Green Ideas
Rainwater collection — it’s not just for gardens anymore
July 8, 2014We noticed an interesting discussion over on a LinkedIn Group called “UN-Water,” about the collection of rain for use as drinking water. As one commenter stated: “Collecting rainwater on concrete surfaces and collecting it in underground tanks for drinking use … has been a popular practice in a number of areas in western Rajasthan India.”…
Proper watering is key to healthy plants, happy environment
June 22, 2014The summer heat is about to hit. Proper watering techniques will ensure your gardens don’t take the brunt of the impact — and also conserve your liquid assets. The first step, according to Rodale’s Organic Gardening, is determining the garden’s soil type: sand, loam or clay, or some combination thereof. Loamy soils are usually the…
A novel idea: This book’s pages actually purify water
May 19, 2014Talk about a good book: a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Virginia, the charity Water is Life and The Drinkable Book project resulted in a book that not only provides information on clean water, but can actually be used to purify up to four years worth of clean water. You read that correctly. The…
Invasive species threaten habitat, water supplies
April 29, 2014Our environment and water supply face many threats, but not all of them are from pollutants. Invasive species — flora or fauna that is not native to a particular area — destroy habitat by depleting food supplies or other species and, in some cases, reproducing at astonishing rates because there are no native predators to…
Before you buy that ‘bee friendly’ plant, check its source
April 12, 2014Are your plants bee-ing friendly to pollinators? A recent report states that home gardens may be doing just as much damage to bee populations as large, commercial agricultural outfits. The study, from Friends of the Earth U.S., Pesticide Action Network, and the Pesticide Research Institute, found that seven out of 13 “bee friendly” plants…
Study: Cigarette contaminants showing up in water
April 7, 2014Here’s one more reason to quit smoking: A study shows that contaminants from cigarettes can show up in drinking water. According to Water Online and Environmental Science & Technology, residual chemicals from cigarettes were found in both treated water and wastewater. The chemicals – all carcinogens — can also be found in rivers, oceans, lakes, and…
How much water do you really need?
March 26, 2014Could you make do with just one gallon of water a day? The Los Angeles-based nonprofit DIGDEEP Water wanted to find out, so last year they challenged Americans to use just four liters — about one gallon — of water a day, instead of the roughly 80 to 100 gallons a day used by the average…
Search for a simple water filter goes out on a limb
March 7, 2014MIT researchers have figured out what Mother Nature seems to have known all along: a section of sapwood (the soft, sap-containing wood found just beneath the bark of a tree) can filter water. The sapwood’s xylem tissue —which can be compared to a drinking straw that’s being used by the tree — pulls the…
All that snow is good for the groundwater
February 17, 2014The winter of 2013-2014 is turning out to be one of the snowiest on record. And while it’s a good bet you’re as fed up with the white stuff as we are, there’s one thing you’re probably not thinking about: all that snow on top of the ground is eventually going to go into…
A few water-saving resolutions for 2014
December 31, 2013It’s been a busy 2013 for LCA, but today we’d like to take a moment to wish our customers a happy new year and invite you to make some resolutions to make 2014 a great year for water conservation. 1.) Check every water fixture for leaks – that means toilets, taps, and outside faucets, too….