Checking our water

We turn on the tap, fill our glasses and drink down what comes out. The water looks clear and if we've chilled it or put in the fridge to get cold it refreshes us like few things can. But most of us don't wonder just how clean our water is.

A scan of the label on some of the top brands of bottled water shows that the stuff is just tap water poured through a filter, bottled and sold for many times the cost of production. That's capitalism, and I have no complaints about that.

But we assume the water we drink is as clean as that which we buy in bottles. But you don't to have to assume, the water authorities around Virginia are required to provide an annual report on their water quality.

And, these reports are on-line. Fairfax County, Virginia's largest county by population has its drinking water report here, while Loudoun County's water report is here.

Both counties and the other jurisdictions around the state report on their water supplies. A simple web search using your county's name and the words "water authority" should turn up the latest report.

The fact is, the water that flows out of your tap is as good as the water a lot of people pay more than $1/quart or liter. It's just not worth it.

Just about every non-clothing department store (Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart) and national chain drug store sells stainless steel or aluminum water bottles. I advise against plastic bottles because of potential leaching if the bottles are left out in the sun. That goes for the pricey bottles, too. Keep it chilled, drink it right away. The trade association of plastics manufacturers has its own website debunking some of the things we've heard about plastic bottles. I'm no scientist, but I'm always leery of what a trade group says about its products. What are they going to say, "Don't use our stuff."

Bottom line is this: Check out your local water quality report, back it up with some additional research and save some money and buy a reusable metal bottle.

Local Grocer Says it Does Well By Environment

Safeway, Inc., one of the dominant food stores in Virginia, recently published its Corporate Social Responsibility report. According to the company, it purchases 90,000 hours of wind energy, making it one of the largest users of renewable energy in the U.S.

The company should be applauded for all that it does, but here in Northern Virginia it is one step shy of Giant Foods, which makes a big deal out of collecting plastic shopping bags. The ubiquitous bag is a major danger to marine life and takes just about a day less than forever to biodegrade in the land fill.

That said, Safeway's website does a much better job of marketing the company's green credentials than Giant. Of course, Whole Foods, another grocery competitor in the Northern Virginia market also stands tall in the green area, but that's been the Whole Foods tradition since its start. That Safeway executives have taken sustainability seriously and do such a good job of informing customers about the grocery's progress and short comings -- is good to see.

The stores near me do a pretty good job of bringing locally grown foods into its stores, mindful of the carbon emissions that accompany long distance trucking of food, not to mention the emissions from air transport.

Mile after mile, trying to be Green

It's been a while since I posted to the blog. Vacation got in the way, but the trip provided opportunity to consider just what it means to be green while away from home. We drove a pretty fuel efficient SUV -- I know, can that even be possible? But when you're packing a teen and an adolescent who have grown up in today's society, squeezing them into the back of my Civic for 850 miles was not going to happen. Not if we all wanted to get there and back in one piece.

So while on the way we kept our use of bottled water to a minimum and while we certainly pushed the speed limit and a little more, we didn't load the roof rack with our luggage carrier so we kept the wind drag down. While I can't verify the science behind this website, www.metrompg.com demonstrated that a roof rack could reduce fuel efficiency measured in MPG by as much as 12 percent.

So the ride down the road was pretty green. But what about eating out and things like that? It's becoming more widely known that food production, transportation and packaging disposal are serious contributors to climate change and landfill use. So what's a green guy to do? Well, at least here in Virginia the state is trying to certify restaurants that claim to be green.

The Department of Environmental Quality is beginning to certify restaurants that claim to be green by requiring that they prove it based on a several criteria. The list of participating restaurants can be found here.

The truth about trash

For the last couple of years I've been a big fan of shows like Man vs Wild and Survivorman. As all of my friends know, the closest I come to the wilderness is the Animal Kingdom amusement park in Disney World. I'm on my way there now, and while traveling I've made a few stops along the way and came face to face with the truth that Bear and Les (hosts of the two shows above) talk about.

No matter where you go in the world, they say, there's trash from civilization. They find old water heaters washed into the Everglades by hurricanes, or fishing nets from ships long since visited the coasts of remote Alaska.

I find plastic bottles, tossed cigarettes and enough plastic bags to make a balloon that might get me to place where there is no trash. Not likely though, because I hear that there's trash even on the jagged slopes of Mt. Everest.

But while none of us is likely to get into too many wild places that another person hasn't already been and maybe left some stuff behind, it's good to know that there are organizations -- and the people in them, of course -- that care enough about the outdoors to clean it up. Futile as it may be, and although returning every few years to pull another truck tire from the river or styrofoam cups from a creek makes me think that they're crazy, I am glad there are thousands of volunteers around the U.S. and the world who do that type of stuff.

I'm going to join a group when I get back to VA and do my part, act crazy and demonstrate that I care a little more.

A Frenemy

Environmentalists got a whopper of news a few days ago when ExxonMobil (formerly headquartered in Fairfax, VA) announced that it was going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the research of converting algae into biofuels. The announcement was described by some as a turnaround for the giant oil company, but others saw it as a natural step for the firm to take as it strives to maintain its leading role as an energy producer -- fossil fuel-based or otherwise.

It definitely is a surprise considering that the ExxonMobil CEO is not a public proponent of efforts to combat global warming. According to an article in the New York Times, Mr. Rex W. Tillerson once described biofuels as moonshine. But then again, a lot of fortunes were made back in the days of prohibition from moonshine, so it probably is not too great a leap to think that a profit machine like ExxonMobil would turn to another way of printing greenbacks, even if it means going green.

The move by ExxonMobil means that we're going to have to pay close attention to the old adage, "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer", or better yet, start considering the oil giant as a frenemy.

Why Water

The other day I received my Loudoun County water bill. With all of the rain this spring, I haven't had to water my lawn, and since I don't wash my car at home, the bill was about what I expected. But tucked inside the envelope was a the latest newsletter from the county -- NewsLeak. Not as clever as they could be, but the title aside, the contents were interesting.

It seems that Loudoun water received $1.78 million in federal stimulus funds for two separate water projects here in Northern VA. Apparently there is some kind of water industry term for reclamation projects -- purple pipe. Here in Loudoun, the utility is reusing water for irrigation and cooling purposes. Excellent choices and smarter thinking that using fresh, drinkable water to keep lawns green or buildings cool.

Fresh water brings me to a column in today's The New York Times by Nicholas Kristoff, "Clean, Sexy Water." Kristoff tells the story of the man who started charity:water, a group that I heard of for the first time a few years ago. I was in Kansas City at a business conference and strolled into Saks (I'm a world-class shopper, albeit without a world-class check book) after noticing an interesting poster. The store was selling rubber bracelets with the words charity:water stamped on the face.

The bracelet's not as sturdy as the LiveStrong ones that seem to be on everyone's wrist, but just like Lance's quest to raise funds to find a cure for cancer, Scott Harrison the founder of charity:water wants to find a way to find a way to get clean water to families around the world, especially in Africa.

Kristoff and Harrison, and importantly, Loudoun County all know that clean water is precious. Let's all do our part like Scott Harrison and encourage our government and local utilities to continue supporting projects that use water wisely.

Water and Waste

The lure of lakes and oceans is particular hypnotic in the summer. That's why the report recently from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on the quality of the water in our public areas is so disturbing. As written about in The Washington Post earlier this week, the CBF reported that bacteria that has the nasty desire to make people sick are having a good ol' time in the waterways that feed the Chesapeake, Virginia's most important water resource. 

The CBF, no friend of the government whether a Democrat or a Republican is in office, laid the blame for the sorry state of the Bay and its waterways on ineffectiveness at the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has a lot on its plate now a days, but you'd think that with Environment being right there at the front of its name, the EPA would be the one department that would keep its eye on the ball when it comes to, say... wait for it... the environment!

I shouldn't be so hard on the EPA. The agency did find in favor of California recently when that state tried to tighten rules on air pollution from cars. But that's out west. What about back east right in the EPA's back yard? Stay tuned for more or check out the ebb and flow (I just had to do it) by visiting the CBF's website.

Meanwhile, folks living in Loudoun county might want to start sorting their trash because the pick-up of household hazardous waste is happening on July 18 in Leesburg. 

A list of what types of household waste from automobile anti-freeze to paint thinners is available on the county's website.  And while it doesn't seem as if its the run-of-the-mill household stuff that is polluting the Chesapeake, it makes sense to dispose of the toxic stuff lying around in basements and garages appropriately. And remember, don't toss anything down the storm sewers -- the junk goes right to the bay and the ocean.