WaterBytes

WaterByte #19 - Our Water Footprint This podcast is a skit where...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 08:54:00 -0400

WaterByte #19 - Our Water Footprint

This podcast is a skit where a teacher introduces the concept of the water footprint to her students.

Length: 5 minutes, 38 seconds

Script: Click here to download a PDF of the script and references

(image from mag3737 on flickr)

Check out more related material Jen has on her delicious social bookmarking account, and by searching for the “wearepsuwater” tag.

WaterByte #18 - Water Competition and Conflict This is a podcast...

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:51:00 -0400

WaterByte #18 - Water Competition and Conflict

This is a podcast that talks about competition and conflict involving water between various regions. It touches on places throughout the world, such as Africa, the Middle East, and the United States. Water competition and conflict is a worldwide problem that affects millions and millions of people.

Length: 6 minutes, 11 seconds

Script: Click here to download a PDF of the script and references

(Image from Julien Harneis in flickr)

Check out more related material Sean has on his delicious social bookmarking account, and by searching for the “wearepsuwater” tag.

National Geographic NewsWatch: Up-Close Look at Louisiana’s Disappearing Marshes

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:41:00 -0400

National Geographic NewsWatch: Up-Close Look at Louisiana’s Disappearing Marshes:

In the Journey OnEarth film series, National Geographic Emerging Explorer Roshini Thinakaran, reports about the people most directly impacted by pollution, oil spills, and toxic chemicals, and communities coping with climate change across the U.S.

The newly released second episode takes a closer look at Louisiana’s mashes. Referred to as part of America’s hardest working wetlands, the marshes are breathtaking, but they are a natural treasure disappearing at an alarming rate. For this film, Roshini visits this unique ecosystem and examines the cost of losing a piece of our natural heritage.

"“I am sorry, Evian and San Pellegrino and Dasani and all the other bottled waters out..."

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:12:00 -0400

“

“I am sorry, Evian and San Pellegrino and Dasani and all the other bottled waters out there—Aqua Velva, Wells Fargo, Muddy Waters, Joan Rivers, Jerry Springer, whatever—but the current campaign against paying good money for bottled water when tap water is perfectly good (and very likely purer) is so sensible on the face of it that I am now done with you.

Fini. Kaput. Ausgeschlossen. No more designer water. Water is water. If you want lemon flavoring, add a slice of lemon. You want bubbles, stick a straw in it and blow.

My father, a true conservative, would have smiled on this. All his life he resisted the attempts of big corporations to gouge him by selling him stuff he didn’t need and so he was not a consumer of high-priced water, anymore than he would’ve purchased bottles of French air or Italian soil.

No, San Pellegrino and Perrier got rich off the pretensions of liberal wastrels like moi who thought it set us apart from the unlettered masses. We ordered it in restaurants for the same reason we read books we don’t like and go to operas we don’t understand - we say to the waiter, ”Perrier,” to give a continental touch to our macaroni and cheese.

Enough. Man is capable of reform once presented with the facts, and the fact is that bottling water and shipping it is a big waste of fuel, so stop already. The water that comes to your house through a pipe is good enough, and maybe better.”

”

- Treehugger.com - Quote of the Day: Garrison Keillor on Bottled Water, from September 29, 2007, in the Salt Lake Tribune

WaterByte #17 - The organization charity: water This podcast...

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 10:58:36 -0400

WaterByte #17 - The organization charity: water

This podcast focuses on the nonprofit organization charity: water.

Length: 6 minutes, 13 seconds

Script: Click here to download a PDF of the script and references

Check out more related material Sara has on her delicious social bookmarking account, and by searing for the “wearepsuwater” tag.

theinformedvegan: It takes 49 gallons of water to produce just...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:35:06 -0400

theinformedvegan:

It takes 49 gallons of water to produce just one small 8oz glass of cow’s milk.

(source)

Largest "exceptional drought" area on record

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 17:30:06 -0400

climateadaptation:

Stats:

281,000+ square miles in drought

An area equal to the 13 Northeast states and Washington D.C.

7.54% of U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico) in “exceptional drought”

65% of Texas is covered by this worst drought category. This includes Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Brownsville, Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, and Wichita Falls.”

operationblessing: Katsina, NigeriaExcited children in Nigeria...

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:16:06 -0400

operationblessing:

Katsina, Nigeria

Excited children in Nigeria scramble to get a taste of clean water from a new well.

Every day, children in remote areas of Africa are without clean water to drink. Often, the water that they find in streams, ponds or open wells is contaminated, causing illnesses and even death. Today, please pray for these precious little ones. Pray that they will have access to clean water so they can be strong and healthy.

Sign Up to get Photo Prayer of the Day sent to your inbox!

WaterByte #16 - Water and the Shale This podcast focuses on the...

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 11:44:32 -0400

WaterByte #16 - Water and the Shale

This podcast focuses on the issue of water quality in relation to drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The drilling, also known as natural gas extraction, is done through a process called hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing involves dangerous chemicals that often find their way to local water supplies, harming the environment and public health.

Length: 6 minutes, 2 seconds

Script: Click here to download a PDF of the script and references

(Image from Marcellus Protest in flickr)

Check out more related material Taj has on his delicious social bookmarking account, and by searing for the “wearepsuwater” tag.

Photo

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:16:06 -0400

WaterByte #15 - Water Pollution This podcast discusses various...

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:41:00 -0400

WaterByte #15 - Water Pollution

This podcast discusses various water pollutants and why they are harmful to the environment. Organic pollutants and inorganic pollutants are defined, and examples are given as to what causes these problems in the United States and abroad.

Length: 6 minutes, 38 seconds

Script: Click here to download a PDF of the script and references

(link to the photo)

Check out more related material Jonathan has on his delicious social bookmarking account, and by searing for the “wearepsuwater” tag.

scipsy: Receding Floods around Ondjiva, Angola

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:31:06 -0400

scipsy:

Receding Floods around Ondjiva, Angola

khrisjuhlin: Change the way you think about...

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:16:06 -0400

khrisjuhlin:

Change the way you think about everything.

Submitted by 011235813213455.

How the States Got Their Shapes: A River Runs Through It

Wed, 25 May 2011 20:38:20 -0400

How the States Got Their Shapes: A River Runs Through It:

How water has literally shaped the States. The surprising history hidden in the blue, squiggly lines on the map, how the founding fathers might have made a mistake along the Georgia/Tennessee border, how that boundary could actually change because of water. History Channel, Season 1, Episode 1, 42 minutes in length.

WaterByte #14 - The Shortage, Rising Demand, and Dwindling...

Wed, 25 May 2011 14:58:00 -0400

WaterByte #14 - The Shortage, Rising Demand, and Dwindling Supply of World-Wide Water

There are many water problems in the world, but a lot of countries face the issue of actually running out. The rising demand of water strains the small amount of water we have, causing the world-wide supply to dwindle. All three of these water problems are caused by agricultural, domestic, and industrial use throughout the world, and can only be fixed through conservation and smart water usage.

Length: 5 minutes, 58 seconds

Script: Click here to download a PDF of the script and references

(link to the photo)

Check out more related material Abbey has on her delicious social bookmarking account, and by searing for the “wearepsuwater” tag.

eco-autumn: cassiaofficial: Sometimes it seems that CHANGE is...

Mon, 23 May 2011 19:45:06 -0400

eco-autumn:

cassiaofficial:

Sometimes it seems that CHANGE is actually hard to come by. This video is an example of how simple CHANGE really is. There are a few smalls steps that every individual can take to really help improve our world. If everyone banded together, CHANGE could really be possible.

After learning about cholera in my freshman seminar, clean water is so ridiculously important. It’s not hard to fix this problem, and yet it’s still around.

Record Snowpacks Could Threaten Western States

Mon, 23 May 2011 12:46:57 -0400

Record Snowpacks Could Threaten Western States:

In Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, plow operators are dealing with some of the deepest snow seen in years. Above, 23 feet of snow on Trail Ridge Road. From the New York Times, May 21, 2011.

Heavy Rains and Dry Lands Don’t Mix: Reflections on the 2010 Pakistan Flood

Sat, 21 May 2011 08:44:00 -0400

Heavy Rains and Dry Lands Don’t Mix: Reflections on the 2010 Pakistan Flood:

Each summer, monsoon rains sweep across southwestern Asia, soaking India and Bangladesh. In nearby Pakistan, the rains are usually less intense, more intermittent, and centered in the northeast. The summer of 2010 was different. In July and August, rain fell over most of Pakistan and persisted in some places for weeks. The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported nationwide rain totals 70 percent above normal in July and 102 percent above normal in August.

Rivers rose rapidly, and the Indus and its tributaries in the northern part of the country soon pushed over their banks. As the surge of water moved south, it swelled the Indus in Pakistan’s central and southern provinces. Then the problems started compounding. In Sindh, a dam failure sent the river streaming down an alternative channel west of the valley. The resulting floodwater lake—which merged with existing Manchhar Lake—spread over hundreds of square kilometers.

(click on the link to read more from NASA Earth Observatory)

WaterByte #13 - The World of Water and Water Borne...

Sat, 21 May 2011 08:22:00 -0400

WaterByte #13 - The World of Water and Water Borne Diseases

Summary: Where do water borne diseases come from? What in the man made and natural environment gets into water and makes people sick? This podcast looks at some of the different causes of diseases in water and why that is.

Length: 4 minutes, 50 seconds

Script: Click here to download a PDF of the script and references

Female Guinea worm, Dracunculus medinensis, from a sufferer. Image from flickr.

Links:
http://news.myjoyonline.com/health/201103/63069.asp
http://www.modernghana.com/lifestyle/32/16/cholera-control-in-ghana.html
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/west_nile_virus/
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1707059_1524049,00.html
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/malaria/overview.html

Check out more related material Sarah has on her delicious social bookmarking account, and by searing for the “wearepsuwater” tag.

Book Recommendation - The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water

Sat, 21 May 2011 08:14:35 -0400

Charles Fishman (2011) , The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water. Visit the book website for additional information.

The Big Thirst brilliantly explores our strange and complex relationship to water. We delight in watching waves roll in from the ocean; we take great comfort from sliding into a hot bath; and we will pay a thousand times the price of tap water to drink our preferred brand of the bottled version. We love water—but at the moment, we don’t appreciate it or respect it. Just as we’ve begun to reimagine our relationship to food, a change that is driving the growth of the organic and local food movements, we must also rethink how we approach and use water. The good news is that we can. As Fishman shows, a host of advances are under way, from the simplicity of harvesting rainwater to the brilliant innovations devised by companies such as IBM, GE, and Royal Caribbean that are making impressive breakthroughs in water productivity. Knowing what to do is not the problem. Ultimately, the hardest part is changing our water consciousness.