Water & Air – Filter Systems News

Instead of asking for gifts like most girls turning nine, Rachel Beckwith only asked that her friends and family donate to Charity: Water so that more children would live to see their fifth birthday. When her own birthday arrived on June 12, she had raised $220 — a very admirable amount, but $80 short of her goal.

Sadly, Rachel was involved in a serious car accident. She spent three days in the hospital before passing away on July 23, 2011,  just a little more than a month after her ninth birthday.

In the days following, thousands of people visited Rachel’s Charity Water Page to donate money to her campaign and leave messages for Rachel and her family. On the page, Rachel wrote about her reason for starting the fundraising campaign:

“On June 12th 2011, I’m turning 9. I found out that millions of people don’t live to see their 5th birthday. And why? Because they didn’t have access to clean, safe water so I’m celebrating my birthday like never before. I’m asking from everyone I know to donate to my campaign instead of gifts for my birthday. Every penny of the money raised will go directly to fund freshwater projects in developing nations. Even better, every dollar is “proved” when the projects are complete, and photos and GPS coordinates are posted using Google Earth. My goal is to raise $300 by my birthday, June 12, 2011. Please consider helping me.”

Though it is sobering to read this message in light of Rachel’s passing, there is much inspiration to be taken from the comments beneath it. Thousands of people have donated, and beside their donations they have left their sympathies and well wishes.

UPDATE: Her initial campaign is now closed. The final donation total was 1,265,823.

Rachel’s mother Samantha posted a message thanking everyone for their donations and kind words:

“I am in awe of the overwhelming love to take my daughters dream and make it a reality. In the face of unexplainable pain you have provided undeniable hope. Thank you for your generosity! I know Rachel is smiling!”

More than $160,000 worth of the donations were raised by Rachel’s church. It was at this church that Charity: Water’s co-founder came to speak, thus inspiring Rachel to start her campaign. Visit Rachel’s Charity: Water for information on how you can help continue the legacy left by 9 year old girl.

Is Australian chef Mark Best justified in charging for tap water at Marque Restaurant, his restaurant in Syndey, Australia?

Best stopped selling “boutique bottled water” and instead offered customers treated tap water for about half the price of the bottled water he previously sold, according to a Reuters article. He did so because he considers these bottled waters to be wasteful and wanted to provide an eco-friendly alternative.

Best installed a water filter system that filters, chills and carbonates the Marque Restaurant‘s tap water. And while he could have raised his pricing across his menu to make up the cost, he wanted everyone to know they were being charged for tap water. He charges the equivalent of $5.31 in US dollars for all the tap water a patron cares to drink. The 500 ml bottles of boutique bottled water that he sold in the past cost twice that much.

“I’m not highly political but I want to make people aware and this is just one initiative,” Best said.

While many patrons were unhappy about it, charging for tap water is not illegal if it has been treated — and Best’s $6,000 Italian-made water filtration system certainly does that.

If Best’s main goal in charging for tap water was to make a statement and “raise awareness of the need for restaurants to be socially responsible and reduce plastic waste,” we would say he succeeded. What do you think: is Best justified in charging for tap water or not?

New Jersey American Water recently announced the winners of its “Tap For Tap” contest, in which New Jersey K-8 students wrote and performed original songs proclaiming the greatness of tap water. The entries in the contest were judged by how well the song lyrics and dance routien extolled the benefits of tap water.

You can see these videos and more at New Jersey American Water’s Youtube Channel.

Conover Primary School

The students at Conover Primary School choreographed a dance routine that allowed the whole class to participate, with individual students coming up to deliver their own lyrics in between the chorus of “Tap water — T.A.P.!”.

Madison Elementary

The students at Madison Elementary rapped about how “Water to drink, drink, drink, helps the brain think, think, think.”

Jefferson School

The fifth-graders at Jefferson School sang “Tap water is good for your body, tap water gives me energy, tap water is good for your body, so drink some tap water for me” to the tune of “My bonnie lies over the ocean.”

Last September, we wrote about seven water conserving breweries that were doing their part to conserve water, whether at the brewery or out in the world. One of those breweries was Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewing, which over the last decade has raised over $250,000 for the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper through its Save the Hooch campaign.

SweetWater continues the campaign with the release of the SweetWater Waterkeeper Hefeweizen, which the brewery hopes will “raise awareness for Waterkeepers and assist them in their fight to preserve our rivers, streams and coastlines.”

A refreshing hefeweizen is a fitting beer to raise this summer in honor of waterkeepers, which patrol rivers, streams and coastlines to ensure the water is fishable, swimmable and drinkable. The Waterkeeper Hefeweizen was first released at the River Revival in Atlanta on May 19, and it is now in limited supply across the southeast in bottles as well as draft.

To donate to SweetWater’s “Save the Hooch” campaign, visit waterkeeperbrew.org. If you do, you can say that you “gave of your liver to save a river.”

Think your pet’s the cutest? Post a photo on the Filters Fast Facebook page — if your photo gets the most “likes”, you will win a dog or cat water fountain!

To enter into the contest, just like our Facebook page and post a photo by 3 p.m. on Monday, May 16. At that time, we’ll move all of your photos into a separate album and allow people to vote on your photos by liking them. The voting will end at 3 p.m. on May 23, when we’ll announce the winner of the Dog It Water Fountain or Cat It Water Fountain (winner’s choice).  It probably goes without saying, but the pet must actually be yours to qualify. If it’s easier, you can also e-mail photos to daniel@filtersfast.com.

Just like people, it’s very important for your pets to stay hydrated. These water fountains provide a continuous supply of fresh and filtered drinking water. The water recirculates throughout the fountain, which exposes it to more oxygen and makes it more appealing to cats and dogs. Anyone who has ever offered their dog water from a garden hose knows this is the case! Water also helps to maintain proper kidney function in cats and dogs.

Water scam!
Water scam!
I do not like the bottled water scam!

Do you like
the bottled water scam?
I do not like that water, ma’am.
I do not like
the bottled water scam.

Would you drink it
here or there?

I would not drink it
here or there.
I would not drink it anywhere.

I do not like
that water, ma’am.
I do not like the bottled water scam.

Would you drink the backwards naivE?
Would you drink it if you were Steve?

I would not drink
backwards naivE.
I would not drink it
were I Steve.

I do not like water
in a bottle.
I do not like
the waste, it’s awful.

Would you drink it
in a tree?
Would you drink it
if it were free?

Not in a tree.
Not if it were free.
I would not drink the
backwards naivE,
I would not drink it were I Steve.
I would not drink bottled water anywhere.
I would not drink bottled water, ma’am.
I do not like the bottled water scam.

For Justin Bieber’s 17th birthday, he asking all of the “Beliebers”  to celebrate his birthday by donating to the Justin Bieber’s Charity: Water page. Justin is asked that his friends, fans and followers donate $17 to charity: water. The money will be used to build clean water projects in developing countries.

“Together, we’ve made a big difference for many causes,” Justin wrote on the page. “Did you know that about 4,500 kids die each day from waterborne disease? By building clean water projects for villages that need them, we can prevent this! I want to make my birthday matter this year — let’s make it so more kids can grow up to have a 17th birthday like me. Join me to make a change.”

Of course, Justin Bieber isn’t the only celebrity working to provide clean water to those who need it. For Adam Lambert’s 29th birthday, he set out to raise $290,000 through his own charity: water page. He did that and more. He extended the challenge to his fans, and as of this writing, his page has received $295,500 in donations.

Alyssa Milano’s mycharity: water campaigns raised over $92,000 for her 37th birthday in 2009, and another $39,551 for her 38th birthday at the end of 2010.

Sponge Bob has access to plenty of moisture in his “pineapple under the sea,” but that’s not the case for many of us humans, especially if we live in dry environments. A humidifier is essential to creating a healthy indoor climate. It supplies moisture, providing relief for dry skin, chapped lips, and symptoms associated with cold and flu, including nasal congestion, sinus irritation and dry cough.

The Sponge Bob Crane Humidifier is great for children’s rooms and nurseries to assist with a child’s breathing during cold and flu season and to protect them from problems related to low humidity.  This humidifier features a removable water tank that holds up to a gallon of water, and an auto-off safety function for when the tank becomes empty. A control knob at the top of the unit can be used to regulate the mist output. The Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier runs quietly, is energy efficient, and able to supply moisture for up to 12 hours.

Hurry and don’t wait to purchase the Sponge Bob Humidifier from FiltersFast.com!

Dogfish Head’s New Randall the Enamel Animal

The Randall was first pioneered by the ever-innovative Dogfish Head Brewery in Maryland. Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head’s founder and president, was looking for a way to make his brutally-bitter 120 Minute IPA even more hoppy at an event called the “Lupulin Slam” in 2002 (lupulin is a bitter powder found on hop plants).

Sam built a makeshift water filter and filled it with Cascade and Willamette hops before sending the 120 Minute IPA through it. Hopheads at the event were stunned at how fresh and resinous the beer’s hop presence was, even if it did seem like it could strip the enamel off of your teeth. Thus “Randall the Enamel Animal” was born.

These days, brewers and homebrewers alike fill Randalls and water filters with much more than just hops. Some common Randall fillers include coffee or vanilla beans, bourbon-soaked oak, fresh fruit, candy canes and jalapeno peppers.

Don’t worry: if you can’t afford Dogfish Head’s Randall the Enamel Animal at $375, you can make your own Randall beer filter out of a water filter housing for a fraction of the price.

How to Make a Randall the Enamel Animal:

1. Find an appropriate water filter housing. A standard 10″ water filter housing should work for most applications. You’ll probably want to go with a clear water filter housing, so that you can see whatever ingredients you stuff in it. Since most beer lines are 1/4″, it would make since to find a filter housing that could accommodate 1/4″ lines (rather than using bungs to convert the fittings). Popular outlet sizings on these housings include 1/4″, 1/2″ and 3/4″. Just make sure it either matches the size of your existing line, that you have the appropriate fittings to convert it. The Pentek 158117 Filter Housing is a popular, economical choice.

2. Make a stainless-steel filter replacement. Since a true water filter would diminish the flow you need to move beer through the filter, you’ll want to construct a piece of stainless steel to stand in for the filter. You can drill holes through it to allow for a good flow. Most standard 10″ water filters measure around 2 1/2″ x 9 3/4″.

3. Assemble fittings, tubing, disconnects and other assorted hardware. HopWild gives a good run-down of the various hardware you’ll need to build the Randall, and walks you through the necessary steps.

If you liked this post, be sure to come back to read about which water filters to use for homebrewing. If you have any questions about which filter housings would be appropriate, feel free to leave a comment below.

It’s okay for your significant other to leave you breathless, but that doesn’t mean your home air filters should. That’s why we’re introducing the “Love Affair with Better Air” sweepstakes this Valentine’s Day. Show that special person in your life that you really care by entering to win an asthma and allergy-friendly teddy bear and a year’s supply of 3M Filtrete air filters!

How do you love clean air? Let us count the ways. We want you to write us a poem telling us why you love clean air. The form you take doesn’t matter — we all know your love for air filters can’t be confined to just iambic pentameter! It doesn’t matter if you write a haiku, an Elizabethan sonnet or even an epic poem — just be creative! The person who writes our favorite poem will win an asthma and allergy-friendly teddy bear and more than a year’s supply of air filters from 3M Filtrete.

To enter, post your poem as a comment in this blog. All entries must be received by 3 p.m. on Monday, February 14. We will choose our winner shortly thereafter.