Water and Health
Significant Figures by Peter Gleick
Category archives for Water and Health
Bottled Water Tax
Posted by Peter Gleick on May 9, 2013 Municipalities are trying to find ways of dealing with the scourge of plastic bottles in their garbage, and with falling revenues from many sources. Plastic bottles have become a significant fraction of total garbage volume, and raise collection, handling, and landfill costs when they are not recycled. In 2011, according to NAPCOR (the National Association…
Bottled Water Sales: The Shocking Reality
Posted by Peter Gleick on April 25, 2013 The numbers are in for 2012, and they are shocking. The Beverage Marketing Corporation, which tracks sales and consumption of beverages, is reporting that sales of bottled water grew nearly 7 percent between 2011 and 2012, with consumption reaching a staggering 30.8 gallons per person. And since I (and some of you) consume almost zero…
Happy Water, er, Earth Day: Give up Bottled Water
Posted by Peter Gleick on April 22, 2013 We live on solid ground, but the truth is, our planet is mostly covered in water. The famous writer Arthur C. Clarke noted this when he said, “How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.” Today is Earth Day, when we celebrate the planet, and in particular the functioning ecosystem…
Three people, three days in the desert, 7 gallons of water
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 31, 2013 There’s nothing like spending time in the desert to make one appreciate water. It might seem strange to some that a water wonk like me spends considerable time in the desert. I’ve tried to go down to the vast Southern California desert for some time every year, typically in the spring when the winter cold is receding…
World Water Day 2013
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 21, 2013 Some thoughts for today: the bad news and good news for World Water Day. [First, I think every day should be World Water Day, not just March 22nd, but hey, that’s just me.] Stop taking your tap water for granted. Go to your tap, draw a glass of water, and drink it. Then remember that…
On the back of an envelope: The water benefits of an efficient toilet
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 13, 2013 Here is the second in what will be a series of posts on how little things like changes in technology we take for granted, or simple behaviors, can have a big impact on water use. The first looked at turning off the water when you brush your teeth: a seemingly trivial thing. It turned out…
200 Years of Dr. John Snow: A Significant Figure in the World of Water
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 11, 2013 In a previous post here, I discussed the scourge of cholera – a waterborne disease largely vanquished in the wealthier nations by our water and wastewater treatment systems. Unfortunately, it remains widespread and lethal. Cholera is perhaps the most common and serious water-related disease, directly associated with the failure to provide safe drinking water and…