Category: Lifestyle

Water has become a precious resource throughout the arid west. Many parts of the country are feeling the repercussions of building cities and planting huge swaths of farmland in the middle of the desert. This coupled with the impact of a warming planet has meant that water is becoming even more scarce. As a result, doing the rain dance in states like Colorado, California, and Arizona has become more important than ever. But when the skies do open up and provide the moisture that these drought-ravaged areas have been praying for, who actually gets to keep it?

Capturing Rain With Rain Barrels in California

California has been in a major drought. In fact, its driest years on record have been between the years of 2011 and 2014. In an effort to reduce residential water use and conserve the state’s precious resources, the state launched a rain barrel rebate program for homeowners to reuse rainwater at home. The idea is to encourage residents to recapture and reuse rainwater for home gardens rather than turn to the hose. (Although in recent years, the complete lack of rain has made rain barrels somewhat useless. Thus, homeowners are encouraged to go one step further and rip out their water-intensive lawns for another cash rebate.)

Simple catchment systems replenish aquifers and reduce water bills. Not to mention that outdoor water use accounts for30 percent of the average potable water use nationally.

After the Storm In Colorado

While rain barrels are encouraged for conservation purposes in California, rainwater collection is actually illegal in Colorado. Colorado just experienced the wettest May in recorded history, a welcomed event considering the state’s drought issues. But even though the rain actually fell in Colorado, nearly18 other states and even the country of Mexico will get the majority of the water. Colorado is only entitled to one-third of its rainwater and the other two-thirds will flow out of the state. That’s why collecting rainwater using rain barrels is a crime in the state.

This spring Colorado legislators tried to enact a law that would legalize rainwater collection. The law would allow each Colorado resident to collect650 gallons of water per year using two 55 gallon water tanks. To give you a better idea, that’s how much water the average American uses in a week. While the bill had bipartisan support, it ran into problems as a result of century-old water claims. Some ranchers see rain collection as stripping them of the water they’re entitled to downstream. In Colorado, just because water flows through your property via a stream or onto your property through rainfall, it doesn’t mean you own it.

Once it Hits the Ground in Oregon

In Oregon, residents are partially allowed to collect rain.Oregonians can collect water from artificial impervious surfaces including rooftops, parking lots, and barrels, but once rainwater touches the ground, it becomes the property of the state. One man faced 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine for digging three ponds on his property that were used to collect rain. According to state authorities, since the rain actually hit the ground, the state owns it, so building ponds to collect it is, in fact, a form of stealing.

Check With Your Local Water Authorities

At the federal level, rainwater collection is still encouraged, though you should check with your state water authority to make sure it’s legal. Some states like Utah, for example, require that you get a permit to collect water and in some cases, residents are only allowed to collect a certain amount. While it may seem like water that lands on your property is your property, sometimes this isn’t the case. So if you don’t want to end up paying a fine, check your local laws. But once you know it’s legal, consider giving it a try. Rainwater collection is effective even in states that don’t traditionally have drought problems. For example, agricultural states like Georgia, have growing populations that use up water supplies. rainwater can be collected during the rainy season and used when it’s most needed during the hotter, drier months of the year.

When it comes to owning the rain, it depends on where you live. But rain collection is just one more tool in a conservationist’s toolbox. Water reuse should never be used as a substitute for good old fashioned conservation techniques like choosing drought tolerant plants in your backyard and turning lawns into edible gardens.

Sales of organic products have increased by a whopping 20 percent in the past decade making it the fastest growing agricultural sector. Consumers are motivated to buy organic because they want to reduce their exposure to pesticide residue, hormones, and antibiotics. But organic produce isn’t just good for your health, it’s also good for the health and well-being of the farmer that produces your food and the planet.

A Farmer’s Pesticide Exposure

While consumers come into contact with pesticide residue found on fruits and vegetables, farmers and farm workers are exposed to the actual pesticides. With more than 17,000 pesticide products (including consumer products) on the market today, it’s become unrealistic for the Environmental Protection Agency to test all of them. In fact, the agency only tests one percent of chemicals in commerce today.

Most recently, two former farm workers sued Monsanto claiming that its signature weed killer Roundup caused their cancers. Enrique Rubio, who was a farm worker in Oregon, Texas, and California claimed that exposure to Roundup caused his bone cancer. He filed a lawsuit alleging that spraying fields with the herbicide was a substantial and contributing factor to his cancer diagnosis in 1995. Judi Fitzgerald filed a lawsuit in the federal court of New York claiming that exposure to Roundup during the 1990s caused her leukemia over a decade later.

Protecting Soil and Water Quality

While in the short term farmers may think that depending on a chemical regimen to grow crops is easier, over time, heavy use of pesticides can damage the soil and environment. For example, many genetically modified seeds like Roundup Ready corn, soy, and cotton have become resistant to the herbicide Roundup. As a result, farmers dump inordinate amounts of it on their crops. In fact, according to the EPA, in the past two decades, use has increased by 7 million pounds.

While the crop itself may survive the onslaught of pesticides, the biodiversity surrounding the crops does not and the soil itself becomes a dead zone. Once the soil becomes overly depleted, the food produced on the land also suffers. For example, fruits and vegetables can become depleted of vitamins and minerals. What’s more, pesticides seep down into ground water as well as into lakes and streams. Whether as a result of pesticide drift or runoff, these chemicals can pollute water supplies. Pesticides cause the growth of toxic algae blooms, which can also cause water contamination and, in some cases, even cut off drinking water supplies to certain areas.

Organic Farming Is More Profitable

Organic farming is also better for farmers financially. A new study, published in Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found that organic farming is 22 to 35 percent more profitable than conventional farming. Not only does organic farming demand a higher price tag from consumers who value both the health and environmental benefits of better food, it doesn’t require expensive petroleum-based synthetic fertilizers.

Nitrogen fertilizers are the single biggest energy consumer, representing over 40 percent of the energy cost for a conventional farmer. These fertilizers require large amounts of petroleum to produce and transport. In the end, the average net return for organic farmers is $558 per acre per year versus $190 per acre per year for conventional farmers. And after all that input, the crop yields are basically the same.

If the actual societal price of conventional farming was included in the consumer price, (for example, the cost of cleaning up polluted water systems and crop subsidies), then the cost of conventional farming would be a whole lot higher, but those farmers would still be unlikely to see the majority of the profits.

Organic produce has a positive impact on society from producer to consumer. It requires fewer pesticides which means farmers aren’t exposed to poisons that can be detrimental to their health both immediately and later on in life. It also means that farmers actually get to farm, using age-old methods like cover crops, beneficial insects, and crop rotation to maintain soil biodiversity.

Traditional farming methods are something of an art form and they deserve a fair wage. Once farmers do the work to transition their farm to organic, they deserve to be compensated for the effort–especially when it means we get to enjoy the delicious and healthful products from all of their hard work.

The Amazon is the world’s largest rain forest and is known as “The Lungs of the World.” It provides 20 percent of the world’s oxygen and is home to nearly half of all the species of animals on earth. It’s a pretty important piece of this little planet. 

Unfortunately, over the years, people have become accustomed to hearing bad news about the Amazon. News about clear cutting and deforestation and endangered animals. 

However, now there’s reason to feel hopeful about the rain forest. Since 2004, deforestation has been reduced by around 80 percent. During 2004 alone, 27,400 square kilometers of rainforest were cleared. Last year, only 4,800 square kilometers were cleared. 

A pretty dramatic drop, huh?

The progress is almost entirely the result of Brazil’s measures to curb deforestation. First, the country increased the number of protected rain forest areas. They were mostly designated as national parks or indigenous lands. 

Businesses also had a lot to do with the turnaround.

Cattle ranching and soybean farming were two of the biggest clear-cutting culprits. After years of negative press about the practice and its effects, Cargill and McDonald’s (the two biggest buyers of Brazilian soybeans) refused to purchase any soybeans that were grown on cleared Amazon land. In 2006, that led to a countrywide moratorium of the practice. 

Protected lands and moratoriums are nothing without oversight, though. That’s why the Brazilian Space Agency launched a satellite in 2004 to ensure protected areas were staying protected and lands weren’t being cleared for farming. The satellite is able to track changes in forest cover in real time, which allows authorities to identify areas where illegal logging or farming is taking place. 

Speaking of enforcement…

The government also raised fines for violators and started heavily patrolling roads that lead into the rain forest. These measures have allowed authorities to effectively police an area that’s more than 5 million square kilometers.

Deforestation is still happening in the Amazon but, at the very least, Brazil has been a shining example of what a government can accomplish with real political will and resources. 

In a historic move, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to ban plastic bags at grocery stores. 

The green initiative was passed in 2012, and the measure went into effect on July 1. The goal of the law is to reduce marine litter around the islands. 

Interestingly, the ban was instituted by Hawaii’s four counties, rather than at the state level. Honolulu County, located on the island of Oahu, became the final region in the state to take action. Now, stores on the islands are prohibited from handing out plastic bags at checkout. 

Well, almost. 

Unfortunately, there’s a glaring loophole in the ban that allows stores to hand out “reusable” plastic bags. Some retailers, including Wal-Mart, are distributing thicker plastic bags marked as “reusable.” Many environmental advocates are dismayed by what they perceive as an oversight in crafting the law.  

“That’s more plastic that they have to use to make the bag which is more of a finite resource. It’s oil. Plastic is made out of oil. They also pose just as much of a risk to our marine creatures,” Kahi Pacarro, executive director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, told Hawaii News Now. 

There are other exceptions, as well. Restaurants will still be allowed to use plastic bags to transport delivery and carryout orders. Pharmacies and dry cleaners can continue to use plastic bags, too. 

The ban is still an incredible step in the right direction. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans threw away 3.4 million tons worth of plastic bags and wrapping in 2012. It’s that sort of waste that has resulted in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a concentration of debris twice the size of the continental United States located between California and Hawaii.  

“At this point, now we got something in. So now we’ve worked together, proven that we can do it together. Now let’s take the next step and close these loopholes,” Pacarro told Hawaii News Now. 

Small changes can lead to something bigger, though. If more states start to follow Hawaii’s example, real reductions in plastic waste could be possible.