Swimming au Naturale: Ways to Green Your Pool

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Beth Buczynski .

Sticky summer weather makes us long to be submerged in cool, clean water. After a couple of 90 degree days, it’s time to bury the hatchet with the neighbor who has a pool and break out the floating lounge chair. Although days spend around the pool are a summer standby, many have neglected to stop and think about the incredibly potent chemical stew they’re marinating in when enjoying a traditional pool, especially a public or community pool. But pools, especially the high traffic kind, need chemicals to keep them sanitary, right? Not anymore.

Astronauts Drink Recycled Urine

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

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We’ve become increasingly aware lately of how valuable and how scarce potable water is in some parts of the world, but no where is it more scarce than 200 miles up at the International Space Station. Up there you can’t take any resource for granted, and a resource as valuable as water can’t be pissed away. That is why NASA has installed a urine recycling system. Yesterday astronauts aboard the space station put the system to use for the first time, and with a toast and a smile they downed their first glasses of recycled urine produced by the system.

Improving Sanitation with the Peepoo Bag

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

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When I first saw the Peepoo bag I thought it was a joke, but after reading about it I realized it’s quite a novel idea. Basically it’s a plastic bag to go to the bathroom in, which is why I thought it was a joke, but this simple little bag employs some sophisticated sustainable solutions [...]

Solvatten Solar Can: Using the Sun to Clean Drinking Water

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

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We take it for granted but access to clean drinking water is a huge problem in many areas of the world. Particularly 3rd world countries that lack the infrastructure to deliver potable water are forced to deal with what they have, which usually means boiling water before drinking it. This is an effective way of [...]