Author: Timothy Gildner
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A Cistern in NYC – Yes!
A cistern is not what you would expect to find in a NYC house; however, a brownstone in our backyard has its own rainwater collection cistern. The brownstone, billed as the “Greenest House in NYC” and the first residential property in Manhattan to receive the coveted LEED certification, was recently highlighted in Good Housekeeping Magazine.…
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Green Infrastructure
Since May is American Wetlands Month, I want to highlight the use of constructed wetlands, or green infrastructure, as a way to manage or restore natural hydrologies to an ecosystem. The technologies mentioned below are not necessarily new or revolutionary. However, with the recent government emphasis on infrastructure and green projects, I think the scale…
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May is American Wetlands Month
To celebrate, take time to visit a wetland in your area and enjoy the birds and diverse plant life that populate these important ecosystems. In New York, we have Clove Lakes Park in Staten Island. You can also search the US National Wildlife Refuge System using your zipcode. For the daily dose of education, wetlands…
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Your Water Footprint
Good Magazine has a recent posting on Water Footprints – how much water an individual and the products they consume use. Water Footprints are difficult to calculate and the numbers can be argued, however I believe the directional scale is useful. Click the image for the full picture, and if you want to start conserving…
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Mexico City to Treat Water Runoff
During last week’s World Water Forum, Conagua, Mexico’s National Water Commission, announced plans to build a purification plant to treat rain and water runoff. The US$1.3 billion project is expected to be completed in 2012 and is a build/operate contract. Mexico’s per capita water availability declined to 4,312 cubic meters in 2007 from 18,035 cubic…
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Fishing for Pollution
Scientists at the University of Essex have developed robotic fish that can detect pollution. Unlike previous robotic fish, these fish have autonomous navigation capabilities which enable them to swim independently. For recharging and data transmission, the fish are able to return to their charging hub where the data provide real time source and scale of…
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Will the Fortune 100 Save Us?
Environmentalists have long criticized our corporate behemoths for environmental violations and unsustainable business practices. Walmart, GE, Coca-Cola were once considered toxic to the environment and not the names that came to mind for a green future. However, environmentally-friendly announcements over the past few years have challenged this perception.
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IBM’s Water Membrane
Scientists at IBM Research, together with collaborators from Central Glass, KACST and the University of Texas, Austin have created a new membrane that filters out salts as well as potentially harmful toxins in water such as arsenic while using less energy than other forms of water purification. According to the press release, this materials in…
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Water Usage Per Person
Seeing Samantha’s post on water conservation kits reminded me how much water we use in the US compared to others in the world. The above data is from UNDP Human Development Report 2006. For your reference, 1 liter = 0.264172052 US gallons. I hope there are a lot of related posts that come from this…