Archive for March 13, 2014

Erkin | March 13, 2014
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How does water support life on Earth?

Planet Green

life-on-EarthThe planet’s oceans, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water provide homes to countless species of plants and animals, but water supports life in many other ways as well. We use water every day in farming and agriculture, manufacturing and transportation, and power generation, too. In addition, water plays an important role in regulating the temperature of the Earth.

All is not well with this life-giving liquid, however. Supply and demand create thorny issues the world over. According to the United Nations, the planet Earth is facing a “water crisis.” While there is no shortage of water on the planet Earth itself, the major issues are sanitation and access: People who need fresh water often can’t get to it (or it can’t get to them), and sometimes the water that people are able to acquire is dirty and untreated, meaning it can contain disease-causing microorganisms and other contaminants. Read more

Category: Article |
Erkin | March 11, 2014
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52% of Earth’s 9.7 billion people will live in water-stressed areas in 2050, MIT study shows

Earth’s not running out of water any time soon. If you don’t believe me, look at any map that shows the southern hemisphere centered on the south pole…

cat-water-tongue-drinkingBut having access to enough fresh water where it is needed to support ecosystems, grow crops, etc, that’s another story. MIT researchers have used a new modeling software to calculate the ability of global water resources to meet water needs through 2050, and things don’t look too great for over half of what is expected to be world population at that point:

The researchers expect 5 billion (52 percent) of the world’s projected 9.7 billion people to live in water-stressed areas by 2050. They also expect about 1 billion more people to be living in areas where water demand exceeds surface-water supply. A large portion of these regions already face water stress — most notably India, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Read more

Category: Article |
Erkin | March 4, 2014
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Soma Reinvents the Water Filter, Makes It Gorgeous And Greener

Has been recommending water filters for years, but they are not without their issues. (Remember Beth Terry’s Take Back the Filter campaign?). They are often ugly, plastic things. I love my ZeroWater, but it is ridiculous to fill, and is seriously out of place in an architect’s kitchen.

empty-somaThe Soma, on the other hand, is lovely to look at. CEO Mike Del Ponte tells us that it is designed according to Dieter Ram’s principles (which inspired Jony Ives and Apple). Rams has written:

My aim is to omit everything superfluous so that the essential is shown to the best possible advantage.

And indeed, as Mike points out, they even eliminated the handle from the glass carafe. It is simple and elegant, a bit retro and would look lovely on my counter. Read more

Category: Nursery |