ecobriefs Water Bubble
Two Reports Project Fresh Water Scarcity by 2030 A recent report by the World Economic Forum warns that half the world’s population will be affected by water shortages within 20 years. Unsustainable conditions are headed toward what the researchers term, “water bankruptcy,” that could incite a crisis greater than the current global financial downturn. Crops and people are in danger, as geopolitical conflicts are expected to rise due to dwindling water resources. During the 20th century, world population increased fourfold, but the amount of fresh water that it used increased nine times over. Already, 2.8 billion people live in areas of high water stress, according to the analysis. A concurring UN World Water Development Report adds that shortages are already beginning to constrain economic growth in areas as diverse as California, China, Australia, India and Indonesia. The Associated Press reports that the pivotal Ogallala Aquifer, in America’s Great Plains breadbasket, stretching from South Dakota to North Texas, continues to be drained at alarming rates, while the natural recharge rate is considered negligible.
er b m ove N g in n i Com
Media Switch
Digging Up Good News for a Change Even though we hear a lot about what’s going wrong with planet Earth, it’s good to know many things are going right. Good Dirt Radio, a volunteer-driven radio program based in Durango, Colorado, broadcasts inspiring stories about people working hard to bring about positive environmental change. The nonprofit show, founded in 2004 by producer Gary Lewin and co-hosted by Tom Bartels, airs free, five-minute segments about topics as varied as zero waste, do-it-yourself solar, cold frames, fair trade, farmers’ markets and economic sustainability. It reaches 1 to 2 million listeners of 40 radio stations in the U.S. Southwest; others tune in online. Bestselling environmentalist Paul Hawken says, “Their news programs inspire people to make informed choices, and that helps us all.”
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Green Searching
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Eco-friendly Manufacturer Turns Trash into Cash TerraCycle’s award-winning entrepreneur, Tom Szaky, is turning conventional manufacturing on its head. The company now up-cycles consumer packaging waste into 186 products, available at retailers like Whole Foods Market, Petco, Home Depot, Walmart and Target. The National Geographic Channel’s Garbage Moguls, which debuted new episodes of the TerraCycle experience this summer, illustrates such transformations as cereal boxes into notebooks, newspapers into pencils, cookie wrappers into kites, and disposable pens into trash cans. Schools and community nonprofits collect the materials for payment through eco-friendly local fundraisers.
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October 2010
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