TresSugar

Water Taxi: Company Bottles New York City Tap Water, Sells It

CitizenSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:30:06 -0800

I've always known (for like the last year) that the larger the water system, the cleaner the water. But Tap'dNY has taken New York City water to a new level: It's selling it. People even buy it!
The five boroughs actually have some of the healthiest water in the country. So healthy that the Environmental Protection Agency said it didn't need filtration (though Tap'd does filter) in 2007. And it's long been hailed the special ingredient in the city's bagels and pizza crusts.

Hope to taste that fresh Upstate water after it's flown through the sinewy pipes of Gotham? Forgetta 'bout it. The water is only sold in New York. City. Because, you know (everyone knows!), New Yorkers don't have faucets.

Since we're all caught parched and water bottleless at some point, I'll entertain the idea that Tap'dNY makes sense. To find out how, read more.

The green idea behind Tap'dNY is that it's local. It's pumped in a warehouse in Brooklyn and bottled 12 miles away in New Jersey. It's a lukewarm environmental tactic, considering 80 percent of water bottles go to rest in landfills. Yet at least one merchant has canceled its order of Poland Spring because the Maine-based (Nestlé-owned) company cannot keep up with its new competitor.

Are you drinking it up, or will the idea run dry?

Briefing Book! What's In Your Tap Water?

LibertySugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:30:28 -0800

Water: Someon drugged your drink. Find out what drugs you are taking each time you turn on the tap. - Good
Joe the Plumber: Winning strategy? Joe the Plumber now advising conservatives. - Huffington Post
Wall Street: Is "I-banker" a smear? One Wall Street executive would rather say he's a pornographer than I-banker. - Gawker
Sex: Sex education doesn't match youth's exposure to sex in the media. One church community is teaching real sex ed. - Feministing

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Water Is the New Oil: Could There Be Wars For Water?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:05:00 -0800

Theoretically enough water exists for everyone on the planet, yet all too often it is in the wrong place at the wrong time and in the wrong amounts. And there is no shortage of humanitarian crises when this happens.

Half the world's population lives in countries where water is scarce. Lack of it and ineffective sanitation are largely blamed for the death of 11 million children under age five; the hunger of one billion people; the inadequate food and nutrition of two billion; and 60 million girls kept out of school each year.

Water scarcity causes tension and is increasingly seen as a threat to peace, making it the new, new oil. It's blamed for causing disease, hunger, and mass migration. Many believe conflict is inevitable, and the secretary of the United Nations has even predicted "water wars."

While it makes sense that people would fight for their most precious resource, so far there has been only one war, between Sudan and Egypt, over it. Marq de Villiers, author of The Water Wars, believes this is because countries are more likely to help each when it comes to water, a necessity of life. "You cannot do without water," he said, "when shortages pinch, states do cooperate and compromise."

Will goodwill run out when the water does? Is war for water inevitable?

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UK Environment Minister: Green Activism Hysterical Religion

LibertySugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Officials in Britain and California seem to take a different approach to extreme weather. Britain's Environment Minister Sammy Wilson thinks environmentalists have adopted a "hysterical pseudo-religion," making him the enemy to some who look to him to help solve environmental problems.

In an article just published, the minister argued:

Resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change, rather than King Canute-style vainly trying to stop it. . . . The tactic used by the "green gang" is to label anyone who dares disagree with their view of climate change as some kind of nutcase who denies scientific fact. Reasoned debate must replace the scaremongering of the green climate alarmists.

UK green activists compare Wilson, who denies that climate change is man-made, to a cigarette salesman denying that smoking causes cancer. Meanwhile, faraway in California, officials avoid picking a fight; instead they're trying to adapt to harsh climate by creating a "water bank" to address the state's drought. The 2009 Drought Water Bank will buy excess water from local water agencies and farmers, and then sell it to public and private water systems if they run out next year. The catch: Whoever buys the bank's water must commit to a 20 percent cut in water use.

Do you think it's time to stop arguing about science and start solving problems, or does responsible and effective policy depend on knowing the cause of climate change?

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Thirsty Boy Interrupts TV – Viewers Make Charitable Splash

LibertySugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:00:26 -0700

Hoping to raise awareness about suffering caused by the lack of drinkable water, an ad agency in Belgium came up with a campaign called: "Thirsty Black Boy Interrupting Live Television."

During various prime time broadcasts, a young boy ran onto the set, chugged the glass of water sitting next to the host or the guests, and then quickly ran out of sight. The viral awareness campaign helped raised $5.24 million for the water cause in only six days!

Every day 1.1 billion people - equivalent to the combined population of North America and Europe - go without clean water. Even worse, every 15 seconds a child dies because he or she doesn't have water to drink. While some could derive colonial or patronizing undertones from the title "Thirsty Black Boy," it's refreshing to see creative viral marketing going to a good cause.

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Thirsty? 1.1 Billion People Lack Safe Clean Water

LibertySugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:30:50 -0700

You've heard about the oil and food crises, but did you know that every day 1.1 billion people - equivalent to the combined population of North America and Europe - have to drink dirty water and wash with it? WordVision's latest public service announcement wants to get that message out.

If you want to know more about the water crisis hitting both rich and developing nations, the documentary For Love of Water reveals how global water profiteering drives the healthcare crisis that kills more people than AIDS or malaria. Polluted water is the world's biggest killer of children under five.

The charity Just a Drop explains that in Africa and Asia women walk an average of 6 kilometers a day to get their families water. But, it also says that about $20 will supply a person in the developing world safe water for life. If you want information on more ways you can help, read more.

Just a Drop
Clean Water Fund
World Vision
Charity Navigator (Independent Charity Evaluator)

Jury Awards $11 Million Payout to Neighborhood Denied Water

CitizenSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:00:32 -0700

Imagine one family with 10 children sharing two tubs of water between them on bath night. Imagine a neighborhood where residents either pay for private wells to be dug, haul water from cisterns, or collect rain water to be able to drink, cook, and bathe.

In your mental image, what year is this happening? What country is this taking place?

Did you say Columbus, OH, up until 2003? No!? Oh, yes, it's true - and the 67 plaintiffs denied public water service from 1956 up until five years ago have just been awarded $15,000 to $300,000 after civil rights attorneys sued and won a discrimination case in which residents of a mostly black neighborhood were denied public water service. The award totals $11 million.

The residents of the Coal Run neighborhood went without public water for decades. One resident says, "As a child, I thought it was normal because everyone done it in my neighborhood. But I realized as an adult it was wrong." The money will compensate the plaintiffs for pain and suffering as well as monetary losses. To see the defense's argument, read more.

The defense that the plaintiffs were offered water years ago but refused services and that the case was a chance for out-of-town lawyers to make money from what they knew would be a generous cash settlement. And because many county residents - including commissioners, judges, and other local officials - are also not tied into the public water system, race played no part in the lack of services.

The Ohio Attorney General says, "this decision speaks firmly about the importance of treating citizens with equal respect, regardless of race."

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Thirsty For Change? US Mayors Tap Tap Water, Ban the Bottle

LibertySugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:15:18 -0700

The US Conference of Mayors, meeting in Miami, banned bottled water this week. The cities will no longer use municipal funds to purchase water bottles.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who proposed the resolution along with 17 other big-city mayors, said:

"Cities are sending the wrong message about the quality of public water when we spend taxpayer dollars on water in disposable containers from a private corporation."

But Newsom isn't exactly the first person on the tap-water train. Sixty American mayors have already canceled their hydration contracts, and some places in Canada have also banned the bottle.

Rejecting plastic water bottles is more environmentally and financially sustainable. Millions of bottles a day do not get recycled, and the plastic takes at least 1,000 years to biodegrade.

The American Beverage Association feels betrayed. In a statement, the association reminded those ready to turn on the bottle that private companies come to the rescue during emergencies that compromise public water systems. The statement also notes that plastic bottles are 100 percent recyclable.

Should thirsty city workers be subjected to tap water? First plastic bags, now plastic water bottles, whatever will we do?! Well, here are some great alternatives to the plastic water bottle.

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Sex in Water - Is It Safe?

DearSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:00:28 -0700

Having sex in water sounds so sensual, doesn't it? When you're swimming in a pool or lake, you're practically naked already, so why not slip off your bathing suit and get it on? But, wait: Is it safe to have sex in water?

Not exactly. Lake, river, ocean, and pond water contains bacteria. Having sex can introduce that bacteria into your vagina, which could put you at risk for infections that you don't want up there. Pool water, on the other hand, contains chemicals that could irritate your lady business.

Aside from health risks, the logistics just aren't with you on this one. Since lubrication is key when it comes to sex that feels good, you don't want to end up all washed out (literally). The water dissipates your natural moisture, so you're left with friction-filled sex that won't last long. What's worse is that if you're using a condom, the friction could cause a tear, and you won't be protected from pregnancy or STIs if the condom breaks.

What about sex while taking a bath or shower together? To find out read more

Moving from smooching to screwing in the bath seems like a lovely plan, but the same lubrication problem you have in other bodies of water will arise in a bath too. So what about doing it in the shower? Again, the water will wash away the wetness you make naturally, and we know that sex without enough lubrication feels awful. You could move to the end of the shower where the water isn't beating down, but you'll just end up chilly and with sore muscles from trying to have sex while standing.

My advice? Sex + water = no fun. So make love without the water.

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Bottled At "The Source"

GiggleSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:30:00 -0700

I guess Aquafina isn't the only brand that's 'fessing up to old tricks.

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