Clipmarks | zephyr1's 'water' clips

Coca-Cola Co. Announces Plan to Offset the 76 Billion Gallons of Water it uses Annually

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:37:11 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Coca-Cola Co. today dropped a sustainable bombshell announcing it is funding a $20 million project to try and offset the 76 billion gallons of water it uses each year to make Coke, Sprite, Fanta and its other drinks. Yes that is not a typo Coca-Cola uses 76 billion gallons of water annually.

According to a company press release Coca-Cola Co. will work to conserve seven major rivers worldwide and will also revamp its bottling practices to reduce pollution and water use.

The campaign was announced at the World Wildlife Foundation's (WWF) annual meeting in Beijing. Information on the announcement and apparent Coca-Cola/WWF partnership is prominently displayed on both parties web sites.

"Essentially the pledge is to return every, every drop we use back to nature," Coca-Cola Chief Executive E. Neville Isdell said at a news conference.

Tags: coca cola, water, conserve

Huge Wind Machine To Simulate Category Three Hurricanes

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 23:34:11 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Science Daily — It will huff, and puff, and blow the house in — but only for research purposes.

Two days before the June 1 start of the 2007 hurricane season, University of Florida wind engineers unveiled the world’s largest portable hurricane wind and rain simulator. Mounted on a trailer, the industrial-sized behemoth is composed of eight 5-foot-tall industrial fans powered by four marine diesel engines that together produce 2,800 horsepower. To cool the engines, the system taps water from a 5,000-gallon tank aboard a truck that doubles as the simulator’s tow vehicle.

UF civil and coastal engineers plan to use the simulator to blast vacant homes with winds of up to 130 mph — Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale — and high-pressure water jets that mimic wind-driven torrential rain.

The goal: to learn more about exactly how hurricanes damage homes, and how to modify them to best prevent that damage.

Tags: wind, rain, simulator, hurricane, engineers

Did you know: Penguins cannot convert salt water into fresh water? And other interesting facts...

Tue, 29 May 2007 23:06:40 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.davesdaily.com

When a giraffe's baby is born it falls from a height of six feet, normally without being hurt.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

How does a shark find fish? It can hear their hearts beating.

The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design.

Penguins can convert salt water into fresh water.

In ten minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined!

The IRS employees tax manual has instructions for collecting taxes after a nuclear war.

During WWII, because a lot of players were called to duty, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles combined to become The Steagles.

Nearly 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong account over the next hour.

More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

There are more fatal car accidents in July than any other month.

There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world.

Tags: penguins, shark, fish, giraffe, facts, interesting, venus

What does WD-40 Stand For?

Mon, 28 May 2007 16:52:13 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.interestingfacts.org

Maybe you didn’t know but WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. Name was coined by the chemist, Norm Larsen, while he was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion by displacing water. Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.

Tags: wd 40, chemist, corrosion, deplacement

Rock -Paper-Scissors

Mon, 28 May 2007 16:19:15 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.funpic.hu

Tags: rock, paper, scissors, air, water, fire

Study: Ocean eddies cause plankton blooms

Sun, 27 May 2007 19:07:02 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

WOODS HOLE, Mass., May 23 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have discovered why blooms of microscopic plant life -- plankton -- grow in the middle of otherwise barren mid-ocean regions.

A research team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has found episodic, swirling current systems known as eddies raise nutrients from the deep ocean to fuel such blooms.

The study leader, WHOI oceanographer Dennis McGillicuddy, and colleagues found ocean productivity was surprisingly high when stirred by certain types of mid-ocean eddies. Those huge parcels of water were teeming with diatoms -- a type of phytoplankton -- in concentrations up to 100,000 times the norm among the highest ever observed in the Sargasso Sea.

Past research has shown that the open ocean is far more productive than we could explain based on what we knew about nutrients in surface water," said McGillicuddy.

Tags: plankton, oceanographer, eddies, phytoplankton

Six Global Time Series Animations from AIRS

Wed, 23 May 2007 13:39:32 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www-airs.jpl.nasa.gov

Credit: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Tags: global, ozone, carbon monoxide, water vapor, atmospheric, radiation, cloud fraction

Water footprint

Wed, 23 May 2007 10:40:18 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.waterfootprint.org

People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The water footprint of an individual, business or nation is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual, business or nation.

The relation between consumption and water use

The water footprint of a nation shows the total volume of water that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the inhabitants of the nation. Since not all goods consumed in one particular country are produced in that country, the water footprint consists of two parts: use of domestic water resources and use of water outside the borders of the country. The water footprint includes both the water withdrawn from surface and groundwater and the use of soil water (in agricultural production).

Download the basic publication on 'Water Footprints of Nations'

Water Footprints of Nations

Tags: water, footprint, groundwater, consumption, use

Drinking Water project ad print

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:04:29 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.10ad.org

A child’s well-being is highly dependent on both the quality and the availability of water and on how well this precious resource is managed. WHO’s “drinking water project” project is working on improving the drinking water situation in Asia and Africa areas.

Many countries do not manage correct this resource. Especially in countries were poverty reduce the number of healthy children.

This creative idea is using glasses as the special media. The skinny child began getting “fat” visually shows the theme of “Having water to drink, he will improve (grow)” therefore encourage people to donate money.

Tags: abuse, neglect, ad, campaign, children's health, education

New Process Generates Hydrogen From Aluminum Alloy To Run Engines,Fuel Cells

Sun, 20 May 2007 00:27:29 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Science Daily — A Purdue University engineer has developed a method that uses an aluminum alloy to extract hydrogen from water for running fuel cells or internal combustion engines, and the technique could be used to replace gasoline.

The method makes it unnecessary to store or transport hydrogen - two major challenges in creating a hydrogen economy, said Jerry Woodall, a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue who invented the process.

"The hydrogen is generated on demand, so you only produce as much as you need when you need it," said Woodall, who presented research findings detailing how the system works during a recent energy symposium at Purdue.

The technology could be used to drive small internal combustion engines in various applications, including portable emergency generators, lawn mowers and chain saws. The process could, in theory, also be used to replace gasoline for cars and trucks, he said.

Tags: aluminum alloy, hydrogen, engineer, water

Photo of the Day : Walking on Water

Tue, 15 May 2007 00:50:47 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: 10e.org

Tags: gator, photography

Rosemary-One of the world's oldest herbs...

Sat, 12 May 2007 15:17:37 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.kitchenmedicinebook.com

Rosemary is a magnificent plant with a long history; in fact, it's one of the oldest recorded herbs in history

General use, dried leaf or twig: 2 to 4 grams, or as a tea, three times daily, by mouth

General use, liquid extract (1:1 preparation in 45 percent alcohol): 2 to 4 milliliter (40 to 80 drops) three times daily, by mouth

General use, tincture (200 to 300 grams – 7 to 10 ounces – of fresh chopped herb in a liquid containing 35 percent to 40 percent alcohol): 2 milliliter (40 drops) twice daily, by mouth

Upset stomach, infusion: 2 grams rosemary leaf in 150 milliliters water, taken three times daily, by mouth.

Upset stomach, alcoholic extract (1.5 grams per milliliter): 10 milliliters three times daily, by mouth

Supportive treatment for rheumatic diseases and circulatory problems, bath additive: Decoct 50 grams (2 ounces) of rosemary leaf in 1 liter (2 pints) water, let stand covered for 15 to 30 minutes, strain and add to one full bath

Tags: herbs, healing, culinary, aromatic

Bottled water has high environmental costs

Fri, 11 May 2007 13:28:54 GMT

clipped by: zephyr1

Clip Source: www.news.com.au

Bottled water has high environmental costs

BOTTLED water, the world's fastest growing beverage, carries a heavy environmental cost, adding plastic to landfills and putting pressure on natural springs, the author of a new US report said today.

"Bottled water is really expensive, in terms of environmental costs and economically," said Ling Li, who wrote the report for the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute.

While many in developed countries thirst for safety, cleanliness, taste and social cachet when they buy bottled water, more than one billion of the world's poorest lack access to clean drinking water, bottled or not.

And in developed countries, bottled water may be scrutinised using lower standards than plain tap water, the report said.

The environmental impact can start at the source, where some local streams and underground aquifers become depleted when there is "excessive withdrawal" for bottled water, according to the report.

Tags: environment, plastic, water