Saving Water Saving Energy Blog

Grassroots groups in the Great Lakes area that are working on climate adaptation projects are eligible to apply for funding from Freshwater Future's Climate Grant Program. Funding recipients will be awarded anywhere between $500 and $5000 for their work. Freshwater Future's Climate Grant Program is specifically designed to help Great Lakes grassroots groups develop and implement climate adaptation projects at a local level that will reduce their communities vulnerability to climate impacts. Click the title, image or here to view the entire post.

Heads up water conservation program folks! Your job is about to become much easier. The Alliance For Water Efficiency has just released the newest version of their water conservation tracking tool - AWE Tracking Tool 2.0 - with notable improvements over the previous version 1.2. Click the title, image or here to view the entire post.

This year, the US Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program turns 5 and the birthday/anniversary is marked by some momentous water, energy and cost savings achievements as well as a new hilarious ad campaign starring "Rip the Drip." Click the title, image or here to view the entire post.

Earlier this month, the world's largest carbon emitting nation per capita - Australia - announced possible plans to impose a carbon tax for the country's largest polluters. In conjunction to the announcement of the proposed taxation, Australia's Department of Energy & Climate Change published a white paper titled *Planning Our Electric Future: A White Paper For Secure, Affordable And Low-Carbon Electricity* which presents some strong recommendations for carbon emission management. Click the title, image or here to read the entire post.

Read this week's re-posting of Duke University's Climate Post to learn: how Australia plans to tackle climate change with a carbon-trading system that is planned to begin in 2012; How the world may begin seeing Peak Saudi Oil and what it will mean for consumers; and, which energy industry in San Francisco is adopting the brilliant idea of forming buyers' groups as popularized by the new internet marketing genius 'Groupon.' Click the title, image or here to read the entire post.

I have recently decided that it would be fun to incorporate as a part of the Saving Water, Saving Enery blog a monthly 'Sustainability Watch' of sorts, highlighting businesses, services, utilities etc. across the nation that go the extra mile to protect our environment by making energy and water conservation a top priority. As water and waste water treatment account for approximately 4% of national energy consumption, what better way could there be to kick off the SWSE Sustainability Watch than to take a look into the awesome things happening at the Gresham, Oregon Waste Water Treatment Plant. Click the title, image or here to view the full post.

Read this week's re-posting of Duke University's 'The Climate Post' to learn: why the supreme court shot down a global warming lawsuit against five of America's biggest utilities and what it means for the EPA; what former Vice President Al Gore has to say about the Obama administration's work on climate change; and, exactly how much money Google has invested in renewable energy projects so far this year. Click the title, image or here to read the entire post.

Earlier this month the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force released a draft report, National Action Plan: Priorities for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate and is accepting comment on the draft through July 15. Click the image, title or here to read the full post and to follow links to the report and public comments page.

*Updated: 7/20/2011* Thermoelectric power plants account for approximately 53% of all fresh surface-water withdrawals in the United States - sucking up approximately 136 billion gallons of freshwater each day and killing billions of fish and other river species annually in the process. EPA recently proposed a new ruling on power plant cooling water intake that falls staggeringly short of properly regulating outdated and inefficient technologies. Help protect America's waterways by submitting comments on this proposed ruling, urging the EPA to implement a stronger cooling water ruling that eliminates the use of all inefficient and destructive once-through technology. The deadline for public comment on the ruling is August 18th, 2011. Click the title, image or here to read the full post.