what they pay for it, 70% thinks though it costs enough to be treated as a valuable resource - really? so why don't they behave accordingly?
- Canadians pay less for water than other developed nations, e.g. 4 times less than the French, 7 times less than Germans - water use there is much lower!- time to put water meters into every Canadian household and charge per unit!
Water expert Bob Sandford (remember him?) says: "They claim to care about conserving it, yet knowingly engage in water wasting activities, including using fresh, clean water to dispose of garbage." and "Canadians need to understand that water is a finite resource and there are significant social and economic implications related to wasting it." and "This data highlights, once again, that Canadians are not making the connection between their personal water use and the true value of water." and until this changes "our water wasting habits will continue."
I think lots of Sandford and I wonder if he's ashamed of being a Canadian sometimes for all he knows about water and how Canadians treat it. Some of those percentages are definitely too high. I also wonder why Canadians don't get the message. If at least the governments at federal, provincial and/ or municipal level would get it they could surely crank up the price of water. That will not get them reelected but it will save the future of this country somewhat, and protect the environment. Now pull yourselves together, Canadians!
Showing posts with label water consumption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water consumption. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tapped
is a US American documentary from 2009 about bottled water and you can find out more at: www.tappedthemovie.com
The film is split into the issue of where the water comes from and then the bottles. Communities in water-rich states of the US are rallying against Nestle (a Swiss corporation), Pepsi & CocaCola who steal their drinking water. In some states, according to the legislation, water is practically free for anyone and so these companies come and pump as much as they can to later sell it at a huge profit. These companies even kept operating the year (2007?) that over 30 states were facing dorught conditions and municipalities restriced water usage. I understood their rage but I also kept thinking: don't buy bottled water! It's such a logical consequence that will put the corporations out of that business! It still leaves them in the need for water to produce coke and other pop drinks/ sodas but it would help a lot.
Don't buy bottled water.
Why is bottled water so big? - In 1989 it became possible to put water into lightweight, cheap, clear PET bottles. Bottled water became a huge commodity and private corporations have not stopped making their profit of it.
Don't buy bottled water.
One of my favourite quotes in the film goes something like this: We have all become like big toddlers .. that need to know constantly that there's something there; we want it individualized, personalized, we don't want to have take care of it, just throw it away. We want it immediately available and convenient otherwise we'll have a fit. -- It explains why most of us do not reuse a (BPA-free!) bottle that can be simply refilled from the tap. I do of course.
Don't buy bottled water.
Advertisement makes us believe that bottled water is purer & healthier than tap water. 40% of all bottled water in the US is simply filtered tap water and due to "processing" and packaging not better than tap water. Different tests have found bacterial contaminants, arsenic, benzene, vinyl chloride, styrene, phthalate, and other carcinogenic substances. Why is this? Municipalities have to test their water several times per day to insure its safety - Pepsi & Co. don't have to do this. Even when these companies do their own tests on water sources and products they don't have to make them public. The government does not help either. In all of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) there's only one person looking after bottled water regulations, and she has other responsibilities too. The FDA only regulates products that move between states, so if water is bottled and sold in the same state the FDA does not care about it. Unfortunately consumers have too much faith in a self-regulated industry!
Don't buy bottled water.
Now the bottles are usually made of PET or PETE which requires a substances that derives from the refining process of crude oil which tends to come with cancer-causing "by-products". The production of plastic bottles contaminates water!!! & air. Big sturdy bottles often contain Bisphenol A (BPA). The review of 700 studies concluded though that BPA is related to diabetes, breast & prostate cancers, obesity, liver diseases, diseases of the uterus, brain disorders (hyperactivity), low sperm count and more.
Don't buy bottled water.
Once the bottle's been used it needs to go somewhere preferably into recycling. While worldwide 50% of all beverage containers get recycled it's only 20% in the US. And who pays for it? Often the municipality that provides safe tap water. In some states there's a deposit. It's proven that deposits ensure bottles are returned for recycling. The bottled water industry prefers curbside recycling though and ignores the fact that 50% of Americans don't have access to curb side recycling. Consequently millions of bottles each year are incinerated releasing dioxin, or end up in landfills and in the ocean! Another great quote: The beach of the future does not have shells, corals and sand - it has a plastic cover!
In the Pacific two garbage patches have been located, one in the East, one in the West. That's where due to currents plastics have accumulated from Asia and America. The same applies to other oceans! In 2008 researchers found 48 times as much plastics as planktons in these garbage patches. A researcher resumed: Bottled water might be good in disaster relief but is a disaster in every day use.
Don't buy bottled water.
The film is split into the issue of where the water comes from and then the bottles. Communities in water-rich states of the US are rallying against Nestle (a Swiss corporation), Pepsi & CocaCola who steal their drinking water. In some states, according to the legislation, water is practically free for anyone and so these companies come and pump as much as they can to later sell it at a huge profit. These companies even kept operating the year (2007?) that over 30 states were facing dorught conditions and municipalities restriced water usage. I understood their rage but I also kept thinking: don't buy bottled water! It's such a logical consequence that will put the corporations out of that business! It still leaves them in the need for water to produce coke and other pop drinks/ sodas but it would help a lot.
Don't buy bottled water.
Why is bottled water so big? - In 1989 it became possible to put water into lightweight, cheap, clear PET bottles. Bottled water became a huge commodity and private corporations have not stopped making their profit of it.
Don't buy bottled water.
One of my favourite quotes in the film goes something like this: We have all become like big toddlers .. that need to know constantly that there's something there; we want it individualized, personalized, we don't want to have take care of it, just throw it away. We want it immediately available and convenient otherwise we'll have a fit. -- It explains why most of us do not reuse a (BPA-free!) bottle that can be simply refilled from the tap. I do of course.
Don't buy bottled water.
Advertisement makes us believe that bottled water is purer & healthier than tap water. 40% of all bottled water in the US is simply filtered tap water and due to "processing" and packaging not better than tap water. Different tests have found bacterial contaminants, arsenic, benzene, vinyl chloride, styrene, phthalate, and other carcinogenic substances. Why is this? Municipalities have to test their water several times per day to insure its safety - Pepsi & Co. don't have to do this. Even when these companies do their own tests on water sources and products they don't have to make them public. The government does not help either. In all of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) there's only one person looking after bottled water regulations, and she has other responsibilities too. The FDA only regulates products that move between states, so if water is bottled and sold in the same state the FDA does not care about it. Unfortunately consumers have too much faith in a self-regulated industry!
Don't buy bottled water.
Now the bottles are usually made of PET or PETE which requires a substances that derives from the refining process of crude oil which tends to come with cancer-causing "by-products". The production of plastic bottles contaminates water!!! & air. Big sturdy bottles often contain Bisphenol A (BPA). The review of 700 studies concluded though that BPA is related to diabetes, breast & prostate cancers, obesity, liver diseases, diseases of the uterus, brain disorders (hyperactivity), low sperm count and more.
Don't buy bottled water.
Once the bottle's been used it needs to go somewhere preferably into recycling. While worldwide 50% of all beverage containers get recycled it's only 20% in the US. And who pays for it? Often the municipality that provides safe tap water. In some states there's a deposit. It's proven that deposits ensure bottles are returned for recycling. The bottled water industry prefers curbside recycling though and ignores the fact that 50% of Americans don't have access to curb side recycling. Consequently millions of bottles each year are incinerated releasing dioxin, or end up in landfills and in the ocean! Another great quote: The beach of the future does not have shells, corals and sand - it has a plastic cover!
In the Pacific two garbage patches have been located, one in the East, one in the West. That's where due to currents plastics have accumulated from Asia and America. The same applies to other oceans! In 2008 researchers found 48 times as much plastics as planktons in these garbage patches. A researcher resumed: Bottled water might be good in disaster relief but is a disaster in every day use.
Don't buy bottled water.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A few recent occurences
Dave was given by his dentist a tooth paste for sensitive teeth with "instant relief" guarantee. Reading the small print it turns out this stuff is highly dangerous, recommending users to call Poison Control if they happen to swallow more than the amount needed for brushing their teeth! How did this stuff get on store shelves?
Our new apartment also needed some serious cleaning and I was recommended to get CLR, a cleaner that removes stubborn stains from calcium, lime and rust. Reading the packaging I was shocked about the aggressiveness of this product and considered not to get this near my household, not only because we have a baby but also because this stuff should stay where it is - safely in its bottle, unopened.
Have you wondered how our bath versus shower water consumption turned out? My husband uses more water for his bath than I use for a simple shower, that is without washing my hair. So maybe his bath comes to about the same as my shower with washing my hair. He still uses less for his bath than his shower. The last days I have taken a few bathes in a puddle because our new shower head is terrible and needs to be changed, the sooner the better.
Our new apartment also needed some serious cleaning and I was recommended to get CLR, a cleaner that removes stubborn stains from calcium, lime and rust. Reading the packaging I was shocked about the aggressiveness of this product and considered not to get this near my household, not only because we have a baby but also because this stuff should stay where it is - safely in its bottle, unopened.
Have you wondered how our bath versus shower water consumption turned out? My husband uses more water for his bath than I use for a simple shower, that is without washing my hair. So maybe his bath comes to about the same as my shower with washing my hair. He still uses less for his bath than his shower. The last days I have taken a few bathes in a puddle because our new shower head is terrible and needs to be changed, the sooner the better.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Time to put a cap on bottled water
When 100% Canadian Bottled Water states to be “the real environmentally friendly company” then that is a bold lie to me because the business of bottled water alone is a far cry from environmentally friendly. Here's why: I bought a BPA-free water bottle recently. A little leaflet on the bottle stated that the energy required to manufacture, fill, and transport a chilled disposable bottle of water is equivalent to filling the bottle ¼ full of oil. Bon Appetit! Plastic bottles take up to 1000 years to decompose. In North America an estimated 70 million bottles are dumped in land fills each year, and buying bottle water costs up to 3000 times as much as tap water - the willingness to pay that price (in a developed country) pis stupid to me.
An article in today's paper refers to a new book called "Bottled and sold" by Peter Gleick. The author underlines that every second in the US 1000 people buy a bottle of water and another 1000 throw an empty bottle away. Terrible, alone the thought of so much plastic used to bottle something that comes tasty right out of the tap, at least in developed countries. I have drunk tap water for many years now, my parents don't like it. Advertisement did the trick for them, they think it's not as good as bottled water but that's not right. They surely would not do what I did - drink water out of rivers in New Zealand and Iceland when hiking and camping. Water should be safe to drink or we "smart" human beings have screwed up once more! ... Oh yes, we have screwed up big time again.
Europe is pretty good at recycling, some countries more than others. In Germany you take your bottles back to the store where you bought them and receive your deposit back. In Edmonton we have to make all the way to the Bottle Depot which not everybody does. I do it and the stroller comes in handy even though others think I'm crazy. Oh no, I'm not, it's for a good cause. But I return milk jugs and the odd wine bottle, never water bottles.
The European Federation of Bottled Water says that the recycling of PET bottles has been rising and has reached 41% in 2008. Sounds disappointing to me! That's still 59% that don't get recycled and possibly end up in landfills. I strongly support the stand that there should not be such a thing as bottled water. But drinking fountains in the city that's a good idea to me. Basel in Switzerland has them.
The European Federation of Bottled Water says that the recycling of PET bottles has been rising and has reached 41% in 2008. Sounds disappointing to me! That's still 59% that don't get recycled and possibly end up in landfills. I strongly support the stand that there should not be such a thing as bottled water. But drinking fountains in the city that's a good idea to me. Basel in Switzerland has them.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Saving water big time
Recently at the Telus World of Science I learned that in space astronauts are allowed 23 litres of water each which is very little compared to the 300 litres that a North American uses and not quite so little compared to the 130 litres that a German uses per day. Anyway, it's hard to imagine but the technology is there to recycle urine and turn it into drinking water. In today's newspaper there's an article about Don Pettit from the International Space Station. The daily allowance for hygiene and food is 3.5 litres per person. OMG, how do they do it? They wash themselves with wet wipes and have a water-recycling machine that collects even breath, sweat and water from a damp cloths which then can be used again. The most fascinating part is the urine-diversion toilet I'd say. Cecilia Ruben from the Stockholm Environment Institute says that there's 2 million of these toilets in China. Germany, South Africa ,Vietnam and Sweden have some as well. Combine them with a compost part for faeces and it's all been taken care off.
More facts on water use in Canada: http://www.janegoodall.ca/project-blue/WaterinCanada.html
More facts on water use in Canada: http://www.janegoodall.ca/project-blue/WaterinCanada.html
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Look at that!
Do you need a bit more inspiration to save water, some facts and tips and how-to-fix-videos, then check out www.bluebucketcrew.ca by Epcor.
Do you know Metro? I love their opinion pieces and cartoons. Here two to share with you - Canada and the environment, like fire and water. Oh, for those who don't know, the big truck is the type of vehicle used to transport the oil sands from the pit to where ever it's being dealt with. Those "trucks" are monsters, simply massive.
Do you know Metro? I love their opinion pieces and cartoons. Here two to share with you - Canada and the environment, like fire and water. Oh, for those who don't know, the big truck is the type of vehicle used to transport the oil sands from the pit to where ever it's being dealt with. Those "trucks" are monsters, simply massive.
home sweet home - good to know
Here a few more things from the same book, Restore, Recycle, Repurpose – Create a beautiful home, by Randy Florke with Nancy J. Becker. Some of these issues I will write more about eventually:
- According to American Water Works Association 26.7 % of the water used daily in a single-family home is flushed down the toilet. --- How terrible is that! In Germany dual-flush toilets or toilets where one can stop the flow of water any time as desired are standard, meaning almost everywhere. In Edmonton and you guess how much further geographically they are still RARE and the old water tanks are huge. We do it the old fashioned way, not with a brick in the tank but a 2-litre jar to save some water. And as long as you are well-hydrated and alone at home you don't have to flush every time.
- According to Howtocompost.org, home composting can “divert 700 lbs of material per household annually from the waste stream”. --- Impressive number isn't it. Half of Edmonton's residential waste is organic matter despite the fact that if composting is done properly it will not smell or attract rodents. And with worm composting it can be done quickly and easily in any apartment. No, we have not got the worm box yet but I am thinking about it. Still trying to figure out how to keep it out of baby's reach and within my reach.
- According to the Aluminum Association, Americans throw away enough aluminium every three months to rebuild the commercial air fleet. Randy suggest the logical, to stop using aluminium foil or buy 100% recycled foil. Rinse off after use and put it in with your recycling. --- I have tin foil at home but we only use it for the BBQ which we should properly clean instead and put the food right on it.
- Wood-burning fireplaces and stoves are not always energy-efficient, the burning of wood is considered carbon neutral, since no more CO2 is released than if the wood were to degrade naturally. Learn more at www.woodheat.org
- Mattresses: may contain petrochemical-laced vinyl coverings, softeners such as Phthalates (carcinogen), polyurethane foam that emits VOCs, and potentially toxic chemical fire retardants like Polybromenated diphenyl etners (PBDEs), according to Healthy child, Healthy world. Look for mattresses without PBDEs, without foam interior that contain petroleum products, coverings made of organic cotton or wool instead of vinyl. Flame-resistant barriers made of fibre are better than sprayed-on-fire-resistant chemicals. Consider an organic encasement to put a layer between you and potential toxins in the mattress. ---- very interesting indeed. Maybe an air mattress and sleeping bag are the healthier alternative. But I better find out first what the air mattress is made of.
- High-efficiency tank-less water heaters, though considerably more expensive, eventually pay for themselves in energy costs, which are up to 20% lower than those of traditional storage tank models. It might take up to 22 years to break even though. --- We had one in Edinburgh for the shower and loved it. We did not bother switching the storage tank on at all, heated the water for washing the dishes in a kettle. The toughest part was for Dave to shave with cold water.
- According to multiple sources, laptops use 25-45 watts of electricity when running, while the average desktop computer uses 60-250.
Almost done, only a few more no-brainers, just in case:
- Refill printer cartridges, unplug what you don’t need, use multi-purpose appliances (printer, scanner etc. in one appliance), print only if absolutely necessary, print on both sides and on recycled paper
- Do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers in your garden, there are organic options
- Use push lawn mowers and hedge clippers – does not cause as much noise either
- Donate stuff you don't need any longer, try not to add on to the landfill, buy used
- Buy a Christmas tree with the root ball on and plant afterwards, mulch or compost a live cut tree otherwise
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Greening my husband
Dave has a choice in the issue but he's still living with me and I'm the boss in the household. He rolls his eyes at recycled toilet paper, handkerchiefs, shortening his shower or showering cold - the latter two I have not even seriously tried to sell to him but we ended up with an interesting conversation this morning. He says he'll go back to taking a bath then. Oh no, you'll think, usually it's recommended to shower instead of bathing in order to save water. But Dave bathes in an inch or two of water. So that's potentially less water used than a 15 minute shower. I don't shower for more than 5 minute and I hardly ever take a bath. Dave asked me to plug the bathtub and see how much water I need for my shower. Comparing it to the way he bathes he can then decide what's better, bathing in a puddle or shortening his shower. We'll wait with lowering the water temperature until next summer.
Talking about showering, if you read the news recently you will know that a new trend is emerging - to skip showers. Even business people do not shower daily any more. The article recognized the benefits for the environment such as less water needed, energy savings from heating less water and pointed out that it's better for your skin and hair - yes, your skin and hair have the capability to self-clean! Most of us do not have the patient to wait until this function kicks in though. Having camped in NZ for 6 weeks in 2008 with about 1 shower per week I know it works kind of. Surely my skin and hair would need even more time to redevelop their full potential. Anyway, I like my daily shower but as mentioned I keep it SHORT.
Talking about showering, if you read the news recently you will know that a new trend is emerging - to skip showers. Even business people do not shower daily any more. The article recognized the benefits for the environment such as less water needed, energy savings from heating less water and pointed out that it's better for your skin and hair - yes, your skin and hair have the capability to self-clean! Most of us do not have the patient to wait until this function kicks in though. Having camped in NZ for 6 weeks in 2008 with about 1 shower per week I know it works kind of. Surely my skin and hair would need even more time to redevelop their full potential. Anyway, I like my daily shower but as mentioned I keep it SHORT.
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