Water is always precious. Increased natural gas production is happening ion the US. But natural gas wells have problems: Large volumes of deep water, often heavily laden with salts and minerals, flow out along with the gas. That so-called produced water must be disposed of, or cleaned. Once cleaned it has beneficial reuse in often arid regions. (more…)

Timberland is emerging as a leading model of a socially responsible company as it demonstrates what it is doing to help provide a better quality of life for the children whose parents work in its factories. One of the impacts of supply chains like Timberland’s is that children are separated from their parents for long stretches of time and distance. Besides the (more…)

There are so many smart new social innovation technologies coming out to create renewable fuels and power supplies. The latest discovery is that sewage plants are being used to not only treat waste but to also generate electricity. This knowhow is devised by Prof Bruce Logan, an environmental engineer specializing in water systems at Pennsylvania State (more…)

According to the nonprofit organization Imagine H2O, the struggle for clean water is the challenge of our time. More than a billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, they point out, and even in the United States, pollution, scarcity, and a crumbling system of pipes and plants threaten the water supply. (more…)

Director Michael Nash has traveled the world collecting evidence demonstrating the human face of climate change from Tuvalu to the Pentagon, addressing the grim reality of the challenges we face.  Whether man made or natural climatic shifts are causing the most recent temperature shifts, extreme climatic events and a rise in sea levels are visibly affecting people across the world, today.

In fact we have witnessed the strain of merely 300,000 climate refugees from Hurricane Katrina in the United States first hand; one can only imagine how 50 million climate refugees would strain governments across the country.  Not yet an officially recognized status by the UN, it is estimated that there will be 50 million climate refugees by 2011.  Due to increased flooding, storm events, drought and desertification, civilizations are again engaging in nomadic type movements for survival.

The documentary focuses on underdeveloped and third world countries where climate change serves as a threat multiplier for their already stressed populations.  South Pacific countries are already looking to purchase land to migrate their populations to higher ground.  It is estimated that Tuvalu will be the first country to disappear from the map.  The conflict in Darfur, labeled by most as an ethnic battle, may actually be our first major climate conflict as water scarcity in the region adds to the fight for resources after the drying of Lake Chad.

What will happen when Asian rivers, serving as the primary clean water source, fed by disappearing Himalayan glaciers begin to dry.  Food scarcity from drought, flooding, freezing or salt water intrusion will drive food prices up.  Displaced residents, again primarily third world residents, may not be accepted by many nations.  Who will take them in?  Depletion of water, arable land, non-renewable energy sources will all lead to more conflict.  Who will fight?

Climate Refugees is truly a must see for both new and old to the environmental movement, or maybe better phrased a movement to save human race.  Climate Refugees serves as a resounding call to press for attention by world leaders and as soul food and inspiration for those fighting the good fight to keep advancing the mission of the sustainability.

Not yet commercially available, if you are interested in viewing Climate Refugees, look for a screening near you on their website.  Over the next two weeks (Jan 20-Feb 2) US Green Building Council Chapters, led by the Emerging Professional committees, are participating in a nationwide screening effort with over 20 locations.  Miami and New York City were the first locations and kicked-off at packed theaters in both cities.

Last week I took part in an American tradition: visiting the Wisconsin State Fair. The Wisconsin State Fair and state fairs throughout the country are a cherished summertime experience for rural America – a place where old friends and old traditions go hand-in-hand with the latest innovations. In a solar powered building, I sampled my first cheese curds. I visited Senator Herb (more…)

Ten countries worldwide, including five African nations, are at “extreme risk” because of limited access to clean, fresh water, according to a new global water security index. And the effects of climate change and population growth will exacerbate the stress on these water supplies, potentially threatening stability in many regions, according to the analysis by Maplecroft , a UK-based consulting group. Among the nations most at risk are Somalia, Mauritania, Sudan, Niger, and Iraq. Other nations at extreme risk — including Pakistan, Egypt, and (more…)

In the slums of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, about 1 million poor people pay up to 30 times more for water of dubious quality brought to them in old tanker trucks than middle-class citizens pay for clean and safe water provided by the local public water utility via standard household connections.

Some may be shocked by these disturbing disparities in the developing world, but a lack of access to safe, affordable and clean water is also an issue in California, particularly in the Central Valley and along the Central Coast. In these communities, more than 90 percent of drinking water is sucked from contaminated groundwater sources. All told, more than 150,000 California residents lack safe water for drinking, bathing and washing dishes; even more have water service disconnected because they cannot afford to pay their bill.

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It sits in the middle of a harsh, barren desert, sweltering in searing heat. It has no clean water, its sea is polluted and there is no topsoil, just a covering of sand. It is also the biggest per capita consumer of fuel, massively reliant on cars, power-hungry desalination and air-conditioning. And with all this, can the United Arab Emirate state of Abu Dhabi really succeed in building a new “green city” in the Middle East?

If you can believe visionary people like architect Gerard Evenden (his words above), from the British architectural firm Foster & Partners, yes it can. Billions of dollars are riding on the assumption

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