Entries by Sarah Haughn

What would Peter Gleick do? Hypothetical PowerPoint explains water crisis for next president

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In eight slides or less, Wired.com sums up the water crisis. The hypothetical presentation, created by Wired, showcases the research of Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute and provides the next president with a roadmap to the worldwide freshwater crisis. In the PowerPoint, Wired — channeling Gleick — illustrates problems such as mismanagement, expensive […]

Brooklyn mural: Water is the life of NYC

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Brooklyn students and mentors spent this past summer learning the art of supply and demand — of water, that is. The project, a collaboration between New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Groundswell Community Mural Project, brought artists of all ages together to better understand what it takes to bring water to […]

Holy cow: Wisconsin farmer turns waste into water

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A farmer in Wisconsin knows how to extract water from cow manure, and he is not afraid to drink it. John Vrieze, who makes his living as a dairy farmer, recently collaborated with Integrated Separation Solutions, LLC — a company specializing in water purification systems — to implement their newest waste filtration scheme, called NuWay. […]

Picture this: New camera uses water as lens

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Water refracts, but it also depicts. Cutting-edge technology developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has harnessed this capacity molecule by molecule until — voilà! — a camera emerged. Amir H. Hirsa, a scientist and professor at RPI, has designed a lens that requires just two droplets of water to capture an image. In an age […]

NASA sends rubber ducks down melting Titanic glacier

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WASHINGTON – The Greenland glacier possibly responsible for sinking the Titanic keeps shrinking. In order to determine why some days are worse than others, NASA scientists are sending out a rubber ducky brigade. Scientist Alex Behar told Reuters, “The common yellow plastic bath toys are one part of a sophisticated experiment to determine why glaciers […]

Brain drain on drain brains: South Africa suffers dearth of water quality engineers

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A new study reports that much of South Africa’s water suffers high levels of toxic cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algea. Yet no one seems to know who can help. According to Dr. Anthony Turton, a senior water researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the nation used to benefit from a […]

Sensible Cents: American Water joins EPA preservation efforts

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VOORHEES, New Jersey — The EPA has a new partner for its WaterSense program. American Water Works Company, Inc. just announced its participation in the initiative. According to the press release, WaterSense “promotes water efficiency and primes market demand for water-efficient products and services that reduce stress on water systems and the environment.” American Water […]

Going through withdrawals: Why less could soon be more for California farmers

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Controversial study encourages water-savvy Delta management Sarah Haughn Circle of Blue A new study on how to stanch California’s penchant for water has growers, deliverers and politicians talking. The Pacific Institute’s report — More with Less: Agriculture Water Conservation and Efficiency in California — suggests that California not only can reduce its water withdrawals from the […]

Ron Rivera, “Pied Piper” for clean water, dies of malaria

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Ron Rivera spent his life traveling through Latin America, Africa, and Asia teaching communities how to purify their water. Shown how to construct his famous bacteria-killing, silver-coated clay pot by Guatemalan chemist Fernando Mazariegos, Rivera dedicated twenty-five years to the practice. Using simple technology, Rivera’s pots eliminate at least 98 percent of the contaminants that […]