It’s possible to pasteurize your water using only the energy from the sun, using a simple solar heater. There is also the even more low-tech method of painting a bottle half black and leaving it in the sun for 6 hours straight. Water doesn’t have to boil to kill the harmful parts listed in this “how to”.
Why is this important? Because waterborne illness kills millions of people every year, and if you are ever stuck in the unenviable position of needing to ensure your own water safety, you can use easy to find supplies to make microbe contaminated water safe for human consumption.
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Also interesting was David Suzuki Tuesday on CBC’s noon hour news program. He came out against the sale of plastic bottled water, and gave congratulations to London, ON for banning the practice among city run venues. I’m going to reevaluate my participation in an office “water club”, and perhaps get a Brita filter for the workplace so I can use tap water instead (that doesn’t taste of chlorine) in my stainless steel mug.
Sudbury is taking a less pro-active approach.
I hate to think how something like this policy clashes with a La Loche, SK beer bottle ban, when glass is one of the drink containers touted by Suzuki as more workable than plastic!
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Tanya Derbowka | 21-Aug-08 at 4:40 pm | Permalink
What’s wrong with drinking the water straight out of the tap out of a glass? *GASP*
Saskboy | 21-Aug-08 at 4:50 pm | Permalink
Not much, except in North America there is a tendency to use chlorine as a water purification method, and that kind of water isn’t something that agrees with my body. I find it dehydrating compared to filtered water that lacks the taste of chlorine. It’s possibly just perception, but that’s how I feel about it.
stageleft | 21-Aug-08 at 7:32 pm | Permalink
Good post, I have a son who was looking for a lo-tech way of dealing with drinking water while on camping trips so I’ll be passing that 1/2 black bottle idea on to him.
Interestingly enough I started this spring on a balcony solar oven for my apartment — am working from an old Coleman stove.