What is a Carbon Footprint?

Carbon refer to Carbon Dioxide, a colourless odourless gas, formed by the burning of carbon/fossil fuels, or breathed out by animals/humans from the lungs

Footprint – Impression of a human or an animal foot on a surface. (Oxford Dictionary)

Definition

Carbon Footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas emissions/release/production/discharge, cause by an organisation, event, production or person through burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transport etc.

In other words: The measurement of the total amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) emissions of a defined population, system or activity, considering all relevant sources sinks and storage within the spatial and temporal boundary of the population, system or activity of interest, is called The Carbon Footprint.

Origin

Carbon Footprint originates from the ecological footprint discussion. It’s a subset of the ecological footprint and of the comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment. The Ecological Footprint is a measurement of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems.

How is it Measured?

The Carbon Footprint is measured in units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Two Parts: Primary Footprint and Secondary Footprint. Primary Footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from burning Fossil Fuels, including domestic energy consumption and transportation. We have direct control of these.

Secondary Footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use, from manufacturing to the eventual breakdown. In other words: the more se buy, the more emissions is caused on our behalf.

What influence the growth of Carbon Footprint?

Population, economic output, energy and carbon intensity of the economy; these factors are the main targets to decrease carbon footprint.

Mitigation

How can we ease or lessen the growing carbon footprint? By developing alternative projects, such as solar/wind energy or reforestation. Decrease the amount of energy needed for production or to decrease the dependence on carbon emitting fuels. This represents only a few ways of reducing Carbon Footprint and is also called Carbon Offsetting.

The problem:

Bloemfontein:Water problems in high-lying areas

Bloemfontein and the greater Mangaung area are struggling since September with water supply and delivery problems. First, water restrictions were introduced and lately residents are experiencing irregular supply and low pressure.  This is due to the fact that two reservoirs of the city nearly ran dry and left most of the traditional Mangaung suburbs without water for five days.

The current problem is that water is drawn out of the reservoirs as fast as it is pumped in. This effectively means that no reserves can be built up.

In a statement by the Mangaung Metro the levels of the reservoirs are indicated to be at 48%. This is only sufficient for the water network and not enough for the delivery of water to high-lying areas in Bloemfontein.

Residents in high-lying areas will have some water during the morning but as the day progress, the pressure and supply desiccate.

With summer just underway, what will happen during the season as the demand for water increases?

The solution:

Take control of your own water supply rather to be dependant on the municipality.  Water Rhapsody can help you by harvesting rainwater and recycling of your grey water.

We specialize in the manufacturing and installation of Water Conservation Systems and have 16 years of experience behind us.

For more information and a quotation, please contact us by using the contact form on the right of this page.  You may also contact us on 082 7712 062 or 082 8519 761.

  Not receiving constant water pressure from the municipality?

Then Water Rhapsody is your answer.

We specialize in the manufacturing and installation of Water Conservation Systems and have 16 years of experience behind us. Our Systems include:

• Garden Rhapsody– Grey Water Diverter
  • Re-use your bath, shower and laundry water to irrigate your garden-automatically.
• Grand Opus– Rainwater Harvesting system
  • Harvest clean rainwater and use this water instead of municipality water.
• Second Movement  
  • Grey water for toilet flushing.
• Multi Flush Toilet system
  • Allows you to use the least amount of water to clean the pan.
• Pool Side tank
  • Recycle your pool’s backwash water back into your swimming pool.
• Poseidon Advantage Series
  • Recycling of large industrial grey water producers like car wash bays.

The installations can be as simple as a gutter-to-tank installation or as intricate as an Uninterrupted Pressurized Water Supply (UPWS) system, ensuring you against any water outages.

For more information visit our website at www.watersafe.co.za, mail us on info@watersafe.co.za or call us on 082 7712 062/082 851 9761.

As Jojo Dealers and one of their listed preferred installers, Water Rhapsody is offering the 2500l for R1550 and the 5000l for R2785 (incl VAT & Delivery) until the end of October 2011.

So hurry, order your tank(s) now and we will visit you for a no-obligation quote on the installation thereof. We might be in the unfortunate position of having water restrictions again in the future, so start now becoming independent of Municipal supply.

Saving water is an excellent way to show that you care and are willing to do your little bit to help. Whether you store just a small amount to reduce your use of the municipal supply or get off the grid completely,it will be beneficial for the entire community and for future generations.

Day 22: Start a lift club.

Sharing is caring especially when it comes to transportation. When neighbours and co-workers ride together, everyone benefits.

Day 23: Read the ingredients.

Knowledge is power. Knowing what’s in the products you buy will help you understand their impact on the environment.

Day 24: Use less.

When you are able to use only what you need, you help reduce unnecessary waste. Keep a journal of your food, petrol and material consumption to better understand where you can cut back.

Day 25: Go outside.

Enjoy the great outdoors more. Plan a hike or picnic instead of languishing indoors. When you use outdoor spaces more, you use less energy to heat or cool the inside of you home.

Day 26: Go low flow.

Purchase low flow shower heads, taps and toilets to conserve water. Let Water Rhapsody install a Multi-Flush in all your toilets. The toilet will only flush as long as you hold the handle down.

Day 27: Support tree huggers.

Stay informed and involved with local and national environmental efforts. Find out how you can support greening initiatives in your area.

Day 28: Spread the word.

Share your environmental advances with friends and co-workers. When going green, it’s great to have your own support network of ‘greenies’.

According to tests made by Pathcare Laboratory at St. George’s, water in certain areas of the Bay is not safe to drink. This is caused by the lack of free-chlorine, which is meant to kill harmful contaminants in the water, therefore making the water an ideal breeding ground for germs and bacteria.

Tests carried out for The Herald by Pathcare Laboratories have revealed that water samples from Livingstone Hospital contain traces of the potentially deadly E.coli bacteria

( Fecal Coliform/E coli: Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, and people with severely compromised immune systems.) Water from the Korsten area contains unacceptable high amount of coli form bacteria, which indicate the presence of either human or animal faeces and the absence of effective water treatment. The presence of coli form bacteria in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms, or pathogens, are contaminating the water system.

( Total Coliform: Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems. ) Residents are being warned to boil drinking water. Water filters are largely ineffective in filtering the micro-organisms.

For the past month, in Framesby, the waters’ free chlorine levels have been zero (according to Mr. Pieter Rossouw, a water analyst) – way below the Department of Water Affairs’ recommended level of between 0.3 and 0.6mg/litre. “Without intervention, it’s just a matter of time until the whole system is fully contaminated. A disaster is coming”, he said.

According to the Department of Water Affairs guidelines, there should be no presence of E.coli in treated water, while any total coli form count between 10/100ml and 100/100ml was worrisome and ‘indicative of inadequate treatment, post treatment contamination or growth in the distribution system with a risk of infectious disease transmission with continuous exposure’.

The municipality was stripped of the department’s prestigious Blue Drop status earlier his year, when it failed to score 97% for its water assessment, losing points in the areas of water planning processed and drinking water quality compliance, instead achieving 90%.

Mr Rossouw wrote an urgent letter to the municipality highlighting the lack of free chlorine in the water supplying his suburb, and the likely chance of bacteriological contamination of the city’s supply should nothing be done. He didn’t receive any response from them yet. “It’s just a matter of time until the pipelines are contaminated. Major corrective action will then be needed, and without it a disaster is coming,’ he warned. Another worrying phenomenon was also occurring with the distilling process, with the municipal water periodically beginning to froth and foam – a phenomenon Rossouw thought could be due to the presence of potentially harmful organic chemicals.

What can Water Rhapsody do for you??

Let Water Rhapsody install a Grand Opus System at your residence or business. You will harvest clean rainwater, it will be filtered by our Rain Runners, will reach your rainwater tanks via a closed system, not allowing light or air to reach it (therefore no algae growth or mosquito larvae in your water). The tanks will be connected to your home supply, making it your main water supply. With a manifold override, you will have the option to use municipal water when you need to.

We supply water tanks only. We install water tanks. We guarantee the best service and advice in the Eastern Cape. Our systems are being installed in Cape Town since 1994.

Rain water is the purest form of water. Make use of it when you can. At this stage, after this article today, water tanks is not a ‘maybe one day’ or a ‘nice-to have’, it’s becoming a necessity.

Day 8: Collect it.

Set large containers outside to collect rainwater.  (Purchase Jojo tanks from Water Rhapsody and let us install it for you!) This water can be used to hydrate your garden plants and be used to wash outdoor furniture, wash your car etc.

Day 9: Share it.

If you prepare more food for supper than you can consume, feel free to share it or have it for lunch the next day. Sharing meals keeps great food in tummies and out of landfills.

Day 10: Donate it.

Instead of throwing away old clothes, electronics or home wares, donate them to your local charity organisation or church. Of you k for a receipt, you can count the deduction when you do your income tax.

Day 11: Return it.

Buying biodegradable items means that when you throw it away, it will decompose. The decomposition process returns materials back to the earth.

Day 12: Fix it.

If you have a pair of pants that are in need of then loving care, try mending them before getting rid of them. Most dry cleaners have tailors onsite. It will be much cheaper to repair them than to replace them.

Day 13: Switch it.

When your incandescent light bulbs burn out, replace them with energy efficient florescent of LED light bulbs.

Day 14: Research it.

Before you purchase large expensive items,  research how the product is manufactured and what he producers are doing with regards to their environmental impact. A quick online search will help you make the greenest purchase.

Just want to share this beautiful picture of Kouga Dam with you from yesterday, what a amazing site !!!

Regards

Victor

It truly is! Thank you for sharing this with us Victor.

-Water Rhapsody Eastern Cape

Residents are currently paying R8.27 daily for the first  500 litres use. For 300 litres more, you pay R16.73. If you use 800 litres more, you pay R33.45. Next moth the tariffs are as follows:  For the first 800 litres used daily, you pay R6.60. For the next 800 litres you pay R8.27 and for the next 1000 litres you pay R9.82. For more than this you pay R16.73 per 1000 litres.

For more info, contact the Customer Care Helpline on 041 – 506 5555 or email customercare@mandelametro.gov.za

- Port Elizabeth Express, 3 Aug’11

2500l = R1650

5000l = R2785

Contact us for your tank orders as soon as possible. Visit our Water Tank Page for colors available.

More rain might be coming our way. Be prepared. Let us do the installation for you. For a free quote on our Rainwater Harvesting System, let us know through the Contact Form.