State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

water matters51

  • Sand Filtration

    Via ScienceDaily, Dr. James Amburgey, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has developed an inexpensive and low-tech way to treat water using sand.  According to Dr. Amburgey, all that is needed to create safe drinking water is PVC pipe, sand and inexpensive treatment chemicals. Previous technologies have used sand filtration, however, this current…

  • Aquaduct Bicycle

    Note: The following image links to a promotional video from Aquaduct In the most recent Innovate or Die contest sponsored by Google and Specialized, the grand prize winner was the Aquaduct, a pedal-powered concept vehicle that transports, filters, and stores water for the developing world. According to the website, As the rider pedals, a pump…

  • LifeStraw®

    According to the World Health Organization, 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease, and 84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14. Access to safe and clean water is an option many people in developing countries don’t have. I think the picture above says all that is needed about the LifeStraw®,…

  • 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…

  • Water Pyramid

    A Dutch company has created the Water Pyramid to help create safe, clean drinking water in tropical and developing countries. While traditional reverse osmosis systems are expensive to build and use a considerable amount of energy, the Water Pyramid uses the sun as its primary energy source and has low operational and maintenance costs. The…

  • Sand Filtration

    Via ScienceDaily, Dr. James Amburgey, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has developed an inexpensive and low-tech way to treat water using sand.  According to Dr. Amburgey, all that is needed to create safe drinking water is PVC pipe, sand and inexpensive treatment chemicals. Previous technologies have used sand filtration, however, this current…

  • Aquaduct Bicycle

    Note: The following image links to a promotional video from Aquaduct In the most recent Innovate or Die contest sponsored by Google and Specialized, the grand prize winner was the Aquaduct, a pedal-powered concept vehicle that transports, filters, and stores water for the developing world. According to the website, As the rider pedals, a pump…

  • LifeStraw®

    According to the World Health Organization, 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease, and 84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14. Access to safe and clean water is an option many people in developing countries don’t have. I think the picture above says all that is needed about the LifeStraw®,…

  • 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…

  • Water Pyramid

    A Dutch company has created the Water Pyramid to help create safe, clean drinking water in tropical and developing countries. While traditional reverse osmosis systems are expensive to build and use a considerable amount of energy, the Water Pyramid uses the sun as its primary energy source and has low operational and maintenance costs. The…