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PET Peeve
Plastic water bottles, found in family refrigerators and office coolers, are packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. The amount of PET used per bottle depends on the style, thickness, and size of the bottle. PET is produced from fossil fuels — typically natural gas and petroleum.
The PET production process also relies on other energy sources, including thermal and electric sources. The European plastics manufacturing industry found that producing a tonne of PET resin requires 83,000 millijoules of energy. They also estimate that transporting the resin and converting it into bottles requires an additional 20,000 MJ of energy per tonne of PET. When put together, the energy to produce and transport the PET resin, and then mold it into bottles, totals approximately 100,000 MJ per tonne of PET.
Precious Commodity
It took approximately 17 million barrels of oil equivalent to produce plastic for bottled water consumed by Americans in 2006 — enough energy to fuel more than 1 million American cars and light trucks for a year, according to a Pacific Institute study.
(Source: http://www.pacinst.org)
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Water Wisdom
Hippocrates, also known as the Greek father of medicine, was the first person to recognise the importance of purifying water when he told people in Greece to boil and strain water before drinking it.
Ancient Egyptians treated water by siphoning it out of the top of huge jars filled with water from the Nile River.
(Source:
Ancient Energy Source
Electricity from geothermal energy was first produced in 1904 in Italy. But geothermal energy was used in the heyday of the Roman empore. The Romans used geothermally heated water to treat certain illnesses and for underfloor heating. The First Nations or Native Americans are known to have used geothermal energy as far back as 8,000 B.C. Today, electricity from geothermal energy is now produced in more than 20 countries around the world, accounting for more than 7,000 megawatts of our global electricity provision.
2nd International Salinity Forum
2008-03-31 00:00
2008-04-03 00:00
Etc/GMT-8
Salinity, Water and Society - Global issues, local action. New approaches for tackling the salinisation of water resources. Includes irrigation, dryland and urban salinity and salt water intrusion.
Venue: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Website: Website: http://www.internationalsalinityforum.org
12th International Water Technology Conference
2008-03-27 00:00
2008-03-30 00:00
Etc/GMT-8
The Twelfth International Water Technology Conference is the twelfth of a series events initiated by The Water Technology Association, WTA, on Preserving the Environment by Improving Water Management Policies.
Venue: Alexandria, Egypt
Website: http://www.iwtc.info
Safe and Sustainable Water Conference
2008-02-01 03:32
Etc/GMT-8
In order to foster clean water development in rural India WDA is hosting the Safe and Sustainable Clean Water Conference on 19 March 2008 at the Nehru Science Center in Mumbai, India. The conference will have presentations by prominent NGOs.
Venue: Mumbai, Matarasha, India
Website: http://www.whitmandirectaction.org/cleanwater/conference/
'Safe and Sustainable Water Conference' Set March 19
The 'Safe and Sustainable Water Conference', an informative and engaging meeting of Indian NGOs working to solve water access issues, will be held on March 19, 2008 at the Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai, India. Morning sessions will be dedicated to presentations and lectures and afternoon sessions will focus on dynamic and interactive workshops.
Applications forms are now available. NGOs in need of financial assistance for travel and/or lodging may download a separate travel scholarship application and must be sent on or before Feb 15, 2008.
The 3rd Annual Water Symposium
2008-02-29 03:16
Etc/GMT-8
Bringing together Australia's leading legal, financial and industry experts for a day of thought-provoking discussion and debate on the current issues and emerging challenges facing the water industry.
Venue: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Website: http://www.legalwiseseminars.com.au/product_details.asp?prodID=12251
National Seminar on Geoinformatics for Natural Resources Management
2008-02-28 03:13
2008-02-29 03:13
Etc/GMT-8
28 to 29 February 2008
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Website: http://www.unom.ac.in/seminars.php
The proposed seminar will highlight the Geoinformatics applications in land and water resources management action plans as well as in the fields of Disaster Risk Management, Sustainable Development, and Coast Zone Management amongst others
Middle East Waste & Environmental Management Congress
2008-02-17 12:00
2008-02-20 12:12
Etc/GMT-8
Middle East recycling, Waste and Environmenal Management Exhibition and Conference to be held in Ishtar-Kempinski Hotel and Resort on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea on February 17th - 20th 2008.
Venue: Ishtar Kempinski Dead Sea, JO, Jordan
Website: http://www.eng-forum.com
CHINA : Coveting Neighbourhood Energy Resources
By Antoaneta Bezlova
BEIJING, Jan 25 (IPS) - Even as it expands economic cooperation with its wary South-east Asian neighbours, China’s thirst for energy is compelling it to resurrect territorial claims to resources-rich spots in the region that have lain dormant for years.
SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Lao Dam To Feed Thai Energy Hunger
By Johanna Son and Jaime Lim
BANGKOK, Jan 21 (IPS) - News reports that initial work has begun on the Nam Ngun-3 hydropower project in Laos are a stark reminder of Thailand’s increasing reliance on its neighbours to satisfy its appetite for energy.
