Eco friendly hurricane preparedness? Why does it matter?

I’ve lived through Hurricanes Bob, Ernesto, Fran, Irene, Isabel, Jeanne, and Sandy, which was so fierce it was called a superstorm. I’ve had to survive several “derechos,” too. Plus, just three months ago, I was trapped for three hours in a terrifying flood and had to be rescued by first responders.

Especially with hurricanes, you know they’re coming, and you want to do everything possible to be prepared.  But before you rush out and buy cases of plastic bottled water, crates of paper plates, and bulk bags of single-serving plastic-wrapped food, take a pause.

You don’t need to give up your green lifestyle simply because a hurricane is coming your way!

Check out these 10 eco friendly survival tips. They are the same ones I follow whenever I’m faced with a hurricane or other natural disaster. I hope they’ll help you, too.

Eco Friendly Hurricane Preparedness Survival Guide

Here’s what you may need both during and after a hurricane – and how to keep it green.

Note: For convenience, I’ve provided Amazon links so you can see what I’m talking about. Plus, if you need these soon, you can get them delivered quickly. You may also be able to find most of these items at your local hardware or grocery store. If you do buy them at Amazon, I’ll earn a teeny, tiny commission that helps Big Green Purse bring you helpful info just like this. Thanks!

DRINKING WATER

You could lose access to your water supply if pumps stop working or if the supply becomes contaminated because there’s some kind of breakdown at your water treatment plant.

Authorities recommend you have a three day supply of water on hand for every person in your household. That means about three gallons of water per person, to use for drinking as well as cleaning.

Rather than buy cases of plastic water bottles, fill up gallon-sized water jugs with filtered tap water. You can also use pitchers, Thermoses, large water bottles and even cooking pots.

The LifeStaw Personal Water Filter removes bacteria, parasites and even microplastics so you have drinking water wherever you need it.

Large reusable water jugs are also a good option. Though I almost never recommend buying plastic,  reusable jugs that are used only occasionally can help you avoid dozens of single-use throwaways.

Here are two options. Both are collapsible, so you can store them and save them for the next emergency.

Wash all the containers well in hot water. Wait until the day the weather event begins. Then, fill up your containers and cover them tightly, then use sparingly as needed. The water should easily last for three days.

Don’t leave plastic containers in the hot sun.

Once they’re empty, let them dry out completely, then store them in a cool, dry place.

Finally, if you must buy bottled water, choose the largest containers rather than cases of single-use throwaways.

Need a new water bottle? Here are 5 we like!

PERSONAL HYGIENE

If by chance you do lose water, you’re still going to want to clean up.

Each person should have a washcloth available for their hands and face and a sponge bath or two.

You’ll find lots of soft organic cotton wash cloths here, as well as those made from bamboo.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap could come in handy as well. Get the unscented soap and use it for personal hygiene and to wash dishes.

Just remember that any soapy water can contaminate other water supplies, so if you pour soapy water out, make sure you do so at least 200 feet from a storm drain, creek or river.

Once an emergency has passed, this is still a great soap to use around the house.

Skip the antibacterial hand cleaners, but if you do need handi-wipes, look for those made with plant-based ingredients free of alcohol, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, artificial dyes, fragrances, and triclosan.

Babyganics Hand and Face Wipes is one option. Honest Co. is another.

NOTE: Baby wipes are NOT biodegradable. Nor should you flush them down a toilet. Check with your municipality as to whether they can be recycled in your community.

FOOD

Have food on hand that doesn’t require refrigeration or cooking. This could include canned tuna and other fish; dried cereal; fresh and dried fruit; peanut butter and jelly; snacks and cookies; soups; and breads and crackers.

If buying canned tuna and salmon, the two brands I think taste best are Sustainable Seas and Wild Planet.

Sustainable Seas sources tuna caught only by pole and line.

That way, there are no other fish or sea creatures unnecessarily caught in nets and killed.

Sustainable Seas is endorsed by The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program and the Blue Ocean Institute. Plus, it tastes good!

Wild Planet sells salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies, and more.

The pink salmon is really delicious, and can be eaten right from the can or mixed with a little mustard or other condiment.

Like Sustainable Seas, Wild Planet sources its tuna only from pole or troll catch fisheries, not purse seine nets that catch a lot of other fish or sea animals.

Other Food Tips:

In the event of a power outage, keep freezer closed. Open the refrigerator minimally and quickly. Make ice in advance and as soon as the power goes out, put big blocks of ice or ice cubes in your refrigerator to help keep it cool. Have a cooler out and ready if needed.

POWDERED, BOXED OR CANNED MILK AND MILK SUBSTITUTES

If you lose power, one of the first foods to spoil could be your milk. I personally love milk in my coffee and tea, so I always make sure I have some kind of milk on hand in the event of an emergency.

Though I don’t make a habit of buying single-serving milk, I keep a few cartons of single-serving organic milk boxes in my pantry for emergencies.

If you live dairy-free and prefer almond milk, you can also find single servings in a variety of flavors.

Brands like Silk are organic and Non-gmo verified.

COOKSTOVE OR GRILL

I have a gas stove, so even when I lose power I can cook because I can use a match to light a burner.

If you have an outdoor grill, make sure you have enough propane to meet your cooking needs for as long as the power outage lasts.

Skip a charcoal grill as they generate a lot of air pollution.

Here are some camping stoves that work well and are good to have around in a power outage.

Solar ovens could also come in handy – once the sun starts shining again!

LIGHTING

Candles – Avoid using tapers or any candle that could easily tip over and start a fire. Choose beeswax or soy candles, which are healthier than paraffin candles that emit air pollution.

This 100% beeswax emergency candle won’t tip over, and it will give off a lot of light.

You can also group tea light candles together to create a cozy light source. Keep them on a tray or dish, not just on your table or counter, and definitely don’t put them on paper as a precaution against fire.

LuminAid – LuminAID solar lanterns are inflatable and can be charged either by the sun or USB port. That means you can also use them to charge a cell phone.

I like this company because they also provide emergency relief to communities that are hard hit by storms.

They were very active in bringing lighting to residents in Puerto Rico after hurricanes there demolished the island power plants.

Head Lamp – The beauty of a head lamp is that it shines light in the direction you’re looking while freeing up your hands so you can do other activities.

This headlamp uses rechargeable batteries and shines enough light for reading, cooking and anything else you may need to do to make a power outage more tolerable.

Flashlights – LED flashlights give off very bright light. Most of them are battery powered, so if you opt for battery flashlights, use rechargeable batteries like this one does.

Rechargeable Batteries and Charger – You can get rechargers for most batteries. Recharging batteries reduces the number of batteries you’ll use over time.

My Big Green Purse community recommends using Energizer rechargeable batteries and the charger they come with, rather than a generic brand.

Solar Garden Lights – One Big Green Purse reader brings her solar powered garden lights in from outdoors and takes advantage of the light they emit. Brilliant!

DISHES and DINING

Resist the urge to buy a stack of paper plates, plastic forks and knives, and paper napkins. Greener options include:

Reusable plastic, like the options made by Preserve.

Again, I don’t advocate buying much plastic at all.

But these won’t break, so if you can’t wash them right away, you don’t have to worry about storing them. And once you get them, you can use them for picnics and parties, too.

Corelle – One Big Green Purse readers uses Corelle dinnerware as her back-up, not just for emergencies but for parties, too.

Corelle is extremely durable and doesn’t easily break so, like Preserve, could be a good option if you can’t wash it right away.

Another advantage of Corelle is that it is quite thin; it won’t take up a lot of room when you store it.

Camping plates – If you already go camping, you probably have a set of metal plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery.

If you don’t but your area is prone to power outages and other emergencies, now might be a time to get a set. These are indestructible, easy to store, and easy to clean.

If you don’t have the water to wash your dishes off right away, wipe them off with a damp sponge until you can. Dip them in a pot of water that you’ve added a couple of drops of bleach to if you need to reuse them; the bleach will help disinfect them.

By the way, reduce the need for dishes in the first place. Focus on one-plate or one-bowl meals and lots of finger foods.

Just in case you want to turn an emergency into a party,
don’t miss our post on plastic-free party supplies!

HAND CRANK RADIO

If you lose internet access, you can stay up-to-date on what’s happening by listening to a radio.

I personally prefer a radio like this one: it can be hand cranked when you have absolutely no power, but can also be charged by solar or battery.

It includes a flashlight and a port so you charge your cell phone, too.

CHARGERS

You’ll want to keep phones and other mobile devices charged, and possibly your lap top or computer.

Charge everything up in advance, and charge portable battery packs as well.

Car Lighter Charger – plug into your car’s cigarette lighter, or to the USB port in newer cars

Solar Chargers – There are a wide variety available to charge phones and other mobile devices, as well as laptops.

Keep in mind that if it’s stormy and cloudy, there may not be enough sun to charge your device. Charge them in advance, and recharge them when there’s enough sun to do so!

TRASH BAGS

If you end up with debris that can’t be recycled, use trash bags made from recycled materials, like these.

They’re made from 70% certified post consumer recycled materials and belong to 1% For the Planet.

I’d love to hear about how you prepare for a hurricane or other emergency.

Plus, please let me know if you have any recommendations for our eco friendly hurricane preparedness survival guide. What products and services make your life easier during a power outage or other natural disaster?

The post Eco Friendly Hurricane Preparedness Survival Guide appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Hurricane Harvey is not featured in Al Gore’s important new film, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.” Ten years ago, when the Nobel Prize winner made “An Inconvenient Truth,” his first movie about climate change, a storm the size of Harvey was still theoretical. And there still seemed to be time to reverse the catastrophic effects burning coal and oil causes by sending billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

But as Harvey has shown, time is running out. And as Gore shows in this sequel to the original blockbuster, that’s not just true in the U.S., but all over the world.

Apart from understanding the forces – natural and man made – that turned Harvey into the worst storm America has ever experienced, “An Inconvenient Sequel” is worth watching for three riveting reasons.

Why “An Inconvenient Sequel” is Worth Watching

First, it lays bare the impact climate change is having on humanity.

See: How Climate Change Makes Poison Ivy Worse

In one of the most heartbreaking and powerful scenes in the film, workers in Pakistan, anticipating the hundreds and possibly thousands of people who will die from a coming extreme heat wave, dig early graves for the hundreds and possibly thousands of people who will die when the heat wave hits.

In another stunning clip, people in India can’t walk across the street without their hot shoes literally melting into the black top.

Footage of the spread of the Zika virus and the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy all further illustrate that climate change impacts are no longer a matter of “if” but of “how bad?”

Second, the film depicts just how viable getting energy from solar and wind has become. Says Gore, “If you look at what’s really happening in the economy, the economic argument actually is very strongly in favor of the Paris Agreement,” the international accord that encourages every country on the planet, including the U.S., to voluntarily commit to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

There are now twice as many jobs in the solar industry as in the coal industry, Gore reports. “Solar jobs are growing 17 times faster than other jobs in the U.S…. It’s one of the brightest spots in our economic revival.”

The single fastest-growing job over the next ten years, says Gore citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data, is wind turbine technician. “If you take the efficiency jobs and the renewable energy jobs and add them together, they’re significantly more numerous now than all of the jobs in fossil energy,” he continues.

What does the Pope think about climate change? See: Pope Francis Climate Change Message Calls for “Revolution” 

In the film, Gore visits Georgetown, Texas, “the reddest city in the reddest county in the reddest state” in the U.S., Mayor Dale Ross proudly reports. And yet, they’ve committed to going 100% renewable because it’s cleaner, more economical and the wave of the future.

Declares Mayor Ross, “The less junk you put in the air, the better.” Dohhh!

Third, Gore shows some of the inside workings that led to the unprecedented success of the Paris climate agreements. He does not mask his disdain for President Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from those agreements.

Gore credits one unexpected actor with having a particularly outsized role in helping to convince the public that climate change is real: Mother Nature.

“Mother Nature has entered the debate,” he says, which is obvious in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

“In the last seven years we’ve had 11 “One-in-1,000-year” downpours in the U.S. We have these floods, and droughts, and sea level rise events, and the melting ice, and tropical diseases. Every night now on the television news is like a nature hike through the book of Revelation.

“Even if some of the newscasters don’t connect the dots, people themselves are. People who don’t want to use the phrase “global warming” or “climate crisis” are saying, “Wait a minute. Something’s going on here that’s not right.”

“Mother Nature is persuading a lot of people who weren’t ready to believe what the scientists were saying.”

As Gore reflects on this, he projects the questions he expects future generations will ask:

“What were you thinking?!!”

“Couldn’t you hear what Mother Nature was screaming at you?”

An Inconvenient Sequel starts off a bit slowly, with a long focus on Al Gore himself and his day-to-day work networking, advocating, and the workshops he still gives to train climate change activists to carry his message into their communities.

There also could have been a much bigger focus on energy efficiency as another important solution to climate change.

While people argue about whether to use coal or wind, no one should be debating insulating their homes, pumping up their tires, or reducing the energy that’s lost when power is produced so many hundreds of miles away from where it’s actually needed that it needs to be sent along transmission lines that leak power all along the route.

But those are minor objections. Overall, this film does a terrific job showing the human impact of climate change while convincingly making the case for solar and wind to become the dominant sources of electricity.

Plus, its calls to action, though few, are eminently achievable. In “An Inconvenient Truth,” so many suggestions rolled across the screen that even my eyes glazed over. And besides, how many lightbulbs can one person change?

The recommendation at the end of “Sequel” is solid and unequivocal: Convince your town to go 100% renewable.

Yes. Absolutely.

Says Gore: “If President Trump refuses to lead, the American People will.”

So follow the recommendation of the film’s hashtag and “#beinconvenient.”

Al Gore – and Mother Nature – expect no less.

The post “An Inconvenient Sequel” Shows Hurricane Harvey Did Not Have to Happen appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Are you fired up and ready to vote? I know I am. In fact, I’m so fired up, I’m going to vote early. Down below, you’ll find a link so you know when you can vote early, too.

Why do I care? Because here’s what’s at stake:

The air we breathe.

The way we use energy.

Our health, and the health of our kids and grandkids.

The water we drink.

Nature in all its beauty.

All of my concerns are connected to just one thing: where we get our energy.

Right now, most of our energy comes from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, natural gas.

Air pollution from fossil fuels creates the pollution that causes smog and Code Red bad air days. If you have asthma, it’s worse because of dirty air. Women get more heart attacks than men when they live in cities where the air is polluted. None of us should be outside when it’s Code Red.

Burning fossil fuels is also causing climate change. By now, you know what that means. Worse poison ivy. More mosquitoes and dengue fever. Floods. Fire. Drought. Hurricanes like Katrina and Matthew and Sandy – terrible superstorms that have caused billions of dollars of damage, killed hundreds of people, and ruined our homes and, in some cases, our livelihoods.

Drilling for oil, fracking for natural gas and mining for coal cause some of the worst environmental disasters we’ve ever seen, from oil spills to contaminated rivers to polluted ground water.

Says Clean Air Moms Action, “We must fight to protect the air we breathe and the many treasured places across our country vulnerable to climate disruption.”

Adds North Carolina Mom Caroline Armijo, “I’ve been meeting with moms…we’ve been praying for solutions…And one thing we know we can do right now is vote.”

What Difference Does It Make If We Vote?

The next President of the United States, our elected officials in Congress, our governors, and  our state legislators all hold the power to decide whether our nation continues to burn fossil fuels – or whether we finally make a full and complete transition to the abundant clean energy that is all around us: energy from the wind and the sun. Our elected officials can decide whether to help us save energy, too.

Don’t Miss: Top Ten Reasons to Take Climate Change Seriously

Why Vote Early?

Early voting gives you the peace of mind that you’ve made your voice heard and your concerns count.

Plus, by voting early, you can volunteer to help get the vote out. Clean Air Moms is asking “passionate volunteers to help get their communities out to vote.” You can make a difference by helping register people to vote, educating your community on the issues, and showing up at candidate events.”

As Clean Air Moms Action points out, “There is more on the line during the 2016 election than the office of the President. There are also many “down ballot” races that will have an impact on your daily life and the quality of the air our children breathe.”

Where Can You Vote Early? Find Out Here!

Take the Pledge

I’m joining with Clean Air Moms Action to pledge to vote by or on November 8.

Won’t you join us?

NOTE: This post was produced with support from Clean Air Moms Action. All editorial opinions are my own.

The post Vote Early – and Vote for Clean Air appeared first on Big Green Purse.

At a conference I recently attended on rebuilding sustainably after natural disasters strike, the audience of educators, first responders, disaster experts, scientists, elected officials, public interest advocates and business leaders all agreed: most people do not have enough natural disaster insurance to protect themselves if a hurricane, storm, flood or fire hits. As the sponsor of this post, the Australian insurer HBF also points out that most travelers don’t carry adequate insurance in the event their holiday or business trip is disrupted by a natural disaster, either.

HOW MUCH NATURAL DISASTER INSURANCE DO YOU NEED?

Homeowners, renters and businesses should all have standard policies that protect loss and damage under relatively conventional conditions – a random fire, the unexpected tree falling on the roof.  But for catastrophic coverage? The answer to this question depends, to a great degree, on where you live and what your current policy covers. Areas subject to earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and frequent fires generally won’t find their damage covered by the standard policy.  Even if standard policies do cover structural damage related to a natural disaster, they may not cover total property lost. (When Superstorm Sandy came through my town last year, my standard homeowner’s policy covered damage to my roof and the internal painting and drywalling needed  to repair water damage in my living room. However, when my town experienced an earthquake a few years ago, my policy did not cover the repairs needed to replace cracked drywall.)

It makes sense to speak with your current insurer to be clear on what losses are covered, and which ones aren’t. “Disaster” policies can come with expensive price tags and high deductibles, so before you buy, calculate not only what you can afford but what it would cost to rebuild your home or replace your belongings.  For more suggestions on how to insure your home against natural disasters, visit United Policyholders, a non-profit organization offering useful consumer advice.

WHAT ABOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE?

I personally believe it makes sense to buy travel insurance to cover any trip costing more than $200. The price is usually very affordable, adding negligible cost to the overall ticket, and it comes in handy even if a trip is not disrupted by a disaster but needs to be cancelled or postponed for another reason. (I bought insurance on a family vacation I planned last winter, only to have to cancel the trip when my father passed away. I received the insurance reimbursement on the trip within a week or two of filing my claim.)

It’s also a good idea to buy coverage in case you need to be evacuated. What if the country you’re visiting is unexpectedly overwhelmed by a tsunami or a political revolution? Or you fall down the Matterhorn and break your leg? You may need to make a (relatively) quick exit or cover medical bills your own country insurance does not.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IS KEY

The key is to be prepared. At home or for your business, review your existing policy, discuss your disaster risk with your insurance agent, and consider adding additional coverage if you can afford it and it will help you recover more quickly.

 When you travel,  take into account where you are going, what you’ll be doing when you get there, and what you might need to get medical treatment on the spot, or even leave your destination sooner than anticipated. Ask insurance companies like HBF for travel insurance quotes so you can make the best decision possible to protect yourself, your family, and your property.

NOTE: Our sponsors allow us to bring you useful information like this at no cost to you. Our editorial opinion remains our own. Thank you.

The post With More Natural Disasters, Do You Need More — or Different — Insurance? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Greensburg, Kansas provides a perfect example of how a town sheared down to the very ground it was built on has become a model of sustainability, not just for the U.S., but for the entire world.

At 9:45 pm on May 4, 2007, an EF5 tornado whipped through rural Greensburg, essentially destroying the entire town. (Photo at right from the GreensburgGreentown.org website; see more amazing photos on the blog of professional photographer Galen Buller.)

Within days, the community decided to rebuild their homes and businesses sustainably. Yes, they wanted to get their lives back on track. But they also wanted to create a “model green town” for the future. They formed a non-profit organization called Greensburg GreenTown, with an ambitious and inspiring vision (taken directly from their website, GreensburgGreentown.org):

Vision

Greensburg GreenTown exists to:

• Make it easier for residents to ascribe to and adhere to green practices, and to make green living appealing to people.
• Engage as many residents as possible in the enthusiastic pursuit of making Greensburg a model green community.
• Establish incentives in order to maximize the participation of businesses and residents in rebuilding Greensburg as a model green community.
• Bring in resources and support from around the country to make the dreams of Greensburg as a model green community a reality.
• Make it easier for builders, building supply companies, and local businesses to do business as green as possible.
• Work to spur economic development with a green emphasis.
• Serve the residents in an unbiased consumer advocate capacity, striving to get them the best value for their money as they rebuild their homes and businesses.

The impact that vision had on rebuilding led to substantial environmental gains for the community. When homes were rebuilt, they included:

* 400 dual-flush, low-flow toilets and dozens of water-saving sinks, estimated to now be saving up to 2,500,000 gallons of water per year over the pre-storm toilets

* 260 low-flow showerheads, saving the average family of three up to 2,700 gallons of water per year

* 300 sets of microfiber kitchen and bath cloths, saving every family that uses them money they might otherwise spend on paper towels (TADGreen, which donated the cloths, estimates that if each household in the U.S. replaced one roll of paper towels with an E-cloth, we could save 544,000 trees annually).

Residents also received instructions on how to use non-toxic products to clean their homes; reusable shopping bags to minimize use of disposable plastic bags; and subscriptions to Mother Earth News for regular information on topics like organic gardening and solar energy systems.

Meanwhile, a reclaimed lumber project was launched. Instead of dumping fallen trees in a landfill, the wood was salvaged so it could be used for furniture and trim. And thanks to energy efficiency improvements made when homes were rebuilt, the average Greensburg home now uses 41% less energy than a standard code home.

 On the business side, the town launched the Chain of Eco-Homes Project, a series of demonstration homes that feature a variety of building techniques, sizes, prices and energy-efficiency features. The Eco-Homes Project is intended to be the cornerstone of a new eco-tourism industry in Greensburg, where one of the first homes completed is also serving as an eco bed-and-breakfast for people who come to see and learn from these innovative Kansans.

Greensburg still has work to do to completely realize the inspiring vision it laid out when it created its Greentown idea. But it won’t be alone.  According to the non-profit Worldwatch Institute, in 2012, there were 905 natural catastrophes worldwide, 93 percent of which were related to tornados, hurricanes, floods, drought and other natural disasters. Here in the U.S. Hurricane Sandy and the devastation it caused in New York and New Jersey received much of the publicity, but the drought in the Midwest and floods in many other parts of the country have also left a wake of destruction that needs to be cleaned up and reclaimed.

And there’s more. As recently as last month, two massive tornadoes of equal power to the one that flattened Greensburg tore through Oklahoma. The first destroyed the city of Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City; rebuilding it is estimated to cost $2 billion. The second ravaged an area 20 miles from Moore, with damage estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

All of these communities can learn from Greensburg, and they should. While it can be hard for a home owner, local government, or business to feel they can afford to make sustainability upgrades to their existing homes and buildings, it only makes sense to do so when they’re rebuilding from scratch.

It also makes sense to do so as more and more scientific research links severe weather events to climate change. “Climate change” describes the alterations to climate and weather patterns that are occurring due to the build-up of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases in the atmosphere. CO2 comes from burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The only way to reduce CO2 build-up is to cut back on our use of fossil fuels. Greensburg, Kansas is showing us how to do that. Tornadoes, hurricanes and other extreme weather events are showing us that we must.

RELATED POSTS:

Top Ten Reasons to Take Climate Change Seriously

Climate Change Affects Our Health, Our Homes, Our Families and Our Future

The post Rebuild Sustainably After Natural Disasters Strike appeared first on Big Green Purse.

One person of every three on the planet today isn’t nearly so fortunate, according to the International Water Management Institute, because they lack reliable access to fresh water. Even here in the U.S., the federal Government Accountability Office reported in 2003 that “water managers in thirty-six states anticipate water shortages locally, regionally, or statewide within the next ten years.”

The rest of the world looks equally thirsty. By 2025, worries the Water Management Institute, all of Africa and the Middle East, and almost all of South and Central America and Asia, will either be running out of water or unable to afford its cost.

Dirty Water Kills Kids

They’ll also be contending with its safety. “Every day more children die from dirty water than HIV-AIDS, malaria, war, and accidents all put together,” says Maude Barlow, co-author of Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water. According to a 2003 survey by the European Environment Agency, nitrates, toxins, heavy metals and/or harmful microorganisms contaminate ground water in nearly every European country and former Soviet republic.

And What About Cleopatra?

There is no “new water.” We are essentially using the same water Cleopatra used 2,000 years ago. But we’re using a lot more of it:

If today is an average day, you’ll probably use about 90 gallons of water just for today – which amounts to about 107,000 gallons for the year: enough to fill your bathtub almost 3,000 times.

We use water to grow lawns, wash dishes, rinse food, shower and shave, and let the tap run when we brush our teeth. About 14 percent leaks down the drain.

Older toilets waste more clean water in a single flush than many Africans use in an entire day.

Only 1 percent of all the world’s water can be used for drinking.

Nearly 97 percent of the world’s water is salty and otherwise undrinkable. The other 2 percent is locked up in the ice caps and glaciers.

What if You’re Pregnant?

In the U.S., we count on our tap water to be safe, and for the most part it is. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets standards for approximately ninety contaminants in drinking water. Outbreaks from microbial contamination — the kind that give you a stomach ache or diarrhea — are rare, given how many people are serviced by the public drinking water system. The bigger issue revolves around chemicals that wastewater treatment facilities weren’t designed to remove. The common fertilizer ingredient nitrate, for example, can seep into drinking water through runoff from lawns, gardens, and agricultural fields, causing “blue baby syndrome” if it depletes a newborn baby’s hemoglobin. Pregnant and nursing women and the elderly should also avoid water that’s high in nitrate content.

Bottled Water is Not the Solution

Bottled water won’t be the solution. Since so much “bottled” water is actually tap water, there’s no guarantee there’ll be enough to go around. And as we’ve discussed here before, bottling water in plastic, throwaway bottles creates a whole host of environmental problems that are better left alone.

All Those Drugs, All Those Weird Fish

Pharmaceuticals — including painkillers, depression medication, and birth control drugs — and endocrine-disrupting chemicals from deodorants, shampoos, body soaps, and lotions are also roiling America’s freshwater supplies. The cumulative effect of trace amounts of these chemicals has the EPA concerned, given their links to behavioral and sexual mutations in fish, amphibians, and birds. Part of the problem is that consumers flush old and unwanted drugs down toilets or drains. Another factor is the sheer volume of pharmaceuticals and personal-care products entering our waterways. In a U.S. Geological Survey/EPA study of 139 streams in 30 states, pharmaceuticals were found in 80 percent of the samples taken.

These aren’t benign elements. According to a 2006 analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey, “previously banned compounds…such as DDT and chlordane, natural and anthropogenic hormones, herbicides, fungicides, industrial chemicals” and other compounds that might act as endocrine disrupters lead to aberrations like both male and female sex organs turning up on the same fish.

Nasty Chemicals in the Water, Learning Disabilities in Kids?

The National Academy of Sciences is worried, too. Its list of “naturally occurring and man-made contaminants in drinking water of concern to all of us” includes arsenic, perchlorate (a component of rocket fuel and fireworks), copper, and methylmercury, the scourge of parents anxious about learning disabilities and developmental disorders in their kids.

What About the Oceans?

The ocean’s misfortune is also our own. Twenty percent of coral reefs and 35 percent of mangroves have been lost since 1980, along with their capacity to buffer coastal communities from storms. With nearly half the world’s cities located within 50 kilometers of a coast, people are more vulnerable than ever before to extreme weather events, like Hurricane Katrina, whose impact on New Orleans is pictured at left. Over half of the synthetic nitrogen ever used to fertilize American farmland has been applied in the last two decades. As much as 50 percent of it has run off, creating dead zones in great aquatic cauldrons like the Gulf of Mexico that make short shrift of those shrimp you like to serve for dinner. Does anyone need a reminder about the impact the oil industry has on global H2O? We’ll be learning about the devastating impact of the recent Gulf Oil Disaster for months and years to come.

Is it Hopeless?

It all depends on what we do next. We know the world’s waters are in peril. We also know there’s no way we can make more water. But we also know what to do to keep it safe. Here’s the big picture:

1) Eliminate the use of all toxic chemicals.

2) Immediately implement the water conservation strategies we’ve already invented.

3) Transition as quickly as possible away from fossil fuels in favor of renewable resources that don’t contribute to climate change or pollute our rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans.

We know what to do.

Will we? The answer is up to us all.

The post We’re Drinking the Same Water as Cleopatra. Is It as Clean? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1. Poison Ivy.  Poison ivy leaves have gotten bigger and their toxic oils more potent because the plants are thriving in hotter conditions. As climate change increases, it will be easier to get poison ivy and harder to get rid of the rash once it occurs.

2. Asthma. In a hotter environment, plants produce more pollen, which makes it more difficult for people with asthma and other respiratory problems to breathe. If you have trouble breathing now, catching your breath in the future could be a real challenge if the planet continues to warm.

3. Malaria and Dengue Fever. These deadly illnesses, once restricted to the tropics, are creeping into northern latitudes as disease-bearing mosquitoes migrate north into increasingly warm regions. In this country, states like Florida and Texas are on alert.

4. Drought. As rain patterns change, many unexpected cities — like Atlanta! — find themselves running out of water. Climate change has jeopardized one of our most basic rights – being able to quench our thirst with a cool drink of H20.

5. Starvation. People in less developed countries are starving as their agricultural systems shrivel up due to lack of rain. We feel the effects in this country, maybe not in starvation, but certainly in food shortages that result from extreme climate events.

6. Polar Bears. As arctic ice melts, polar bears are losing the habitat they need to reproduce. They’re not the only species endangered by climate change. Here are more.

7. Hurricanes. Just two words: Hurricane Katrina. Need I say more?

8. Money. It is costing the global economy trillions of dollars to “fix” the problems caused by climate change. You’ll feel the impact on higher taxes that need to be charged to cover these costs as well as in higher prices on the consumer goods you buy.

9. National Security.  A nation that faces drought, starvation, hurricane damage, food shortages, and a variety of human health problems is at risk for civil unrest and international instability. Don’t like the idea of going to war? Support global efforts to control climate change.

10. Our Kids. Virtually every generation since the beginning of time has left the world better off for the generations that followed. Will we be able to same the same thing about our generation? Not if we leave behind a severely altered global climate that weakens the natural systems upon which all life depends.

The post Top Ten Reasons to Take Climate Change Seriously appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Unlike Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” “The 11th Hour” does not use slick powerpoint presentations, charts, and graphs to make its case. DiCaprio lets the footage of an earth under siege tell its own story, punctuated by commentary from fifty prominent eco thinkers and activists, including Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai. Says DiCaprio, “We face a convergence of crises…” and he wants to ensure his audience knows what those crises are.

It’s a dark, disturbing message, and would make for an unbearable film, if DiCaprio didn’t also extend some rays of hope to his audience. The film concludes with insights into new technologies that can help communities build a sustainable future, from “smart” cars to “green” roofs. “The time is now. The hope is you,” encourages DiCaprio through the film’s website, www.11thhouraction.com  “Let’s begin.”

To preview the film and find out when it will be shown in your area, visit www.11thhourfilm.com.

The post Leo DiCaprio’s “11th Hour” is a “Must See” appeared first on Big Green Purse.