The EPA has issued a new fuel economy guide for consumers that goes beyond the already standing website, fueleconomy.gov.

The new guide singles out the best-in-class for fuel efficiency in various categories, such as Fuel Economy Leaders: 2010 Model Year (yup, the Prius number 1, but hey luxury lovers, did you know there are two Lexus’s on the top 10 list?)

There’s also a list of the Lowest Fuel Economy Models: 2010 Model Year. Sorry Bentley, Lamborghini and Mercedes lovers, this is where the buck stops. You want to be green, you’ll have to build a new engine to go with those calfskin seats.

The EPA website also points people to the Green Vehicle Guide. This guide looks at both a car’s fuel efficiency and its tail pipe emissions, helping consumers to understand that the greenest, most eco-friendly cars both save on fuel consumption and have cleaner emissions.

The Green Vehicle Guide allows you to plug in a vehicle (pun unintended) and a state to pop up the air pollution and greenhouse gas scores for virtually any new model car you’re considering buying.

We checked out the Honda Insight, in Texas, and found that the new hybrid sedan is rated either an 8 or 9 (on a 10-point scale, with 10 being the best) depending on the engine  for air pollution, and a 10 for greenhouse gas emissions.

Switch your selection to a Chevy Suburban 1500 and the scores dip, to 6 for air pollution and 4 for greenhouse gases for the ethanol 5.3L engine but only 1 for the gasoline-powered 8 cylinder.

So depending on whether you plan on attending environmental rallies or having a family of 8, you can use this guide to decide if the Suburban, the Insight or any other car is right for you.

The Cobb County Water System in Marietta, Ga., and Kohler, maker of water faucets and other plumbing supplies, have won government recognition for their water-conserving ways.

The EPA named them among its “WaterSense” Partners of the Year. The program highlights the many ways in which organizations can advocate for saving water:

• Cobb County water officials teamed up with Kohler, Lowe’s Home Improvement stores and others, to promote Georgia’s tax holiday for WaterSense products. WaterSense products include such things as water sensors for sprinkler systems to stop needless watering; low-flow shower heads and faucets, and toilets that use less water.

• Kohler, of Kohler, Wisc., was named “Manufacturer of the Year” for earning the WaterSense label for 40 percent of the faucets it produces and 25 percent of its toilets. Like the EPA’s EnergyStar program that recognizes light bulbs and appliances that go easy on electricity, the WaterSense program labels products so consumers can select those that conserve water.

• Lowe’s was named Retailer of the Year by the program for training more than 200,000 employees to promote WaterSense products and  increasing the percentage of WaterSense labeled products in its inventory.

The EPA estimates that its 1,000-plus WaterSense partners helped Americans save more than 9.3 billion gallons of water in 2008.

The James City Service Authority in Williamsburg, Va., also was recognized for promoting water conservation, and Brian Vinchesi of Mooresvile, N.C., was named “Irrigation Partner of the Year.”

The EPA urges everyone to think about conserving water.

“Water shortage is a growing concern in the United States. By making just a few simple changes, you can not only save hundreds of dollars for yourself, but trillions of gallons of water and billions of dollars for the country,” says Virginia Lee of the WaterSense program.

For more information on the winners and how you can save water, see the WaterSense website.

Lead in toys is scary enough, but that’s only the start. Now, you might need to take a second look at your handbag, your car, your pet’s bed and even your clothes. The non-profit group Healthy Stuff reports that their recent tests of 900 everyday consumer products turned up some toxic results.

Let’s start with man’s best friend or your purring pal.

More than 400 pet products, such as beds, chew toys, stuffed toys, collars, leashes and even tennis balls were tested. The results are unsettling. Healthy Stuff says that 45 percent of all the pet products they examined had at least one and frequently more toxins. A good one-quarter of the items had detectable levels of lead and of those, 7 percent exceeded the current limit the government has said are acceptable in children’s toys.

About half of the pet collars tested had detectable lead, and more than 25 percent of those exceeded the 330 ppm (parts per million) level that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has said is dangerous for children.

And if throwing the ball is fun for Fido, you might want to reconsider. Almost half of the tennis balls made for pets contained lead (interestingly, no lead turned up in tennis balls for the court).

That’s just the tip of the chemical iceberg.

If you’re driving a 2004 or older car, there is a greater chance of heavy metals (such as lead) in it. Also, the groups said, the level of chemicals in cars can be five to 10 times higher than your home or office.

The group tested 700 new and used vehicles, from some ‘80s models to 2010s. The two with the least chemicals – the 2009 Pontiac G5 and the Chevy Cobalt. The worst offenders — at the bottom of the chemical-heavy car list — were Mitsubishis, Audis and VWs.

Just what is HealthyStuff.org, anyway? They say their ratings are based on information from environmental health groups and researchers. The website was created by the Ecology Center, a non-profit environmental group in Michigan born after the first Earth Day in 1970. Its goal, according to its website, is to advocate for safe environments in all walks of life.

Healthy Stuff calls out the government and EPA for what they say are lax, outdated and incomplete research of potentially harmful toxins.  In 2005, the nation’s Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report criticizing the government agencies for  failing to expand regulation and testing of potentially harmful chemicals in consumer products.

With this latest round of tests, the Healthy Stuff group says it has conducted more than 15,000 tests on more than 5,000 everyday items.

Their most recent research also scrutinized the chemicals found in children’s car seats. Almost 60 percent of car seats had potentially harmful additives, they say, such as PVC, chemical flame retardants and heavy metals.

A substantial list of various kid car seats lets you find the variety you’re using, and a click on the “model” link reveals an overall score, the testing method, manufacturer code and which parts of the seat contain chemicals.

The group repeatedly reminds visitors that their results are not meant to imply that a specific chemical found in a product necessarily means it is dangerous. Their testing is meant to inform the public of the presence of certain chemicals in an item, not to tell consumers what they should and shouldn’t buy.

They test using a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, or XRF, to search for lead, cadmium, mercury, bromine, chlorine (PVC) and arsenic.

XRFs are used by manufacturers and government regulators to screen products for potentially harmful chemicals, Healthy Stuff says on their Web site. They also state that their testing has limitations: product choices were based in part on consumer interest. They did not randomly sample the items they tested, and want people to know that the items they test are not representative of all products in the market.

Now that the kids are safely back to school, you might want to peruse Healthy Stuff’s screening of more than 60 school supplies. A look at backpacks, pencil cases, binders and even lunchboxes had plenty of PVC and more than 20 percent had lead.

Of all the kids’ school products, almost 90 percent had one of more of the chemicals on Healthy Stuff’s concern list.

Before you rush out to buy replacements, you’d best check out their new research on women’s purses. Healthy Stuff tested more than 100 handbags, and found detectable lead in more than 75 percent of them. Of those, they said, 64 percent had more lead than the level the government has deemed safe.

The current law that governs chemical content is decades old. The Healthy Stuff site says that impending legislation demanding closer scrutiny of consumer goods chemical makeup is in the works.

Look over these lists for more detailed information:  toys, cars and trucks, clothing and accessories, products for children or pet products.

More questions? Check their list of frequently asked ones.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Four major corporations were named “Green Power Partners of the Year” this past week by the US EPA:

Deutsche Bank AG — In 2009, the company made an annual purchase of 160 million kilowatt-hours of wind-derived renewable energy certificates (RECs), which represents 100 percent of the electricity needs for its U.S. operations. Worldwide, Deutsche Bank bought 515 million-kilowatt hours of green power.

The international bank has set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2012.

Intel Corporation – For the past two years, Intel has been among the nation’s largest corporate buyers of green power, purchasing more than 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours from renewable energy sources, an amount roughly equal to half of its US electric use.

It has installed two large solar systems, in Oregon and in New Mexico, to demonstrate how solar power can be used to operate data centers. It plans to install on-site solar photovoltaic systems at several other facilities. It’s “Green Intel” forum helps employees around the world share energy-saving ideas and learn about Intel’s initiatives.

Kohl’s Department Stores – The Wisconsin-based retailer has made green power purchasing a priority across its 1,022-store network as it aims to reduce its environmental impact and become a retail sector environmental leader.
Kohl’s current purchases, of 600 million kilowatt-hours supplies 50 percent of its electricity.

The company has become one of the world’s largest retail promotes of solar energy, with 69 systems up and running in California, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Connecticut. Additional systems are planned. The solar arrays provide 20 to 40 percent of the power for each store where they’re employed, according to the EPA. Kohl’s also communicates it’s green power goals to employees through a website, and promotes sustainable practices at kohlsgreenscene.

Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc. – New York-based Mohawk, one of the largest manufacturers of fine text and cover papers in the US, has been supporting its operations with wind power since 2003. It now purchases 110 million kilowatt hours annually, representing enough power to run its manufacturing and distributing operations in New York and Ohio.

Like the other corporate award-winners, Mohawk spreads the news about its environmental progress through a website, PR efforts and customer outreach. To reduce its carbon impact further, Mohawk has set emissions reduction goals through the EPA’s Climate Leaders program and uses recycled fiber in its products.

Several other companies were commended at the EPA’s Green Power Awards in Atlanta for buying renewable power directly or for buying renewable energy credits (RECs).

Most of these companies also engage in other green practices. Beaulieu Commercial, a Georgia carpet manufacturer, uses post-consumer recycled materials for carpet tile backing. EarthColor, a printer in New Jersey recaptures material for recycling. Media conglomerate Bloomberg LP., has promised to install on-site solar systems to power its US facilities.

The EPAs full list of “Green Power Purchasers”

EPA Green Power Purchaser Awards

Green Power Partner of the Year

Deutsche Bank AG
Intel Corporation
Kohl’s Department Stores
Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc.

Green Power Purchasing

Beaulieu Commercial
Bloomberg LP
EarthColor, Inc.
Foulger-Pratt Management, Inc.
Motorola, Inc.
Neenah Paper, Inc.
Shaklee Corporation
Steelcase USA
The Joinery
Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium

On-site Generation

Applied Materials, Inc.
Butte College
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. / California and Texas Facilities

From Green Right Now Reports

The EPA announced today it has revised the qualifications for televisions to achieve the Energy Star label, requiring TVs to be 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional models.

The new requirements raise the bar on how energy efficient a TV must be to earn the Energy Star label.  They require TVs to use less energy when turned on, ensure a satisfactory level of brightness and curb power associated with downloading program guide data. The EPA says this will translate to greater savings for consumers and the environment.  If all televisions sold in the United States met the new Energy Star requirements, Americans would save $2.5 billion annually in energy costs while reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions of about 3 million cars, the agency says.

Televisions meeting EPA’s new, more stringent Energy Star specifications will be available in stores nationwide starting May 1, 2010.

With more than 19 million TVs with screens larger than 40 inches expected to ship to American homes in 2010, these Energy Star requirements will offer important savings in larger size TVs.  For example, the new requirements for 46- and 50-inch TV models will deliver almost 50 percent savings over conventional models of the same size.

The EPA earlier this week issued a partial list of toxic chemicals released in the United States between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2008. The preliminary data, part of the Toxics Release Inventory, is now available to the public. It includes nearly 650 chemicals that have been emitted by more than 23,000 industrial facilities. The chemicals came from metal and coal mining, electric utilities and commercial hazardous waste treatment, among others.

The initial list accounts for about 80 to 85 percent of the data to be collected. EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson says that once the EPA has completed gathering the data, a national analysis will be released. By publishing the preliminary data, the EPA wants to demonstrate that the agency has open communication with the American public.

“While we are still analyzing this information,” says Jackson, “we hope this raw data will be reviewed and used responsibly by stakeholders and the public to help them make informed decisions.”

Following several toxic chemical disasters in the early ’80s, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) became law in 1986. Its mission is to inform communities and citizens of chemical hazards in their areas. As part of EPCRA, the EPA and individual states are required to annually collect data on the releases of toxic chemicals from industrial facilities, and then make that information available to the public in the Toxic Release Inventory.

Residents may find details about toxic chemical releases in their area, by going to the TRI site and typing in their zipcode.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

“Don’t let the vacation ruin the destination.”

These words of wisdom hail from environmentalists who have legitimate concerns about ocean pollution due to cruise ship dumping.

Cruise ship vacations have gained in popularity in the last decade, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which states that the industry has grown nearly twice as fast as any other means of travel during that time frame. And, at the same time, the average ship size has been growing at about 90 feet every five years. Ships used to average about 3,000 passengers, but today some carry as many as 8,000.

So with larger ships carrying more passengers, there is mounting concern about how this growth will affect the ocean’s marine life and water quality.

Recently the World Wildlife Federation’s Baltic Sea chapter recommended that area ports upgrade their facilities to cope with contamination from cruise ship sewage. The WWF said that Baltic-area ports are not keeping their facilities up-to-date in terms of disposing of cruise ship waste and suggested that the money being made by cruise ship tourism be spent upgrading the facilities, according to a report in the Environmental News Service.

“We find it unfair that so many ports are profiting from cruise line tourism but are not prepared to take care of their waste,” said Pauli Merriman, director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Progamme, in the ENS report.

In one week, a single average size cruise ship can generate about 200,000 gallons of sewage as well as 1 million gallons of gray water (the runoff from showers and kitchens), says Friends of the Earth Clean Vessels Campaign director Marcie Keever.

“That amounts to about 50 swimming pools-worth of polluted water,” she says.

Cleaning up pollution from cruise ships uses technology that separates the solids from the liquids and uses reverse osmosis to get rid of the pollutants. The solids get incinerated with the ashes either being dumped on land or at sea beyond 3 to 12 nautical miles. On land, the human manure can be recycled as nutrients for soil.

In the U.S., says Keever, there are no regulations for dumping sewage from vessels beyond three nautical miles from shore. Beyond three miles, cruise ships are allowed to dump raw, partially treated, or treated sewage.

As for port-side dumping, she says, “the dumping of treated sewage (using 30-year old-technology) is allowed in many ports except for states that have created no-discharge areas or agreements…. California is one of the places with anti-dumping laws, as are Alaska and Maine. Washington and Florida have voluntary agreements with the cruise industry but those agreements don’t go any further that U.S. federal requirements in most cases.”

Once, people pounded clothes with rocks to get them cleaned. Now we’ve come full circle, with dry cleaning  headed back to those Earthy roots.

Many people are familiar with the use of hazardous chemicals in modern dry-cleaning solution. The primary cleaning solvent used in most dry-cleaners is perchloroethylene or “perc”. The Environmental Protection Agency classified this petroleum chemical as a Toxic Air Contaminant and a probable human carcinogen and many environmentalists believe that the residue on your clothes can’t be a healthything.

Now there is a better alternative and believe it or not, it is made essentially from liquefied sand.

GreenEarth Cleaning developed this non-toxic and non-hazardous liquid silicone dry cleaning solvent, which is safe for you and the environment. It is made of three natural elements: sand, water, and carbon dioxide. Liquid silicone is used in many products you use everyday such as lotion, shampoo, and conditioner.

This technology also is better for your clothes, according to GreenEarth. It will not cause fabrics to fade or shrink, allowing your garments to last longer. “Perc and other hydrocarbons are aggressive as they interact with the fabrics, dyes, and trims of today’s fashions. The GreenEarth silicone system is gentle due to the low surface tension of the silicone fluid and its characteristics of remaining inert rather than interacting with the fibers and trims,” said Tim Maxwell, President of GreenEarth Cleaning.

There are approximately 1,500 GreenEarth Cleaning machines being used by dry cleaners today, from single store businesses to large dry cleaning chains. Nextcleaners is a chain of dry cleaners in New York and New Jersey that has been using the new liquid silicone solvent.

“We believe GreenEarth solvent is presently the most practical eco-friendly solution without compromising the dry cleaning service quality in the marketplace. It’s is also the most widely used eco-friendly solution and the only one presently approved by the State of California,” said Kam Saifi, President and CEO of Nextcleaners. In addition to the use of GreenEarth Cleaning, they are making additional strides to benefit the environment, such as the use of bicycle transportation for delivery and pick up.

Thanks to efforts made by GreenEarth and its affiliates, the dry cleaning industry is beginning to change its ways.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Calling the fight against cancer “one of the most notorious public health failures of the 20th century” four leading cancer and environmental experts called on Congress and the Obama Administration this week to acknowledge the role environmental carcinogens play in triggering cancer and dedicate more money to cancer prevention.

In a letter to Congressional leaders, the national medical and scientific experts said they were concerned that prevention has received little attention in the Obama Cancer Plan. They noted that health care costs could not be brought under control without a better plan to fight the disease that claims 1,500 American lives daily and costs $89 billion a year to diagnose and treat. (Costs rise to $219 billion annually, when lost productivity and premature death costs are factored in).

“The connection between our losing the cancer war and the need to control costs through prevention is clear. Cancer is not only one of the most costly and sometimes deadly diseases in America, it is also one of the most preventable,” they wrote.

As Congress ramps up this week to craft what could be a massive health care reform package, the advocates asked that elected leaders make revisions to the National Cancer Act (of 1971) that would reduce Americans’ exposure to carcinogens by half over the next decade.

They also want a complete public registry of carcinogens.

For too long, they say, the National Cancer Institute has blamed the vast majority of cancer on human behaviors, such as lack of exercise, poor diet and sun exposure – ignoring the role of environmental carcinogens.

But environmental and occupational exposures to carcinogens are the primary cause of non-smoking related cancers, say the petitioning experts, led by Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, MD Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition in Chicago. They cited “preventable exposures to carcinogens in the workplace and environment” such as nitrites in processed meats, formaldehyde, chlorinated organic pesticides, organic solvents and other substances.

The letter listed many more examples of how environmental factors, beyond tobacco use, that are believed to cause cancer.

“To be sure, smoking remains the best-known and single largest cause of cancer, particularly lung cancer. While incidence rates of lung cancer in men have declined by 20% over the past three decades, rates in women increased by 111%. But more importantly, non-smoking cancers — due to known chemical and physical carcinogens — have increased substantially since 1975. Some of the more startling realities in the failure to prevent cancer are illustrated by their soaring rates of increase. These include:

You know your car is a gas hound. But what about the water it requires?

Keeping a car clean, whether you rinse it off in your driveway or get it scrubbed at a professional wash, uses buckets of agua, more than you might realize.

If you’re careful, washing your car at home might use 10 gallons of water, but probably more like 25 or 50. A car wash can use much more, in the range of 75 to 100 gallons.

The International Car Wash Association says car washes are not a problem because the water consumed at car washes is recycled and reused. Water is properly disposed of via the sewer system where it can be treated and returned to circulation, the association says. (This is not the case with home car washing, which we’ll get to.)

However, just as foregoing paper is more effective at saving forests than using recycled paper, the greenest car wash is the one that doesn’t use water at all.

The cutting edge of the car cleaning biz has been spawning products that clean and polish your car without water, and lately, car washes that do the same.

Take Houston’s new car detailing service and car wash, Eco-Suds Hand Car Wash.

This new service in Northwest Houston, uses a water-based cleaning solution that is non-hazardous and biodegradable. The formula dissolves dirt and the residue is easily wiped off with a microfiber cloth. The process doesn’t scratch because polymers enwrap the dirt. The car is wiped clean and buffed, leaving it smooth and shiny (see photo above), says Kevin Dunn, co-owner of the Eco-Suds Hand Car Wash.

Dunn touts the service as eco-friendly on two counts — it avoids toxic runoff because the cleaning solution does not contain any oil, mineral spirits or kerosene, harmful chemicals that turn up in competitor’s formulas. And, the process is virtually water-less (there’s some water in the solution), saving the community dozens of gallons of water for each car and truck cleaned.

“According to our estimates, we believe we have saved roughly 90,000 gallons since we opened in mid-February,” he said. “Not too bad for one single location in just three months.”

As the Eco-Suds website notes, conventional car washes cannot compete with that level of water conservation because even their recycled water is typically mixed with 40 to 80 gallons of fresh water for each new car washed.

Eco-Suds is frugal with natural resources, but uses significant human capital, employing hand washers. It competes with both mass-market and luxury detailing services, with packages starting at $25 for an exterior wash and interior cleaning, ranging up to $225 for the “platinum package” with various levels in between.

Eco-Suds bills itself as the nation’s “first full service, eco-friendly car wash and detail” — and it is a unique stand alone facility — but it is not the first enterprise to try to create a greener model for the car wash business.

Several have gone eco by switching to greener cleaning ingredients and polishes and adding water recapture capabilities, but they’re still using large quantities of water.

A few select car washes are getting more aggressive about water use.

The Eco-Pit in San Diego is another virtually water-less car wash that uses a line of Earth-friendly products.

Seattle has Advanced Mobile, a car detailing service that uses biodegradable soaps and comes to clients, washing their cars at their location and reclaiming all the water used. The mobile aspect of this business throws a wrench into the process of assessing its carbon imprint (would it be more or the same as a drop in car wash?), but the EPA was impressed enough with its water conservation to award it a Water Efficiency Leader award in 2006.  Advanced Mobile also has outlets in Portland and Chicago.

In Nevada, the Southern Nevada Water Authority promotes car washes that reclaim or recycle their water on its Water Smart program by offering coupons to these businesses on its website.

Now, about washing your car at home. The Environmental Protection Agency and some state agencies warn against it. At least, they tell us not to wash the car or truck in the driveway because the runoff is hazardous to  the environment. The phosphates in some soaps can harm fish down the line, because they act as fertilizers, making algae grow and choking off oxygen for aquatic life. And that oily sheen you see in the rivulets running toward the storm drain (from undercarriage goo and petroleum distillates) can be a real problem for many life forms.

If you must wash at home, park on grass or gravel, so the runoff can be reabsorbed by the soil, the experts say. And use a phosphate-free soap.

It’s better to use commercial carwash, the EPA notes, because that water can be recycled and will be cleansed by local water treatment facilities before being returned to the water system or the environment.

Charity groups should do the same. Instead of setting up a DIY venture in a school parking lot, school and church groups should operate on grass or gravel, or partner with a local commercial car wash.

Even better — work with a commercial car wash that doesn’t use water.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Drinking a glass of water. It should be a simple thing. But as we Americans wean ourselves from plastic water bottles and return to the tap, there are a new set of questions that arise.

The main one: How safe is tap water?

There have been problems — lead, arsenic, cadmium, selenium and a variety of unfriendly microorganisms have turned up in city water systems. Last year, an AP investigation found  all sorts of medications (presumably flushed into the system) were persisting in treated water in systems across the country. So we’re all getting a little help with our blood pressure, whether we need it or not.

Many studies have shown that our tap water is mostly, by and large, as safe as a lot of bottled water. Often this is true because bottled water is just plain tap water that may or may not have been run through a separate filtering process that may or may not have included the reverse osmosis process needed to really clean that water.

Some bottled water has a better pedigree than tap, coming from real springs or mountains — but follow the carbon miles from France or wherever — and it becomes a true guilty pleasure. Many carbon emissions are emitted to get it here.

In much of the Western world, environmentally sensitive people are trying to get around the issue by using home filtration systems, either on the fridge or faucet, to cleanse the tap water.

Entrepreneurs are busy developing other options. Right now, we at GreenRightNow are trying out the Ecoloblue Atmospheric Water Generator — a machine that makes filtered water from air. Poof! It’s magic. Well, not quite. The machine uses de-humification technology, similar to the engineering behind that rattly old room dehumidifier that you might have encountered in past decades but very much updated with 21st Century computerization and a sophisticated system of filters. It captures, cleans and stores the water for your drinking pleasure instead of dumping it into a scummy collection tank to be discarded. This water is so pure tasting. It’s crystalline. (See snazzy red machine, right.)

But I digress. We’ll tell you about Ecoloblue later. Today I really wanted to mention this scary story about how a water sanitation supervisor in Fort Gibson, Okla., falsified reports, certifying the purity of the town’s water when he knew it exceeded the levels considered safe for chlorine. The water also exceeded safety standards for “turbidity” or clarity set by the EPA (high turbidity means the water is higher risk for carrying harmful microorganisms).

Fortunately, no one was harmed by this deception. The supervisor pleaded guilty in federal court last week, according to the Environmental News Service. He faces up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $250,000.

So our water is only as good as our water keepers.

By weird coincidence this is National Drinking Water Week. Who knew? Get some of your questions about tap water answered by the EPA. Start with their section on Ground Water and Drinking Water.

You can also read the annual reports about your local drinking water via the EPA website. Really, they do that. Just sign up for their Local Drinking Water Information service.

The EPA info is largely reassuring. But sometimes it only whets our appetite for more. Take this statement: “Over 90 percent of water systems meet EPA’s standards for tap water quality.”

OK…and the other 10 percent? That would be suitable for, say, flushing the toilet?

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

The 10 actions are:
1. Use less water
2. Commute without polluting
3. Save electricity
4. Reduce, reuse and recycle
5. Test your home for radon
6. Check your local air quality
7. Use chemicals safely
8. Reuse and recycle electronics
9. Enjoy the outdoors safely
10. Spread the word to family and friends

You can sign up on EPA’s web site. Then share your thoughts:

• On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pick-5-for-the-Environment-from-the-US-EPA/165625645190
• On Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/epapick5/
• On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/group/epapick5