All Duke students, faculty, and staff now have the option of signing an online pledge to live a sustainable life on campus (and, hopefully, off campus also). Follow this link to the article on the pledge on DukeToday.

As with all pledges such as this one, it makes people feel great once it’s signed; however, it does not necessarily result in positive changes in behavior.  Hopefully this will end up being an exception. I encourage everyone to sign this pledge and to live by the 10 guidelines it proposes:

1. Turn off lights and use natural light

2. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs

3. Enable sleep settings on monitors/computers and turn off copiers, computers, printers, fax machines, etc. when not in use

4. Turn off water when washing hands, brushing teeth and washing dishes

5. Walk, bike or use public transportation to get to campus, go to lunch and get to meetings

6. Choose campus dining facilities that are “green;” buy produce at the campus farmer’s market

7. Reduce, reuse, and recycle

8. Buy EnergyStar electronics and appliances

9. Purchase environmentally friendly products, recycled content paper, nontoxic cleaning supplies, local food, etc.

10. Educate yourself and others about your ecological footprint.

First of all, I would like to say that I appreciate the comments I’ve been receiving from family and friends both on this blog and as I see people on campus. I’m glad that this blog is useful to you, and I plan to keep it up.

I would like to spread the word about a consortium of organizations and engaged citizens and cities named Think Outside the Bottle. Please check out the site and sign their pledge.

According to the group, up to 40% of bottled water comes from tap water sources. If you check the prices of the bottled water you purchase, you quickly realize how ridiculous the price is for what you’re actually drinking. Additionally, water companies are typically not environmentally-friendly. Think Outside the Bottle states that “more than 17 million barrels of oil” were needed to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water last year.

If you see me around at Duke, I typically have a bottle of water in class. However, that bottle is the same bottle every time that I fill up with tap water once or twice a day. I only change the bottle if I happen to lose it. There are so many water fountains on campus that I don’t need to buy the Volvic and Fuji available in the Duke stores everyday. Why buy a water bottle that has traveled thousands of miles? Because the water is “pure” and supposedly better for me? If you really believe that the supposed marginal benefit of drinking that bottled water is worth it, then check out the group’s website and read some of their arguments. However, I keep drinking tap water and I feel fine. Generally-speaking tap water is perfectly safe to drink if you already use it to brush your teeth, shower, and clean your dishes.

So, if you still need a New Year’s resolution, give up the bottled water, and Think Outside the Bottle!

Happy New Year! As I write this first post of 2008, rain is pouring outside my dorm room. At long last, Durham is getting some good rainfall. We can only hope this keeps up. As much as people are whining about it being rainy, cold, and having to pull out their umbrellas, this is necessary rainfall that should be blessed.

The title of this post is taken from the discussion held at the Duke University Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Tuesday January 8, 2008. Durham, like much of North Carolina and the rest of the southeast, is starting off the new year with the same problem marking the end of last year. The winter holidays provided no significant new rainfall. According to the taxi driver who drove me from RDU to West Campus at Duke, it rained heavily on one day during the entire winter break. This situation leaves Durham in Stage IV Restriction status.

The water problem has become an issue that cannot be overlooked any longer. To my and others’ delight, it’s surprising to see how many people actually are trying to cut down on their water use. Ideally, everyone would, but the increase in awareness and action since last semester is noticeable. Duke installed more economical low-flow showerheads in all dorms across campus to reduce water consumption. From personal experience, these showerheads are often much better than the previous ones in terms of water pressure, which I imagine has reduced students’ overall showering time.

Duke’s Chronicle published an article today about student action being taken on various university campuses across the South East. The article mentions students at the University of Georgia painting “Conserve Water” on their chests at basketball games, much like the Blue Devils paint “Duke” and other slogans. Emory University is mentioned for having initiated a “Be Water Wise” campaign on its campus. Whether in Atlanta or Durham, residents can be concerned about the remaining water supply. The same article asserts that 185 of water remain in Durham County, while estimates for Atlanta vary from 90 to 190 days.

The rain outside today is a reminder, but should not stop us from continuing to conserve water. As the Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, William L. Chameides reminded us during the Town Meeting on January 8, 2007, only 1% of the water present on Earth is available for all of our consumption. This incredible statistic and the experience of being in such a severe drought should provide a lesson for all of us to limit our water consumption whenever possible. Take shorter showers, don’t let water running unnecessarily, fix leaks and drips, avoid washing cars and other equipment, avoid sprinkling, etc… I could go on, but I’d rather you check out this page listing water conservation tips specific to the southeastern United States. You can find tips for other parts of the country on the same site.

Divorce: it has become pretty popular (affecting about 50% of couples) nowadays. Whether that is the result of a deeper social fracture or just a modern phenomenon that makes marriage a much more fragile institution than it once was, divorce’s numbers are on the rise, and that has environmental as well as social impacts.

This article from the Environmental News Network gives some numbers related to divorce’s effects on the environment.  The most stunning set of information is the following:

“In the United States, divorced households used 73 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water in 2005 that could have been saved if households had stayed the same size as when they were married. Thirty-eight million extra rooms were needed, with associated costs for heating and lighting.”

While some couples may need to have to divorce for certain reasons, efforts should be made to live with someone else (whether a friend or family member) to cut down on energy and water consumption. Not only would it be more sustainable, but it would also be cheaper for that person to live with someone else. There are significant cost savings associated with sharing a residence (especially in terms of utilities) rather than purchasing or renting an entirely separate home.

This doesn’t only apply to divorced couples. There are many examples of people living in homes far bigger (and energy-and water-demanding) than they need to be for that person’s (or couple’s) purposes. When you see young professional sports stars live alone in mansions, you can only wonder how much energy goes into those homes. I don’t think it’s such a sacrifice to live in a nice apartment building downtown and cut back a little on energy and water consumption.

As Kevin Rudd, Australia’s new prime minister, takes on his new role, one of the major challenges he faces is Australia’s long and troublesome drought, the worst since Australia was settled by Britain more than 200 years ago. At least Rudd is conscious of the situation’s importance and made it a point to mention the concern he places on the drought in his victory speech in Brisbane.

The negative consequences of the drought are astonishing. The government has sought out every possible option to come in aid to the farmers and citizens in the more rural areas of the country. Those with agricultural businesses have seen disastrous results, and are forced to consult with government phone hotlines and specific counseling units to discuss options. A relatively high number of suicides believed to be because of the drought conditions have also been reported.

Kevin Rudd has outlined several steps that the government needs to follow in order to secure the Australian water supply to better prepare for (and potentially avoid) future droughts. Rudd believes states that the “water supply in [Australia's] capital cities, regional centres and rivers is under great strain from the drought. Climate change will only make matters worse. We need to invest in smarter, more efficient water use, like capturing storm water and recycling to supply industry and irrigation.”

I couldn’t agree more. If you want to see Rudd’s steps, check out the list on his website.  I hope Rudd is able to implement most of those policies. He seems to have good knowledge of what Australia specifically needs from a climate policy. He definitely seems to understand that the drought is one of his policy priorities. Good luck to him!

The water situation in the Southeastern United States is reaching catastrophic levels. This story was the main front-page article on CNN.com this afternoon, describing the difficulties that the population of Orme, Tennessee are facing because of the prolonged drought conditions their region (and, more generally, although to a lesser extent, the entire southeast) is facing.

After the experience of living with only 3 hours of water per day, Orme resident Debbie Cash advises: “cherish the water you got and be kind of careful with it, because you never know if you will be out of water.” I couldn’t agree more, and this advice shouldn’t be taken only when water is only available 3 hours per day. We should always be thinking about the water we may be using unnecessarily!

I came across some notes from an old economics class today. I thought I was simply going to toss them in the recycling, but as I started reading through one of the pages, I realized I should probably hang on to them. The first section I glanced at read: “Is environmental economics a paradox?” The notes continued with the famous definition of economics as “the science that studies the allocation of scarce resources among competing ends.” Clearly, economics is useful to understand when tackling environmental issues. Every environmentalist should be able to think like an economist.

Specifically dealing with water, there is one major point to remember. Water IS NOT a public good! Water is rival in consumption, meaning consumption of water by one individual reduces the amount of water available to others. This is contrary to a pure public good which is non-excludable and non-rival. Examples of public goods are clean air, biodiversity, and national defense. The mindset in our society is too often shifted into thinking that our water consumption, no matter how wasteful, will not affect the next person’s consumption. Wrong! The economic argument is here to help us understand this.

Economics is not a panacea; however, if one tries to solve environmental issues through economic arguments, there are better chances of the solutions being efficient, realistic, and beneficial. I am pleased to be combining these two fields of study in college while I can, since it is clearly important to understand both sides before gearing up for the policy side of things.

We may finally be seeing the end of the extended period of drought plaguing the state of North Carolina. Today, Wednesday October 24th, rain fell fairly consistently all day throughout the Research Triangle area and across most of NC. According to WRAL, a local news station in the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville area, “the last time the Triangle had substantial rainfall was on Sept. 14, when 1.91 inches were recorded at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.” That was also the last time I remember it raining at Duke since I returned for the fall semester.

The drought is more and more noticeable as restaurants and businesses react to city-mandated water use restrictions, and as Duke finally chooses to get involved. Flyers have been posted on campus, emails have been sent to students, and articles appear about the drought in Duke news sources. The sad part is that most of my friends and fellow students find ways to turn the drought into a joke, not realizing that their daily water use should be altered given the nature of the situation. There is no reason to take a 20-minute running shower when the town is experiencing drought conditions (or ever for that matter). Take military showers instead–meaning turn the water off as you shampoo and use soap. Use water only to rinse. Same thing goes for washing your hands, brushing your teeth, washing your dishes, etc… There is still too much waste!

It’s wonderful that we finally got some rain in the Triangle. The humidity doesn’t even bother me anymore because it’s great just to see puddles forming on the ground. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another month for the next good shower!

As I previously explained, I have been trying to pay more attention to Middle Eastern water issue developments since my trip to Jordan this summer. I ran across an article on US Water News today stating that a Turkish company (GAMA) got contracted to supply Amman with water by drawing water from southeast Jordan’s al-Disi aquifer. Read more here.The region will be facing significant water challenges in the future, and this new development should provide the Jordanian capital with a certain amount of supply security. However, drawing water from an aquifer in a region that gets little rainfall should be sounding an alarm on someone’s radar. I hope that GAMA has come up with a good way to manage this.

Water as Fuel

Debate continues regarding the benefits of using water as fuel. Although the clean option is appealing, the hurdles to overcome are the financial disadvantages. Since it usual costs more to produce the energy than that energy ends up being worth, progress with the “water 4 fuel” issue has been greatly restricted and limited to labs. However, the information in this video provides an optimistic perspective. Here’s another reason to save water around the world!