Wave Energy Generation Finally Getting Some Much Needed Praise

By Lance Winslow

image: depositphotos

As the coordinator for a think tank, I've always fancied the idea of ocean wave energy, much more than wind and solar. Wind for instance is 750 times less dense than air, and solar is already 50% inefficient before you start your high-end MIT mathematics calculations to determine its capture - the Sun does not shine at night - that's 50% of the time remember.

There was an interesting announcement on the Department of Energy DOE website on January 28, 2012 titled; "DOE Reports Show Major Potential for Wave and Tidal Energy Production Near U.S. Coasts, and in the press release it stated:
"The DOE released 2 US resource assessments showing that waves and tidal currents off the nation's coasts could contribute significantly to the total annual electricity production, further diversify the nation's energy portfolio, and provide clean, renewable energy to coastal cities and communities. These new wave and tidal resource assessments, combined with ongoing analyses of the technologies and other resource assessments, show that water power, including conventional hydropower and wave, tidal, and other water power resources, can potentially provide 15% of our nation's electricity by 2030."

Okay so, if you are like me you are saying "no kidding" and wondering what on Earth took so long? Well, I'll tell you what;
Bureaucracy
Politics
Lobbyists
Slow Motion Archaic Thinking

Organic Cotton Bags: Eco Friendly and Person Friendly

By Saffron Adiana Luci

image: depositphotos

As you're busy running your daily errands you may not have thought much about organic cotton bags, but here are a few reasons why you may want too. Organic bags are eco friendly and practical and they really are better then plastic for both you and the environment.

If you visit five stores a week, four weeks a month and receive only an average of two bags per store, you will have received ten disposable bags a week or forty in a month. These bags are rarely recycled, in fact it has been estimated that out of 400 billion plastic bags used in the USA only 4 billion are recycled thats only 1%!

The bags are often just thrown out or used to hold trash. Once the bag is disposed of it can take 1000 years before it decomposes. Bags that don't end up in the landfill can find there way into the wild or into oceans where thousands of animals are killed by them every year(often due to thinking the bag is food). The use of organic cotton bags helps eliminate this waste. An organic cotton bag while last a very long time and can replace up to 1000 plastic bags. The organic bags often hold more and can be used many times over.

What's Your Excuse For Not Using a Portable Water Filter?

By Kristie Brown

image: depositphotos

You've undoubtedly heard people talking about the glut of plastic bottles that are cluttering our landfills and the fact neither municipal or bottled water meets the basic health demands that our bodies require. Why, then, are you still drinking from a disposable plastic water bottle? Don't you know that just the plastic itself can be dangerous to your well-being? When our parents were kids, no one ever thought of taking water with them wherever they went. With the advent of bottled water, however, people started forming the habit of carrying their water along everywhere they were going. Didn't you always know that there had to be a better way?

There are so many reusable filtered drink bottles available today that there's no reason for anyone to continue to buy pre-bottled water. These new devices actually make the water you put into them cleaner and safer to drink. They remove chlorine, bacteria, metals, chemicals, and other contaminants from whatever water you have available. They can convert your faulty tap water into clean, fresh-tasting H2O, and if you happen to like to hike or camp, you'll be able to use any water source available, because your bottle will filter out the impurities.

Exploring Water Ionizers and Their Benefits

By Kristie Brown

image: depositphotos

Water ionizers are devices which use a process called electrolysis to separate water into acids and alkalines. Three types of water ionizers are available on the market, and there are pros and cons about each type. They come in drop-ins, sticks, and pitchers. Many experts are convinced that there are no health benefits from drinking ionized water; however, there are still a lot of people who believe that ionization improves the water quality.

Drop-ins come in the form of drops, tablets, and powders which are added to the water. They are made up of minerals in liquids, powders, and compressed tablets. When dropped into water they raise the pH and create a mild negative charge. Many people like drop-ins because they are small and quite portable. There is, however, some debate about how much of these products a person should use each day. Plus, they only add to the water and don't work as filtration devices in any way. In order to use drop-ins, you must first start with water that has already been filtered. They make a good choice if you're only going on a short trip, but for long term use there are better alternatives.