Our Care2 focus for Earth Day 2008 is water. Fresh water. Blue gold. Only 2.5 percent of the planet's water is fresh, and less than half of 1 percent of that is available as drinking water. The only renewable source of freshwater is from rain, yet demand for freshwater is surpassing its supply as the population explodes and that same population pollutes it. To read more about the global water crisis read the Blue Gold booklet issued by the International Forum on Globalization.

The cold water from a gravity-fed spring tastes as sweet as fresh running maple tree sap. After drinking even half a glass of such vibrant water your whole body seems to sing with its sweetness. Scarce, now, such "alive" water is more a thing of the past. But our cells are 75 percent water, and a fertilized human egg is about 95 percent water. Do we really want polluted water?]]> Our Care2 focus for Earth Day 2008 is water. Fresh water. Blue gold. Only 2.5 percent of the planet’s water is fresh, and less than half of 1 percent of that is available as drinking water. The only renewable source of freshwater is from rain, yet demand for freshwater is surpassing its supply as the population explodes and that same population pollutes it. To read more about the global water crisis read the Blue Gold booklet issued by the International Forum on Globalization.

The cold water from a gravity-fed spring tastes as sweet as fresh running maple tree sap. After drinking even half a glass of such vibrant water your whole body seems to sing with its sweetness. Scarce, now, such “alive” water is more a thing of the past. But our cells are 75 percent water, and a fertilized human egg is about 95 percent water. Do we really want polluted water?

We can take heart and take steps to protect ourselves and this valuable resource.

WASTEWATER
We all realize that throwing a plastic bottle in the ocean is a bad move, but beyond the obvious there are little things that many of us unwittingly do that are just as harmful. Our groundwater, streams and oceans are becoming increasingly polluted by chemicals that we innocently discharge and flush away.

Getting Clear About Wastewater
Read about what is getting into the wastewater, the surprising effects, and what you can do to help tame the deleterious chemical anarchy taking place in our water.

Water-Saving Tips
Gizmos and ideas you may never have thought of to help you water in your garden.

Use Less Water
10 smart water-saving tips for your life.

Catching Rain
Consider a rain barrel for your home.

Save Water in Your Yard
Are green roofs for you? Seven more ways for outdoor water saving.

Switch Your Showerhead?
Use this test to find out if a low-flow showerhead will help you save water.

Dishwasher Saving Tips
Which uses less water, hand washing or the dishwasher?

WATER BOTTLES
Not only do water bottles use a huge amount of resources (plastic, manufacturing, shipping, etc.), but they use up other people’s water, often forcing people with little income to buy back water that was once theirs.

Easy Greening: Water Bottles
The backstory about health and environmental impact of water bottles, plus recommendations.

Green Girl Pans Plastic
A college freshman lets go of the social acceptability of water bottles.

Bottled vs. Tap Water
How to kick the bottled water habit.

The obsession for "fresh" smelling air is skyrocketing. Americans are expected to spend 1.72 billion dollars on air fresheners this year—that's enough money to buy 82,100 brand new Toyota Prius cars. Air fresheners can provide pleasant smell associations, disguise bad odors, and just make us feel warm and woozy. And itchy and congested and achy and occasionally even convulsive and comatose. Here's what you need to know about the dangers of air fresheners and tips for living without them.]]> The obsession for “fresh” smelling air is skyrocketing. Americans are expected to spend 1.72 billion dollars on air fresheners this year—that’s enough money to buy 82,100 brand new Toyota Prius cars. Air fresheners can provide pleasant smell associations, disguise bad odors, and just make us feel warm and woozy. And itchy and congested and achy and occasionally even convulsive and comatose. Here’s what you need to know about the dangers of air fresheners and tips for living without them.

The craze for air fresheners is rapidly expanding and is even infiltrating the tween and teen demographic with new products being designed to entice the 8 to 18 set. One fun and flirty plug-in comes in girl-friendly flavors and provides a light show. All the more disturbing when one considers a study by the University of Bristol called Children Of The 90s (Alspac), which has followed the health and development of 14,000 children since before birth.

The study didn’t analyze the ingredients in air fresheners, just the effects: 32 percent more babies suffered diarrhea in homes where air fresheners were used every day, compared with homes where they were used once a week or less, and they had significantly more earaches in these homes as well. Air fresheners also affected mothers—those who used them daily suffered nearly 10 percent more headaches. Perhaps most surprising is the finding that women who lived in homes with daily air freshener use had a 26 percent increased risk of depression.

Just one whiff of the thick synthetic-smelling perfume of an air freshener leaves me thinking “run away!” But could the ingredients in them really be all that bad? Amid all of the Internet chatter about the dangers of commercial air fresheners is this gem of a study by the California Air Resources Board entitled “Indoor Air Chemistry: Cleaning Agents, Ozone and Toxic Air Contaminants.” (And you too can read all 183 pages of it right here. The study comprised exacting analysis of 21 widely available products from ten large chain store retailers in California. The products included a range of household cleaners and plug-in air fresheners.

The conclusion of the study was that the use of some air fresheners can produce toxic pollutants when used in the presence of ozone (a form of oxygen). Even minimal ozone concentrations were enough to drive significant indoor chemistry. When the chemicals emitted from the air-fresheners are combined with ozone, pollutants of serious health concern are produced. These include formaldehyde (a known human carcinogen and a respiratory irritant with a very low threshold for health effects) and ultrafine pollutant particles. Also of concern is the production of acetaldehyde, organic acids, other oxygenated intermediates, hydrogen peroxide, secondary organic aerosol, and hydroxyl radicals.

Of all of the products studied, air fresheners were the worst offenders. The most serious problems occur when the terpines in the air fresheners mix with ozone. Ozone enters indoor environments with outdoor air and is generally present indoors at levels that are up to 50 percent of outdoor levels. Ozone also may be introduced by indoor sources including devices designed to generate ozone for air purification, air cleaners generating ozone as a byproduct of ionization, and some photocopiers and printers. According to the California Air Resources Board, air cleaners or air “purifiers” that intentionally produce ozone should never be used; they emit very high levels of ozone, a reactive gas that may harm human health.

So what can you do?

Watch Your Ozone
Don’t use air fresheners advertised as pine- or lemon-scented, especially during high outdoor pollution days.

For ozone forecasts, visit Air Now . This is a great government sponsored website all about air quality.

When using cleaning products, avoid the use of indoor air cleaning devices such as
electrostatic precipitators and ionizers that can emit ozone.

Remove bad odors instead of masking them
Open windows.

Clean the source of the odor with non-toxic products.

Empty the garbage frequently.

Burn 100 percent pure beeswax candles with 100 percent cotton wicks—they purify and clean the air.

Use an open box of baking soda for smelly rooms.

Use indoor plants to clear carbon dioxide and other toxins.

Use green tea to refresh your home.

Perfume the air with natural scents
Simmer cinnamon and cloves, fresh ginger, or herbs in water on the stovetop.

Simmer water with a drop or two of your favorite pure essential oil.

Use organic sachets and potpourris.

Try these other homemade Home Sweeteners.

My husband once suggested that we should all litter—his theory being that if we had to live among our trash, we would become more conscientious about our waste. As is, it's out of sight, out of mind. With the water supply it is even more of a problem. Groundwater and ocean depths are unseen to us, and the ways in which they become polluted are more abstract. We can pollute them mightily and not even know it. Have you ever flushed unused medication down the toilet? Swam in the ocean with sunscreen on? Rinsed shampoo out of your hair and down the drain? You get the picture.

Our fresh water and oceans are polluted in any number of ways, with much of the pollution coming from industry and agriculture. But studies are showing that an increasing amount of water pollution is the result of the day-to-day habits of normal life. Seemingly innocent products are introducing a variety of deleterious household chemicals into our water.

In a study published in 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected and analyzed water samples from 139 streams in 30 states. The goal of the study was to measure concentrations of 95 wastewater-related organic chemicals in water. And guess what? One or more of these chemicals were found in 80 percent of the streams sampled. Half of the streams contained seven or more of these chemicals, and about one-third of the streams contained 10 or more of these chemicals.

Pharmaceutical and personal-care products are to blame for many of the chemicals found in the USGS study. Many of these make their way into the oceans, which also suffer from a staggering array of pollutants. Southern California toxicology researchers found chemicals from wastewater in coastal oceans that have been found to affect the hormone levels of fish. Male fish in the ocean are developing female characteristics.

The California study shows that a range of pharmaceuticals and beauty products, flame retardants and plastic additives are ending up in the ocean and appear to be working their way up the marine food chain. Culprits include phthalates, bisphenol A, and triclosan (found in antibacterial products).

The study goes on to explain that women taking birth control pills excrete estrogen in their urine, which is flushed down the toilet and ends up in the ocean. The same is true of antidepressants, tranquilizers, anti-inflammatory medicine and other drugs, as well as musk fragrances, sunscreens, soaps and additives to plastics, which are known to mimic or disrupt hormones.

Sewage treatment plants remove 50 to 70 percent of these chemicals. Fortunately, this study is expected to prompt more advanced forms of sewage treatment, which is within reach.

]]> My husband once suggested that we should all litter—his theory being that if we had to live among our trash, we would become more conscientious about our waste. As is, it’s out of sight, out of mind. With the water supply it is even more of a problem. Groundwater and ocean depths are unseen to us, and the ways in which they become polluted are more abstract. We can pollute them mightily and not even know it. Have you ever flushed unused medication down the toilet? Swam in the ocean with sunscreen on? Rinsed shampoo out of your hair and down the drain? You get the picture.

Our fresh water and oceans are polluted in any number of ways, with much of the pollution coming from industry and agriculture. But studies are showing that an increasing amount of water pollution is the result of the day-to-day habits of normal life. Seemingly innocent products are introducing a variety of deleterious household chemicals into our water.

In a study published in 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected and analyzed water samples from 139 streams in 30 states. The goal of the study was to measure concentrations of 95 wastewater-related organic chemicals in water. And guess what? One or more of these chemicals were found in 80 percent of the streams sampled. Half of the streams contained seven or more of these chemicals, and about one-third of the streams contained 10 or more of these chemicals.

Pharmaceutical and personal-care products are to blame for many of the chemicals found in the USGS study. Many of these make their way into the oceans, which also suffer from a staggering array of pollutants. Southern California toxicology researchers found chemicals from wastewater in coastal oceans that have been found to affect the hormone levels of fish. Male fish in the ocean are developing female characteristics.

The California study shows that a range of pharmaceuticals and beauty products, flame retardants and plastic additives are ending up in the ocean and appear to be working their way up the marine food chain. Culprits include phthalates, bisphenol A, and triclosan (found in antibacterial products).

The study goes on to explain that women taking birth control pills excrete estrogen in their urine, which is flushed down the toilet and ends up in the ocean. The same is true of antidepressants, tranquilizers, anti-inflammatory medicine and other drugs, as well as musk fragrances, sunscreens, soaps and additives to plastics, which are known to mimic or disrupt hormones.

Sewage treatment plants remove 50 to 70 percent of these chemicals. Fortunately, this study is expected to prompt more advanced forms of sewage treatment, which is within reach.

Environmental Working Groups suggest these steps to reduce pollution from phthalates, bisphenol A and triclosan.

Little Steps to Make a Difference

• Use nail polish and other personal care products that do not contain dibutyl phthalate (DBP).
• Use personal care products, detergents, cleansers and other products that do not contain fragrance in the ingredient list, which commonly includes the phthalate DEP.
• Avoid products made of PVC or vinyl plastic. A few examples of these products include PVC lawn furniture, vinyl raincoats, PVC pipe and other building materials, vinyl shower curtains and toys for kids or pets made of PVC.
• Cut down on canned foods. To keep food from reacting with the metal of the can, a plastic coating made from bisphenol A is commonly applied to the inside of the can.
• Avoid eating or drinking from polycarbonate plastics, used in such products as hard plastic baby bottles, five-gallon water cooler bottles, hard plastic water bottles, plastic silverware and Lexan products.
• Avoid unnecessary use of “antibacterial” products. Studies indicate that households that use these products are no healthier than those that use soap and water and other typical cleansing products.

You can do a search in the Care2 Green Living search box to find DIY formulas for any number of water-safe, personal-care and cleaning products made from kitchen cupboard ingredients.

Other Steps to Take

• An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen is washed off swimmers every year and is doing irreparable damage to the world’s coral reefs. Use sunscreen that doesn’t contain any of these four coral-harming ingredients: Parabens, cinnamate, benzophenone, or camphor derivatives.
• Even if we just focused on not flushing unused medications down the toilet, it could make a difference. Individuals aside, one study estimated the nation’s nursing homes discard anywhere from $73 million to $378 million worth of drugs a year. Some are incinerated, but many are flushed. Australia began a program to collect unused medication and has collected more than 760 tons of medicines since 1998. Imagine all of those chemicals kept out of the wastestream.
• See if your local household hazardous-waste collection program accepts expired or unused medicines.
• Ask if your pharmacy will take back expired drugs, as is common in Canada and Australia.
• If you must dispose of old medication yourself, it is better to let it decompose in a landfill than in the wastestream. Don’t flush it. Break up capsules and crush tablets, then put them back in the original container with the child-resistant cap.

We’d like to hear about the steps that you take to reduce water pollution. Please leave a comment.

It's been a long day. You've had a couple of classes already, it's warm out, your brain is fried, and you are walking up the long, grueling hill to your next class. You're parched. Luckily, you remembered to bring a bottle of water with you to quench just this sort of terrible thirst. You reach into your hot, heat-consuming bag and pull out an unpleasantly warm bottle of Poland Springs or your Nalgene. You drink.

Not quite as satisfying as you might have hoped, am I right? Well, not only was this lukewarm sip of water unpleasant, it was also potentially hazardous. We've all heard the arguments for and against polycarbonate water bottles. Most dismiss it as something not even worth their attention; another scam that green advocates have come up with simply to make life harder: They won't even let you have a nice sip of water now? Well, maybe you should listen to them.

Most polycarbonate contains the chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, which is causing quite a scandal nowadays. Many companies are outright discontinuing their use of it, and many states have at least proposed the idea of doing the same. So what does it do that is so terrible? Well, you name it. The possible health effects are more dangerous for children, but tests have demonstrated that it poses a threat to all.

If by taking a sip of that warm, plastic-y tasting water you knew that you were exposing yourself to the possibilities of breast and prostate cancer, obesity, brain damage, infertility, and diabetes, would you think twice about drinking it? Well, I have certainly decided to think twice.

When my mother and I were college shopping, we made a point of buying me two quite pretty, if I do say so myself, blue stainless steel water bottles. No polycarbonate for me, thank you. If you are worried about the appearance of stainless steel, don't be. You can buy a pretty one, like I did, or you can mask the fact that it's stainless steel by covering it with stickers, pictures, or CD covers and no one will ever know the difference.

Note to self: Plastic is so passe.

Lily Berthold-Bond grew up in a chemical-free zone and has struggled her whole life to understand and accept this non-commercial lifestyle. Now a freshman at Tufts University, she has embraced her green life and hopes to share its possibilities with the rest of her generation.

MORE ADVENTURES OF GREEN GIRL
The Adventures of Green Girl

Splat! Green Girl whacks air fresheners

Green Girl zaps flying fridges

Green Girl's secret power? Tea

Green Girl: Neti pot conquers congestion

Green Girl Quashes Laptop Radiation

Green Girl Looks Behind The Masc(ara)

Green Girl Waxes The Tea Kettle Electric

Green Girl Fights Food Coloring

Green Girl Turns Her Nose to Perfume

]]> It’s been a long day. You’ve had a couple of classes already, it’s warm out, your brain is fried, and you are walking up the long, grueling hill to your next class. You’re parched. Luckily, you remembered to bring a bottle of water with you to quench just this sort of terrible thirst. You reach into your hot, heat-consuming bag and pull out an unpleasantly warm bottle of Poland Springs or your Nalgene. You drink.

Not quite as satisfying as you might have hoped, am I right? Well, not only was this lukewarm sip of water unpleasant, it was also potentially hazardous. We’ve all heard the arguments for and against polycarbonate water bottles. Most dismiss it as something not even worth their attention; another scam that green advocates have come up with simply to make life harder: They won’t even let you have a nice sip of water now? Well, maybe you should listen to them.

Most polycarbonate contains the chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, which is causing quite a scandal nowadays. Many companies are outright discontinuing their use of it, and many states have at least proposed the idea of doing the same. So what does it do that is so terrible? Well, you name it. The possible health effects are more dangerous for children, but tests have demonstrated that it poses a threat to all.

If by taking a sip of that warm, plastic-y tasting water you knew that you were exposing yourself to the possibilities of breast and prostate cancer, obesity, brain damage, infertility, and diabetes, would you think twice about drinking it? Well, I have certainly decided to think twice.

When my mother and I were college shopping, we made a point of buying me two quite pretty, if I do say so myself, blue stainless steel water bottles. No polycarbonate for me, thank you. If you are worried about the appearance of stainless steel, don’t be. You can buy a pretty one, like I did, or you can mask the fact that it’s stainless steel by covering it with stickers, pictures, or CD covers and no one will ever know the difference.

Note to self: Plastic is so passe.

Lily Berthold-Bond grew up in a chemical-free zone and has struggled her whole life to understand and accept this non-commercial lifestyle. Now a freshman at Tufts University, she has embraced her green life and hopes to share its possibilities with the rest of her generation.

MORE ADVENTURES OF GREEN GIRL
The Adventures of Green Girl

Splat! Green Girl whacks air fresheners

Green Girl zaps flying fridges

Green Girl’s secret power? Tea

Green Girl: Neti pot conquers congestion

Green Girl Quashes Laptop Radiation

Green Girl Looks Behind The Masc(ara)

Green Girl Waxes The Tea Kettle Electric

Green Girl Fights Food Coloring

Green Girl Turns Her Nose to Perfume

By the Care2 Staff.

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. This year, World Water Day falls on March 22—a day of observance and action to draw attention to the plight of those without access to safe drinking water.

We also need to protect water for future generations. We have the same amount of water on Earth now that there was at the time of the planet's creation. The water consumed today will eventually be recycled throughout the Earth's ecosystem for use by future generations. The water we're drinking now has been on Earth for millions of years! If you can imagine that your great-grandchildren will drink the same glass of water that you drink, you will be inspired to take better care of it.

WATER AS A RESOURCE
Twenty percent of the world's population lacks access to adequate and safe drinking water, and as our population increases so will the number of people without easily attainable water. Find out about the problems that plague our water situation, and the noble work being done to combat this growing crisis. Precious Water

Sign Care2's petition to End Water Poverty!

YOUR HEALTH AND WATER
Next to fresh air, water is the most precious thing required by all living beings.

13 Symptoms of Chronic Dehydration
This list will inspire you to go get a glass of water, and then another, and then another ...

5 Health Reasons to Drink More Water
We all need a healthy liver; see how water can help.

Hungry, or Just Thirsty?
If you avoid dehydration, you can avoid overeating.

13 Tips for Using Hydrotherapy
Cheap and easy, these simple hydrotherapy treatments are ideal for home use.

Balneotherapy: Healing with Water
Learn the eight ways balneotherapy heals.

DRINK HEALTHY WATER
Like the Earth's surface, the human body is mostly water. We are water. Because we need to keep our "inner ocean" as pure as possible, it is important to choose the right water filter for your needs.

Get Clean and Green Drinking Water
What's best: Bottled, well, municipal or filtered water?

Bottled Versus Tap Water
How to kick the water bottle habit.

Filters
The best type of water filter you use depends on whether you are on well or municipal water. Filters for well water need to remove bacteria. Filters for municipal water need to remove the chemical disinfectants and additives from the city's water plant.

Water Purifier: Selection Tips and Terms

Carbon Water Filtration for Municipal Water

Reverse Osmosis for Well Water

Well Water Filters Other Than Reverse Osmosis

Filters for Municipal Water


KEEPING WATER VIBRANT AND HEALTHY
An increasing number of spiritual leaders believe that water is the earth's life blood, that is alive, and that there are ways we can assist in preserving its vital energy.

Messages from Water
Does water hold the imprint of the love or hate in the world?

Healing The Water
Learn techniques for storing water and the spiritual cleansing of water.

Change the Vibrancy of Your Water
Try this simple test to change the taste of your water.

]]> By the Care2 Staff.

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. This year, World Water Day falls on March 22—a day of observance and action to draw attention to the plight of those without access to safe drinking water.

We also need to protect water for future generations. We have the same amount of water on Earth now that there was at the time of the planet’s creation. The water consumed today will eventually be recycled throughout the Earth’s ecosystem for use by future generations. The water we’re drinking now has been on Earth for millions of years! If you can imagine that your great-grandchildren will drink the same glass of water that you drink, you will be inspired to take better care of it.

WATER AS A RESOURCE
Twenty percent of the world’s population lacks access to adequate and safe drinking water, and as our population increases so will the number of people without easily attainable water. Find out about the problems that plague our water situation, and the noble work being done to combat this growing crisis. Precious Water

Sign Care2’s petition to End Water Poverty!

YOUR HEALTH AND WATER
Next to fresh air, water is the most precious thing required by all living beings.

13 Symptoms of Chronic Dehydration
This list will inspire you to go get a glass of water, and then another, and then another …

5 Health Reasons to Drink More Water
We all need a healthy liver; see how water can help.

Hungry, or Just Thirsty?
If you avoid dehydration, you can avoid overeating.

13 Tips for Using Hydrotherapy
Cheap and easy, these simple hydrotherapy treatments are ideal for home use.

Balneotherapy: Healing with Water
Learn the eight ways balneotherapy heals.

DRINK HEALTHY WATER
Like the Earth’s surface, the human body is mostly water. We are water. Because we need to keep our “inner ocean” as pure as possible, it is important to choose the right water filter for your needs.

Get Clean and Green Drinking Water
What’s best: Bottled, well, municipal or filtered water?

Bottled Versus Tap Water
How to kick the water bottle habit.

Filters

The best type of water filter you use depends on whether you are on well or municipal water. Filters for well water need to remove bacteria. Filters for municipal water need to remove the chemical disinfectants and additives from the city’s water plant.

Water Purifier: Selection Tips and Terms

Carbon Water Filtration for Municipal Water

Reverse Osmosis for Well Water

Well Water Filters Other Than Reverse Osmosis

Filters for Municipal Water

KEEPING WATER VIBRANT AND HEALTHY
An increasing number of spiritual leaders believe that water is the earth’s life blood, that is alive, and that there are ways we can assist in preserving its vital energy.

Messages from Water
Does water hold the imprint of the love or hate in the world?

Healing The Water
Learn techniques for storing water and the spiritual cleansing of water.

Change the Vibrancy of Your Water
Try this simple test to change the taste of your water.

Stay tuned for Care2’s special on water conservation and preservation in our 2008 Earth Day special, starting April 1.