The story of Cap & Trade

Annie Leonard presents: The Story of Stuff: Cap and Trade
Monday, March 22nd was World Water Day.

The Story of Stuff is a powerful  one. The Story of Stuff  will take you on a provocative tour of our consumer-driven culture — from resource extraction to iPod incineration — exposing the real costs of our use-it and lose-it approach to stuff.

I love watching the meltwater as it heads for the lakes.  Small creeks, which will cease to exist in a few weeks, will soon dry up. Shortly, the Spring Peepers will do their best in small ponds, nooks, crannies and basins.

The early morning brings a thin sliver of ice on the open lake. The sun massages the sparkly surprise as the sun rises.

The ice melts in double-digit afternoon temperatures. The water rushes ahead of me as I walk along the old rock.

In the United States alone, [they] consume approximately 500,000,000 bottles of water each week. Imagine that: while 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water worldwide, 300 million people spend billions of dollars on a bottled product that's no cleaner, harms people and the environment and costs up to 2,000 times the price of tap water.

Take a minute today to watch The Story of Bottled Water. Then pass it along to your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers-anyone you think might be interested. 



 There is good news, worldwide...

Geothermal energy in Kenya

Kenya's underground is simmering and that's good news for the climate. Hot springs will increasingly supply the land with clean energy - especially the power plant in Hell's Gate National Park.
Project Video: Geothermal in Kenya 

At a depth of 25 meters (82 feet) below the Earth's surface the temperature remains constant, regardless of the weather or location. For every 100 meters further down, it increases by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius (5.4 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

Geothermal in Germany 

In Germany, utilizing the Earth's natural warmth for heating is quite widespread. The heat and power plant in Neubrandenburg, for example, channels hot water with a temperature between 55 and 80 degrees Celsius from a depth of around 1,300 meters to the surface.

The water passes on its heat via a heat exchanger to a district heating network and then flows back underground through another shaft. With the help of heat pumps and geothermal collectors, some houses are heated entirely with this natural method. (My adult children have this in their home!)

Though those in Muskoka look about to see clean lakes, and people using the environment for fun, profit and leisure, it could be our days are numbered.