Green Solutions For Every Day Use
A great many people are concerned about the quality of the water that is available to the public. This can mean concern about the water in a home, the water in a garden hose or the water in a nearby pond. Many water sources contain harsh chemicals and cleaning the water can be environmentally taxing. New technology and new research, however, has resulted in both familiar and innovative methods for keeping water in the environment clean:
Rain Barrels
Every inch of rain that falls can cause hundreds of gallons of rainwater to run off of a roof. This water is usually siphoned to the ground and away from the home through the use of a downspout. The downspout can be easily attached to a large rain barrel or a clean water tank so that most of the water is captured and saved for later use. A rain barrel can provide clean water that can be used to irrigate a garden, water a lawn or wash a driveway. A rain barrel can help homeowners save around 1,300 gallons of water per year.
Barley
Some homeowners have problems keeping small and moderate sized ponds or water features free from algae and other issues. One natural solution is to place a measured bale of barley in the water. This can change the levels of oxygen in the water as the barley decomposes. This change creates a hostile environment for algae and will prevent it from growing.
Grass Filtration
This is a technique that is used to protect ponds and other bodies of water that need to remain clean. The idea is to plant vegetation such as legumes and tall grass in a way that forms a barrier around the water source. Incoming water that is contaminated will be captured by the plants and then slowly purified over time. This has the benefit of converting many harmful chemicals and bacteria into harmless elements in the soil.
Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC)
One of the most effective types of environmentally friendly home water purification systems uses granulated activated carbon (GAC) to purify water. This is the same type of non-traditional system that is shown at http://www.lifesourcewater.com/.
A GAC system is different from standard membrane or osmosis systems because it can soften the water without adding a significant amount of salt or other chemicals during the process. A GAC system can prepare clean water fast enough for use in an entire home.
Steam Distillation
There are some small electronic distillation systems that can be powered by solar cells or the electricity in a home in order to heat water until it becomes steam. The steam that rises from the heating chamber does not contain any harmful bacteria and is free from most other impurities.
This steam condenses into a separate container where it can then be used. The primary complication with this system is that it can take a very long time to create enough steam for anything other than drinking water.
Keeping the water that is outdoors clean is a much easier task because it is not intended to be consumed in large quantities. Indoor systems that use GAC are a step forward for potable water systems because many of the problems that existed with earlier methods are not present.
Maintaining clean water in the home and in the nearby environment can create a healthier situation for everyone who lives in the house.
Guest post by Rebecca Wilcox.