agua, acqua, eau, wasser...

... water.

It's necessary to all living things; we drink it, cook with it, bathe in it, and even play in it. We use water to put out fires, to transport cargo and people on boats and ships, we wash our cars, dishes and clothes. More plants and animals live in water (salt & fresh) than on land.

With all that said, less than 1% of all the water on Earth can be used by people. The rest is salt water or is permanently frozen and we can't use it. As our population grows, more and more people are using up this limited resource. It is now becoming more and more important that we use out water wisely and not waste it.

According to the Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average home uses 50 to 100 gallons of water per person per day! The greatest amount of water used is in the bathroom; the laundry room comes in second.

A water faucet left running can use 20 gallons of water while you shave, 10 gallons while you brush your teeth, and 2 gallons while you wash your hands. A continuous shower requires up to 12 gallons per minute, and a full bathtub uses 36 gallons. Wetting down, soaping up, and rinsing off rapidly uses only 4 gallons. Water at a minimum level in a bath uses only 10 to 12 gallons. Automatic dishwashers use up to 16 gallons of water; washing dishes by hand in a sink or dishpan requires only 5 gallons.

Below are a few products that can help in conserving water:

1.6 GPM High Efficiency Shower Head

Drip Counter

Shower Timer from Envirosax

Toilet Tune Up Water Conservation Kit



"When the well's dry, we know the worth of water..." Benjamin Franklin 1746

Fuse Plastic Bags

I came across this awesome idea. By using plastic bags you get at the grocery store, you can create your own reusable grocery tote!

Things you'll need:

• Plastic bags (thin and flimsy work best)
• Scissors
  
• Parchment paper, freezer paper or copy paper
• Iron & ironing surface
  

Here is a video that give a tutorial on how to fuse the plastic...



Here's a print tutorial from Etsy Labs too

Step-by-step instructions on how to create your own plastic tote!

Here's a few more ideas of what you can create with fused plastic bags...


Some important things to remember:

• A well ventilated area is a must!
  
• For bags with printing on it, make sure to turn the bags inside out
• If the bag has a cool design that you'd like to see, place a clear plastic bag layered on top of the printed one
  
• Make sure there are 6-8 layers of plastic to avoid holes in the material & to make it strong
• Set your iron to 'rayon' or 'silk'
• Be careful- it will be hot to the touch!
  

Yellow Pages Goes Green

I have not opened a phone book in many, many years.

I, like others, have little or no use for phonebooks anymore. My first instinct is to search the internet before I risk papercuts and the dreaded newsprint fingers. In this day and age the internet is more accessible than hunting around and rummaging for the big yellow book. I'm always either near a computer or have my BlackBerry next to me. Phonebooks just seem like an awful lot of waste, especially if it was unsolicited.

Over 500 million of these directories are printed every year. That is an average of two books for every person in the United States. These directories produce an overwhelming amount of waste, not only in terms of misused natural resources but also in filling of valuable landfill space.

To produce 500 million books:

• 19 million trees need to be harvested
• 1.6 billion pounds of paper are wasted
• 7.2 million barrels of oil are misspent in their processing (not including the wasted gas used for their delivery to your doorstep)
• 268,000 cubic yards of landfill are taken up
• 3.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity are squandered

The cost associated with the delivery and disposal of these books is exorbitant. Unfortunately, these unsolicited costs fall on consumers. Why are we paying for something that was delivered to our homes and offices that we did not ask for?

YellowPagesGoesGreen.org is a great organization that is working to educate consumers and promote the green movement to eliminate the unsolicited delivery of Yellow and White Pages books. Their website is focused on starting a national movement to bring awareness to the White/Yellow Pages industry in hopes to stop the delivery of books. On the site you can also sign up to remove your home or office from receiving the White/ Yellow Pages. Think of all the trees that will be saved!

"Your support is needed to help raise awareness and spark change in an industry that continues to wreak havoc on the environment. Technology has developed to a point where we do not need unsolicited telephone directories. By added your name and pledging your support, we can make a change!"

*thegoodhuman.com *yellowpagesgoesgreen.org

Altura Paves The Way To A Greener Future

RECYCLED PERMEABLE PLASTIC PAVEMENT

Altura is becoming the embodiment of sustainability.

We have adopted several methods to achieve this such as: tree grinding vs. burning; alignment with existing slope vs. going across the slope; and minimal ridge line interruption. We feel strongly about water reuse and hydro seeding, and pay special mind to the relationship between existing condition and altered water to achieve a minimal CO2 effect. In all of our efforts to lead in sustainability, we bring paving to the forefront.

Polymer Modified Emulsion method (PME) is a new paving method being adopted by several states and municipalities. It has been used for the autobahn in Europe for its durability and low impact to the environment.

PME contains no VOC’s. It is made of non aromatic recycled plastic. Lower layering of the product results in less ground disturbance. The material is resistant to temperature change resulting in lower heat emission that is increased further by its neutral color. Our light brown river gravel allows durability and heat reflection, while remaining aesthetically pleasing. This material is extremely durable with a longer life span than traditional paving methods; studies indicate that its lifespan is 12 years vs. one year.

PME is 60% permeable and allows natural re-absorption to the ground table, rather than direct shed to the river source.

Our use of natural rock curbing has several benefits that support sustainability over the standard concrete method. It acts a retainer to allow the sub-surface to drain.. If a100 year rain event were to occur, our secondary storm system will direct water to our 1 million gallon retainage area. This allows maximum natural regeneration while implementing safety necessary on slope sites.

The heating and crushing of concrete alone, accounts for approximately 7-8 % of carbon dioxide emissions on our planet. By pioneering new paving methods we will reduce carbon footprint, wetlands disturbance, and storm water runoff generation.

7 Easy Ways to Go Green

Change a Light Bulb

Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy -- and money. Unlike incandescents, CFLs convert most of the energy they use into light rather than heat.

Good for You: They consume about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer (10,000 hours as opposed to 1,500). Replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save up to $83 over the life of the bulb.

Unplug Things That Glow

Anything that has an LED (light emitting diode) that glows even after you turn it off continues to draw power (that you pay for). Your TV, cell phone charger, and printer are likely culprits. Unplug the offenders from wall sockets and plug them into power strips instead. When you leave a room, flip the strip switch to cut the flow of electricity.

Good for You: Unplug appliances and electronics that glow and you could save $200 a year.

Recycle Your Electronics

Americans tossed out a whopping 5.5 billion pounds of electronics -- TVs, stereos, cell phones, and computers -- in 2005, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The result? Millions of pounds of chemicals and heavy metals ended up in the ground even though it's easier than ever to recycle electronics. The Consumer Electronics Association created mygreenelectronics.org to help people find a recycling resource in their area. The site also provides a list of electronics, from laptops to baby monitors, that are easier on the environment and your energy bill.

Good for You: The average American household has three cell phones stashed in a drawer. Sell unused cell phones to greenphone.com. You'll receive about $35, and the phones will be refurbished and resold. If 1 million people recycled one cathode-ray tube TV this year, we'd keep 4 million pounds of lead out of the ground.

Support Local Farmers

If your food could talk, it would tell quite a tale. Typical grocery store produce travels nearly 1,500 miles before it ends up on your plate. All this traveling burns fossil fuels and results in carbon emissions -- a fancy term for pollution. Buying from local farmers means you're not only getting the freshest food possible, you're saving energy.

Good for You: To find farmers nationwide, visit localharvest.org, sustainabletable.org, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at www.ams.usda.govfarmersmarkets/map.htm.

Fix That Drip

When you next fill your water glass, think about this: We each use about 100 gallons a day, enough to fill 1,600 glasses.

Household water consumption has increased by 200 percent since 1950, even though the population has grown by only 90 percent. As a result, more than 36 states are expected to face water shortages in the next six years. Stemming the flow is as easy as fixing a leaky faucet or toilet; a dripping faucet can waste up to 74 gallons a day, a leaking toilet up to 200 gallons a day.

Good for You: Repair a leaky toilet and you can save $30 a year, which may not sound like much until you realize it means
73,000 gallons.

Look for the Label

When it's time to replace a household appliance, choose a product with an Energy Star label. Sponsored by the EPA and the Department of Energy, the Energy Star program rates products from light bulbs to kitchen appliances. Energy Star labels guarantee that products are energy-efficient. For example, a battery charger labeled with the Energy Star logo will use 35 percent less energy than a standard one. You may even be eligible for a tax credit when you purchase an Energy Star product. Information at energystar.gov.

Good for You: A household with Energy Star products uses about 30 percent less energy than the average household -- an annual savings of about $570.

Do Full Loads

Whenever you wash just a few clothes or dishes at a time rather than waiting for a full load to accumulate, you're wasting water, power, and money. The average American family of four washes about 540 loads of laundry a year, which consumes up to 21,000 gallons of water, and more than 150 loads of dishes, which uses about 1,500 gallons. Most of the energy consumed by washers goes toward heating the water -- about 90 percent in the clothes washer and 80 percent in the dishwasher. Combining half-loads, choosing short cycles, and using cold or warm rather than hot water in the clothes washer racks up savings.

Good for You: Wash two fewer loads of clothes and one fewer load of dishes a week and save up to 4,500 gallons of water a year.

* www.bhg.com