Environmental Issues

Air Cleaner Icons Across the Pond

The United States is not the only country that has been hard at work designing air filtration systems to provide a cleaner indoor environment. Klaus and Manfred Hammes of Germany designed and patented an air filtration system in1963. Attaching small magnets to a fiberglass pad and attaching to the air outlet of an oil home oven, soot was filtered and stopped from floating in the air.

1971 brought a great victory for the Hammes brothers when they began manufacturing residential air purifiers and in 1990, models of cabin air filters and Mercedes-Benz automobiles put their company Incen AG, on the international map. Read more…

Easily Stay Healthy and Active With the Amway Water Filter

The Amway water filter system uses a unique filtration design that comes close to eliminating 100% of all contaminants from your water, including bacteria and viruses. The filter combines a carbon block filter with an advanced ultraviolet light technology that results in nearly perfect water. This purification system can effectively kill almost all of the micro-organisms in water, while also removing chemicals, minerals, and metals. There no single filter which can eliminate every single bit of contaminant from water, but eSpring has discovered that by combining different filtering technologies in home systems, reaching perfection seems like an achievable goal.

The Amway water filter eSpring system eliminates an incredible 99.99% of bacteria and viruses thanks to the ultraviolet light component of the filter. Additionally, this system eliminates nearly 99.95% of cysts, which raises the bar for many competing water filter systems. In the second filtering stage, a carbon block filter removes all pesticides, metals and chemicals from the water. Some of these contaminants include chlorine, lead, radon and mercury, which can be especially common if you have a down stream water source. The eSpring water filter is NSF certified, so you know the claims of success are tested and documented by professionals and the top experts in the industry. Read more…

Eco-Friendly Water Bottle For Biking – An Easy Way to Maintain Your Health As Well As Wealth

If you are like me and love biking, then this article is exactly for you. Have you thought of using an eco-friendly water bottle for biking? Let me tell you, it is simply a great way to manage the water needs while on the run.

Before I share the information about an eco-friendly water bottle for biking, let me ask you a simple question first. How do you manage your water requirements while biking? Do you prefer bottled water or carry your water along?

Well, whatever the case is, let me warn you that it is very harmful for your health.

How?

Bottled water is notorious for being nothing more than tap water. And tap water – as we all know – has loads of impurities like chlorine, pesticides, cysts, virus etc. Consuming such water can lead to various health problems. Read more…

Various Reasons to Go Eco-Friendly – All With a Single Aim – Healthy Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday, I was part of a conversation where the main topic being discussed was the reasons to go eco-friendly. Now, while many of us have always been ignoring this, let me tell you this is significantly important – for us as well as for the generations to come.

During the conversation, there were people having all sorts of views and opinions. Let me share a few highlights. One of the most important reasons to go eco-friendly is to save the natural resources from depleting. Take toilet paper for example. It consumes a lot of trees to prepare the soft and fluffy toilet paper that we all prefer to use.

On the contrary there are better alternatives like the tissue prepared from recycled paper. But unfortunately it does not have many takers. Saving trees from getting cut – tops in the list of reasons to go eco-friendly. Saving water is another important one on this list. Remember, water is the basis of every life form. It being such a vital resource should never be wasted. Read more…

The Hepa Filter – The Cornerstone of the Air Purifier

Studies have confirmed that the air we breathe in our homes is many times more polluted then the outside air. That is quite alarming, given that outside air is contaminated heavily with vehicle and industrial pollutants, molds, spores and other contaminates.

Cleaning the air in our home with high quality air purifiers and cleaners is not only wise, but results in fewer family breathing problems and illnesses. With the right systems, viruses and bacteria which are often the source of respiratory illnesses, will be removed. Make sure the air purifier you select has the High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, capable of capturing dust, smoke, pollen, dust mites, debris, mold spores, and pet dander. All, potentially cause allergies. The HEPA filter helps minimize allergies and the resulting uncomfortable symptoms associated with their onset. Read more…

How to Be Eco-Friendly and Save Money at the Same Time

Well, there are various simple things that you can do to join the green revolution. These are the simple little things which may look insignificant but when done by each one of us can help save the environment considerably.

Let us see how to be eco-friendly:

1. Don’t keep the electronic appliances in stand-by mode. Do you know a thousand pounds of carbon dioxide can be saved just by unplugging the electronic appliances when they are not in use. TV, coffee pots, toaster – make sure they are not left in the standby mode when you are done using them. This will save from unnecessary electricity bill too.

2. Don’t keep the tire pressure in your vehicle low. If the tires are improperly inflated, due to less pressure, they emit various gases in the air. This not only contaminates the environment but causes you extra maintenance cost too. As per a study done, if we ensure the right pressure in tires, we can easily save upto $800 worth of gas per year. Read more…

Arsenic Mitigation of Drinking Water

Presence of Arsenic in drinking tube-well water is possibly known to all. But how drinking water containing Arsenic is mitigated in different countries may not be known to all of us. The technologies used to mitigate Arsenic may be different. But it is essential for the underdeveloped countries to innovate a sustainable method to mitigate Arsenic which should be cost effective, affordable and adaptable for all.

In Bangladesh people have been using Alum and very small amount of Potassium permanganate in appropriate proportion mixed in powdered form (one must be sure about the quantity and the proportion of the ingredients before using or prescribing). Once I myself collected and used this mixture from Arsenic Mitigation project office of DANIDA in late nineteen’s while I was working in a district town and my tube-well was marked with red colour. This marking indicated that this tube-well water is harmful to drink because of Arsenic beyond the limit. However one teaspoonful of this powder is mixed in10 litters of water and kept for 10 to 12 hours. Some sediment is seen deposited at the bottom of the jar. Carefully clean water from top of the jar is transferred to other jar and then the sediment was disposed off safely by digging a hole in the ground where nothing is usually grown. Some of the NGO’s are distributing this mixture. But one of the disadvantages of this method is the safe disposal of the sediments. Because the sediment contains high concentration of Arsenic which is harmful for plants, vegetable, crops soil and water. So it is not environmentally friendly. Read more…

Water Purifiers – The Most Important Way of Becoming Eco-Friendly

Do you know what is the latest most talked about thing today? It is the trend of becoming eco-friendly. While many are doing it only for following the trend, there are many who understand the correct ways and means to really be eco-friendly.

Let me share about one of the most significant measures to becoming eco-friendly. Now don’t jump off your seat, if I tell you that it is by using a water purifier. Let me explain.

Due to the rise in water and environment pollution, we have contaminants everywhere around – in the soil, air as well as water. Talking specifically about water pollution – there are fertilizer and pesticides run off which reaches and contaminates the water reservoirs. Read more…

Are Plastic Water Bottles Eco-Friendly? Frank and True Answer Here

If you ask me, are plastic water bottles eco-friendly, the frank and simple answer is going to be – No. On the contrary they are extremely harmful for the environment. The irony is that though many of us claim to go “green” and say “no” to plastic bags, we still continue to use plastic bottles!

The funny part here is that unlike plastic bags which are harmful for the environment alone, the plastic water bottles are actually hazardous not only for the environment but for the user’s health too. This is shocking as well as alarming. Here is why I answered no to the question – are plastic water bottles eco-friendly:

- Plastic has the property of leaching into the water and contaminating it. Phthalates and BPA are the harmful by-products generated from plastic and consuming water containing these can cause various health problems. Read more…

Ozone Generators Are Not Air Cleaners

There are companies that claim to clean your air with the removal of ozone. There is no scientific proof to support this claim, but the efficiency was proven many times in the past. The EPA has found that while that low levels of ozone may reduce some airborne virus materials, the percentage falls short by 5 to 10 times the public health standards. Even at high concentrations, ozone is thought to be ineffective toward contaminants. This is an important issue.

Ozone is only helpful in higher atmospheres where it helps filter ultraviolet radiation caused by the sun. Ozone that is used in our breathable atmosphere is harmful to our respiratory systems. Added with other pollutants and hydrocarbons that are already floating in our air by cars and chemicals, ozone is not a good mix. These materials can violate the ozone layer and create holes into it. Read more…