Water & Air – Filter Systems News

Garnier, an acclaimed cosmetics company using natural ingredients in their hair and skincare products is committed to a greener and cleaner future. Garnier asked consumers to vote for the environmental cause they avidly cared about the most. The three causes voted on were Clean Water, Urban Greening, Recycling and Sustainability. The Clean Water category, received 52% of the votes and was the clear winner out of the three causes. The Recycling and Sustainability category received 36% of the votes, while Urban Greening received 12%.

In partnership with EarthShare, Garnier announced that they will donate $100,000 to three deserving charities: American Rivers, Oceana and the Surfrider Foundation. These charities work to protect public health, rivers and marine environments for the benefit of communities, wildlife and nature. Each group plans to put their winnings to work for cleaner and safer water.

Surfrider Foundation will direct the funds toward their water quality-focused programs: Ocean Friendly Gardens, Know Your H₂O and Blue Water Task Force. The Ocean Friendly Gardens program educates and assists people in applying conservation, permeability and retention to their landscapes, to revive watersheds and oceans. The Know Your H₂O project educates consumers about the link between freshwater management issues and the impact on our oceans. The Blue Water Task Force is a volunteer-run water testing, education and advocacy program for water quality.

Oceana will use Garnier’s donation to support its global ocean protection work. Protecting the pristine waters of southern Patagonia by preventing the expansion of Chile’s aquaculture industry, expanded oil exploration and drilling off the coasts of the U.S., Europe and Belize, are among the projects included.

American Rivers will apply Garnier’s support to protect and restore the nation’s rivers for comunities across America, through various conservation and volunteer programs, including Nation River Cleanup.

These winning Clean Water charities are very good causes. Michelle Ryan, Assistant Vice President of Sustainability at Garnier stated, “This program is just one small way we’re honoring causes within the community that we all care about.”

Do you remember the popular projects that high school students entered into science fairs which included exhibits such as the evolution of trees and plants, the formation of rain clouds or the path of lava flowing from a volcanic eruption? Content was a vital part of your exhibit, but if you had a functional mobile presentation, that made a tremendous impression among your counterparts. Now-a-days, many science projects are focusing on environmental awareness and modern technology.

The world’s most prestigious youth award for a water-related science project is the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. This prize taps into the unlimited potential of today’s high school students as they seek to address current and future water challenges. Any high school student (grades 9-12) creating a water-related science project is eligible to participate in the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition. Projects should focus on local, regional, national or global issues that require using scientifically accepted methodologies for experimentation, monitoring reporting and statistical analysis.

The foundation for the entries submitted into this competition includes the following criteria: creativity, relevance, methodology, subject knowledge, report and presentation, along with practical skills. This competition weights heavily on the quality of the scientific research paper more than the poster presentation. Between June 23-25, state winners for this water prize will compete in the upcoming national competition hosted by the Illinois Water Environment Association in Chicago.

School age students are doing more to make a difference by finding doable solutions for improving the quality of how we use water in our society. Science and technology are two key areas for current and future job opportunities. With some of the amazing water quality science projects that state winners are entering into the national Stockholm Junior Water Competition, it is certain that we will look at water from a new and innovative perspective. We are eager to hear the announcement of who receives the national prize for this award later this month.

Despite improvements in outdoor air quality, and despite the elimination of  secondhand smoke via indoor smoking bans in some cities across the U.S., a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the number of people diagnosed with asthma in the U.S. increased by 4.3 million between 2001 and 2009. The increase occurred among all demographics, though a higher percentage of children reported having asthma than adults. The numbers were especially high among boys and the highest increase in asthma rates was among black children.

Interestingly, the CDC stated that, “While we don’t know the cause of the increase, our top priority is getting people to manage their symptoms better.”

Is it just me, or is the entire problem evident in that one statement? I think the CDC may need to reorganize its priorities. After all, they are the Centers for Disease Control AND PREVENTION. And, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…

Symptom management typically means more prescription drugs and more money spent on unhealthy corticosteroid medications that both insured and uninsured people with asthma already can’t afford. It means putting a band-aid on the symptoms of the disease rather than addressing the root cause and helping to prevent even more increases in asthma rates in the coming years. Essentially, we are merely sweeping the problem under the rug. How about, instead of managing symptoms, we get to the root of the problem? How about, instead of simply assessing the (strange) fact that asthma rates have indeed gone up in the last eight years, we assess WHY they have gone up and try to fix that so that the rates go down in the years to come? That would really save on health care costs in the long run, wouldn’t it?

The first recommendation made by the CDC for reducing asthma rates is improving indoor air quality. Simple actions like regularly changing your air filters, having a few indoor plants, keeping the inside of your house clean, minimizing or eliminating the use of fragrances and products with toxic chemicals indoors, and using a shower filter to rid toxic chlorine from your shower water, can drastically reduce the amount of harmful pollutants that trigger asthma attacks, within the home. Schools and workplaces may be a little more difficult. Lower-income schools may not be able to afford the types of renovations needed to reduce asthma triggers. However, money spent on educating asthma patients on how to improve their quality of life naturally, rather than on prescription drugs and healthcare, will go a lot farther in the long run.

Do you agree?

May is Asthma Awareness Month. Spread the word by re-tweeting and sharing this post!

Thirsty? There’s a map for that.

Smartphones are a growing trend, and these days, there’s an app for just about anything you can think of – even clean water. Last year, we wrote about “FLOW” – an Android smartphone app that lets people snap photos of broken water pumps in developing countries, ensuring faster repair. We also mentioned, in an older post, an iPhone app called “Oasis Places,” created by Thermos, which allows users to track the locations of drinking fountains in the U.S., add new fountains, comments and pictures, and rate the water on criteria such as coldness, location, cleanliness and flavor. When it comes to helping other people kick their bottled water habit, “Oasis Places” sounds promising. However, when I checked the app store on my iPhone this morning, it was nowhere to be found. I even tried searching phrases like “water fountains” and “clean water,” with no luck.

Not to worry. The Pacific Institute is working with Google Application developers to launch a new app for Android-based smartphones called “WeTap.” Just like “Oasis Places,” WeTap allows users to map drinking water fountains with comments, pictures and water quality ratings. The disappearance of public drinking fountains has led to an increase in plastic bottled water sales, resulting in an overall negative environmental impact. Crowdsourcing apps like “WeTap” are meant to reverse this trend by encouraging users to carry a refillable, reusable water bottle while on-the-go. At first, only Android users will be able to use this app to map fountains, but they hope to make it available to any smartphone eventually. In the meantime, anyone with access to a computer or smartphone with a browser can still go online to see the water fountain maps. For more information, visit WeTap.org.

The Hydropack is a small pouch that may be used to filter water in disaster situations, such as the Haiti earthquake, or the recent earthquake in Japan. Using a technology called forward osmosis, this small pouch is basically a membrane that lets in only water, rejecting even the harshest of contaminants. Filled with a syrup that contains calories and electrolytes, it also provides energy to malnourished disaster victims. Similar to a Capri Sun pouch, a straw is poked into the top when ready to drink.

Pros? It is less taxing on the environment than bottled water, since the pouches are small. Still, it is unclear (at least, to me) how the membranes are disposed of, once used, or if and how they may be recycled.

Cons? According to this video, the Hydropack takes twelve hours to work its magic. To supply clean water to an entire community, hundreds of pouches would have to be left overnight in a large body of water.

It may not be the most sustainable solution to the third world clean water crisis, but for disaster situations, it does provide a slightly better alternative to bottled water. What do you think? Is this the best emergency water filter you’ve seen?

The New Jersey American Water and Scholastic is hosting a Tap for Tap Song and Dance contest for students in grades K-8. The purpose of the contest is to encourage students to help the environment by opting for tap water. To enter, teachers should have their students write a toe-tapping original song describing what makes tap water so special, and then choreograph a tap dance routine to go along with it. Teachers may submit entries by mailing in the song lyrics and a video of the dance, or by submitting the material online through the Scholastic Tap for Tap entry form. This contest is open to New Jersey public schools, private schools, home schools or dance schools.

Judging will be based solely on the song lyrics and how well it communicates the benefits of tap water. Three winning classrooms will receive a field day from New Jersey American Water, along with a brand new library of Scholastic books and a pizza party.

We thought this was a creative and fun way for students to learn about the benefits of opting for tap water over bottled water. Though the contest is currently open to students in the New Jersey area, perhaps teachers in other states can be inspired to host or participate in a similar event. Teach your kids about tap water now, so that they will develop good, environmentally-friendly habits from now into adulthood. Filters Fast offers several other ways for your students to learn about water and sustainability, including a WaterSafe Science Project Water Test Kit that can compare the water quality of up to 10 different tap water samples. For other ideas on taking your classroom to the next level, take a look at our “Educator’s Guide to Green Lessons and Activities,” as well as this collection of Energy and Science Projects for Students.

Some Katadyn emergency water filters are able to reduce radioactive particles.

U.S. based company, DynGlobal, recently announced that they are supporting the victims of the Japan earthquake disaster by providing portable and point-of-use solar-powered water purification units. These units feature a four-stage ultrafiltration process that filters out arsenic, mercury, lead, bacteria and heavy metals, and have capacities ranging from 100 to 40,000 liters per day. But, that’s not all; these water purification units are also able to filter radioactive water contamination. This is very significant, since radioactive traces have been discovered in tap water supplies in Tokyo and other areas near the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Radiation, which was also detected in spinach and milk, poses a health risk if absorbed into the human body.

Although bottled water is often the solution in these types of emergency situations, DynGlobal asserts that it “is neither cost-effective, nor sustainable. Government agencies and relief organizations pay hundreds of dollars per gallon to supply water.  South Korea, China, and the United States are shipping in tons of bottled water … It didn’t work in Haiti and won’t be an adequate solution for Japan.”

And of course, we would have to agree. The earthquake has already cost its victims a lot in terms of land and natural resources. Filtered water is the way to go in this crisis – especially if the purification unit is able to remove radioactive material.

For U.S. west coast dwellers who are fearful of the consequences of radiation, FiltersFast carries Katadyn emergency water filters, which are great for disasters like these. Often employed by the U.S. military or disaster relief agencies like the Red Cross, several Katadyn microfilters are able to reduce bacteria, protozoa, cysts, algae, spores, sediment, dirt, micro-organisms, viruses and other particles down to the 0.2 micron level. And most importantly, they are even able to filter radioactive particles. While you’re busy seeking out potassium iodide to protect yourself from airborne radiation, don’t forget to order your Katadyn Mini Ultralight Series Microfilter from FiltersFast. Or, for larger groups of people, try the Katadyn Gravidyn Drip Water Filter System, which uses gravitational filter action, and does not require pumping or connection to a tap.

You can never be too careful…

Entrepreneur, Cynthia Koenig, has invented a simple, yet effective device, that helps ease the water collection process in third world countries. It’s called the WaterWheel and it allows women and children in the villages of developing nations to collect 24 gallons of water (5 times the amount possible with traditional methods) in less time, and much more easily. The design of the WaterWheel allows water to be placed inside its “wheel”, transforming 200 pounds of water, to a much more managable felt weight of 22 pounds, making it lighter and easier to transport over just about any type of terrain.

The time spent collecting water by traditional methods keeps children from being able to go to school, and prevents women from carrying out their daily domestic chores and caring for their families. In many developing nations, they must walk five miles or more a day just to get water, and this can be a dangerous process, and tolling on the body. Traditionally, women carry large, five-gallon water pots on their heads, a method that can severely damage the spine and even cause complications during childbirth. The WaterWheel allows the amount of water necessary for one family to be collected in just one trip.

When I first heard about the WaterWheel, I was concerned that perhaps the water collected would not always be clean. In many cases, women and children may spend hours gathering water for their families, only to get sick from it later. I voiced this concern online, and Koenig, herself, responded with the following:

Hi Selwa-
Thanks for your comment! One of the advantages of the WaterWheel is that it offers end users the flexibility to incorporate it into their current water collection strategies. As you probably know, many people who live without easy access to safe water employ a variety of strategies to obtain clean water depending on the geographic location and time of year. So, people who are accustomed to collecting their water from open sources, then purifying it at the point of use can continue to do so. Along the same lines, safe water that is collected from taps can be hygienically transported and stored. A key part of our strategy involved working with partners across the clean water value chain to educate our consumers about the importance of clean water.

We  applaud Koenig for such an innovative solution to the burden of water collection in developing countries. Join our applause by retweeting and/or sharing this post!

Japanese company, Nippon Basic has created the “Cycloclean,” a bicycle equipped with a water purifier, which is powered by pedaling. This innovative design includes non-puncture tires and a box attached to the rear carrier that holds the pump and hoses. Three filter cartridges are fitted around the rear wheel.

Cycloclean is great for use in remote villages and disaster zones, where access to clean water is scarce. The rider can commute to a water source, lower the hose – which can siphon water as deep as five meters – into the source, raise the bicycle up on its stand – lifting the rear wheel off the ground – and start pedaling. The bike can produce five liters (1.3 gallons) of clean water in just one minute, so a team of riders could product large amounts of water in a relatively short period of time.

This unique invention does not come without a hefty price tag. The cost is around 550,000 yen – approximately $6,700 U.S. dollars. However, the company has produced around 200 bikes in the last five years, and is getting ready for mass production in Bangladesh.

If governments were willing to put up the money for it, the Cycloclean could be a great solution to the dirty water crisis in developing countries where women walk for miles a day to gather water for their families – water that is usually contaminated and likely to make them sick. A bike would speed up the process of water collection in African villages and other poor countries, giving women more time to care for their families and giving children more opportunities for education. The Cycloclean could also be used for athletic fundraising events. If 500 bikers rode for just one hour,  collectively, they would produce 39,000 gallons of clean water for those in need.

Overall, we give the Cycloclean two thumbs up.