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Water & Conservation

Guest Commentary: Flying to Unspoiled Shorelines This Summer?

At The Ocean Foundation we believe that every day should be World Oceans Day. Officially recognized by the UN since 2008, June 8th represents a day when groups from around the globe come together to celebrate our big blue resource and bring attention to the many threats it faces today. Each year this day has grown in the amount of recognition it receives and the amount of people that participate in it, highlighting the expanding knowledge that our ocean is in trouble and that we need to work together to combat the threats it faces.

The complexity of marine conservation goes deeper than marine debris, however it is one of the biggest threats. It pollutes our ocean, litters our beaches, and is often mistaken as food by marine animals causing serious harm and death. All known species of sea turtles, about half of all species of marine mammals, and one-fifth of all species of sea birds are affected by entanglement or ingestion of marine debris. A recent 10-year study of the seafloor off of the European coast has found that plastic was the most common litter found at all sample locations. Around 80% of marine debris originates on land, and 90% of all trash in the ocean is plastic. Plastic in the ocean breaks down into such small pieces that the tiny particles of plastic from a one liter bottle could end up on every mile of beach throughout the world.

One airline, JetBlue, is taking a forward thinking approach to ocean conservation in the Caribbean by partnering with The Ocean Foundation. Through our research we will directly tie the importance of nature to the airline’s main economic measure – revenue per available seat mile (RASM). Trips to Latin America and the Caribbean make up one-third of JetBlue’s route network; and the ecosystem health and natural appearance of these destinations have a direct impact on their business. By attempting to attach actual dollar values to unspoiled shorelines, we hope to strengthen businesses’ and governments’ interest in protecting the destinations and ecosystems we depend on.

In an ideal world, people would participate in conservation because it’s the right thing to do. However, as TOF President, Mark Spalding, states quite candidly, “If you think it sounds obvious that travel companies profit more in locations with beautiful beaches, then we have to ask — why aren’t countries whose GDP depends on tourism already natural leaders in conservation or waste reduction? The answer is that assumptions are not good enough. Assumptions do not create action. What we are doing is turning this assumption into evidence specific enough to matter in financial filings.”

The JetBlue/Ocean Foundation partnership seeks to create a business model for clean beaches in the Caribbean after proving that there is statistically relevant evidence that airline revenue is affected by the cleanliness of beaches. We will work together to develop a plan to strengthen ocean conservation in the Caribbean by making it easier for businesses that operate in the Caribbean to calculate their profit margin from a clean, healthy natural resource. One aspect of this will be sharing this plan with others and finding local partners to work directly on the issue of cleaning up marine debris in these areas. Our primary objective is to prevent trash from getting in the ocean in the first place. For example, airlines and travel companies, who would profit more by sending people to clean beaches rather than dirty ones, will be able to see the profitability in improving solid waste management, and indirectly the marine debris problem if they see how it helps grow their business.

When we look at conservation through the business lens we are able to show why natural beauty makes economic sense – taking the universal concept of return on investment and applying it to sustainability. Marine debris results in millions in wasted resources and revenues each year. If the value of nature can be shown to impact the bottom line then we can increase collaboration on conservation issues on a more global scale.

According to a Nielsen study from March 2012, when companies support social or environmental issues, consumer affinity overwhelmingly upsurges. Throughout our ten years The Ocean Foundation has partnered with other organizations such as Tiffany & Co., Absolut Vodka, Columbia Sportswear, Alaska Brewing, LLC, SaltWater Brewery and more to help combat various ocean threats in unique ways. By adopting this perspective we hope to inspire more businesses to become involved in ocean conservation around the world.

The ocean accounts for 70% of the Earth’s surface, it is one of our most valuable resources and the ocean is also a global business. The ocean is too big to go at it alone and it needs all the help we can provide. We hope that as the tradition of World Oceans Day continues it becomes more of a celebration of conservation successes than raising awareness of the threats.

05/29/2014 0 comment

Green Building Water & Conservation

Boston’s District Energy Network Gains New ‘Green’ Steam

written by CleanTechies Staff

A recently completed revitalization of an extensive district energy network in Boston, including a brand new pipeline extension, has begun delivering steam to connected facilities. Veolia North America, a global operator and developer of efficient energy solutions, built the new 7,000-foot pipeline to export more “green steam” to Boston from Kendall Station, a 256-megawatt gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Cambridge. The network, which will deliver steam to be used for both heating and cooling purposes, serves several of the areas major hospitals, biotech R&D facilities, 12 of Boston’s high-rise buildings, colleges and universities, and iconic infrastructure such as the New England Aquarium, Faneuil Hall, the Holocaust Memorial and the Prudential Building.

The company’s $112 million investment into the Boston-Cambridge energy infrastructure has already started to reduce the region’s carbon footprint by 475,000 tons annually – the equivalent of removing 80,000 cars annually from the road and is directly responsible for nearly 6 percent reduction of non-transportation carbon emissions for both cities.

The environmental impact on the Charles River ecosystem has also been minimized by the project through its ability to eliminate the thermal pollution, essentially decreasing the temperature of the cooling water returned to the river and thereby protecting the marine inhabitants of this precious natural resource.

“The City of Boston has been making great strides in creating a green city, which is possible through the dedication and help of Boston’s residents, businesses, and institutions,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “Veolia has been a strong and loyal partner with the City and the completion of this project marks an important step forward in attaining our Greenovate Boston goal of reducing Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.”

According to the company, the new steam pipeline connection (and planned reconfiguration of Kendall Station) supports Boston’s sustainable development goals. Specifically it:

Created green jobs: The project supported 147,500 man hours (welders, pipe fitters, insulators) that resulted in $21 million in labor costs.
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 475,000 tons annually, the equivalent of removing 80,000 cars from the roads.
Represents a $112 million investment by Veolia and its partners into improving the Boston-Cambridge system; Veolia’s total investment is $168 million since 2008.
Eliminates thermal pollution from the Charles River ecosystem, decreasing the temperature of the river and thereby protecting the marine inhabitants of this precious natural resource.
Improves air quality: By utilizing cleaner burning, domestically available fuel sources and taking into account Veolia’s infrastructure improvements and cogeneration assets, Veolia has reduced its NOx and SO2 emissions by approximately 36 percent and 61 percent, respectively.

The infrastructure improvements also support sustainable development in Boston and Cambridge by increasing the LEED ratings of buildings that tie into the system.

“The Boston-Cambridge ‘Green Steam’ connection is an innovative environmental solution that benefits the environment and the economy. Only a handful of cities in the U.S. have the unique opportunity to implement this type of solution combining existing district energy piping networks with innovative combined heat and power technology,” said Bill DiCroce, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Veolia North America’s Municipal and Commercial Business.

“A project such as this one combines the best of public support with private investment for one common cause – a more sustainable community. Today, we recognize the leadership of individual community members, local and state government, regulatory agencies and environmental conservancy organizations in support of these investments and the sustainable development of Boston and Cambridge.”

05/22/2014 1 comment

Water & Conservation

Industrial-Sized Rain Barrel Research in Washington State

written by Environmental News Network

In an effort to reduce the amount of polluted runoff reaching Puget Sound, the Port of Seattle is hosting a two-year study site for two unique metal boxes, which will bloom into rain gardens and help reduce pollutants.

“The Port of Seattle is working with many partners to restore Puget Sound.” said Commissioner Bill Bryant. “There is no single solution to saving Puget Sound, no silver bullet, but there are hundreds of different things we can do and this is one of them.”

Moving Green Infrastructure (MGIF) is a research/demonstration project to test the water quality performance of two innovative stormwater treatment techniques, a large “rain garden in a box” and a special soil mix with local, volcanic sands. Water quality from a roof in an industrial port area will be tested before and after going through the boxes to see how these two techniques perform. This research/demonstration project is part of growing efforts to reduce the amount of polluted runoff reaching Puget Sound, which is estimated to receive between 14 and 94 million pounds of toxic pollutants every year. Two large steel boxes, called Splash Boxxes, are being installed at Terminal 91. These boxes are a blend of rain garden and cistern, two practices referred to as low impact development, or LID.

“LID works,” said Amy Waterman of Gealogica, “resulting in 98-99% reduction in runoff volume and 83-99% reduction in key pollutants.”

The information from this study will help shed light on the potential for these bioretention planter boxes to improve water quality of polluted runoff in commercial/industrial areas and whether soil mixes used in rain gardens and bioswales could be improved. One box is going to have a unique soil mix with volcanic sands and the other will be a typical rain garden soil mix.

“We developed Splash Boxx for just this type of industrial application,” said David Hymel of Splash Boxx LLC. “We are very pleased to be able to provide the delivery system that tests an exciting new bio retention soil mix design.”

“King Conservation District in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities supported this project with a grant for $49,700 because we think it is important to explore innovative solutions for our stormwater issues,” said Sara Hemphill, Executive Director, King Conservation District.

The water going into each box from the roof runoff will be tested once a month during the rainy seasons for phosphorus, nitrogen, bacteria, zinc, and copper. Splash Boxxes are part of an innovative stormwater research and demonstration project funded by King Conservation District and managed by Sustainable Seattle through a contract with Gealogica LLC. The Port of Seattle is providing the site for two years.

05/13/2014 1 comment

Water & Conservation

In Search of Safe Drinking Water

written by Environmental News Network

Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental requirement for good health and is also a human right. WHO and UNICEF’s indicator is based upon the “use of an improved source”. The authors of a recent study into water contamination postulated that this did not account for water quality measurements or monitor global access to safe drinking water. Researchers Robert Bain and Jamie Bartram from The Water Institute at University of North Carolina sought to determine whether water from “improved” sources is less likely to contain fecal contamination than “unimproved” sources and to assess the extent to which contamination varies by source type and setting.

Studies from online databases published between 1990 and August 2013 in Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were identified, including PubMed and Web of Science, and grey literature. Using this data, the researchers investigated the risk factors and settings where fecal contamination of water sources was most common.

Studies in low and middle income countries that assessed drinking water for the presence of Escherichia coli or thermotolerant coliforms (TTC) were included provided they associated results with a particular source type. In total 319 studies were included, reporting on 96,737 water samples. The odds of contamination within a given study were considerably lower for “improved” sources than “unimproved” sources.

However over a quarter of samples from improved sources contained fecal contamination in 38% of 191 studies. Water sources in low-income countries and rural areas were more likely to be contaminated. Thus, safety may be overestimated due to infrequent water sampling and deterioration in quality prior to consumption, having profound implications for public health policy.

These findings are important as WHO and UNICEF track progress towards the Millennium Development Goals water target using the indicator “use of an improved source”: this study shows that assuming that “improved” water sources are safe greatly overestimates the number of people thought to have access to water from a safe source, suggesting that a large proportion of the world’s population still use unsafe water.

Access to an “improved source”, such as piped water and bore holes provides a measure of sanitary protection but does not ensure water is free of fecal contamination nor is it consistent between source types or settings. International estimates therefore greatly overstate use of safe drinking water and do not fully reflect disparities in access. An enhanced monitoring strategy would combine indicators of sanitary protection with measures of water quality.

Unsustainable Use of Water Raises Questions

written by 2GreenEnergy

Last week’s “To The Contrary” on PBS did a fabulous job on the growing water shortage in the Western U.S. It seems that climate change and population growth have gotten the better of our ability to deploy technology and conservation, and are putting a severe crimp on agriculture in this part of the world, thus endangering the food supply and the jobs that are associated with this sector.

Like so many other things, our entire approach to water is unsustainable. Over a period of thousands of years, nature built huge aquifers that now, through just a few decades, are largely depleted.

At the root of humankind’s problems lies this: we don’t have a problem behaving as though there is an inexhaustible supply of water–or crude oil, or fish, etc.—when this so clearly is not the case. Few people in our world today ask, when they develop a certain practice with respect to natural resources: What will be the effects of continuing—and expanding—that practice as our population continues to grow?

Of course, the population growth rates are higher in the developing world, where the per capita rates of resource consumption are far lower than they are in ther developed world. But let’s look at the U.S., whose population (317 million today) will reach 400 million in 2039. It’s not a good scene.

04/28/2014 1 comment

Water & Conservation

Delaware River Watershed is Focus of Large Scale Restoration Project

written by Yale Environment 360

A Philadelphia foundation is providing $35 million to launch a host of programs aimed at better protecting the Delaware River, which flows through the heart of the populous U.S. eastern seaboard and provides drinking water for 15 million people. The William Penn Foundation, working with nonprofit groups such as The Open Space Institute, says its Delaware River Initiative will protect more than 30,000 acres of land, launch 40 restoration projects, create incentives for businesses and landowners to protect the watershed, and set up a comprehensive program of water quality monitoring that will enable the foundation and its partners to measure the success of their programs and the overall health of the river. A cornerstone of the foundation’s initiative will be its restoration and protection work in eight so-called “sub-watersheds” that feed into the Delaware River.

“We wanted to go to places where the water quality was best but threatened, or the worst but had potential for a turnaround,” said Andrew Johnson, senior officer in the foundation’s watershed protection program.

The William Penn Foundation is a family-held philanthropy with roughly $2 billion in assets. The 388-mile Delaware River rises out of New York’s Catskill mountains and then flows through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Foundation officials said that while the federal Clean Water Act has significantly improved the river’s water quality since the 1970s, the Delaware now faces intensifying threats, many from so-called “non-point sources.” Johnson said these include logging and development in the river’s headwaters, polluted runoff from farms and urban and suburban areas, aquifer depletion, and the looming prospect of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil and natural gas.

The Delaware River Basin Commission, a regional body that manages the river, has issued a temporary ban on fracking. But oil and gas development could move ahead at some point in portions of the basin, and Johnson noted that pipelines and other energy infrastructure is already being built in the watershed. “Energy development in upstream headwaters is obviously going to be accelerating,” said Johnson. “That is a threat that we’re very interested in.”

Working with 40 national and regional partners, the William Penn Foundation has designed pilot projects to protect the watershed from the banks of numerous creeks and tributaries to lands miles away from the river itself. “We are consciously making the connection between land protection and water quality,” said Johnson.

He said the initiative’s goal is to work with universities, conservation groups, local land trusts, citizens’ groups, and government agencies to establish successful pilot projects that could then be replicated across the region. Claire Billett, an officer in the foundation’s watershed program, said the initiative was seeking to encourage “cumulative impacts that wouldn’t be achieved if people were acting on their own in a more spread-out, disparate manner across the watershed.”

The “sub-watershed” program, which will involve projects in roughly 25 percent of the 13,500 square miles that make up the Delaware River watershed, will focus on areas where restoration and protection projects will have a high impact on water quality, the foundation said. The work in the eight sub-watersheds will be closely coordinated and the results will be monitored by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

In the Brandywine/Christina sub-watershed, scientists and conservationists from the University of Delaware and The Nature Conservancy will investigate the creation of a water fund in which key parties — such as the water utility for Wilmington, Delaware — would help purchase or restore valuable forested headwaters. Such water funds are being created worldwide, in places such as Quito, Ecuador.

In the New Jersey Highlands sub-watershed, scientists will be using advanced methods, such as identification of pathogens through their DNA signature, to track sources of pollution. In the upstream suburban Philadelphia sub-watershed, streams that have been buried or covered by roads or other development will be opened up, restoring habitat and connections to wetlands. In addition, scientists from Villanova University will launch projects to control storm water runoff, including the construction of rainwater gardens and rainwater trenches to keep polluted storm water from rushing into the Delaware River and its tributaries.

Foundation officials said the program will also work closely with the region’s many land trusts to ensure that farmland and other land conservation programs incorporate measures to reduce runoff of farm animal waste and other pollutants into waterways. One group, the Stroud Water Research Center, will create 100-foot buffers along long stretches of a stream. Other projects will work with farmers farther from waterways but whose practices can nevertheless pollute the watershed.

“We’ve been very concentrated along the stream corridor, but we think there are a lot of innovative things we can do uphill,” said Nathan Boon, an associate in the foundation’s watershed program.

As for one of the biggest potential threats facing the river — fracking for natural gas and associated pipelines and other infrastructure — Johnson said the $35 million program will include funds to monitor the expansion of pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure. The initiative will also study the potential impact of proposed fracking projects on the forested headlands of the Delaware, which he said are essential to the health of river.

04/02/2014 1 comment

Water & Conservation

Giveaway – Turn Any Toilet Into a Water Saving Dual Flush Unit

written by Sponsored Content

If you’ve tuned into a newscast recently then you’re probably aware of the drought that has affected most of the western U.S. for the past few years. In fact, water shortages are currently projected for 36 U.S. states, driving water & waste-water rates to unprecedented levels. Sure most of us already try to save water by turning off the faucet when we brush our teeth, or by taking shorter showers. But what about your toilet? According to the EPA, the toilet is the largest consumer of water inside the home, responsible for 30% of indoor water usage.

While the last decade has given rise to numerous innovations in energy efficiency, one of the greatest advancements for homeowners, in terms of water conservation, is the dual flush.

tapnflush3steps Who Needs Dual-Flush & Why?
It’s pretty simple really. The fundamental principal of the dual flush design gives bathroom goers the ability to select from two different flush types (small or large).

Of course, new dual flush toilets can cost as much as $1,000. So here’s some good news for those of you who aren’t too keen on the idea of splurging for a new commode, or spending the day with friends lugging your existing toilet down a flight of stairs: It’s a product called the Tap-n-Flush.

The Tap-n-Flush (you can win one by entering the contest below!) converts any toilet into dual flush regardless of the toilets age, at a fraction of replacement costs. Plus, it can be installed without tools.

Have an older toilet? Yup, the Tap-n-Flush can convert old water wasting pre-1980 toilets (5 gallons per flush) to a reduced water usage of 2.2 gallons per flush. Have a newer toilet? The Tap-n-Flush also converts new Low-Flow post-1990 toilets (1.6 gallons per flush) so they use as little as 1.0 gallon per flush. Although the usage varies per toilet model, the cost and time savings that the Tap-n-Flush dual flush converter provides homeowners are significant.

Now here’s where it really gets good…

Win a FREE Tap-n-Flush just by entering the CleanTechies giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

04/01/2014 3 comments

Water & Conservation

World’s River Systems Are Stressed Out

written by Environmental News Network

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI) many, if not most of the world’s rivers are stressed. Determining a systems water stress is based upon measuring the ratio of total water withdrawals to the available renewable supplies within the catchment area. Rivers are an indispensible resource for our communities and ecosystems and we are hugely dependent upon them for agriculture, industry and our natural systems. A stressed river system can severely threaten regional water security and economic growth, and potentially contribute to political instability—especially in the absence of an adequate water management plan.

In addition to water volume removal resulting from over development, rivers are also increasingly faced with nutrient and chemical pollution, flooding and droughts, and human engineered adjustments further exacerbating the crisis mounting in our watersheds.

To address the issue, WRI sponsored the Aqueduct project to evaluate, map and score the world’s one hundred largest river systems affecting 180 nations. Their project defined a high stress system as one that exhibits withdrawal of greater than 40 percent of the available supply every year and an extremely high-stress system exceeds 80 percent. They found that eighteen of the “extremely high” stressed river basins traversed across countries that constitute $U.S. 27 trillion in GDP—clearly the crisis is affecting a lot of people.

Listed by highest population, the river systems exhibiting the highest water stress levels are as follows:

Qom River (Namak Lake) in Iran, Yongding He River in China, Brantas River in Indonesia, Harirud River in Afghanistan, Tuhai He River in China, Sabarmati River in India, Helmand River in Afghanistan, Sirdaryo River in Asia, Rio Maipo in Chile, the Dead Sea in Jordan, Solo River (Bengawan Solo) in Indonesia, the Indus River in Asia, Daliao He River in China, the Colorado River in the United States, the Palar River in India, the Bravo River (Rio Grande) in the United States, Liao He River in China and Huang He (Yellow River) in China.

River basin stress management is vital for our planet’s future. Yet successful management is dependent upon understanding, cooperation and proactive cohesive response from all stakeholders including government, industry and civilians. Using WRI’s maps and assessments communities and governments can make better high-level decisions for more targeted response.

Read more at the World Resources Institute.

Article by Robin Blackstone.

03/25/2014 1 comment

Water & Conservation

Calculating Your Water Footprint

written by Walter Wang

Water scarcity affects 2.7 billion people worldwide for at least a month each year and in the same way that each of us has a carbon footprint, Professor Arjen Hoekstra of the University of Twente in the Netherlands posits that every person also has a “water footprint”. Our water footprint is calculated by counting the amount of fresh water that we each use daily and the amount of water required to produce the goods and services that we

02/11/2014 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Do Rainwater Harvesting & Attenuation Hold Agriculture’s Productivity Key?

written by Walter Wang

Water is perhaps the most essential part of any agricultural setup – whether it’s rearing cattle or producing crops, it’s what makes the wheels go round and keeps both individual businesses as well as the agricultural industry as a whole going.

It comes as no surprise, then, to learn that agriculture accounts for 70% of fresh

12/11/2013 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Clean Water Filtration: A Basic Necessity

written by Walter Wang

Clean water is a vital concern as many parts of the world struggle with its availability. Kenya is a prime example of a country on the edge. Kenya’s people have long struggled with lack of availability of fresh water creating hazardous health conditions. According to the World Bank, the country’s population is well over 43 million people. The country is one of the

11/29/2013 0 comment

Water & Conservation

NanoH2O’s Patented Particular Membranes Improve Economics of Desalination

written by Walter Wang

NanoH2O is a Los Angeles-based startup that has developed a new membrane material for use in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination. While RO is an established technology, its economic viability hinges on the properties and performance of the membrane.

NanoH2O’s CEO, quoted in this Greentech Media

11/25/2013 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Greenpeace Announces Early Bird Winners In Crowdsourcing Challenge

written by Walter Wang

Irrigation pumps powered by clean renewable energy, such as solar pumps, could solve both the economic and environmental dilemma: they don’t emit greenhouse gases, and their fuel is free. But renewable-powered pumps have remained a marginal technology. There is currently no such pump available on the market that is tailored

11/15/2013 0 comment

Renewable Energy Water & Conservation

Solar-Powered System Used to Produce Clean Water in Rural Villages

written by Walter Wang

Clean drinking water is often an overlooked privilege in first world countries. However, in areas such as the rural villages of the Yucatan Peninsula, potable water is at least a day’s drive away and costs more than local residents can afford.

MIT researchers have recognized this problem and

09/12/2013 2 comments

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