Green Ideas
Put those dirty butts where they belong
December 15, 2014Can you name the most common piece of litter found on roads, parking lots, storm drains and beaches? If you said cigarettes and cigarette butts, you just answered the $16 million question (that’s the high-end estimate of the cost for major cities and municipalities to clean them up). In 2010, the Ocean Conservancy says, more…
Scientists: California drought is worst in 1,200 years
December 8, 2014If there were any doubts about the severity of this year’s drought in California, it appears two climate scientists just put them to rest. According to an article from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Daniel Griffin of the University of Minnesota and Kevin Anchukaitis of Woods Hole say their research shows it’s the state’s worst drought…
Got leaks? Here’s how to find out
October 15, 2014Don’t let a little leak add up to big charges on your water bill. We sometimes get requests from customers seeking a discount when they’ve lost water because of a leak in their home. Unfortunately, we cannot provide discounts for water lost because of leaks, because our nonprofit business model requires that we charge for…
Safely dispose of unwanted or unused medication Sept. 27
September 18, 2014Dispose of your unwanted and unused medication safely on Saturday, Sept. 27 during the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative. Flushing unused or old medications down the toilet can pollute our waterways. Wastewater treatment plants were not designed to remove these compounds. Throwing drugs in the trash or leaving them in the medicine chest can lead to unintentional use,…
In California, brown is the new green
September 10, 2014We’ve written several times about the problems posed by watering a lawn as the heat increases and the summer wanes. In California, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is taking it a step further. They’ve just introduced a new campaign called “Brown is the New Green.” The goal, organizers say, is to persuade residents “to…
World Water Week 2014 begins Sunday
August 28, 2014As August ends and summer draws to a close, World Water Week 2014 kicks off in Stockholm, Sweden. Presented by the Stockholm International Water Institute since 1991, World Water Week serves as a platform for discussions about anything and everything that have an impact on our Earth’s water supply. The SIWS website says the annual…
Lake Meade levels paint a frightening picture
August 21, 2014We’ve experienced drought in the Lehigh Valley: crops have shriveled, lawns turned brown, sometimes wells even went dry. But the drought in the Southwest is like nothing we’ve seen here; at least not in our lifetimes. They’ve had 14 years of a dry so severe it’s left Lake Meade – the largest reservoir in the…
40 years of the Safe Drinking Water Act
August 10, 20142014 marks an important date for the water coming out of your tap: Four decades of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act was, quite literally, a watershed moment for public health and safety. It set federally mandated standards regarding the quality of…
When August heat looms, plant these blooms
July 31, 2014Are you looking to add some color to your flower gardens now that other blooms are starting to fade? It can be tough to find plants that not only bloom in the heat of August, but can tolerate what is often one of the driest months of the year. While they all will need regular…
When you water the garden, don’t forget the birds
July 19, 2014We write often about alternative ways to provide plenty of water for your garden plants. But what about the birds, which help with pollination, keep destructive insects at bay and spread seeds? A recent article from Rodale’s Organic Gardening made us realize that we all can do more to keep our feathered friends happy. One of the biggest…