Living in a Water World: how we use it & abuse it

Here is a little pre-weekend reminder of just how valuable and vital water is from friends over at FastCompany.com. While here in the UK water waste may be a little less extreme, the graphic below illustrates well the unsustainable use of water in many parts of the world. The fact that this waste continues is not due to a lack of options - rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, waterless toilets, composting toilets and water filtration and re-use systems are all readily available to many - and the real problem lies in people's attitudes towards water.

At Back to Tap, we want to encourage people to consider how and why they use water the way they do. Is purchasing bottled water healthy and environmentally sound way to behave? What other options exist are available that will allow us to move away from wasteful behaviour?

Next week, we will be looking at a number of exciting innovations for water conservation from Lelongwe to London.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your tap water!

Diagram from: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/154/water-world.html

Green Roofs Filter Water & Create Space

Back to Tap is looking forward to getting a new green roof project started. A little innovation can go a long way to making cities more liveable and improving drainage. Especially in places like London, where the sewerage system regularly overflows due to heavy rain, green roofs and permeable pavements provide an useful alternative. Does anyone else have ideas for more sustainable urbanisation?

Of Taps and Toilets

Back to Tap was amused to find that a new Toilet Museum has opened in Wiesbaden, Germany. Like taps and everything plumbing and water related, toilets don't often get the attention they deserve, but proper hygiene and sanitation infrastructure are key to building healthy communities.

Water is essential for life, and having access to clean water can often mean the difference between a healthy and prosperous life and disease. The most recent illustration of this has been a cholera outbreak in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where poor water treatment and substandard water infrastructure and drainage systems have led to the unnecessary death of over 50 people.

Here in London, Back to Tap is proud to work with the ARCHIVE Institute to raise awareness of the links between health and housing and water issues in particular. Basic steps can be taken in home design to reduce the risk of illness for some of the world's most vulnerable urban populations, and Back to Tap hopes that ARCHIVE's work will change the way people think about water, design and health in cities around the world.

Water Gardens and the Urban Environment

Back to Tap has been in touch with the pioneers over at the Science Barge to discuss their prototype, sustainable urban farm and environmental education centre that is now in its third year of operations. It is the only fully functioning demonstration of renewable energy supporting sustainable food production in New York City. And it is floating on the Hudson River!

The Barge grows tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce with zero net carbon emissions, zero chemical pesticides, and zero runoff. It is powered by solar, wind, and biofuels, and irrigated by rainwater and purified river water. By providing an accessible and fun platform for exploring urban food production and sustainable energy, the project helps to change attitudes towards the urban environment.

As part of the expansion of the Science Barge's gardening mandate, a greenhouse has been built on top of a local school, and it is great to see innovation and primary education literally feeding off of each other. The greenhouse relies on an advanced hydroponics system to grow fruit and vegetables, providing a great science class tutorial as well as enhancing the nutrition of diminutive New Yorkers. Schools everywhere should have gardens as a focal point for educational, nutritional and ecological advancement.

Barges in London (above) and in Boston (below) which inspire us to explore ecologically sound ways of interacting with the urban rivers.

Here in London, Back to Tap is excited about the Barge Garden Competition being held in Boston - the honourable mentions on their blog offer inspiration for London to think creatively about how we interact with the environment. In particular, we look forward to future work that re-examines our relationship with water, the earth most precious resource.

Can the World Keep Up with Growing Demand for Water?

A little food for thought when we turn on the taps in the morning from our friends at visualizing.org. Back to Tap particularly enjoyed the runner up showing the projected increase in urban water consumption to 2030.

From: http://www.visualizing.org/visualizations/urban-water-needs-can-we-keep

The team used sponges and water to create a powerful visual display of just how much water thirsty humans will be drinking in coming years. Their findings provide one more reason to stop using wasteful water bottling and to think more seriously about how we manage all of the world's natural resources, including water.

Urban water needs: Can we keep up? from hal watts on Vimeo.

UNICEF Works to Provide Clean Water in Libya

UNICEF has just set up a new transit station on the Libyan border and one of their major challenges is providing clean drinking water to the growing population. Here at Back to Tap, we have been considering work on a low cost filter for just such situations.

Back to Tap hopes that everyone fleeing the war in Libya and surrounding areas will find a safe refuge in neighbouring countries, and that freshwater will continue to flow for all.

Plastic Bags Sail the Seas: time for a ban or two

Back to Tap is happy to be following the trials and tribulations of the 5 Gyres Team as they set out to quantify the Pacific Garbage Patch - formed of plastic bottles and other plastic waste.

Like our friends over at the Plastiki, the 5 Gyres sailing team is seeking to explore the problem of plastic waste in our seas, but they are taking a more scientific approach. Increasing the knowledge base and general public awareness of the plastic pollution will hopefully drive political change.

Already, there have been successful attempts to ban plastic bags in cities and towns in the UK and now the EU has even proposed a national ban on the polluting plastic bag. It seems that slowly but surely, the world is waking up to plastic's destructive impact on our ecosystems.

10 Ways to Use Less Plastic

How do we change behaviour to be more sustainable? Of course there are many inspiring examples of how to reduce our collective carbon footprints, yet when it comes to creating change at the individual level, it can be very difficult to really get things done. In this post, we've tried to help you move away from plastics by breaking things down so that you can choose individual steps towards reducing plastic use:

(1) Stop buying and using bottled water - Plastic bottles are a major source of marine debris and are piling up around the world. Make your own filtered tap water and carry it in a stainless steel drinking flask, or simply drink straight from a filtered tap.

(2) Say "no" to plastic grocery bags - Plastic bags are a leading source of ocean garbage. Purchase and bring your own reusable bags when buying groceries.

(3) Say "no" to plastic snack bags, baggies and sandwich bags - Cloth napkins, wax paper or reusable sandwich bags and boxes can be used in place of their plastic equivalents.

4) Avoid Products that use Plastic to Begin With - Plastic is convenient but most of the cheaper grades (the clear stuff) find its way into our food, often leaving a film on anything that is wrapped in it and which we then eat. Microwaving anything in plastic cooks plastic residues right into the food, vaporizing other chemicals that contaminate the food and air.

5) Recycle or Reuse Materials - Plastic can be recycled and you will find that when you start recycling you at least save money on trash bags. Many containers can be washed out and reused (though they should be sterilized with apple cider vinegar). Note that only the higher grade plastics can be reused.

6) Choose Products with Biodegradable Plastic - Now many plastic cups along with packaging peanuts and other supplies are available in a biodegradable form. Companies like Ecosafe and Natur-Tec are providing real solutions to the plastic problem.

7) Repair, Sell or Upgrade Gadgets Many people run out and buy the latest new cell phone or iPod more often than needed, discarding their old phones in the rubbish where they not only add to plastic landfill but also leak out various other contaminants like Mercury. Meanwhile older components, while larger, are often superior as they tend to be constructed of much more solid materials. By repairing your items you can keep things in top shape much longer. Tackle small problems when they arise. Take the time to fix things. Buy used products when possible and sell your items online or at the local rummage sale when they are no longer needed. Prefer products that offer replacement parts.

8) Recycle Computer Parts - If you must discard items like monitors or printers, at least take them to an electronics recycler. The claim that most plastics can be recycled has been proven false, but for some plastics, the option is there. So recycle where possible while proactively cutting out plastic from your life.

(9) Experiment with New Materials & Innovative Products - From bamboo to glass and stainless steel, there are many options to help you make the move away from plastic.

(10) Convert those around you to plastic free living!

Use Less Plastic from TakePart on Vimeo.

The Pacific Ocean Gyre

If anyone has found themselves drifting in the middle of Pacific recently, they may have found themselves in a sea of plastic waste. As our friends over at the Plastiki know so well, plastic waste poses a major threat the health of aquatic ecosystems from the mid-Pacific to local beaches.

Here at Back to Tap, we are hoping that people will stop using bottled water and put an end to one major source of plastic waste. This will hopefully lead a shrinking of the Pacific Ocean plastic gyre:

Watching the Price of Liquid Gold

As we continue to think of new ways to manage water, and to discuss whether or not bottled water makes sense, we thought that you might be interested in a recent BBC series on "The Foods That Make Billions."

Things like cornflakes and bottled water that people would never have considered paying for are now some of the biggest money spinners for persuasive food companies. As was laid out so cleal

Building for Water in the Sky

Dear to Back to Tap’s heart is the issue of pollution from water delivery services, as building design evolves to reflect new technological capabilities, and as people seek to re-connect with the concrete world around them, water is certain to play a role. Already, celebrity architects are incorporating water into buildings in exciting ways, and the next step will be the adoption of creative water designs for everyday use.

In Singapore, as buildings rise skyward, so do parks and water features, with the Sands Skypark perched 57 stories above the ground. If humans are going to continue expanding skywards, water must always accompany them.

Rendering of Sands Skypark by Safdie Architects. Courtesy of Marina Bay Sands.

Moving from the monumental architectural use of water by architects from Frank-Lloyd Wright to Zaha Hadid, designers are now thinking about water systems at the household level. Designs for porous concrete, green roofs, grey water recycling systems, and innovative irrigation systems are changing the way we use, recycle and dispose of water.

Artist's impression of Dubai fountains, by Emaar

Cities of Future: creative adaptation for an urban species

By 2030, there will be more people living in urban than rural areas. This shift from rural to an urban majority represents a new phase in humans' relationship with the environment. In the next 20 years, Homo sapiens, “the wise human”, will become Homo sapiens urbanus in virtually all regions of the planet. What will this change mean for how natural resources are managed?

Will we all be living in mini apartments and eating produce grown in vertical farms, and how will everyone get along amidst increasing scarcity? All of these questions have been raised before, and what we are interested in is water.

(© Vincent Callebaut)[pixelab]

What is clear is that the coming urban renaissance will require new ideas about how water is managed. Already, cities are starting to re-evaluate how they use and plan for water use. From academics pondering theory to household systems designed to recycle grey water, there are a range of existing solutions to water shortage use and unnecessary pollution. As the global population booms and moves to cities, we are certain to see more innovation.

Already, countries in the Arabian Gulf are using large-scale desalinisation plants to extract water for their desert metropolises - this practice is already leading to hyper-salinity in the sea, with toxic impacts on sealife. As the unsustainable efforts in the Gulf demonstrate, the tightly packed urban world of the future our relationship with water will have to evolve.

When we run out of freshwater on land will be moving to the sea?

Gyre Seascraper © Zigloo