State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

North America15

  • Free water saving kits from NYC DEP

    If you go to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection website, you’ll see that nearly half the items on the homepage are about water. There’s the large scale, like protecting and maintaining the sewer systems and watersheds, and also the smaller scale, such as their rain barrel and residential water conservation programs. As…

  • Do you still drink bottled water?

    For most of the readers of this post, the issue of bottled water might not be entirely new. Surely there has been rising awareness and alarming voice about the downsides of bottled water. However, the market is undeniably still growing. Bottled water market is growing on a global scale and, especially in the U.S., the…

  • Obama’s Clean Water Initiatives

    From U.S. News: Obama Likely to Boost Water Quality Rules After Years of Lax Regulation [The Clean Water Act] Passed in 1972, the law was interpreted by both Congress and the courts for nearly 30 years as protecting virtually all federal waters. But in 2001, and again in 2006, the Supreme Court handed down rulings…

  • EPA Water Quality Video Contest- Win $2,500!

    For those creative types out there, here is your chance to have some fun while spreading the word about water quality and environmental stewardship. The EPA is offering a cash prize for a 30 or 60 second video that is usable as a TV public service announcement, or a 1-3 minute instructional video Full details…

  • Falling Demand = Rising Prices?

    Out west, the economic and real estate downturn have helped alleviate many of the water shortage problems; however, in Detroit the decrease in water demand has had the opposite affect – decreased usage is resulting in revenue shortfalls, making it harder to fund system maintenance – as a result, rate increases are in the works.…

  • What Do You Pay for Water?

    In the US we spend on average $3.75 for every 1,000 gallons. However, averages are misleading –  prices range from $1.30 in Phoenix to over $7.70 in Columbus Ohio. This map below shows relative pricing for the 30 largest US municipalities. Take a look at Florida (Miami $1.60) compared to the relatively water rich east…

  • Engineered Osmosis

    Researchers at Yale have developed a water purification system that uses one-tenth the electric energy of conventional desalination systems.

  • As Economy Falters, Everglades May Lose Out

    In the past months, the headlines have been dominated by news of yet another bad day for the stock market. But, there is another casualty of the recession that probably isn’t getting as much press. While stocks continue to plummet, the Everglades of South Florida may also be falling on hard times as a result…

  • Free water saving kits from NYC DEP

    If you go to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection website, you’ll see that nearly half the items on the homepage are about water. There’s the large scale, like protecting and maintaining the sewer systems and watersheds, and also the smaller scale, such as their rain barrel and residential water conservation programs. As…

  • Do you still drink bottled water?

    For most of the readers of this post, the issue of bottled water might not be entirely new. Surely there has been rising awareness and alarming voice about the downsides of bottled water. However, the market is undeniably still growing. Bottled water market is growing on a global scale and, especially in the U.S., the…

  • Obama’s Clean Water Initiatives

    From U.S. News: Obama Likely to Boost Water Quality Rules After Years of Lax Regulation [The Clean Water Act] Passed in 1972, the law was interpreted by both Congress and the courts for nearly 30 years as protecting virtually all federal waters. But in 2001, and again in 2006, the Supreme Court handed down rulings…

  • EPA Water Quality Video Contest- Win $2,500!

    For those creative types out there, here is your chance to have some fun while spreading the word about water quality and environmental stewardship. The EPA is offering a cash prize for a 30 or 60 second video that is usable as a TV public service announcement, or a 1-3 minute instructional video Full details…

  • Falling Demand = Rising Prices?

    Out west, the economic and real estate downturn have helped alleviate many of the water shortage problems; however, in Detroit the decrease in water demand has had the opposite affect – decreased usage is resulting in revenue shortfalls, making it harder to fund system maintenance – as a result, rate increases are in the works.…

  • What Do You Pay for Water?

    In the US we spend on average $3.75 for every 1,000 gallons. However, averages are misleading –  prices range from $1.30 in Phoenix to over $7.70 in Columbus Ohio. This map below shows relative pricing for the 30 largest US municipalities. Take a look at Florida (Miami $1.60) compared to the relatively water rich east…

  • Engineered Osmosis

    Researchers at Yale have developed a water purification system that uses one-tenth the electric energy of conventional desalination systems.

  • As Economy Falters, Everglades May Lose Out

    In the past months, the headlines have been dominated by news of yet another bad day for the stock market. But, there is another casualty of the recession that probably isn’t getting as much press. While stocks continue to plummet, the Everglades of South Florida may also be falling on hard times as a result…