Guest post by Amanda Green

Keeping well hydrated is essential for good health. Plain water, rather than carbonated beverages, tea, coffee or juice, is the best choice for staying hydrated, because it hydrates and nourishes your entire body, with no side effects. In most areas of the western world, water directly from the tap has to meet certain standards. However, this does not mean it is truly safe to drink.

Tap water can contain traces of lead from old pipes, chlorine from water treatment, as well as, traces of other potentially dangerous substances. This is the reason why many people use unfiltered tap water only for washing clothes, dishes, and bathing. They use bottled water, or water that has gone through a filtering process for drinking.

English: My humorous rendition of Nikki Grahame and her infamous Bottled Water Tantrum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bottled Water

Bottled water is convenient. It is easy to store in the refrigerator to have cold water available to grab and take with you on a hot day, or anytime. When bought in bulk, bottled water can run as low as twenty cents, versus the typical individual bottle price of over $1. You also have a choice of spring water, purified water or distilled water for purchasing. However, distilled water is not recommended for drinking.
Bottled water has several drawbacks. No matter how cheap you find a case of bottled water, it is still more expensive than tap water. Furthermore, many studies on various brands have detected impurities, similar to the impurities found in water straight out of the faucet. When you drink bottled water, you do not know exactly what you are getting, no matter what the label says. In addition, unless you recycle each bottle, it adds to the growing problem of consumer waste, and way too many plastic bottles in landfills.

Filtration Systems
Home water filtration products and systems are another option, to having fresh clean drinking water. The least expensive route you can take, is to purchase a water-filtering pitcher. Many companies sell these. After filling the pitcher, you can use the water for drinking, making coffee or tea and cooking. The only downside to the pitchers are you must replace the filters periodically, and the pitchers do not hold enough water for large families.

Now, many of the newer refrigerators have water filtering systems in the door, where you can always have a fresh glass of water, and even add ice. These options, also require a filter change once or twice a year, depending on how much they are used. This option can also save you money by giving you the option to fill your own glass bottle, or Thermos, for taking with you.

Other filtering alternatives include faucet filters, or undersink filters. A faucet filter attaches directly to the faucet. When you turn the tap on, the tap water goes through this carbon filter, which removes many of the impurities in the water. Undersink filters, are systems that are more complex and are attached to the pipes beneath the sink, rather than the faucet. Installation requires more time, effort and skill than a faucet filter. The main downside to faucet or sink filtration systems, is if you want filtered water for other sinks in the house, you must buy a separate filter for each.
Whole house water filtering systems, benefit homeowners who not only want filtered water for drinking and cooking, but for bathing and laundry as well. LifeSource Water Filters, for example, filter water for the entire home. This is especially helpful in areas where hard water is a problem or overall water quality is suspect.

Whether you want clean water simply for drinking, or also for other needs, you do have many options for avoiding the chemicals and other impurities found straight out of the tap.

Guest Post by Georgia Halston

Buying a solar panel system has become common place for those who can afford it. Many have their own motives, but few fall out of the realms of the main two reasons: to save money and to save the environment, and the new ground-breaking discovery is good news on either front.

The University of Texas at Austin, was founded in 1883 and of its alumni, the institute can boast: award winning director Wes Anderson, First Lady Laura Bush, actor and award winning screen writer Owen Wilson and Nobel Prize winner John Maxwell Coetzee. Joining the illustrious ranks of these modern greats will be by chemist and Professor: Xiaoyang Zhu.

Zhu is the lead author on the study that discovered the true potential of solar panels and how tapping into that potential could lead to globally relevant changes in the field. The overall conclusion of the study was that:

Photovoltaic cells produce electricity directly from sunlight (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“The efficiency of conventional solar cells could be significantly increased”.
Professor Zhu goes on to state that:
“It’s possible to double the number of electrons harvested from one photon of sunlight using an organic plastic semiconductor material.

“Plastic semiconductor solar cell production has great advantages, one of which is low cost,”

“Combined with the vast capabilities for molecular design and synthesis, our discovery opens the door to an exciting new approach for solar energy conversion, leading to much higher efficiencies.”

Source:  http://www.utexas.edu/news/2011/12/15/dark_state/

The possibility of the efficiency change of solar cells, according to the report, is a staggering 50%. This means, that if the new research is put into practice and the technology is manufactured based on the new findings, every owner of a solar panel energy system could see twice as much output from the sun’s rays.

As well as the domestic sphere, Zhu’s discovery can also have amazing repercussions in the business world. Commercial solar panels should be more than an afterthought for medium and large businesses looking to cut costs. In times of economic downturn, large corporations need to be a lot less short sighted when it comes to cutting outgoings. At the moment it seems the loss of employees is the go-to option for too many employers, actions such as these, only act as stunting agents to an already crumbling economy.
Keeping staff and using alternative methods of cost cutting such as the use of renewable energy, especially with discoveries such as the one by Xiaoyang Zhu, are the some of the only methods of boosting business as well as the economy!

I have received a wonderful report from Claire Smyth, on the topic of  travel transportation and technology. I wanted to be sure and share this report with you, because it may be of  interest to you for its great value and information.

English: A technology roadmap of the Internet of Things. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you know, technology not only helps us get from point  A to point B, but it has also given rise to better methods of monitoring and improving sustainable travel, as well as, great information and cost effectiveness, when planning our travels.

While, the report is a wrap-up of the latest advancements in travel technology, broken down by industry sector, they have also delved into the ways in which we are using technology to become more eco-conscious. It has also been a huge help in  finding helpful ways to make green choices. You can check out this full report, which also covers the most cutting edge travel gear and apps currently available, here:

I’m sure you will agree that technology is playing a huge roll in the future of green traveling.

This increasingly-advanced technology is a fascinating subject and as such, I thought I’d share this all-encompassing report with you, my readers.

If you feel the same,and enjoy this report and article, then please share it with your friends and family that are likely to feel the same as you do. I’m sure you will agree it is some valuable information. There will be a link to this report in my blogroll for future reference. Together we are working toward a better tomorrow!