Rainwater Harvesting
It is now viable to harvest rainwater for your whole household. This includes rainwater harvesting, storing and pumping rainwater for bathing, showering, toilet flushing, pool, laundry and irrigation. Rainwater harvesting together with other Water Rhapsody products can save up to 90% of your water bill.
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Tag Archives: Global Concern
The Package of Decisions made at COP 17 in Durban 2011:
The Package of decisions known as the Durban Platform, centered around adaption, green climate fund, technology and strategies to support developing countries. Work will begin on this immediately under a new group called the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. “I salute the countries who made this agreement. They have all laid aside some cherished objectives of their own to meet a common purpose – a long-term solution to climate change,” said Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Figueres said this is highly significant because the Kyoto Protocol’s accounting rules, mechanisms and markets all remain in action as effective tools to leverage global climate action and as models to inform future agreements. A significantly advanced framework for the reporting of emission reductions for both developed and developing countries was also agreed, taking into consideration the common but differentiated responsibilities. Governments also agreed on the full implementation of The Package to support developing nations, agreed last year in Cancun, Mexico. “This means that urgent support for the developing world, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable to adapt to climate change, will also be launched on time,” said … Continue reading
Posted in Carbon Footprint, Climate Change, Go Green, Solar Geysers, Water Conservation, Water Tanks
Tagged Adaptation, Adaptation Committee, Clean Development Mechanism, Climate Change, COP17, COP17 Durban, Global Concern, Green Climate Fund, JoJo Tanks, Kyoto Protocol, Mitigation, Technology Mechanism, UNFCCC, Water Conservation, Water Rhapsody, Water tanks
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Lewis Pugh on Karoo Fracking
This is the content of a short speech given on Friday night in Cape Town by Lewis Gordon Pugh OIG (a.k.a. the Human Polar Bear) about the proposed fracking for gas in the Karoo, by Shell. He received a sustained standing ovation !
Sinking Solutions for Mining Water Pollution
Sinking Solutions for Mining Water Pollution in South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg. It faces the looming threat of toxic water spewing out of idle mines as early as next year, unless government steps in to prevent an “environmental disaster”, Terence McCarthy, professor of geology at the University of Witwatersrand”. In a report entitled “The decanting of acid mine drainage in the Gauteng city-region”, McCarthy said government should bear the costs of dealing with the acid mine drainage (AMD) problem – the toxic water trapped in the mine void in the Witwatersrand, which stretches from Roodepoort to Boksburg. Most mines in this region are no longer operational. AMD occurs due to the outflow of acidic and heavy metals-laden water from Witwatersrand-based mines, which threatens to pollute surface and ground water. According to his findings, McCarthy said in 2011, possibly 2012, AMD will seep up through the main shaft at Gold Reef City, and this underground facility will be forced to shut down. Boksburg, he warned, could see acid mine drainage rising up through drainage points, spewing toxic filth into the town.
Hydraulic Fracturing planning in the Karoo
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, has been used since the 1950s to stimulate oil and gas wells. The process involves pumping a sand-laden slurry into a well and subjecting it to enough pressure that the rocks in the productive formation fracture, or break. The purpose of the sand is to prop open the fracture, so it stays in place. The carrying fluid can then flow back out of the well, along with oil and gas if it’s been a successful frac. The technique of hydraulic fracturing is used to increase or restore the rate at which fluids, such as oil, gas or water, can be produced from a reservoir, including unconventional reservoirs such as shale rock or coal beds. Hydraulic fracturing enables the production of natural gas and oil from rock formations deep below the earth’s surface (generally 5,000-20,000 feet or 1,500-6,100 m). At such depth, there may not be sufficient porosity and permeability to allow natural gas and oil to flow from the rock into the wellbore at economic rates. For example, creating conductive fractures in the rock is essential to produce gas from shale reservoirs because of the extremely low natural permeability of shale. The fracture provides a conductive path connecting a larger area of the … Continue reading
Posted in safe water, Water Conservation
Tagged Drought, eco-friendly, Fracking, Global Concern, Karoo, Natural Resources, Water sources, Water usage, Waterproblem
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Get the frack out of my Karoo
Oh good, we’ve found a new way to ruin the environment Matthew Du Plessis: “Fracking” doesn’t mean what it used to mean. In the good old days, it was a wholesome substitute for an unprintable expletive – used to its highest glory and fullest effect in the television series Battlestar Galactica. Hearing Starbuck curse was an object lesson in the poetry of vloeking. It was from the heart. The new meaning of “fracking” doesn’t come from the heart. Instead, it’s a punch to the gut. The word “fracking” is a convenient abbreviation of the phrase “hydraulic fracture”. I’ll tell you more about that in a second.
What is Climate Change?
Outline of the potential problem of climate change and its cause as understood by the South African Weather Service The climate of the world varies from one decade to another, and a changing climate is natural and expected. However, there is a concern that the human industrial and development activities of the past two centuries have caused changes over and above natural variation… What is climate change? Climate change is the natural cycle through which the earth and its atmosphere are going to accommodate the change in the amount of energy received from the sun. The climate goes through warm and cold periods, taking hundreds of years to complete one cycle. Changes in temperature also influence the rainfall, but the biosphere is able to adapt to a changing climate if these changes take place over centuries. Unfortunately, human intervention is currently causing the climate to change too fast. (Climate models predict that the mean air temperature over South Africa will increase by an estimated 2°C over the next century.) Plants and animals may not be able to adapt as quickly to this rapid climate change as humans can, and therefore the whole ecosystem is in danger. What causes climate change? … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Dam Levels, Green, Grey Water Recycling, Rainwater Harvesting, Renewable Energy, safe water, Solar Energy, Water Conservation, Water Tanks
Tagged Climate Change, Dam Levels, Global Concern, Rainwater Harvesting, Saving water, Water Conservation, Water Rhapsody, Yes Solar
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Water Rhapsody Ecopreneur talks to World Leaders
Werner Neuhoff, Ecopreneur from Water Rhapsody- South Africa, will be joining leaders from 70 nations in Montréal, Québec during 13-15 October for a World Leadership Conference that will draw women heads of state, corporations and enterprise, as well as members of the diplomatic community, women policy-makers, decision-takers and opinion-leaders on five continents. An anticipated 800 – 1,000 leaders for this global dialogue that will focus on Water, Wealth & Power for the Eco-Century. As we confront a growing scarcity of the world’s most indispensable resource, the International Women’s Forum (IWF) will convene in Canada (13-15 October 2010) to explore and better understand what’s at stake — drawing together from our global membership, leaders of influence from outside the traditional realm of the “water community”. Hearing from the world’s leading experts, advocates and catalysts for change who will address the World Conference, their global membership will be challenged to test the boundaries of possibility for a new era of improved access to and utilization of water resources. Werner Neuhoff, a South African born entrepreneur, would be presenting to this global audience on October 15, 2010 at 8:35 am in Montréal for the Plenary Program – Ecopreneurs: The Blue Gold Rush. The … Continue reading
Phosphate in Washing Powder destroy Water Eco Systems.
Phosphate is a nutrient that is essential for plant growth and is found naturally in the environment. But the excess use of phosphates by humans is overloading our water bodies, which can lead to toxic algal blooms. Have a look at this video to see the effects of overloading our environment with phosphates usually used in washing powders on a daily basis. Use our Eco-friendly Products links to find out more about phosphate-free detergents. Also read this very informative post on Eco-friendly Laundry: http://www.watersafe.co.za/2010/03/10/eco-friendly-laundry/
Deepwater Horison Oil Spill
Over one month after the initial explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, crude oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico, and oil slicks have slowly reached as far as 12 miles into Louisiana’s marshes. According to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, more than 65 miles of Louisiana’s shoreline has now been oiled. BP said it will be at least Wednesday before they will try using heavy mud and cement to plug the leak, a maneuver called a “top kill” that represents their best hope of stopping the oil after several failed attempts. Based on low estimates, at least 6 million gallons of crude have spewed into the Gulf so far – though some scientists have said they believe the spill already surpasses the 11 million-gallon 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska as the worst in U.S. history. A dragonfly tries to clean itself as it is stuck to marsh grass covered in oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in Garden Island Bay on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana near Venice on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) A ship’s wake cuts through a pattern of oil near the site of the Deepwater Horizon … Continue reading
