Today’s Solutions: November 21, 2024

Water

Turning the page for contamina

Turning the page for contaminated water: These book pages work as a filter

It's remarkable how simple the idea is: This paper sheet filters contaminated water to make it drinkable. The paper contains nanoparticles of silver or copper which kill bacteria in the water as it passes through, and is proving to be full of potential for communities in developing countries Read More...

California is beating the seve

California is beating the severe drought with innovation

California—where more than half of the fruits and vegetables in the US come from—is in the fourth growing season of a severe drought. And yet, last year, both farm employment and farm revenue increased slightly. As it turns out, Californian farmers are beating the drought. More efficient drip Read More...

Brewery hopes to tap creative

Brewery hopes to tap creative minds to deal with drought

It's a new approach to an old-school solution for a state gripped by severe drought: Place a brick in a toilet tank to conserve water with every flush. The new version, dubbed Drop-A-Brick 2.0, will be unveiled Thursday as part of an unusual effort to stimulate water-saving inventions through Read More...

Millions of black plastic ball

Millions of black plastic balls will help California conserve water

California may be experiencing the worst drought in 1,200 years. Covering the surface of a 12-billion-liter reservoirs with black plastic balls will block sunlight, preventing more than 1 billion liters of water from evaporation.They will also avoid the production of dangerous chemicals than can Read More...

A shower head that saves 70% w

A shower head that saves 70% water and gets celebrity funding

“When Nebia woos investors, it invites them to take a shower.” Good line from The New York Times. The start-up says that its revolutionary shower head uses six gallons for an average shower compared to the usual 20 gallons. And, according to reports from users who have tested the shower, the Read More...

The shower of the future recyc

The shower of the future recycles its own water and heat

Lloyd Alter (@lloydalter) Design / Sustainable Product Design August 11, 2015 TreeHugger is covering the INDEX: Design to Improve Life awards at the end of August; this post covers one of the 46 finalists chosen from 1,123 entries. Pour yourself a glass of Tang and think of all the great things Read More...

Solar Desalination: The soluti

Solar Desalination: The solution to California’s water crisis

California’s drought-stricken Central Valley farming region still has lots of ground water. However, that water is salty because of the nearby Pacific Ocean. Desalination of that water is the easiest way to provide more fresh water to California’s farms, but conventional desalination is an Read More...

Harvesting rain could result i

Harvesting rain could result in significant saving for many poor people

Of course, it's possible to find technological fixes to ensure there's enough water in barren places in countries such as India. But what about using what's already there? That's the idea behind collecting precipitation in rain barrels. This form of "rain harvesting" could result in significant Read More...

Solar-powered desalination tec

Solar-powered desalination technology to provide drinking water in India

In India, more than half of groundwater is not ideal for drinking. It would be if it weren’t so salty. However, desalination is expensive, especially in villages on a small scale, and requires electricity, of which there isn’t enough. At MIT, researchers have worked on a Read More...

Toilet-to-tap-water policy inc

Toilet-to-tap-water policy inching closer to a realistic plan in parched California

California’s aquifers and reservoirs are being drained as the state suffers through its fourth year of drought. Regulators recently started working on the permitting framework for seawater desalination projects. Simultaneously, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption Read More...