Blue Living Ideas » Ariel Schwartz

Can the World’s Largest Water Pump Stop New Orleans From Getting Pummeled by Hurricanes?

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:30 +0000

Anyone who witnessed the horror of Hurricane Katrina knows that New Orleans could use some serious protection from the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Pontchartrain. The levees currently installed in the city are a joke, but the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers is in the midst of building the world’s largest water pump–a pump that [...]

[Can the World’s Largest Water Pump Stop New Orleans From Getting Pummeled by Hurricanes? from Blue Living Ideas]

Smart Moisture-Monitoring Tech Could Save Billions of Gallons of Water

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:06:31 +0000

Americans are guilty of wasting water; that’s not news. But did you know that businesses and homeowners overwater grass and plants by up to 300%, wasting 225 billion gallons of water each year? According to water management company Hydropoint, it’s all because of dumb irrigation systems that are guilty of saturating water-starved flora with too [...]

[Smart Moisture-Monitoring Tech Could Save Billions of Gallons of Water from Blue Living Ideas]

Pure: A Solar-Powered Water Purifier That Looks Like a Small Animal

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:26:26 +0000

It resembles a pet or a small garden pest more than anything else, but the “Pure” system, created by industrial designer Emilian Dan Cartis, is actually a solar-powered water purifier. The system requires almost no upkeep–just put it outside and watch as the device gathers rainwater (or sea water) and turns into potable water suitable [...]

[Pure: A Solar-Powered Water Purifier That Looks Like a Small Animal from Blue Living Ideas]

AQUS Gray Water System Recycles Sink Water to the Toilet

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:17 +0000

Have you been hit with heavy water bills recently? It might be worth looking into a gray water system. Triple Pundit points us to the AQUS gray water system, which saves up to seven gallons of water per person each day by capturing water from the sink and transferring it to the flusher. The system works [...]

[AQUS Gray Water System Recycles Sink Water to the Toilet from Blue Living Ideas]

NYK Super Eco Ship 2030 Promises to Reduce CO2 Emissions

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:00:01 +0000

The shipping industry isn’t known for its environmental friendliness–it has been deemed “far more damaging than flying” by the International Maritime Organization–but Japan’s Nippon Yusek KK (NYK) wants to change that with the optimistically-named Super Eco Ship 2030. The ship, designed by MTI, Garroni Progetti, and Elomatic Marine, supposedly emits 69% less CO2 than existing container [...]

[NYK Super Eco Ship 2030 Promises to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Blue Living Ideas]

Trojan Horse Ocean Energy Converter Saves Coral Reefs

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:00:53 +0000

The recent growth of wave power has many scientists concerned about its potential impact on ocean life.Â But a start-up called Swell Fuel claims that its small-scale wave power generators could actually benefit the deep sea environment. Swell Fuel’s Trojan Horse wave power converter consists a buoy that supports a lever that moves up and down [...]

[Trojan Horse Ocean Energy Converter Saves Coral Reefs from Blue Living Ideas]

Every Drop Counts Slashes Your Water Use

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:12 +0000

Some of us (ahem) have a serious addiction to long, hot showers. It’s hard to gauge the impact of a shower while you’re taking it—the water just seems to flow from some neverending source. But drought is a problem in many areas, which is why the Every Drop Counts Water Meter is such a handy [...]

[Every Drop Counts Slashes Your Water Use from Blue Living Ideas]