I can't remember exactly when I became aware of the problem of bottled water. I do have a post on Relax with Dax (The Scourge of Bottled Water) which was written in April 2006, so probably sometime before then. I personally try not to drink bottled water unless there is no alternative, but many people are still unaware of the damage bottled water does. In fact, when I attended the Eat In Awards lunch, they had imported bottled water on the table even though they are promoting local, organic and fair produce!

Arum lily season is here! You'll know this because at any number of lights around the city, some well-meaning chap will thrust a bunch at your window. And the temptation to buy these gorgeous flowers is enormous.

I've been aware that one shouldn't buy as they're being picked in the wild, destroying the natural balance of what remains of the natural wetlands, wild places and roadsides along which they grow (they're regarded as one of the wild flowers of the flower route and indicated in reports on the flowers).

But what I didn't know is that the endangered arum lily micro frog breeds in the water and dew held in the cup of these lilies.

pic: outdoorphoto.com

cats reducing biodiversity?Sewage the next Eskom
By Sapa and Moleboheng Tladi
The Green Drop report has found that more than 75% of South Africa's sewage treatment plants are not up to standard.

Of 852 waste water treatment plants, 403 weren’t even in good enough nick to be assessed. Of the remainder, only 203 scored better than 50%.

Of the 403 that weren’t assessed, the report highlighted municipal managers not feeling competent enough, and municipalities not adhering to the call to be assessed.
Those that managed to get more than 50% on the standards set by the Green Drop report were mostly based around Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.

Only 3.8% of the total plants actually got the Green Drop status, which is broadly equivalent to international standards.

cows have been cleared in greenhouse gas issueR140m drought plan kicks in for Garden Route
By Neil Oelofse
Garden Route Media

Knysna: The government's long-awaited rollout of R140 million in drought-relief funding to Garden Route municipalities started this month, bringing the promise of respite to a region struggling to provide water to support its main income-earner - the tourist industry.

Eden District Municipality disaster management head Gerhard Otto on Monday said the money would be spent on desalination and waste water recycling plants planned for towns along the Garden Route, considered essential to beat the worst drought in living memory.

This thought provoking and lucid film was shown on the 22nd March 2010: World Water Day at the Two Oceans Aquarium. With sponsorship from Pick 'n Pay and support from GreenHouse. It explores the idea put forward by the UN: Clean Water for a Healthy Earth.

FLOW shows us how quickly we are running out of fresh water. 70% of fresh water is used in agriculture and another 20% in industry, yet it is the common person that bears the brunt of the water shortage. Thousands of people die yearly due to a lack of access to fresh water, yet the clean water is available to them. At a cost. Water is now a for profit industry and the 3rd World is being forced into allowing private industry to gain control of their water.

water going down the drain along with your money by monabona on deviantart
Since it is National Water Week, we thought we would give you some tips on how to save water around your home. These ideas can be done around your existing home and do not require you to install new systems. To see how you can change your home to be more Eco friendly using grey water systems, and other devices that could save water, see green your water.

Here are some simple tips, that with a change in mindset, could save you a lot of wasted water, and a lot on your water bill, and lets face it who doesn't want to save money?

1. Shower instead of bathing. It is far better to shower than to run a bath. A bath uses about 200 liters of water while a shower cuts down on water usage by 66%.

Drop of water by overthehedge from deviantart

Water - life on Earth could not exist without it. All living things need water, and the human body is made up of about 60% water, and it is also one of the most abundant substances on our planet, giving rise to the term “the Blue Planet”. Therefore water is a very important part of our environment, and should be a major focus as we try to tackle climate change.

This week is Water week in South Africa and the UN World Water day is on Monday.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and so the World Water day was born - every year it is celebrated on March 22nd.

waterfall by !pharaohsgirl from deviantartIt's National Water Week

It's national water week this week so why don't you consider your water usage, and see how you can help to conserve water. Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said that "It is therefore important for us to pull out all the stops to ensure that our visitors enjoy safe and clean portable water, whose quality rates among the best in the world." More

Koeberg shutdown to lessen World Cup risk

ESKOM will later this week and next month conduct two shutdowns at the Koeberg nuclear power plant for pre-emptive maintenance work on one of its cooling systems in a move to avoid power supply problems during the Soccer World Cup.

For more water consumption articles see here

Sea level to rise, say scientists. Climate change is turning Antarctica's ice into one of the biggest risks for coming centuries. Even a tiny melt could drive up sea levels. “If you're going to have even a few metres it will change the geography of the planet," Rajendra Pachauri, head of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said of the more extreme scenarios of fast ocean rise. [IOL]

How will the earth look in the the future? Google Earth is launching a series of layers, ahead of the Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen, that allows one to look at possible furture climate scenarios, depending on our actions now. [ecogeek.org] Watch Google Earth's climate introductory tour, called Confronting Climate Change, with Al Gore narrating. [youtube] (takes a while to download)

How is this for innovative? Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed is to host an underwater cabinet meeting on October 24 to draw attention to the impact of