Green Blog

Water covers nearly 71% of the Earth’s surface. However, only 2.8 percent of this is potable fresh water. All forms of life literally thrive on this natural resource - indeed, it could not survive otherwise. Scientists now know that such a small quantity of freshwater will not be available for too long. While a third of the Earth’s surface is comprised of water, mankind needs to really start worrying about an alternate supply of drinking water for its future generations. Most of the major water bodies have been polluted by using them as garbage bins for all our waste products. Indeed, one can almost visualize a day in the near future, when a man may kill another - only to get a drink of water.

However, we ignore an untapped source of pure water which surrounds us all our lives. This gargantuan source of pure water is our invisible atmosphere, which wraps us in 4,000 cubic miles of water which we have left largely untouched - not even considering it as a viable source of pure drinking water. Potentially, it may be the largest and most renewable source of pure drinking water available to us - its cost-effectiveness in generating water from air is an additional incentive.

A major chunk of the world’s population is concentrated in areas where the air has enough moisture to provide pure drinking water to everyone. Extracting water from air may be the solution for all water supply problems - in the poorest of countries, as well as the ones which are not well endowed with freshwater sources. This technology that converts air to water has proved a boon for peacekeeping forces that have to overcome great difficulties in obtaining supplies during operations in underdeveloped nations, and disaster relief teams as well. Soon after an earthquake, the major concern of the disaster relief teams is to combat fast spreading water-related diseases like dysentery. Such occasions call for a technology that can create pure drinking water from air.

This technology is available in both residential and commercial units, both of which are quite affordable. Extracting pure drinking water from air makes good business sense, considering it costs half as much as bottled water and be used in cruise ships, hospitals, public buildings and offices. Consuming minimal energy, it maximizes production of pure water. Agricultural fields using drip irrigation systems also find this process of extracting water from air very useful.

Some other benefits of this system, apart from producing pure drinking water, include avoiding the usage of non bio degradable plastic for bottled water as well as reducing transportation costs.

When we obtain water from air, we also steer clear from accidentally drinking toxic wastes found in poisoned groundwater, as nearly all freshwater sources have vestigial levels of toxic contaminants. Even chlorine, which most nations use to purify water, causes serious harm over time. Dewpointe has a water purification system that uses this new technology, which may also serve as a water dispenser that allows you to adjust the cold water temperature and serves hot water too.

Every time you flush the toilet or empty the tub or sink, the water disappears. Have you ever wondered where that water goes? If you live in a large city, it probably goes to a sewage treatment center or sewer. In Canada, a quarter of the population lives in smaller communities or rural areas where such systems are not set up. For these Canadians, and many other people all over the world, a septic system is used to process and discard of wastewater. A septic tank treats the wastewater and releases the usable portion back into the ground. Septic systems are also referred to as onsite wastewater systems.

How Does a Septic Tank Work? A septic tank receives the used water created from regular household use and treats it until it is at a safe level. Then the tank returns the usable portion known as the effluent to the groundwater system

How is the Septic Tank Made? Septic tanks are watertight structures usually made from concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene. Historically, septic tanks have also bee made out of materials such as wood or steel. If you live in a very old home and you suspect it may have a steel septic tank, be mindful that rust may deposit on your tank. If this is the case, you will have to eventually replace the tank. In the event that your home has a wood septic tank, it is eventually going to rot if it is not rotting already. In this case, you will also need to replace your septic tank.

Septic tanks are generally buried underground, and its size will vary on the size and water treatment requirements of your particular home. Tanks may have one or two compartments, depending on where and when it was installed. The septic tank basically consists of a holding tank, which as aforementioned is manufactured out of concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene. The septic tank, (or holding tank) retains all the solid waste extracted from the household water waste. The septic tank is connected to a system of absorption commonly known as a leach field. The leach field then disposes of the effluent liquid (water) into the soil.

An Outline of the Septic System Below is a general outline of the main components of any septic system: - Sewer line, this is the main waste line leading from your home’s plumbing to the onsite septic system - Septic tank, usually buried underground only feet away from the house, the septic tank receives the liquid and solid waste and retains the solids in the tank. Baffles (or barriers) at the inlet and outlet of the tank slow down the flow of liquid passing through the septic tank and stop solid waste from escaping the tank. Tanks with two compartments have extra baffles and thus do an even more effective job.

- Leaching system, also referred to as a ‘drainfield,’ the leaching system is basically an absorption system. The leaching system distributes the effluent into the soil around it. There are a variety of different ways to set up a leaching system, but the most common is a series of underground perforated pipes buried in trenches with good drainage. The type of drainage system used will depend greatly on the type of soil that surrounds the property and the amount of space available for the leaching system.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the components of a septic system and how they work together, not only do you know how a septic tank is made, but also how it works. If you own a home with a septic tank you understand it a little better now and you can go on to read about how to maintain your septic system.

Pure drinking water is essential for men to live a healthy life. For eons, man has ceaselessly tried to purify water for drinking purposes. The earliest water purification systems were great at removing odors and improving the taste of water; regrettably this could not remove the microorganisms that caused most of the common diseases and epidemics. Progresses made in science and technology, gave mankind new and more effective water purification systems such as reverse osmosis, distillation and UV water filtration. While each of these methods was a vast improvement over the older methods, they shared a common disadvantage - they purify ground or surface water in order to produce pure drinking water. That brings us to an embarrassing question- How much of the toxic chemical wastes present in surface water can actually be removed by these water purification systems?

Our dear planet Earth was once richly endowed with every thing that was needed to support life including pure drinking water. With the advancement of human civilization, men became greedier. In the name of rapid industrial growth, men wreaked havoc in the air and water.The mindless dumping of enormous amounts of toxic industrial wastes into our rivers and lakes has polluted almost all the surface and ground water on the face of the Earth. Chlorine and Fluoride, two widely used minerals for water treatment purposes, have been known to cause cancer. Also Lead, a hazadous element adds up to pollute the water supply source through plumbing systems and pipes. The damage that has been caused is irreversible. Surface water quality will never be the same again.

This pitiable condition of surface water has forced scientists to turn towards atmospheric water for a feasible and cost effective solution. Finally, we have a technology that can actually create water from air. This technology uses atmospheric moisture to create pure drinking water. All that needs to be done is to connect the unit to a power supply, and that’s it - it does the rest. This is also a commercially practical option since a home water purification system that uses this technology capable of producing 1 gallon of 99.99% pure drinking water at a cost of half a dollar.

The office appliances solely built for commercial use can create up to 12 gallons of pure drinking water a day. Atmospheric water Systems, Inc., for example, has come up with a device that uses a four stage water filtration system that can create water from air that is up to 99.99% pure.

In order to insure a zero bacteria count, they use a patented system. The built-in “Antibiotic Air-Filtration System” purifies the incoming air-flow in order to remove airborne microbes. The UV water filtration system takes care of the remaining impurities in order to produce the best quality drinking water. This device also doubles up as a water dispenser that provides both hot and cold water on demand and has child proof hot water safety guard valves.

If you are particular about your carbon footprint, you would love this water purification system as it uses minimal energy. Apart from being twice as expensive as atmospheric water, bottled water also involves using plastic bottles and transportation costs. You can contribute to reducing global warming by choosing to use these atmospheric water filtration units.

Summer Camp in the North woods of Minnesota is more than the pristine beauty of lakes, forests and eagles flying overhead. To me, Summer Camp is another home with another family. But camp isn’t just any family or any home, Swift Nature Camp is a special home.

This summer home is filled with acceptance, love, encouragement, and true, down to earth friends who you will end up calling your camp family. Your counselors act as parents, older siblings, etc. They are great people to look up to. The campers are great friends for life. You may even end up looking at them as siblings. Acceptance is everywhere, no one kicks you out of the cabin because of who you are. Your uniqueness is celebrated. This is the main reason why I love Swift Nature Camp…it’s so much more than just having fun.

When you’re not on canoe or backpack trips and just at camp, there is so much to do, you can never fit it all in. Other fun activities to do at camp are archery, swimming, fishing, boating, tubing, and riflery. I loved being active all day. What is real neat is rather you are a beginner or an expert in an area its ok. The counselors help you get better. All activities are noncompetitive and so we all support each other, rather than worry who is best.

I’ll never forget the great out of camp trips we took like the Superior Hiking Trail. What an adventure! I loved being in the of the forest. overlooking Lake Superior. The wildlife was wonderful too we saw hawks, bald eagles, & deer. This is why I love Minnesota Camps

Life in a cabin is about learning from others and with others. It is becoming a team of understanding. Sure, sometimes we had our fights or minor issues, but almost always they were resolved and we grew closer as a team for them.

The Nature Center is a great place to learn about Nature and the beautiful environment of the North woods. We always have fun this is not school. The animals in the zoo are fun to take care of, especially since my mom, back home, will only let me have a cat. It is kinda like being at an animal camp.

I plan on going back to Swift Nature Camp for all these reasons. If you come for just one summer, I know you will feel as I do. So, I’ll see yawl in the North woods of Minnesota this summer!

More and more these days, homeowners are looking to reduce their impact on the environment and move to more responsible lawn care alternatives. This is a very respectable goal, but it is also a misunderstood one. Here are just a few tips for you to follow if you truly want to become organic in your lawn care program.

However, we first must lay down some groundwork before we can go totally organic in our lawn treatment schedule.

1) First off, there is no such thing as “organic weed control.” I don’t care what is being sold out there on the internet, there is not such thing as an all natural weed killer. You can buy those products all day long but all you will do is waste your money because they do not work. With that in mind, we need to find a viable alternative to blanketing our lawns with harsh chemical sprays.

2) Since we are going to have to use some type of weed killer, then we need to do it in a responsible way. Keep in mind, if you don’t keep the weeds down in your lawn, they will spread to your neighbors lawns and force them to use more chemicals! So what I recommend you do is spot spray the weeds using a pump up sprayer. This way you can target the weeds where they are instead of the alternative method of “weed and feed” where the weed chems are thrown everywhere, needed or not.

3) Now that we are willing to spot spray the weeds just to get the main batch knocked down, we need to work on the turf density. I can promise you that the main way to keep weeds out of your grass is to get it thicker and we will do that by feeding it good nutrients that will support photosynthesis. I recommend synthetic fert in a blend of 20-20-10. That is the prescription for a healthy lawn.

4) The final step, and maybe the most important is a completely non-chemical step called lawn “aeration.” Aerating a lawn is a process whereby cores of soil are pulled from the lawn. This breaks down the thatch layer and also relieves soil compaction allowing the grass roots to spread out and get thicker, faster! You must aerate your lawn every spring and every fall without fail.

If you are still reading this, you are probably thinking that none of this is very organic in nature, and you’d be correct. You see, the way to get to an organic lawn is to first use chemicals and then get the turf thick enough to sustain a weed free lawn for the future! Get out and get started today!

Garden ponds are getting to be an increasingly popular pursuit for a great deal of individuals, if they’re always searching for ways to make their pond appear better. There are many various resources that will have tips to build a garden pond for beginners to use, and many of them have easy tips that any person interested in making a garden pond should abide by in order to create a garden pond design that they can be proud of. All it requires is learning some basic tips about constructing garden ponds to rapidly become an expert on the topic of pond creation.

Pond Position

One of the most fundamental things you should do before you start constructing a garden pond is to know all about the items you are thinking of putting in the pond and round it. Most individuals don’t understand what it requires to maintain certain plants before they purchase them merely because they bought them in the spur of the minute without researching them. A lot of individuals typically make the mistake of planting the plants in the wrong type of soil and water without knowing any better. This route can be truly costly because it could end up resulting in the death of your high-priced plants that you just bought.

Another critical tip to build a garden pond is to make sure that the region that the pond is being set in will have all of the things that are required for the plants and any fish that are introduced into the pond to survive. The instructions for the upkeep of the pond will list what can be situated in the area and how to maintain the pond in top condition. Even experts may gain from studying the instructions for the pond kit that they choose to use to build a garden pond so that they know what they want to do to hold the pond healthy.

Garden Pond Design : The Plan

An important tip to build a garden pond is to be cautious while choosing the area for the garden pond. It really doesn’t matter if you put the pond in the front of your house or in the rear of your house, it all boils down to how much light be area you’re planning on putting it in receives. That will determine how well the fish and plants will do. Typically your garden pond plants do best in areas that have a lot of sunshine and which has open access to any occuring rainfall. By checking to see if the area is too shaded or too dry before placing the plants in the area, the person will be saving a lot of time and will increase the rate of survival for the plants around the pond.

Anybody who wants to follow beginner’s tips can be successful at building a garden pond as it is not a really difficult task once you know about all of the different types of garden ponds. Learning basic techniques to build a garden pond can go a long way towards answering any questions that the person may have about how to care for their garden pond. If you just follow some simple tips for building a garden pond you’ll find that the project is easier than you ever imagined.

How nice would it feel to be able to bid adieu to outlandishly high electric bills. In reality we were given the most replenish able source of energy, all we have to do is utilize it. The current financial crunch as well as the gloaming global environmental issues now is the perfect time to invest in renewable energy, a great start is to make solar panels for home use. Paying less on your monthly power bill would be a blessing in today’s world.

Most people cannot afford professionally installed solar power systems. You can tap into energy provided by Mother Nature and make solar panels for home use to harnesses the earth’s energy.

How is anyone able to perform something so complex? It is not difficult to make solar panels for home use. Solar panel kits or the supplies needed to make them can be found at your hometown hardware store one else online.

Solar panel kits include all that is required in order to make solar panels for home use. On the other hand, if you opt for this choice, you just have to purchase from a retail outlet what you require from your list to produce power from sunlight.

You can either go all out or build a full sunpower solar panels system, or you can build a smaller panel that can be used to operate tools and appliances. You can do this over a period of time, so there is no need to start big. Perhaps you might invest what you save on your utility bill to construct more sun-harvesting solar panels so that one day you can get rid of that bill altogether.

To make solar panels for home use, today there are resources and guides available that will walk you through the process. Probably the toughest part is choosing the right set of instructions. When you are working with power, safety is paramount, so work with detailed instructions in building your system.

Once you purchase a set of instructions, head off to the hardware outlet to purchase the needed parts to build residential solar system. You can start on your project any time you have free time. It is possible to build up to 2 solar panels in a day.

Most of us lack the wealth to have professionally installed solar powered systems. You can make solar panels for home use, and you don’t need to be an engineer. Keeping your hard earned money for yourself instead of sending it to the power company is one benefit of building sunpower solar panels, but helping save the environment is equally important.

Refrigeration and air-conditioning systems; commercial refrigeration; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; fire protection systems; and other equipment using refrigerant gas are part of the phase out program now underway in the United States. Facilities that use this ozone-depleting gas risk a significant EPA penalty by not following requirements under the U.S. Clean Air Act.

With the magnitude of the law, many facilities keep current with government policies, compliance requirements and non-compliance penalties with refrigerant tracking and reporting programs. They automatically manage a company’s use of refrigerant, identify leaks, track repairs and provide guidance in proper disposal. These programs provide a no-fail way to avoid an EPA penalty by ensuring that companies, municipalities and property managers with refrigerant equipment in use properly monitor its usage and submit required documentation.

Overseeing the EPA penalty aspect of the U.S. Clean Air Act is the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. They are aggressively pursuing enforcement of the requirements to curb harmful gas emissions. Auditors and inspectors are permitted to make spot inspections to review a facility’s records pertaining to regulated gases. Those unable to produce proper documentation, or have incomplete or missing data are subject to heavy fines.

The EPA penalty applies to facilities that improperly emit, vent, or dispose of refrigerant gas. The law requires proper servicing and safe removal of any equipment using restricted substances. Noncompliance could result in fines of up to $25,000 a day, per violation. Additional fines are added if the refrigerant gas is not properly recovered. Because of the substantial penalties involved, the government has developed a technician certification program for anyone who provides service, repair, maintenance, or disposal of equipment containing refrigerant gases.

According to the EPA penalty guidelines, refrigerant leaks must be fixed within 30 days or a fine of $32,500 per day, per unit can be levied. In addition, buying used or imported refrigerant gas is a penalty of $300K per 30 pound cylinder. Considering the substantial amount of fines involved, it is critical for businesses and municipalities to document every pound of gas and properly manage its inventory for all locations across the entire organization.

Under the law, comments are being accepted and updates and proposals can be made. But on January 1, 2010, the phase out of refrigerant gas is official and the EPA penalty is more strictly enforced. The government agency is already taking civil and criminal actions against companies nationwide who violate the law, collecting billions of dollars in fines to date.

Because refrigerant gas contains chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, identified as the major causes of ozone depletion, its use is being reduced, and eventually eliminated, worldwide. The plan reduces the use of R-22 refrigerant gas by 75% by 2010 and eliminates it by 2015. The EPA penalty increases as the complete phase-out comes to a close.

EPA penalty policies under the U.S. Clean Air Act closely follow those established in the international Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol. The intent of the treaties is to reduce the use of refrigerant gas in order to reverse the damaging effects on the ozone layer and prevent global warming in the future. The fines are necessary to encourage facilities to make changes to their carbon foot print so the environment can remain healthy for years to come.

In the current times, there are two pertinent factors which need equal and enough attention from us. These two factors are our economy and the earth as the planet we live in. Truly, we are facing challenging issues regarding these two. There has been an increasing need regarding the environment with its continuous deterioration because of pollution, just the same as there have been growing concerns about the financial crisis that we have been experiencing causing the inflation and rise in the prices of commodities.

As a vigilant person, you must seek ways on how you can contribute in making these two factors better. One good way of taking part and doing your share is to make use of wind and solar power as alternative means of energy.

Wind and solar power are energies that are renewable. With this, what it means is that they are natural and thus come from nature. The good thing about these two forms of energies is the fact that they are advantageous to both the human race and earth.

The reason behind this is that renewable forms of energy do not do the environment any harm. The second is that resorting to these forms of energy provides humans with significant savings which can very well help given the financial crisis that the world is experiencing.

If you aspire to build your own wind and power system, then know that the process is relatively straightforward. Below are steps that you can take in putting up this system.

The first thing that you will have to do is the purchase a wind and solar power generator kit. This kit will be the one that you will be installing in your home. There are a number of kits available in the market. They can be purchased in do it yourself shops and hardware stores. As you choose, go for the kit or the system which offers you concise and not difficult to follow instructions. Take note of the prices as well as you choose which kit it is that you will be purchasing.

The second step that you will have to do as you have purchased the kit is to open it and look for the instructions right away. Make sure that you read this first before you even attempt to set it up. This ensures that you have truly understood the steps that need to be taken and that you are well guided in the process of the installation. Dont worry because do it yourself kits which are purchased are guaranteed to have instructions included with them.

A good reminder as you go through your own installation is to be mindful of the attitude that you possess regarding it. Keep in mind that patience is very important as you go through the process. You should possess this as this will make sure that you attain your goals of putting up the wind and solar power system that will be cost-efficient for you.

Concrete Floors whether polished or in its natural state needs to undergo regular and proper maintenance to maintain its cleanliness. It is oftentimes hard to tell when a concrete is dirty because of its natural appearance. Concretes that had been previously stained using acid staining also tend to camouflage dirt because of the concretes earth tone color. Several ways of cleaning concrete and several products are available in concrete cleaning.

Dust, dirt and grime are the easiest to clean since power washing can effectively do the trick. A mixture of water and house detergent or soap is enough to clean these types of dirt. The mixture is then poured inside the power washer. A power washer is a pressurized water system that goes out of a nozzle.

Oil and grease stains are harder to remove since they cannot be removed through a simple water and soap mixture. Hot water should be poured onto the grease to lift it off the surface. Alkali degreasers are then added that emulsifies the grease which makes it possible to wash down by a power washer. Some floor contractors use alkali degreasers in cleaning simple dirt and dust since these can be oily too.

Paints are the hardest to remove because most paints tend to bond permanently with the concrete surface. To clean paint drops one should use a potassium hydroxide based cleaning agent. This type of cleaning agent tends to be too aggressive. The answer then is to use citrus based agents which are less aggressive. The potassium hydroxide cleaning agent needs to settle first on the concrete for a few hours before washing it down with a power washer.

Paints can also be removed by using an instrument of tungsten-carbide nozzle that shoots out sand together with the stream of water. This type of cleaning instrument tends to put little dents on the concrete surface because of the pressure from the water with sand mixture. A new instrument was the introduced which has softer sodium bicarbonate adhesives in power washers.