Ravindranath from the Rural Volunteer Centre, explained that mining activity has made the river water so heavy that farmers can't use it for irrigation.
What is the water footprint in the U s
Installation beautifully shows the impact of the sounds we makecertain sounds, say squeaking chalk or a cab driver's horn or even human voices, make us flinch.
Is growing vegetables from sewer water the next big thing in reuse? Brinjal, papaya, snake-gourd and black sugarcane are just a few of the crops Keshav Tavre grows on his suburban plot on the outskirts of Mumbai--all of it from a supply of untreated sewage that snakes past his land.
and purify so much water that he began reselling it to local factories for dyeing texties for industrial use.
This illustrates a second principle of water reuse: most of the water we use, for irrigation and industry, doesn't need to be nearly as clean as the stuff we drink.
You don't have to be a farmer in India to commit to conservation via so-called greywater recycling--many homeowners practice it already.
Simply put, fish are raised in a tank of water that circulates from the plants and back into the tank.
the water with fish waste is pumped into a gravel bed where the plants are growing,
In turn, the plants clean up the water for the fish. We've written about aquaponics before on Smartplanet as a small-scale garden
If successful, it could be a good model for cities that are struggling with water quantity and food desert issues.
hot water, space heating, water desalination, and other industrial purposes. Within the emerging industry, solar thermal power takes many forms towers, troughs, cones, mirrors, lenses.
The water for the polar bears is 54 degrees they have salinated water with fish, and it s a good place for them to dive deep.
The grizzlies have a tide pool that goes up and down and a stream stocked with trout. You ve said that Baby boomers are the worst culprits in terms of animal conservation.
But everyone had water, by the way. In 1968 I told people that water would be a problem,
and they thought I was crazy. Today s generation will do more to save the planet than any other generation.
I tell people what happens to our resources water, air, trees--will eventually happen to animal life
its goal is a 25 percent reduction by 2011 Water usage has been slashed by more than 30 percent,
When it comes to water use, the company says it has met its goal by improving its manufacturing processes,
maintaining equipment and figuring out how to reuse water. For example, in Australia where Kraft makes Vegemite
the company was able to reduce water use by 58 percent. The wastewater discharge from the plant was cut by 65 percent.
Oh, by the way, energy consumption dropped by 52 percent at the same time, proving that energy efficiency and water usage reduction are definitely symbiotic goals.
Kraft Foods Campbell, N y.,plant offsets 30%of its natural gas needs. Kraft has invested heavily in technology at the two of its plants
Better still, the permanent etching-hence tattoo--does not increase water loss, nor the entrance of food pathogens or postharvest pathogens.
Wax coverage is recommended still to prevent water loss. To test for decay, the fruit was inoculated with decay organisms and then etched with the laser.
Los angeles urban farmers run for officewatching someone water their lush green lawn in a desert landscape should be a surreal image-like a scene from a David lynch or Terry Gilliam film.
Making sense of water consumption (Water Wednesday) The Energy star label has become an iconic way to help people identify the most energy-efficient electronics gadgets, appliances and other technologies.
and volume of the water that goes into keeping up lawns and landscaping. The EPA figures that residential outdoor watering uses up to 7 billion gallons of water on a daily basis. Most people tend to adjust the settings for these devices once per year
and then forget about them. Watersense-blessed irrigation controllers will be tied into local weather data, so that plants and grass will be watered only when conditions call for it.
The EPA figures that the new technologies could help save up to 110 billion gallons of wasted water annually,
the EPA believes that it has helped consumers save up to 125 billion gallons of water and more than $2 billion in water and energy bills.
Past Water Wednesday posts: Online tool allows for comparisons of water strategy Scotts Miracle-Gro believes lawns aren t just ornaments Deloitte donates expertise to online management tool Cities that charge more for waster see fewer unexplained
losses Tampa Bay, Veolia offer twist on smart water management The philosophy behind Molson Coors beerprint Tech giant LG extends into water treatment Pepsico,
Nature Conservancy share watershed lessons Alliance to share water risk data; the value of wastewater Greenpeace challenges apparel industry to come clean Pushing for more disclosure Smarter home irrigation technologies Smart grid gains ground with water managers 3 water
management tips from Intel Pepsico grant supports clean water in rural China Many businesses blind to water risks
Malaria vaccine from the teats of genetically altered goatsmost malaria vaccines require multi million dollar facilities for production.
But most cases of malaria occur in heavily impoverished countries. And grant me one more generalization--most third world countries have plenty of goats.
Melbourne designer's vision for a water-smart citymelbourne--Rapid climate change and an increasing need for water conservation has compelled a Melbourne designer to create'Equilibrium,
'a progressive landscape project focused on water reuse, biomimicry and community. It's about working with nature to create innovative and clever waterways throughout Melbourne--in our backyards and in public spaces.
We like to call it a community approach to water management, Equilibrium's creator Phillip Johnson said.
and Flower Show (MGFS) for his visionary exploration of water recycle uses. Equilibrium concept design The Equilibrium project,
The first is the typical Australian backyard characterized by concrete slabs, exotic plants and water sources leading to stormwater drains.
The second option takes water capture and conservation techniques one step further through the creation of'habitat corridors
Capturing this water falling onto a site assists in improving the ecology of the city's urban waterways,
while the water and garden corridors help to filter out the pollutants. Adopting a natural system,
and creating movement in the water, Johnson said. My designs follow this natural system, scaled back to work in any backyard.
Johnson's key water capture and reuse ideas include: Installing permeable surfaces around the house to replace concrete,
Water can seep into the lawn and garden, improving soil moisture, rather than run into a drain.
Installing a rainwater tank to capture water for the garden, washing machine and toilet flushing. Diverting tank overflow
if the garden needs a little extra water. Creating a billabong or natural pool to store
and reuse water run off in the backyard. Source: savewater! Alliance) Equilibrium also demonstrated how produce
We encourage neighbours to think about interlinking their backyard water reservoirs to mitigate drought and flooding,
But perhaps not as wasteful as the extra water needed to clean the Milkmaid jug
or pesticides, requires little water, grows on slopes too inhospitable for other crops, and has a 10 times higher yield per acre than cotton.
Our water consumption at Fort Smith decreased 40 percent. We installed a railroad at our plant to transport nuts from the farm,
San francisco fountain: Retail power gone too far? Apple CEO: Wearable computing is'profoundly interesting 'What are the top 20 most valuable brands in the world?
Recent studies project that water demand in many countries will exceed supply by 40 percent by the year 2030.
However, about 90 percent of the world's water consumption is being tapped to produce food and energy,
meaning nations that can effectively manage their water supply would likely be in the best position to nourish economic prosperity.
and revamping their water management infrastructure. With such vast financial resources at their disposal the drought-prone nation has been exploring potential solutions to wasteful irrigation practices that have threatened to impede industrial growth.
Driptech, a small Silicon valley-based water technology firm, hopes to play a major role in that effort.
The company has developed an irrigation system for farmers that may help to shore up the problem of excessive water use.
Their system is a simple network of polyethylene plastic tubing with strategically placed holes that allow just enough water to drip into to the roots of crops.
the technology costs $100 dollars and can reduce water usage by 30 percent. In India, it's the farmer that's responsible for paying for water and diesel pumps,
Driptech's Director of Business Operations Jean Shia told Fast Company. In China, the government benefits more,
because they're responsible for providing water. So we have different channels set up in each country to benefit multiple stakeholders.
via Fast Company) More from World Water Day on Smartplanet: Startup Rentricity recovers energy from water systems Water's energy potential highlighted on World Water Day American scientist wins 2011 Stockholm Water Prize 10 ways to cut
water consumption Without sustainability, 'severe'water scarcity by 2050 Invention uses sunlight to produce clean water In 20 years,
water demand will exceed supply by 40 percent Why we're running out of water A bicycle that produces drinking water may help thirsty villages
New ripeness sensor developed to monitor produceflickr/DC Central Kitchen Scientists at MIT have created a sensor that has the ability to detect the ripeness of produce.
Such a product allows grocers to keep track of their food and sell it before it spoils.
a river was cut in the science classroom floor which actually flows with water when it rains, thanks to the new science wing's rainwater harvesting system.
reclaimed, non-potable water to irrigate landscape, and automatic lighting controls that dim electric lights when there is enough daylight, according to Aaron Jobson, AIA, principal of Quattrocchi Kwok Architects
hydroponics, composting, solar energy and rainwater capture. Fifth-graders can participate in the school's garden to cafe program, growing tomatoes, zucchini, squash,
They also require a network of piped water, sewer and electrical connections, the kind of vast infrastructure developing nations don't have,
such as energy and water. The end goal is to improve sanitation in a world where 1. 5 million children die every year due to diarrhea caused by food
and water tainted with fecal matter. The competitors could design just about whatever kind of toilet they wanted.
The toilets just had to be affordable and able to operate without traditional modern infrastructure such as piped water, sewer or electrical connections.
The reactor breaks down water and human waste into fertilizer to be used for agriculture, and hydrogen,
The treated water can be reused to flush the toilet or for irrigation. Loughborough University in the UK won the $60,
000 second prize for a toilet that produces biological charcoal, minerals and clean water. The University of Toronto won the third-place prize of $40
and urine and recovers resources and clean water. Eawag, or The swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology,
and EOOS received a $40, 000 special recognition prize for their design of a toilet user interface.
00 grant to develop a prototype toulet that removes water from human waste and vaporize it using a hand-operated vacuum pump and membrane system.
four water-saving designs Gates Foundation wants to reinvent the toilet
No Branding: Australia's new'plain'cigarette packagesno logos, no glossy paper, no color variations.
Pepsico goes off the water gridthe potato is about 80 percent water. The potato chip? Well, by the time the potato becomes a crispy chip,
the water is gone mostly, deliciously replaced by oil. Still, potato chip factories need a lot of water to make their salty snacks.
So why not take the water from the potato itself? That's what Pepsico hopes to do in four of its Walkers'Crisp factories in the United kingdom. Walkers boasts that all of its potatoes come from The british countryside,
but what if drought strikes? In that case, they could just begrudgingly outsource their spuds from Europe
possible changes in climate, regional water usage spurred by population growth, and governmental water regulations.
Instead of waiting for future restrictions to unfold, the company says it would rather see what it can do with
Water is still an emerging issue. Three to five years ago it was talked not much about
According to Pepsico, Walkers'biggest factory cut its water usage by 42 percent between 2001 and 2007.
or potato-reliant, for their water supply. The company is spending more than $350, 000 to test the i-Crop.
If successful, the smart irrigation system would give the tubers precisely the amount of water they require for optimal growth,
Pepsico says it will also experiment with different types of potato that require less water to grow.
with the intent to reduce water use and carbon emissions and boost yield. I-Crop has the potential to revolutionize the way we farm,
enabling our farmers to save costs and water and carbon consumption, while at the same time improving their yields,
water and packaging use. In fact, the company announced its first Sustainable Farming Report yesterday for the U k. market,
promising to reduce carbon emissions and water usage by 50 percent across the farming of its core crops in the next five years with the use of low-carbon fertilizers and new varieties of produce
Philadelphia's ambitious green infrastructure, clean water planthe City of Philadelphia announced that it will move forward on a plan to invest $2 billion over the next 25 years on green infrastructure to clean up the city's water.
These natural infrastructure projects filter rainwater and allow it to slowly seep back into the ground rather than runoff into waterways, taking pollutants with it.
Storm water runoff and the overflow of combined sewer systems--where stormwater and raw sewage flow together in the same pipes--into waterways are two of the biggest problems facing urban water supplies.
 But Philly is the first to embrace these smarter water practices with such enthusiasm,
Levine notes that all cities with combined sewer systems must have similar plans under the Clean Water Act.
Check out this video to find out what else the city is doing to keep its waters clean:
Police are concerned extremely as there is no water supply within the Park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees,
or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception. The force has asked Apple to fix the issue,
and proper drainage is needed to avoid water damage. Â Also, promoting biodiversity means finding ways to integrate different types of plants to a very particular Parisian climate.
the water in the river is the blood of our ancestors.''We wanted to illustrate that
and water to percolate down into the tree roots, which in turn grow thinner, less aggressive roots than trees hemmed in by concrete do.
 Water that freezes on the surface before it can run off will turn into ice, as it would on concrete or asphalt
they needed affordable water control. If they could get affordable access to water during the dry season,
they could get three times the price they get in the rainy season. We started with a simple device called a treadle pump.
Walking is the most effective muscular action that translates work into pumping water. In Bangladesh, water is only 15 feet down.
You can install a treadle pump that allows you to pump water through a filter.
A treadle pump costs $8 in Bangladesh. Drilling a tube well and putting a treadle pump on top of it costs a total of $25.
We're creating companies in water energy, health and education. People often feel that poverty is an insurmountable problem that can't be solved on a personal or local level.
 All one has to do is add water and drink it. Although some people add extras to it such as coffee or flavors.
My dream is to have it be able to be synthesized almost directly from sunlight, water,
We have changed also the water cycle. We are taking what is known as fossil water. This is found in underground aquifers that have been around for maybe millions of years we are pumping that water to the surface
using it to irrigate our crops and then letting it run off into the ocean. And then it goes into the cycle
but it never goes back to those aquifers. When that water is gone where does that leave our present agricultural system?
SP: So we have done essentially all this which has helped fuel our exploding population and our overwhelming population is now causing even more problems.
like finding way to desalinate sea water cheaply and easily. If we did that we would not have to worry about depleting aquifers
because it would take us a very long time to deplete all the water in the oceans.
Hargraves reminds us that in our daily lives we encounter constant natural background radiation from sources like cosmic rays, breathing radon, ingestion of food and water,
said Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources last year after a flash flood where in one day Singapore  received  77 percent of the amount of rainfall that usually falls in June.
 Henryleonghimwoh/Flickr Urbanisation has led to increase in storm water run off: Expert panel Today
Saltwater-cooled greenhouse grows crops in the Saharahow do you grow vegetables in arid areas?
The project combines existing technologies--such as the evaporation of saltwater to create fresh water along with solar thermal energy tech--to utilize
what we need (food, fresh water and energy). This week, the project, which is supported by fertilizer companies,
Its Qatar pilot plant produced 75 kilograms of crops (like cucumbers) per square meter annually while consuming only sunlight and seawater, Science reports.
At the center of the project is cooled a saltwater greenhouse, Science explains: At one end, salt water is trickled over a gridlike curtain
so that the prevailing wind blows the resulting cool, moist air over the plants inside. This cooling effect allowed the Qatar facility to grow three crops per year, even in the scorching summer.
At the other end of the greenhouse is a network of pipes with cold seawater running through them.
and is collected, providing a source of fresh water. One surprising side effect is how the cool, moist air that was leaking out encouraged plants to grow spontaneously outside.
along with useful desert plants around the seawater greenhouse. Another key element of the facility is concentrated the solar power plant:
The heated fluid then boils water, and the steam drives a turbine to generate power.
and pumps and can use any excess to desalinate water for irrigating the plants. The big question is economic feasibility,
The company hasn't focused intently on water management yet, Miller said. The most recent expression of Sappi Fine Paper  sustainability efforts came in August
or water sweeping with Karchers (high-pressure, industrial strength cleaning machines) are primitive at best, near-replicas of strategies used in Chernobyl nearly 28 years ago.
smaller doses also come from water intakes, and from inhalation. â Â Adds Professor Thomas:
It's part of a larger initiative by Scotts Miracle-Gro to partner with organizations that are working on water quality and supply issues.
in addition to creating materials to help educate communities on water quality and conservation issues. There are benefits that only gardens can provide
like Philadelphia, Milwaukee and others, are looking for ways to clean up their water supply and prevent the contamination of rivers and lakes through stromwater runoff.
Plus, the lot will now be equipped better to capture more of Seattle's notorious rain water.
Within it, the soil is separated into growing beds, with buried water sensors, and a earthwork propagation bin that actively distributes earthworms throughout the bed.
It is the model for how we should be handling things like water management, energy utilization,
due to water reuse and converting organic waste into energy. Here he is in a video explaining his take:
an 18-story vertical urban garden Why we â â¢re running out of water 7 reasons why the federal government needs to get smarter about its urban sprawl
The trees can even be used to collect rainwater. Electricity is generated by a built-in solar photovoltaic system that converts energy from sunlight during the day hours.
and support water technology systems. But within the steel framework of each tree is a vibrant Ecosystem of various plant species,
which results in very little water wastage. oewe use about three percent of the water of traditional agriculture and it all recyclable, says Farmedhere CEO Jolanta Hardej in an interview with Designbuildsource
The water used while cooking or washing the dishes is recycled to provide nutrients to the hydroponics.
and mixed them with water from Brazil's Paranã¡River, which was polluted with copper and lead.
The banana peel can't get rid of bacteria in water so don't strap one around your faucet just yet
rising farm costs and more pollution of land and water. oeit is the single largest threat to production agriculture that we have seen ever,
and eventually expanded his menu to include broken SIM card trays, cracked covers, water damage and more mysterious glitches, like unresponsive buttons.
Some 500 gallons of water fill a pair of food-grade polyethylene drums that he scavenged from a light-industry park.
What feeds his winter crop of lettuce is recirculating water from the 150-gallon fish tank
Wastewater is what fertilizes the 27 strawberry plants from last summer, too. They occupy little cubbies in a seven-foot-tall PVC pipe.
sustainable agriculture called aquaponics a neologism that combines hydroponics (or water-based planting) and aquaculture (fish cultivation)
because it requires 80 to 90 percent less water than traditional growing methods. The movement antipodean think tank is called a Web site Backyard Aquaponics,
Tito Jankowski, now a member of DIYBIO, became interested in toolmaking for biohackers after taking part in igem with a team from Brown University that had set itself the goal of modifying bacteria to detect lead in water.
just a few days without water can kill your garden! The time it takes to drag out hoses,
But what if you want to check on or water your garden remotely? How do you plug your garden directly into the Internet?
The goal of this garden project was to build a garden that was easy to water,
utilizes mostly cheap and abundant resources like saltwater and wasteland, and has the potential to reduce global carbon-dioxide output tremendously.
Unlike corn or even sugar ethanol, halophyte algae (algae that grow in saltwater) do not compete with food stocks for freshwater. oewhen the cost of pumping ocean water into so-called wasteland regions such as the Sahara
halophyte algae farmers could use solar-powered pumps to move water up from sea level or even up from underground aquifers such as the Nubian sandstone aquifer system that sits beneath desolate regions of Libya, Chad, and Sudan.
could lessen the world food and water shortages. Some 68%of the freshwater that is now tied up in conventional agriculture could
As many as 2/3 of the earth inhabitants will live in water-stressed areas by 2030 and decreasing water supplies will have a direct effect on hunger.
Nearly 200 million Africans are facing serious water shortages. That number will climb to 230 million by 2025
Finding fresh water in Africa is often a huge task, requiring people (mostly women and children) to trek miles to public wells. While the average human requires only about 4 liters of drinking water a day, as much as 5,
000 liters of water is needed to produce a person daily food requirements. Futurist Fixes 1. The Food Pill.
Finding fresh water in many parts of Africa is a monumental task. Individuals (mostly women and children) are forced often to trek long distances to lakes
ponds, or public water pumps in other villages, and are able to bring back only about 25 liters (6. 6 gallons) at a time.
but also to pump desperately needed fresh water from depths of up to 100 meters. While the average human requires only about 4 liters of drinking water a day
as much as 5, 000 liters of water is needed to produce a person daily food requirements.
are able to produce 1, 400 liters of water an hour, all while keeping children entertained. oewe ve got 700 units in the ground right now,
At a community about 40 miles north of Johannesburg, they had 500 children and no water supply to the school at all;
they had no fresh water, no toilet, no water to wash their hands. Every drop they used they had to bring from kilometers away.
We installed a Playpump there some years ago. The Playpump is just one example of a new and building movement,
With sections focusing on food, water, shelter, health and sanitation, energy and transportation, and education, oedesign for the Other 90%focused on problem solving for the vast majority of the world people who survive under the poverty level
Lifestraw is a personal water-purification device, designed by Torben Vestergaard Frandsen. The simple activated carbon filtration system aims to tackle the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the proportion of the world people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
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