As reported by www.greenrightnow.com
Irving Independent School District has broken ground on the largest “net zero” public school in the United States. The Texas school district’s Lady Bird Johnson Middle School is designed to produce as much energy as it uses, thereby reducing operating costs for the district and shrinking the school’s carbon footprint.
To reduce energy consumption, the school is designed to meet LEED Gold specifications and will feature increased insulation, high-efficiency glazing, daylighting, and an Energy Star kitchen. The school also will use permeable paving to reduce runoff and harvest rainwater and grey water for irrigation.
Charter Builders of Dallas was awarded the $29 million contract to manage construction of the new school. The 150,000-square-foot facility will produce its own energy via solar panels, geothermal energy harvesting and wind turbines. If the school produces excess energy, the district could sell energy to a local electric provider, creating a potential revenue source for the district.
“Net-zero buildings help reverse negative trends associated with climate change. Irving’s new middle school will consume approximately half the energy that a typical middle school building consumes,” Scott Layne, the school district’s Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, said in a statement.
Scheduled to open in August, 2011, the building will serve as a three-dimensional learning space, teaching students environmental responsibility through practical, hands-on experiences with geothermal science, rainwater collection, solar panel usage, and wind turbine efficiency.
In addition to Charter Builders, planners who helped the school district develop the concept for the new school included architect Corgan Associates, Inc. and consultant IEG Engineers.
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system installed in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Water Conservation Needed For Future
Reported by Eco Home Magazine
Kathy Tomasulo
Water is cheap and, if you judge by our faucets, it seems plentiful. Problem is, drought, explosive population growth, and a range of other factors are pushing supplies—here and around the world—to their limits, and experts have dire concerns about the future of available drinking water.
In the U.S., the challenge comes mainly from population, which is predicted to soar to more than 420 million by 2050 (up from about 309 million now), said Shane Keaney of Bord na Mona Environmental Products during the 2010 NAHB National Green Building Conference. The problem isn’t limited to traditionally dry areas: Thirty-six states are facing water shortages by 2015.
“This is really becoming a fight over what’s available, and we’re really going to have to prioritize what it’s used for,” Atlanta architect Ryan Taylor, AIA told attendees during another session at the conference.
Problem is, many Americans don’t think about it until there are droughts and/or water-use restrictions. Taylor described attitudes using the “Hydro Illogical Cycle,” an illustration from the National Drought Mitigation Center:
Rain – apathy – drought – awareness – concern – panic --- Rain – apathy…and so on
We can’t continue this cycle anymore with the population pressure we’re facing, Taylor said. “It’s something we have to address whether we like it or not.” In addition to wasting water through irrigation and inefficient fixtures, the mind-set of “use water once and dispose of it” also is flawed. Solutions for conserving water include not only reduction, but rethinking how water is allocated for each task and how it can be reused. (See previous conference coverage for information on decentralized water reuse.)
Here is an overview of some steps home builders can implement to help homes operate more efficiently:
Plumbing:
* Passive tools: Reduce lengths of pipes and sewer lines and better placement of water heaters; pre-plan for installation of graywater and other reuse (now or future)
Low-flow faucets and showerheads: Consider offering as a bonus or with free installation; remember that low-flow means it takes more time for hot water to reach the faucet, so consider installing an on-demand pump.
High-efficiency toilets
Also consider lesser-known technologies:
* Composting Toilets: Use little to no water; cost up to $1,000, depending on the type of unit. NSF has standards for these units. Must overcome perceptions.
* Waterless urinals: The technology is improving; cartridge-free designs require much less maintenance. To make them more palatable, hide them, such as behind a louvered door, Taylor said.
Appliances:
Clothes washers: New high-efficiency models use 5 gallons less per load; horizontal-axis machines require less than traditional agitator models.
Dishwashers: Understand the functions and make sure your clients do too. For example, what is “normal” mode versus “efficiency” mode?
Rainwater Catchment:
Collected water can be used for irrigation and toilets. It’s free, is close to the source, has zero hardness, and reduces runoff, among other benefits.
According to Keaney, 1,000 square feet of roof will net 600 gallons of water for every 1 inch of rain.
Make sure clients know how to maintain it.
Greywater Reuse:
Water from laundry, bathing, and dishwashing. With basic treatment, water can be reused for irrigation; with advanced treatment, it can be used for irrigation and toilets.
Installation costs of treatment and storage: $1,000 to $10,000.
Requires dual plumbing. Tucson, Ariz., requires this setup, Keaney said.
Codes and jurisdictions pose a challenge, still, as do perceptions.
Plumbing and filters need to be maintained.
Blackwater Reuse:
All wastewater. Can be reused for toilets and maybe irrigation; depends heavily on state regulations.
Advantages: Can replace lawn fertilizer, saves money, could allow development where it’s restricted due to at-capacity infrastructure, among others.
Plumbing and pump need to be maintained.
Yellow Water Reuse:
Keaney reported this is starting to gain ground in drought-plagued Australia; could make its way to the U.S. in the future.
Finally, it’s important to remember that water conservation and energy conservation go hand in hand. Generating electricity takes tremendous amounts of water. In Georgia, for instance, it takes 72 gallons of water per person per day to produce electricity, Taylor said; multiply that by 9.3 million residents and Georgia’s consuming 669,600,000 gallons per day alone.
And it goes the other way, too: Producing, pumping, and heating water requires significant energy. California expends 19% of its energy for these purposes.
The good news is that many of these steps are simple to implement, and others become easier after a few applications and will continue to gain acceptance as jurisdictions and consumers become more aware. Educating the homeowner—and yourself—is the first step to smart water use.
Katy Tomasulo is Deputy Editor of EcoHome.
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system installed in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Kathy Tomasulo
Water is cheap and, if you judge by our faucets, it seems plentiful. Problem is, drought, explosive population growth, and a range of other factors are pushing supplies—here and around the world—to their limits, and experts have dire concerns about the future of available drinking water.
In the U.S., the challenge comes mainly from population, which is predicted to soar to more than 420 million by 2050 (up from about 309 million now), said Shane Keaney of Bord na Mona Environmental Products during the 2010 NAHB National Green Building Conference. The problem isn’t limited to traditionally dry areas: Thirty-six states are facing water shortages by 2015.
“This is really becoming a fight over what’s available, and we’re really going to have to prioritize what it’s used for,” Atlanta architect Ryan Taylor, AIA told attendees during another session at the conference.
Problem is, many Americans don’t think about it until there are droughts and/or water-use restrictions. Taylor described attitudes using the “Hydro Illogical Cycle,” an illustration from the National Drought Mitigation Center:
Rain – apathy – drought – awareness – concern – panic --- Rain – apathy…and so on
We can’t continue this cycle anymore with the population pressure we’re facing, Taylor said. “It’s something we have to address whether we like it or not.” In addition to wasting water through irrigation and inefficient fixtures, the mind-set of “use water once and dispose of it” also is flawed. Solutions for conserving water include not only reduction, but rethinking how water is allocated for each task and how it can be reused. (See previous conference coverage for information on decentralized water reuse.)
Here is an overview of some steps home builders can implement to help homes operate more efficiently:
Plumbing:
* Passive tools: Reduce lengths of pipes and sewer lines and better placement of water heaters; pre-plan for installation of graywater and other reuse (now or future)
Low-flow faucets and showerheads: Consider offering as a bonus or with free installation; remember that low-flow means it takes more time for hot water to reach the faucet, so consider installing an on-demand pump.
High-efficiency toilets
Also consider lesser-known technologies:
* Composting Toilets: Use little to no water; cost up to $1,000, depending on the type of unit. NSF has standards for these units. Must overcome perceptions.
* Waterless urinals: The technology is improving; cartridge-free designs require much less maintenance. To make them more palatable, hide them, such as behind a louvered door, Taylor said.
Appliances:
Clothes washers: New high-efficiency models use 5 gallons less per load; horizontal-axis machines require less than traditional agitator models.
Dishwashers: Understand the functions and make sure your clients do too. For example, what is “normal” mode versus “efficiency” mode?
Rainwater Catchment:
Collected water can be used for irrigation and toilets. It’s free, is close to the source, has zero hardness, and reduces runoff, among other benefits.
According to Keaney, 1,000 square feet of roof will net 600 gallons of water for every 1 inch of rain.
Make sure clients know how to maintain it.
Greywater Reuse:
Water from laundry, bathing, and dishwashing. With basic treatment, water can be reused for irrigation; with advanced treatment, it can be used for irrigation and toilets.
Installation costs of treatment and storage: $1,000 to $10,000.
Requires dual plumbing. Tucson, Ariz., requires this setup, Keaney said.
Codes and jurisdictions pose a challenge, still, as do perceptions.
Plumbing and filters need to be maintained.
Blackwater Reuse:
All wastewater. Can be reused for toilets and maybe irrigation; depends heavily on state regulations.
Advantages: Can replace lawn fertilizer, saves money, could allow development where it’s restricted due to at-capacity infrastructure, among others.
Plumbing and pump need to be maintained.
Yellow Water Reuse:
Keaney reported this is starting to gain ground in drought-plagued Australia; could make its way to the U.S. in the future.
Finally, it’s important to remember that water conservation and energy conservation go hand in hand. Generating electricity takes tremendous amounts of water. In Georgia, for instance, it takes 72 gallons of water per person per day to produce electricity, Taylor said; multiply that by 9.3 million residents and Georgia’s consuming 669,600,000 gallons per day alone.
And it goes the other way, too: Producing, pumping, and heating water requires significant energy. California expends 19% of its energy for these purposes.
The good news is that many of these steps are simple to implement, and others become easier after a few applications and will continue to gain acceptance as jurisdictions and consumers become more aware. Educating the homeowner—and yourself—is the first step to smart water use.
Katy Tomasulo is Deputy Editor of EcoHome.
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system installed in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Water Conservation Discussed at NAHB Green Conference
Though the droughts in the Southeast have eased, the need to conserve water has not—36 states are facing water shortages by 2015.
Conservation measures are underway in homes around the country in the form of low-flow plumbing fixtures, rainwater harvesting, and native landscaping, but more needs to be done: Population growth and land use will to continue to challenge strained resources that already are leading to water-use wars around the country.
At the residential level, one of the chief problems is that every day we send the majority of our pure, treated drinking water down the drain—not into our bodies—said Mike Hoover, a professor at the North Carolina State University Department of Soil Science and a speaker during the 2010 NAHB National Green Building Conference. The average U.S. home uses 400 gallons of water per day; of that, less than 3 gallons are for personal consumption.
Hoover believes we need to re-envision water and begin thinking about its various purposes. In other words, why not have “toilet flushing water,” “laundry water,” etc., in addition to “drinking water”?
Among the many solutions being employed, Hoover is working to bring attention to the idea of “decentralized wastewater reuse.” Wastewater reuse isn’t a new concept—it’s practiced on a centralized (i.e., community) basis more and more. But what’s not as common are on-site systems, in which certain types of wastewater are treated and reused on site.
Full article at http://ht.ly/1PMq5
Rainwater Collection Source for Potable Water
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system installed in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Conservation measures are underway in homes around the country in the form of low-flow plumbing fixtures, rainwater harvesting, and native landscaping, but more needs to be done: Population growth and land use will to continue to challenge strained resources that already are leading to water-use wars around the country.
At the residential level, one of the chief problems is that every day we send the majority of our pure, treated drinking water down the drain—not into our bodies—said Mike Hoover, a professor at the North Carolina State University Department of Soil Science and a speaker during the 2010 NAHB National Green Building Conference. The average U.S. home uses 400 gallons of water per day; of that, less than 3 gallons are for personal consumption.
Hoover believes we need to re-envision water and begin thinking about its various purposes. In other words, why not have “toilet flushing water,” “laundry water,” etc., in addition to “drinking water”?
Among the many solutions being employed, Hoover is working to bring attention to the idea of “decentralized wastewater reuse.” Wastewater reuse isn’t a new concept—it’s practiced on a centralized (i.e., community) basis more and more. But what’s not as common are on-site systems, in which certain types of wastewater are treated and reused on site.
Full article at http://ht.ly/1PMq5
Rainwater Collection Source for Potable Water
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system installed in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Economist Magazine Provides Global Persepective on Water
WHEN the word water appears in print these days, crisis is rarely far behind. Water, it is said, is the new oil: a resource long squandered, now growing expensive and soon to be overwhelmed by insatiable demand. Aquifers are falling, glaciers vanishing, reservoirs drying up and rivers no longer flowing to the sea. Climate change threatens to make the problems worse. Everyone must use less water if famine, pestilence and mass migration are not to sweep the globe. As it is, wars are about to break out between countries squabbling over dams and rivers. If the apocalypse is still a little way off, it is only because the four horsemen and their steeds have stopped to search for something to drink.
The language is often overblown, and the remedies sometimes ill conceived, but the basic message is not wrong. Water is indeed scarce in many places, and will grow scarcer. Bringing supply and demand into equilibrium will be painful, and political disputes may increase in number and intensify in their capacity to cause trouble. To carry on with present practices would indeed be to invite disaster.
Why? The difficulties start with the sheer number of people using the stuff. When, 60 years ago, the world’s population was about 2.5 billion, worries about water supply affected relatively few people. Both drought and hunger existed, as they have throughout history, but most people could be fed without irrigated farming. Then the green revolution, in an inspired combination of new crop breeds, fertilisers and water, made possible a huge rise in the population. The number of people on Earth rose to 6 billion in 2000, nearly 7 billion today, and is heading for 9 billion in 2050. The area under irrigation has doubled and the amount of water drawn for farming has tripled. The proportion of people living in countries chronically short of water, which stood at 8% (500m) at the turn of the 21st century, is set to rise to 45% (4 billion) by 2050. And already 1 billion people go to bed hungry each night, partly for lack of water to grow food.
People in temperate climates where the rain falls moderately all the year round may not realise how much water is needed for farming. In Britain, for example, farming takes only 3% of all water withdrawals. In the United States, by contrast, 41% goes for agriculture, almost all of it for irrigation. In China farming takes nearly 70%, and in India nearer 90%. For the world as a whole, agriculture accounts for almost 70%.
Farmers’ increasing demand for water is caused not only by the growing number of mouths to be fed but also by people’s desire for better-tasting, more interesting food. Unfortunately, it takes nearly twice as much water to grow a kilo of peanuts as a kilo of soyabeans, nearly four times as much to produce a kilo of beef as a kilo of chicken, and nearly five times as much to produce a glass of orange juice as a cup of tea. With 2 billion people around the world about to enter the middle class, the agricultural demands on water would increase even if the population stood still.
Industry, too, needs water. It takes about 22% of the world’s withdrawals. Domestic activities take the other 8%. Together, the demands of these two categories quadrupled in the second half of the 20th century, growing twice as fast as those of farming, and forecasters see nothing but further increases in demand on all fronts.
For full article
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=16136302
Rainwater Collection Important Solution for Water Supply
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system installed in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
The language is often overblown, and the remedies sometimes ill conceived, but the basic message is not wrong. Water is indeed scarce in many places, and will grow scarcer. Bringing supply and demand into equilibrium will be painful, and political disputes may increase in number and intensify in their capacity to cause trouble. To carry on with present practices would indeed be to invite disaster.
Why? The difficulties start with the sheer number of people using the stuff. When, 60 years ago, the world’s population was about 2.5 billion, worries about water supply affected relatively few people. Both drought and hunger existed, as they have throughout history, but most people could be fed without irrigated farming. Then the green revolution, in an inspired combination of new crop breeds, fertilisers and water, made possible a huge rise in the population. The number of people on Earth rose to 6 billion in 2000, nearly 7 billion today, and is heading for 9 billion in 2050. The area under irrigation has doubled and the amount of water drawn for farming has tripled. The proportion of people living in countries chronically short of water, which stood at 8% (500m) at the turn of the 21st century, is set to rise to 45% (4 billion) by 2050. And already 1 billion people go to bed hungry each night, partly for lack of water to grow food.
People in temperate climates where the rain falls moderately all the year round may not realise how much water is needed for farming. In Britain, for example, farming takes only 3% of all water withdrawals. In the United States, by contrast, 41% goes for agriculture, almost all of it for irrigation. In China farming takes nearly 70%, and in India nearer 90%. For the world as a whole, agriculture accounts for almost 70%.
Farmers’ increasing demand for water is caused not only by the growing number of mouths to be fed but also by people’s desire for better-tasting, more interesting food. Unfortunately, it takes nearly twice as much water to grow a kilo of peanuts as a kilo of soyabeans, nearly four times as much to produce a kilo of beef as a kilo of chicken, and nearly five times as much to produce a glass of orange juice as a cup of tea. With 2 billion people around the world about to enter the middle class, the agricultural demands on water would increase even if the population stood still.
Industry, too, needs water. It takes about 22% of the world’s withdrawals. Domestic activities take the other 8%. Together, the demands of these two categories quadrupled in the second half of the 20th century, growing twice as fast as those of farming, and forecasters see nothing but further increases in demand on all fronts.
For full article
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=16136302
Rainwater Collection Important Solution for Water Supply
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system installed in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Friday, May 14, 2010
Ford Focused on Water Conservation
More than $60,000 in mini-grants was provided to support these projects, including one at the entry of Humbug Marsh, part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. Ford volunteers are installing an educational garden of native plants. Once an industrial brownfield site, Humbug Marsh today is a world-class learning center for sustainability and environmental education and part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 2001 under the leadership of Congressman John Dingell who represents Michigan's 15th District.
"My friends at Ford have done a superb job of helping us with a number of projects in the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge," said Congressman Dingell. "They are to be commended for their continuing support for efforts to improve this important watershed."
"Water is the world's most critical resource and water issues are increasingly important to our stakeholders," said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "Ford has successfully reduced water use, and we continue to work on ways to reduce the environmental impact of our facilities."
For more than a decade, Ford volunteers have cleared debris from local rivers and restored banks along area waterways during a period in May. The Ford Volunteer Corps is active year round, but Ford Accelerated Action Days are sharply focused one-day efforts that meet urgent needs identified by agency partners.
In March, Ford MODEL Team volunteers worked on projects to benefit children and families. Ford volunteers will address community building projects during the Ford Global Week of Caring in September. Veterans and military families receive support in November and hunger relief is the focus in December.
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works to strengthen communities with initiatives that promote driving safety, education and life in communities where Ford operates. National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, which provides high school students with academically rigorous 21st century learning experiences, and Driving Skills for Life, a teen-focused auto safety initiative. The Ford Volunteer Corps, established in 2005, continues Ford's legacy of caring worldwide. Through the Volunteer Corps, Ford employees and retirees participate in a wide range of volunteer projects in their communities. For more information on programs made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, visit www.community.ford.com.
Rainwater Collection An Important Tool for Water Conservation
Rainwater collection has been popular and successful in Europe for many years. There is more awareness in the United States and especially in Atlanta that water is a scarce resource. More and more homeowners are realizing that collecting rainwater is the answer to having an abundant supply of free water for outdoor gardening and landscaping and even some indoor water uses. Ecovie Environmental is an Atlanta based firm that specializes in custom designed and professionally installed rainwater collection systems. For more information please visit their rainwater collection website which has more information and informative videos.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Rainwater Collection A Source of Indoor Water as Well
Next to outdoor uses, toilet flushing and laundering represent about 20-40% of water usage totaling 50,000 gallons annually for a family of four. This water needs to meet certain water quality standards as outlined by the State of Georgia plumbing code. The recently updated standards require fine filtration and disinfection with UV light or chlorine for uses inside the home.
The best time to install rainwater plumbing specifically for toilet flushing and laundry is when a home is being built or majorly remodeled since separate water lines are required. However, in some isolated cases this may be able to be done on a limited basis in existing homes as a retrofit.
Estimating the Costs and Benefits
ECOVIE can estimate the costs and benefits of using rainwater indoors. Typically, we will consider indoor applications after looking at outdoor water demands. NOTE: This type of project can be attractive financially since usage is year round and indoor usage does not fall under any type of usage restriction.
For more information please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
The best time to install rainwater plumbing specifically for toilet flushing and laundry is when a home is being built or majorly remodeled since separate water lines are required. However, in some isolated cases this may be able to be done on a limited basis in existing homes as a retrofit.
Estimating the Costs and Benefits
ECOVIE can estimate the costs and benefits of using rainwater indoors. Typically, we will consider indoor applications after looking at outdoor water demands. NOTE: This type of project can be attractive financially since usage is year round and indoor usage does not fall under any type of usage restriction.
For more information please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Atlanta Homeowners Combine Gardening with Rainwater Collection
Of course, plenty of Atlantans born in the U.S. are jumping on the bandwagon as well. Scott Garrison, a native New Englander whose property abuts John’s Creek, wants to get back to an old hobby – gardening – while also preparing for an uncertain future where, for instance, just what kind of access Atlanta will have to Lake Lanier’s water in the future remains a question.
“For some time I’ve wanted to get back to things like I enjoy such as gardening, and that realization dovetailed with the city’s ongoing draught,” says Garrison. “Water’s expensive here to begin with, and then I think something will happen with regard to Lanier and Florida’s and Alabama’s claim on that water, although it probably won’t be as draconian as some might fear.”
Beyond that, however, Garrison’s simply amazed at the amount of water that’s wasted in the city. “There’s so much beautiful and available land here, and it just gets paved over, resulting in a lot of flooding,” he says. “In my own neighborhood, we get these torrential rainstorms, and there’s just no way to collect that runoff. I don’t think the cost of installing these rainwater harvesting systems is all the great when compared to all the benefits that result.”
In Virginia Highlands, Mary Stouffer and her husband Mark, both Floridians, have suffered through numerous basement floodings since moving into their house in 1996 so have had to waterproof their basement and put in a retaining wall to solve that problem. Their rainwater system is one of the proposed pilot systems for creating drinking water! “As we got into this, we decided we wanted to make water a friend rather than an enemy,” she says. “We don’t want to be a burden on the water system; we don’t want to contribute to flooding at our neighbors’ houses; and we don’t want to pay higher and higher water bills. Installing a rainwater collection system in addition to solving our flooding problem is a win-win – and comes with the added benefit that our kids can play in the yard, having fun slipping and sliding and doing other things that involve water, without worrying about what that would cost or hurt the neighborhood.”
For more information please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
“For some time I’ve wanted to get back to things like I enjoy such as gardening, and that realization dovetailed with the city’s ongoing draught,” says Garrison. “Water’s expensive here to begin with, and then I think something will happen with regard to Lanier and Florida’s and Alabama’s claim on that water, although it probably won’t be as draconian as some might fear.”
Beyond that, however, Garrison’s simply amazed at the amount of water that’s wasted in the city. “There’s so much beautiful and available land here, and it just gets paved over, resulting in a lot of flooding,” he says. “In my own neighborhood, we get these torrential rainstorms, and there’s just no way to collect that runoff. I don’t think the cost of installing these rainwater harvesting systems is all the great when compared to all the benefits that result.”
In Virginia Highlands, Mary Stouffer and her husband Mark, both Floridians, have suffered through numerous basement floodings since moving into their house in 1996 so have had to waterproof their basement and put in a retaining wall to solve that problem. Their rainwater system is one of the proposed pilot systems for creating drinking water! “As we got into this, we decided we wanted to make water a friend rather than an enemy,” she says. “We don’t want to be a burden on the water system; we don’t want to contribute to flooding at our neighbors’ houses; and we don’t want to pay higher and higher water bills. Installing a rainwater collection system in addition to solving our flooding problem is a win-win – and comes with the added benefit that our kids can play in the yard, having fun slipping and sliding and doing other things that involve water, without worrying about what that would cost or hurt the neighborhood.”
For more information please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Interesting Editorial in AJC on Water Supply in Atlanta
By Jay Bookman
Atlanta Journal Constitution
No news is bad news.
Officially, negotiators for Alabama, Florida and Georgia are still talking, still trying to agree on how to manage shared water resources and end the legal fight that threatens to strip much of metro Atlanta of its right to Lake Lanier’s water.Because the talks have been shrouded in secrecy, it’s hard for outsiders to know how much if any progress is being made. Maybe, just maybe, a deal can still be reached.But we do know this much:
As recently as December, governors of the three states were suggesting that a deal might be concluded fairly quickly, in time to be approved while their respective legislatures were still in session.
Well, the Alabama Legislature adjourned April 22, the Florida session ended April 30, and Georgia legislators went home April 29, with no deal even whispered about. Even if a deal were to be announced now, its prospects might be doomed by another event of April 29. That day, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced he was leaving the Republican Party to run for the Senate as an independent.
Like his counterparts, Sonny Perdue of Georgia and Bob Riley of Alabama, Crist’s term as governor is ending. Lame-duck governors often don’t wield a lot of influence, which means it might be hard even under good circumstances for the three to sell a deal to their legislators.With Crist’s announcement, however, he becomes a man without a political base, and as a result any deal he might bring to Florida legislators would almost certainly be rejected.
So where does that leave us?
In the past, Perdue has floated a second means of resolving the dispute politically. Congress, he has said, could be enlisted to impose a settlement on how to manage Lake Lanier and its downstream flow.
Initially, Georgia’s congressional delegation didn’t think much of that approach, perceiving it as a last-ditch effort by Perdue to dump the problem into their laps. Upon further inspection, that assessment hasn’t changed much.
According to John O’Keefe, a staff member for U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, the governor’s idea “doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.” Georgia can’t match the political heft of the combined Florida and Alabama delegations, O’Keefe told a water conference last month at the University of West Georgia, and other states have no interest in getting involved in the dispute. But O’Keefe also sympathized with Perdue’s predicament. If no solution is found soon, he said, “Gov. Perdue would bear the brunt of the blame” of “an economic death knell to Georgia.”
With a political solution unlikely, that leaves the courts, where Georgia’s success rate has been dismal. Under a federal ruling last summer, the state has until July 17, 2012, to settle with its neighboring states or face a dramatic reduction in the amount of water it can withdraw from Lake Lanier. Georgia attorneys have filed an appeal to that decision. Ideally, they hope to overturn the decision by Judge Paul Magnuson that water supply is not a congressionally authorized purpose of Lake Lanier, which would be a great victory.
That seems unlikely. More realistically, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals could rule that Magnuson’s decision was too punitive to metro Atlanta, perhaps giving the region a reprieve from that looming deadline while a more rational solution is pursued.Water, in other words, is going to remain a chronic, recurring problem for metro Atlanta. “Once you have an interstate water conflict, you always have an interstate water conflict,” says water-law expert Jerry Sherk, an attorney and a water law expert in Colorado. Colorado and Kansas, he said, have fought over the Arkansas River for more than a century.
And they’re still at it.
For more columns from Jay Bookman please visit http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/about/
Rainwater Collection A Solution for Atlanta Water Supply Concerns
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Atlanta Journal Constitution
No news is bad news.
Officially, negotiators for Alabama, Florida and Georgia are still talking, still trying to agree on how to manage shared water resources and end the legal fight that threatens to strip much of metro Atlanta of its right to Lake Lanier’s water.Because the talks have been shrouded in secrecy, it’s hard for outsiders to know how much if any progress is being made. Maybe, just maybe, a deal can still be reached.But we do know this much:
As recently as December, governors of the three states were suggesting that a deal might be concluded fairly quickly, in time to be approved while their respective legislatures were still in session.
Well, the Alabama Legislature adjourned April 22, the Florida session ended April 30, and Georgia legislators went home April 29, with no deal even whispered about. Even if a deal were to be announced now, its prospects might be doomed by another event of April 29. That day, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced he was leaving the Republican Party to run for the Senate as an independent.
Like his counterparts, Sonny Perdue of Georgia and Bob Riley of Alabama, Crist’s term as governor is ending. Lame-duck governors often don’t wield a lot of influence, which means it might be hard even under good circumstances for the three to sell a deal to their legislators.With Crist’s announcement, however, he becomes a man without a political base, and as a result any deal he might bring to Florida legislators would almost certainly be rejected.
So where does that leave us?
In the past, Perdue has floated a second means of resolving the dispute politically. Congress, he has said, could be enlisted to impose a settlement on how to manage Lake Lanier and its downstream flow.
Initially, Georgia’s congressional delegation didn’t think much of that approach, perceiving it as a last-ditch effort by Perdue to dump the problem into their laps. Upon further inspection, that assessment hasn’t changed much.
According to John O’Keefe, a staff member for U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, the governor’s idea “doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.” Georgia can’t match the political heft of the combined Florida and Alabama delegations, O’Keefe told a water conference last month at the University of West Georgia, and other states have no interest in getting involved in the dispute. But O’Keefe also sympathized with Perdue’s predicament. If no solution is found soon, he said, “Gov. Perdue would bear the brunt of the blame” of “an economic death knell to Georgia.”
With a political solution unlikely, that leaves the courts, where Georgia’s success rate has been dismal. Under a federal ruling last summer, the state has until July 17, 2012, to settle with its neighboring states or face a dramatic reduction in the amount of water it can withdraw from Lake Lanier. Georgia attorneys have filed an appeal to that decision. Ideally, they hope to overturn the decision by Judge Paul Magnuson that water supply is not a congressionally authorized purpose of Lake Lanier, which would be a great victory.
That seems unlikely. More realistically, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals could rule that Magnuson’s decision was too punitive to metro Atlanta, perhaps giving the region a reprieve from that looming deadline while a more rational solution is pursued.Water, in other words, is going to remain a chronic, recurring problem for metro Atlanta. “Once you have an interstate water conflict, you always have an interstate water conflict,” says water-law expert Jerry Sherk, an attorney and a water law expert in Colorado. Colorado and Kansas, he said, have fought over the Arkansas River for more than a century.
And they’re still at it.
For more columns from Jay Bookman please visit http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/about/
Rainwater Collection A Solution for Atlanta Water Supply Concerns
Rainwater Collection is a proven water conservation approach and with the right equipment a solution for potable water. More homeowners in Atlanta are discovering the many benefits of having a professionally installed rainwater collection system in their backyard. No more worries about water restrictions. Your garden and landscape will thrive and you reduce your environmental impact. For more information on rainwater Collection please visit www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Rainwater Harvesting Is the Solution for Atlanta
By Bob Drew
Ecovie Environmental
Finally, rainwater “harvesting” – the process of capturing rain, storing it and “recycling” it for any number of purposes both at home and in the workplace – is coming into its own in Atlanta.
And not a moment too soon. It’s no secret, of course, that Atlanta has challenges with access to water from Lake Lanier and that periods of droughts and floods are commonplace. This has led to extraordinary debate about its cause – and, just as important, heated discussion about what kinds of remedies can be effected. The goal: Ensuring future generations have ample access to water to support Atlanta’s continuing economic and population growth.
Unfortunately, civic leaders have found few quick fixes beyond encouraging water conservation, banning or limiting activities such as watering lawns, and encouraging the installation of more energy-efficient appliances.
Long-term solutions – the building of one or more reservoirs, for instance – appear elusive, dogged by questions of cost and who will pay for them. Meanwhile, fighting continues over just how three states – Georgia, Alabama and Florida – will share the water of Lake Lanier, Atlanta’s premiere source of H2O – and the city continues raising its water rates (they will increase 12.5% this year and another 12.5% next year and who knows after that). (A little-known fact: According to Fitch Ratings in New York, Atlantans pay more for water than residents of any other major city in the U.S.)
A cost-effective, immediate, “take-charge” solution
Largely overlooked as a solution that can be put in place today – and bring immediate results: Rainwater harvesting by both consumers and businesses. Indeed, to date the concept has received little attention from politicians, civic and not-for-profit groups and the media anywhere in the Southeast, in part because the South has never been “water starved” historically in the way the West has been. As a result, water supply here has been taken for granted, an issue people have thought best dealt with by government agencies rather than by individual consumers and businesses who have had little if any “skin” in the game.
Little known in the Atlanta region – and anywhere in the Southeast: As we have suffered through the drought and watch Lake Lanier drain, a great number of Western states and cities have enacted legislative, tax, plumbing code and related changes and incentives that are making these areas water sufficient in large part through rainwater harvesting.
Here’s the great part: These rainwater harvesting initiatives in the West cost taxpayers little compared to the giant sums that have to be invested in major infrastructure projects such as the construction of reservoirs. And, most important, in many cases consumers and businesses are incented through tax breaks to install water harvesting systems on their property (just as they are in the better-known arena of solar power and the installation of solar panels) – a solution that enables them to take better control over their short- and long-term budgets while also knowing that they’re playing a part personally in a key “green” and eco “sustainability” issue.
To read rest of article please click-http://bobdrew.wordpress.com/
Sponsor: EcoVie Environmental is providing Atlanta homeowners with a number of rainwater collection solutions to help their water conservation needs. Not only do homeowners save money on their water utility bills they have unlimited access to water for all of their gardening and landscaping needs. For more information please visit their website- www.ecovieenvironmental.com
Ecovie Environmental
Finally, rainwater “harvesting” – the process of capturing rain, storing it and “recycling” it for any number of purposes both at home and in the workplace – is coming into its own in Atlanta.
And not a moment too soon. It’s no secret, of course, that Atlanta has challenges with access to water from Lake Lanier and that periods of droughts and floods are commonplace. This has led to extraordinary debate about its cause – and, just as important, heated discussion about what kinds of remedies can be effected. The goal: Ensuring future generations have ample access to water to support Atlanta’s continuing economic and population growth.
Unfortunately, civic leaders have found few quick fixes beyond encouraging water conservation, banning or limiting activities such as watering lawns, and encouraging the installation of more energy-efficient appliances.
Long-term solutions – the building of one or more reservoirs, for instance – appear elusive, dogged by questions of cost and who will pay for them. Meanwhile, fighting continues over just how three states – Georgia, Alabama and Florida – will share the water of Lake Lanier, Atlanta’s premiere source of H2O – and the city continues raising its water rates (they will increase 12.5% this year and another 12.5% next year and who knows after that). (A little-known fact: According to Fitch Ratings in New York, Atlantans pay more for water than residents of any other major city in the U.S.)
A cost-effective, immediate, “take-charge” solution
Largely overlooked as a solution that can be put in place today – and bring immediate results: Rainwater harvesting by both consumers and businesses. Indeed, to date the concept has received little attention from politicians, civic and not-for-profit groups and the media anywhere in the Southeast, in part because the South has never been “water starved” historically in the way the West has been. As a result, water supply here has been taken for granted, an issue people have thought best dealt with by government agencies rather than by individual consumers and businesses who have had little if any “skin” in the game.
Little known in the Atlanta region – and anywhere in the Southeast: As we have suffered through the drought and watch Lake Lanier drain, a great number of Western states and cities have enacted legislative, tax, plumbing code and related changes and incentives that are making these areas water sufficient in large part through rainwater harvesting.
Here’s the great part: These rainwater harvesting initiatives in the West cost taxpayers little compared to the giant sums that have to be invested in major infrastructure projects such as the construction of reservoirs. And, most important, in many cases consumers and businesses are incented through tax breaks to install water harvesting systems on their property (just as they are in the better-known arena of solar power and the installation of solar panels) – a solution that enables them to take better control over their short- and long-term budgets while also knowing that they’re playing a part personally in a key “green” and eco “sustainability” issue.
To read rest of article please click-http://bobdrew.wordpress.com/
Sponsor: EcoVie Environmental is providing Atlanta homeowners with a number of rainwater collection solutions to help their water conservation needs. Not only do homeowners save money on their water utility bills they have unlimited access to water for all of their gardening and landscaping needs. For more information please visit their website- www.ecovieenvironmental.com
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