Derek Markham

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Profile: Derek Markham is husband, father, and writer based in Colorado, with a passion for all things sustainable. For the last ten years, he's worked in the natural foods industry, most recently running a small co-operative grocery store. Derek enjoys sharing tips, lessons learned, and resources for going green, simple living, and natural parenting. In his personal time, he loves to ride his bike (an 80s Trek singlespeed), go bouldering and slacklining, and he can usually be found in the middle of about ten different books. You can also find him on other sites including Twitter, Twilight Earth, Natural Papa, and Green Options.

Laundry + Bicycle = Bicilavadora

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Derek Markham.

Washing laundry is a difficult time-consuming task in the developing world, and doing laundry in open streams or lakes can add to water pollution. The task also falls solely on women – 8 hours a week is typically spent washing each piece of the family’s clothing and then wringing them out by hand. Washing machines that use electricity are impractical in many rural areas, due to either the expense or unavailability of electricity. But a pedal-powered washing machine, the Bicilavadora, is helping to change all of that. [...]

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Brazil Approves Enormous Hydroelectric Dam in Heart of Amazon

Posted on 16. Feb, 2010 by Derek Markham.

Brazil has approved an environmental license for the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, bringing criticism from environmentalists for potential damage to the river basin and displacing indigenous peoples, even though the project is touted as a carbon neutral way to meet the region’s power needs. [...]

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Tilapia Takes a Toll on Fiji’s Native Fish

Posted on 15. Jan, 2010 by Derek Markham.

The native fish of the waterways of Fiji are battling an invasive species, one advocated by many sustainable fish farming proponents: tilapia. A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society found that streams with tilapia contained 11 fewer species of native fishes than those without, leading to speculation that the introduced species may be feeding on the larvae and juvenile fish of native species. [...]

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Analysis Finds Hundreds of Pollutants in U.S. Tap Water

Posted on 17. Dec, 2009 by Derek Markham.

An analysis of 20 million tap water quality tests (from water utilities) over the last five years in the U.S. was undertaken by Environmental Working Group (EWG), and found 316 contaminants in water provided for public consumption. Of those contaminants, only 114 of them have enforceable standards from the Environmental Protection Agency EPA). [...]

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World’s Longest Toilet Queue: Come Together for Sanitation and Clean Water Access

Posted on 11. Dec, 2009 by Derek Markham.

4,000 children under the age of five die every single day just because they lack toilets and water, 884 million people don’t have clean water and 40% of the world’s population (2.5 billion people) don’t have a safe toilet. This is a global crisis, and one that doesn’t get much play from the media or the politicians. But you can help by joining the World’s Longest Toilet Queue. [...]