Boil water advisory lifted in Portland, Oregon

A boil water advisory issued Saturday after E.Coli was found in one of the city's water reservoirs has been lifted in Portland, Ore., and surrounding towns.

According to the Portland Water Bureau, routine water samples collected Wednesday indicated the presence of E. coli, and a test conducted Friday confirmed contamination.

It's interesting that the boil-water advisory wasn't issued until Saturday. Wonder how many people who get their water from this particular reservoir were sickened by ingestion of the contaminated tap water? Probably quite a few more than during a normal week since people were home for the Thanksgiving holiday and consuming meals and beverages made from the tainted tap water.

Though the Water Bureau notes that E.Coli in water supplies generally doesn't cause serious illness, it's not completely harmless either.

“If there are health effects from drinking water contamination, we expect them to be diarrhea and belly ache,” Dr. Paul Lewis, Deputy Health Officer for Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties said in a press release. “Although we are hopeful that the contaminated water will not affect peoples’ health, diarrhea can be a bigger problem for young children and people who have weakened immune systems. It is also important to note that the E. coli bacteria that is detected on the monitoring test may not be the same as the more notorious E. coli O157:H7, a cause of serious bacterial diarrhea.”

Water cooler at Indian nuclear plant sabotaged

This is one of those strange but true stories, definitely worthy of some water cooler discussion:

Workers at a nuclear plant in Indian were tested last week for radiation poisoning after a water cooler at the plant was sabotaged with tritium.

Here the strange, but true, details as reported by Bloomberg:

Radioactive material found in drinking water at an Indian nuclear facility was not stolen and the site is secure, the chief of the monopoly atomic energy producer said.

“There is no question of theft” of radioactive material, Shreyans Kumar Jain, chairman of the Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd., told reporters in Mumbai today. A person inside the company most likely obtained the material from samples of heavy water that inspectors regularly take at the facility, he said.

Workers at the Kaiga nuclear plant in the southern state of Karnataka were tested last week after tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, contaminated a water cooler. Two of 50 people who drank the water were being monitored by doctors for low levels of radiation and are expected to recover, while the remaining were confirmed normal, Jain said.

“If the exposure is within or close to the limit, it’s true that it will be flushed out in two to four days and it won’t have any long-term effects,” Prabhat Munshi, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, said by telephone today. “A serious injury can occur only if the exposure is several times above the limit.”

India’s top intelligence agencies are investigating the incident, including motives such as grievances or mischief, Jain said. Security is being increased across state-owned Nuclear Power’s facilities, he said.

The water cooler, which was located outside the reactor building, has been isolated and shut down.

Lessons of waste, redemption on the Plastiki

Next month, a yacht built entirely from reclaimed PET plastic bottles will set sail on an 11,000-mile voyage from San Francisco to Australia. We've written about the Plastiki before, and this week USA Today has a fascinating article about the high-profile trans-Pacific voyage.

Of course, crossing the Pacific is a secondary goal of eco-adventurer David de Rothschild and the crew of the Plastiki. The real point of this voyage to raise awareness about plastic waste and to force a sea change in the way consumers and manufacturers deal with such waste.

The Plastiki's voyage, which will be chronicled online by the crew and which and is already garnering worldwide media attention, will focus attention on one of the most damning environmental threats: how plastic is choking the planet. The Plastiki's message is one of reduce, reuse and recycle. It takes solid aim at the throwaway nature of our society.

Their point: If the world continues to create 260 million tons of plastic products each year, it's critical to find ways to reuse the non-biodegradable material.

The vessel itself is a clever example of how plastic can be reused. At the same time, the ship is a study in excess; thousands of plastic bottles comprise the pontoons that will keep the Plastiki afloat. And in that imagery, we have cautionary tale of how many plastic bottles are needlessly produced and consumed every year. And then there is the recycling message. The Plastiki will sail through the Pacific's Great Garbage Patch, "a massive, floating plastic junkyard in the middle of the ocean that is the direct result of mankind's polluting ways," as USA Today describes it.

We'll be watching along with the world, as the Plastiki undertakes it three-month voyage/environmental mission. Many eyes will be on the strange-looking boat. But in this post "Balloon Boy" climate, many people may view de Rothschild's adventure as a nothing more than an attention-grabbing, publicity stunt when really they should be heeding his message:

[Said] Jo Royle, who signed on to skipper Plastiki after a sailing trip through Antarctica revealed garbage in that icy paradise: "David can help people see we're all environmentalists and should make do with less."

Royle has just nailed Plastiki's mission. Much like [Thor] Heyerdahl's bold Kon-Tiki voyage made people rethink historical tenets, so de Rothschild has a chance to capture hearts and headlines with his crusade to reassess the way we deal with plastic waste.

"Our boat is just one giant floating water bottle," he says.

This simple image, de Rothschild adds, could be enough to shift people's attitudes toward recycling and the environment.

How can a Primo Water dispenser improve your life?

3 R Friday at Over Coffee

We love 3 R Friday at the blog Over Coffee because it offers practical tips for easily incorporating the 3 Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle - into your life.

Here's are a few recent easy tips to help you "darken your shade of green:"

Reduce: Reduce the number of plastic bags that are used during trips to pumpkin patches by taking a washable, reusable bag with you.
(I know that pumpkin patch field trip time is over but maybe we can all remember this one for next year)

Reuse: Reuse glass jars for Thanksgiving left-overs.
(This way you don't have to fret about your guest not bringing back your Tupperware containers)

Recycle: Whenever possible, purchase items made from recycled materials.
(Paper towels, tooth brushes, tissue, wrapping paper, reusable bags, boxes. The list can go on and on and on)

Bottled Water is for the dogs

Here's another one for the Hall of Shame.

A company in Japan is marketing a line of bottled water for dogs called "Pet Sweat."


First of all, what were they thinking when they named this product? Pet Sweat - ick! And what a colossal waste of money and natural resources. This one is worse than the Hello Kitty water bottles.

What's even more disturbing is that the ill-conceived, horribly named Pet Sweat isn't the only bottled water being marketed to pet owners.

As blogger Dogtopia points out, "Pet Sweat could take the lead from American manufacturers of bottled water for dogs, with names such as Fortifido, Hero Dog Water, Woof Water, PetRefresh, Aqua Dog, and Dog Whisperer Fortified Water for Dogs. Yet, 99% of dogs surveyed said they would still prefer to drink water out of the toilet."

Please don't buy these products for your pet. If you're worried about your pooch getting thirsty, carry a collapsible bowl along on your walks and fill it from a reusable water bottle.

Boil Water Advisory issued in Michigan

Photo by ralph hunden, licensed under Creative Commons

These things are becoming an almost daily occurrence.

Officials in Mesick, Mich., have warned residents to boil tap water before consuming it after coliform bacteria was found in the water. Its detection indicates the likely presence of other harmful bacteria in the community's tap water.

Environmentalists fight to keep pollutants out of Tennessee's Clinch River

A water quality fight is raging in Tennessee involving environmental activists, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Here are the details from The Associated Press:

Environmental activists are trying to stop the Tennessee Valley Authority from starting a daily 1 million gallon discharge of water that contains mercury, selenium and other pollutants into the [Clinch River.]

Representatives of Earthjustice and other groups told reporters Thursday they are challenging a Clean Water Act permit issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. They said technology is available to avoid the potentially toxic discharges.

The discharges into the Clinch River stem from new smokestack scrubbers that reduce air emissions at the plant where TVA is still engaged in a $1 billion ash cleanup from a December spill.

The activists asked the Tennessee Water Quality Control Board in a filing Thursday to reverse TDEC's Oct. 16 approval of the discharge permit.

TVA said in a statement released by spokeswoman Barbara Martocci that although "metals are present in the discharged water, state and federal agencies have determined that there is no reasonable potential for these materials to cause an exceedance of any water quality criteria."

Lisa Widawsky, an attorney for Environmental Integrity Project in Washington, D.C., said in a statement that the state agency ignored its responsibility to enforce the Clean Water Act when it approved "new discharges of toxic heavy metals, to the tune of 1 million gallons a day, into the same river devastated by the Kingston coal ash spill."

More water bottles recycled in 2008, but drinking bottled water is still a bad idea

The International Bottled Water Association issued a press release this week reporting that recycling rates for half liter plastic water bottles rose from 23.4 percent to 30.9 percent in 2008, according to two new studies by the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR): the 2008 Post Consumer PET Bottle Bale Composition Analysis and 2008 Report on PET Water Bottle Recycling.

“This big improvement in bottled water container recycling over the 30% mark, while encouraging, reminds us that still more needs to be done,” Association spokesman Tom Lauria
said in a press release.

We couldn't agree more.

While we're pleased that American consumers are more aggressively recycling bottled water containers, we'd like to see them trash bottled water all together. Recycling is the only option for dealing with the glut of single-serving water bottles already sitting on store shelves, in vending machines and in your refrigerators.

But let's not forget the other spokes of the three Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle.

Recycling was the way most of us are introduced to the green mindset. And it's a great way to deal with an existing waste problem. But individually and as citizens of the world, we need to put more emphasis on the other Rs - reducing and reusing. There's no reason to buy water in individual bottle servings when there are other equally convenient and affordable sources of water. And when we buy packaged goods, we need to seek out those in reusable and renewable packaging.

As consumers, we can speak very loudly with our dollars. If we don't spend money on one-time-use products and packaging, companies will stop offering them for sale and stop consuming precious resources to make them.

Photo by orphanjanes, licensed under Creative Commons

Battle over Delaware bottle bill continues

Delaware this summer dodged a repeal of its bottle bill, which requires a refundable deposit on purchases of bottled beverages. But this issue is far from dead in Delaware.

Governor Jack Markell in June vetoed legislation that would have repealed the state's bottle bill. Those who were pushing for the repeal argued that the bottle bill was flawed and was hampering curbside recycling efforts. Now activists in favor of keeping and strengthening the bottle have more work to do in convincing Delaware state legislators not to override the governor's veto and to support a revamped bottle bill to be introduced in January.

One of the common criticisms of bottle bills is that they discourage curbside recycling. Proponents of the repeal hauled out that same tired excuse in Delaware, even though numerous studies show that they actually increase recycling. Also, curbside recycling is not as widely available in Delaware as the bill implied, according to the online Bottle Bill Resource Guide.

We've never really understood this particular objection to bottle bills. The crux seems to be that if consumers can't recycle bottles and cans at the curbside, then they won't bother with recycling at all. While it's certainly more convenient to be able to throw all your recyclables into one container, it requires very little extra effort to sort and separate recyclables. In fact, many municipalities require residents to do that. Those of us who recycle already separate our trash from our recyclables.

It may take a while to get into the habit of sorting refundable containers from recyclables, but to argue that is an onerous task is ridiculous.

Don't we sort our laundry? And our groceries, storing the perishables in the refrigerator and freezer and the rest in the pantry? So, what's the big deal about sorting recyclables? Do it long enough, and it will become habit -- just one of those things we do.

For more on bottle bills, check out this link on Break Free 411.

Single-serve packaging is an eco-travesty

New data compiled by the Container Recycling Institute shows how recycling rates for #1 PET plastic bottles stacks up against those of other beverage containers.

Or rather, how many plastic water, soda and juice bottles wind up as waste instead of being recycled.

The number is staggering: more than 40 billion annually.


Only soda and beer cans have a worse record -- more than 50 billion annually are trashed, compared with more than 20 billion glass bottles.

What these numbers tell us is that American consumers need to do a better job not only at recycling but also reducing our consumption of plastic bottles, cans and glass bottles. We need to break free from single-serve packaging in all its forms. We're paying a huge environmental cost for the convenience of single-serve packaging.

Switch from bottled water to Primo Water in 5-gallon reusable bottles. Buy sodas in 2 liter bottles or replace them with healthier iced tea or lemonade you make at home. Purchase larger bottles of wine and growlers of beer. Pack snacks in reusable containers rather than buying convenience packs. Serve the kids water instead of juice boxes and pouches, or fill their cups with juice from a larger container. Freeze leftovers in reusable containers and take those for lunch instead of prepackaged frozen meals, which are often high in sodium and calories.

What are ways that you're recycling and reusing in your own life? We'd love to hear your innovative ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling.

Champagne Living blog praises Primo Water dispensers

Zippy, our blogging buddy over at Champagne Living, enjoys the good stuff.

She's an expert on living a lavish lifestyle for less. So, we're thrilled that she gave the Primo Water dispenser the Champagne Living seal of approval.

Why does she love Primo Water? Let us count the ways:

• Primo Water coolers are stylish
• Primo Water coolers help reduce waste
• Primo Water offers easy-to-use bottom-loading coolers
  
• Primo Water tastes great, much better than tap
  

But don't take our word for it. Here's a snippet of what Zippy had to say in her glowing review:

Both Mr. S and I drink a LOT of water. Coming from New England (where we had wonderful natural water) to Florida (where my town water tastes like someone's science experiment) - I found us buying cases of bottled water - 2 cases or more a week. Even though the mansion is "green" (meaning all bottles, etc. get recycled), the impact of using all of these bottles on the environment is just gauche.

We considered a water cooler, but lifting those 5 gallon bottles is a NIGHTMARE. We'd had one in the past and although having an indoor pool is nice, cook got a little upset that we had installed the pool in the kitchen. She found herself having to put on flippers to wade around in the water that was spilled from attempting to flip the bottles upside down.

When Primo Water Coolers approached me about putting one of their new coolers in at the mansion, I was ecstatic. You see, I had done my homework and Primo Water Coolers offer BOTTOM LOADERS. That meant there'd be NO indoor pool for cook to do laps in while she was trying to maneuver around the kitchen...

Oh, and Mr. S. is the PICKIEST water drinker in the world. I swear, he'd send me all over creation to find the ONE water that he likes. HE LOVES PRIMO (making my job so much easier). When they claim "taste perfection" - they got it RIGHT.

And here's the best part. Champagne Living is giving away a free Primo Water dispenser to one lucky reader of her blog. Follow this link to the entry form, and then get a bonus entry by taking the Break Free Pledge and vowing to reduce your consumption of bottled water.

Choosing a Reusable Water Bottle

For all the knocks against single-serve bottled water, it is convenient. That's probably why millions of consumers are still knocking back bottled water, despite the environmental cost of this habit.

Today, there's no excuse for not ditching bottled water. Reusable water bottles to suit every style, lifestyle and budget are widely available.

Here are a few that we like for one reason or another: price, design, size, functionality:

Bean Canteen

We love the groovy look of the Bean Canteen from L.L. Bean, and the sport cap makes for easy on-the-go sipping.

This stainless steel bottle holds 18 ounces and sells for $19.95. It's safe for water, juices and sports drinks.






Kid Kanteen Sippy

It's never too early to become a good steward of the environment.

The toddler-sized kid kanteen sippy from klean kanteen is available in a range of colors. At 12 ounces, it's perfectly sized for little sippers, and the sippy top ensures that moms and dads won't have to waste their energy cleaning up messes.

This stainless steel bottle sells for $17.95 on klean kanteen's Web site.




Klean Kanteen Wide Bottle

Conventional wisdom says adults should drink 64 ounces of water a day. Though there's some debate about how much water we need, it's a fact that most people don't drink enough water daily.

This big bottle solves that problem. Just fill it up in the morning and you're sure to stay hydrated throughout the day.

The klean kanteen wide bottle holds 64 ounces and sells for $32.95





Customizable Sigg

How hip are you?

Reusable water bottles have become fashion statements, and not only because going green is the right thing to do.

The reusable water bottle you carry says a lot about your personality.

While there are literally thousands -- maybe even millions -- of water bottles from which to choose , you can make a more individual statement with a customizable Sigg bottle from Cafe Press.What do you think of ours?

Prices vary, depending on the style and size you choose.

What do you think of ours?

Hello Kitty Retro

Speaking of Sigg, we also like the Sigg Hello Kitty Retro 20-ounce aluminum bottle.

Last week, we wrote about the introduction of Hello Kitty bottled water at 7 Eleven stores in Japan. But this is a Hello Kitty water bottle we can support.

The cost is $21.99






Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp


Here's another one for the preschool set.

The Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp, which is made from #7 plastic, is priced right at $9.25.

According to Nalgene, it's "tough enough to survive being thrown form a moving minivan, spill proof enough to compel parents to blame the rug stains on the dog, and odor proof enough to allow leftover milk to go undetected under the couch for months."



Nalgene On the Go

For adults, there's the Nalgene On the Go.

This 24-ounce, #7 plastic bottle is available in a variety of cool colors. But that's not why we like it. It's the one-handed, flip-top cap that we like. No fumbling with bottle tops when you just gotta have a drink.

The price is nice, too, at $11.99.





Laken Prisma Bottle

It's all about the design with the Laken Prisma Bottle with the Grolsch top.

There's something so old-school about this bottle's look. And the Grolsch top reminds us of a bottle of pure maple syrup. Crazy, right?

The price is up there: $33.95 for the 1 liter aluminum bottle at ReusableBags.com.



thinksport Thermal Bottle

The thinksport Thermal Bottle is a much cooler version of a Thermos. (No offense to the good folks at Thermos.)

With its attached top, the .75 liter stainless steel bottle is perfect for the gym, biking or when you're on the go.

It sells for $19.95 at ReusableBags.com.





Gaiam Love Bird Bottle

This is what's in my gym bag at the moment.

The design of the Gaiam Love Bird Bottle is a bit reminiscent of Woodstock. Peace, love, break free. That has a nice ring, doesn't it?

Seriously, though, this 25-ounce bottle fits perfectly in the car cupholder as well as on the elliptical machine. The mouth is the same size as a plastic water bottle, which makes sipping easy and not messy.

And the price was right: $12.99 at Target.

Educated Yourself: How safe is your tap water?

Find out what the EPA says about the safety of tap water in your area.

Photo by jenny downing, licensed under Creative Commons

Bottled water's role in pollution

NorthJersey.com has an informative article that talks about how bottled water is a huge pollutant.

While we don't agree writer's conclusion that drinking tap water is the only option that consumers who want to green their lifestyle have, the article makes some great points about how environmentally irresponsible bottled water consumption is:

• An estimated 17 million barrels of oil were used to make plastic water bottles in 2006, producing 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
• Energy is also consumed to fill, transport, refrigerate, and dispose of all these bottles.
• Worldwide bottling of water uses about 2.7 million tons of plastic each year.
  

Wordless Wednesday: Rampant Consumption

Photo by klynslis, licensed under Creative Commons

Presence of chlorides raises questions about tap water safety in Missouri

The Missourian reports today that chloride has been detected in water supply wells that supply drinking water to residents of Columbia, Mo.

What does that mean, exactly?

While the chlorides themselves aren't harmful, according to city officials, their presence in the water supply means that treated wastewater is finding its way back into the city's water supplies. That is raising concerns that "other potentially harmful contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and other household chemicals, could stay circulating in the water supply," according to the newspaper.

It's interesting to note that despite these problems, Columbia's water is "safe" by EPA standards. The city is not currently in violation of any EPA standards for clean water or water quality, though it has been in the past.

The problem could get worse if the city follows through on its plans to place a new well near four others where chloride levels are at their highest

Wisconsin school with toxic water switches to water coolers to keep kids safe

Numerous recent media reports, including this one from TMJ4 in Milwaukee, have uncovered toxic drinking water at schools.

After potentially harmful arsenic was detected in the school's well water, well in excess of EPA standards, Lakeview Elementary school switched from tap to water coolers to keep kids safe.

Those coolers are fun for students, but more importantly, they're the only source of clean water at Lakeview.

Arsenic has been linked to bladder and lung cancer and diabetes. But until 2006, the EPA didn't regulate school's water systems for arsenic, according to TMJ4's report.