Re-Gain

Many people dream of one day owning a place in the country. However this could turn into a nightmare if you know little or nothing about the private well and wastewater system in your purchase. Is the water adequate or of poor quality? How will you dispose of your wastewater safely? Unlike city dwellers, rural homeowners are usually responsible for their water and wastewater systems. Prospective buyers must become aware about the terrain, the proximity of the house to other structures, and the condition of the existing well and septic system. Building foundations may become unstable from high ground water levels or from excess surface runoff. Therefore, it makes good sense to investigate all aspects of the property. Many rural counties may not have such building codes, so an existing dwelling may not meet standards or may never have been inspected during its construction. I have heard a few horror stories from homeowners about their purchase of a country home. After moving to their new...

An emerging profession called facilitation is improving how groups run. This process helps organizations and individuals work better together. Facilitation builds a drawbridge: where once a wall blocked success,it can now be lowered as a bridge linking people across the troubled waters of misdirection. How we relate in groups, how we relate in our working life, and how we relate in all other aspects of our life is fundamental. Facilitation renders group relations dynamic, not only do people improve their interpersonal communication skills, they become engaged to support in a common group process. Facilitators help direct groups toward intended outcomes by challenging them through a range of synergistic exercises. They foster collaborative learning and problem-solving methods. Facilitators cultivate a healthier thinking process and use many creative techniques to enhance meetings and organizational development. These group directors tap the power of team building and group wisdom. Facil...

Every American must beware of harmful chemical products we may use. Mixing certain cleaners (i.e. bleach and ammonia) together can result in a killer gas by-product. Each year, we generate 1.6 million tons of hazardous household waste including, paints, cleaners, oils, batteries,and pesticides that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable and reactive ingredients. There is little information on how this impacts our health. Improper disposal of these toxins threatens public health and our environment. Especially if you live in a karst area where sinkholes, caves, caverns, and other holes act as direct conduits for contaminants to enter our wells and spring water when these products are disposed of on the ground or in other ways. Increased consumer awareness on the safe use and disposal will lessen these toxic products from spoiling our land. We all profit from preventing this pollution to our water, land and air. For example the improper disposal of one gallon of used oil can impact 50 pe...

The fastest growing segment in the worldwide beverage industry is bottled water. This universal solvent will exceed sales of milk and coffee becoming the second most consumed beverage next to soft drinks by 2004. However, this product may contain impurities and may not live up to many of the brand labels pristine sounding names. Bottled water is big business. In 2002 worldwide sales of bottled water were $35 billion dollars. In 2002 the United States sold 7.7 billion dollars worth of bottled water showing an increase in sales of 11 percent from 2001. While the people think this water is better than tap water this is not the case. While the names on the bottles may sound wonderful they can be misleading. According to Coop America 40 percent of bottled water comes from the tap. Also, this water may or may not be further purified depending upon the independent bottler. In 1997, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization stated that bottled water does not have greater nutrition...

When the well runs dry, we know the worth of water- Ben Franklin The most fundamental thing in life is water. Increasingly, we are appreciating how we depend on H20. Just think─ three fourths of our brain consists of this essential compound. Ironically only 1% of the world’s water is available to meet our constantly growing human needs. We drink less than 1% of our treated water while we use 99% in other ways. Most household water goes to lawns, showers, toilets, etc. In our life time, we will see a radical shift in how we must better manage this universal solvent. The sales of bottled drinking water are the beginning signs. In many parts of the world clean water is a luxury. Our public water systems produce more than 180 gallons per day per person. An average person can survive months without food, but only days without water. We flush an average of 27 gallons per person per day of drinking water down our toilets, 17 gallons per day through our laundry and 14 gallons per day in o...

Used oil disposal for the American do-it-yourself oil changer (DIYer) can become a serious problem depending how it is managed. As with other pollutants, our greatest challenge is controlling non point sources to restore our water in the US. Simply reflect on the fact that one oil change contains four quarts which, when improperly disposed of, can ruin the taste of a million gallons or drinking water, the supply of 50 people for one year . Used oil can contain toxic substances such as benzene, lead zinc and cadmium that may impact public health and the environment. Only 57 percent of this used oil is accounted for by recycling. Roughly 45 million people who change their own oil, the so called do-it-yourselfers (DIYers),are a major source of improper disposal of used oil. It is estimated between 193 to 400 million gallons of used oil are released into the environment each year in this manner. The DIYer is an individual who removes used oil from a motor vehicle, utility engine orfarm equ...

American Resource Management: Assets or Liabilities? By Rob Arner Each year Americans use, discard and recycle more than 11 billion tons of waste, not including nuclear and hazardous waste. Americans generate 1.6 million tons of hazardous household waste (HHW) including, paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable and reactive ingredients. Improved feedback in what we discard can stimulate a greater understanding on how we can either minimize and/or recover this waste. Americans are awaking to both future resource shortages and what we consume. How we best manage and sustain today’s resources has global security implications. There are many types of waste generated in the US. Industrial facilities generate 7.6 billion tons of non-hazardous industrial waste each year, much which is water. This waste includes domestic sewage and wastewater treatment biosolids, demolition and construction wastes, agricultural and mining residues, combus...