SARASOTA, FLORIDA, DECEMBER 19, 2011 — Rainwater Warehouse has launched a new website offering a complete range of rainwater harvesting systems and products. According to Principal Jack Burden, Rainwater Warehouse provides a complete range of residential and commercial rainwater harvesting products. The company offers packaged solutions directly to green build developers, builders and homeowners. They also provide commercial grade rainwater harvesting components to builders & owners of commercial properties.

The company offers complete rainwater harvesting systems and rainwater harvesting components with field-tested dependability. These systems include the highest quality components, separating their systems from the likes of those you may find at a boxed retail location. “It is important that you pay close attention to the components that are included in any rainwater harvesting system. Many systems on the market today are made with low quality components; our systems are built to last,” Burden explained.

Featured on the website is the Rainwater Warehouse Deluxe Rainwater Harvesting System, sold with a 300 or 500 gallon tank. The system offers multiple mounting options for downspout, filter and tank placement and boasts of easy installation in fewer than 30 minutes. Included is an overflow system, 3/4″ hose bib, Leaf Beater, 300 or 500 Gallon UV inhibited tank, 1/6hp submersible pump w/ 8′ electric cord and assembly instructions. The systems are turnkey, no additional parts are required.

The Deluxe Rainwater Harvesting Systems are supplied with corrosion-resistant schedule 40 PVC pipe and fittings. “Thinner wall pipes will decay and become brittle after prolonged exposure to sunlight. These systems are field tested to stand up to the sun, lawn equipment and are tamper resistant,” Burden asserted.

The tanks have manways installed at the top which are sealed tightly to prevent accidental death or injury. Molded of food grade polyethylene resin, the tanks have a long term UV package and are suitable for use in or out of direct sunlight. The high impact resin is not affected by warm or cold temperatures. This allows captured water to be used for emergency supply if required,” said Burden.

If you are not in the market for a package system, Rainwater Warehouse also provides individual components and downloadable kit plans for the “do it yourselfers”. They offer a range of products and services including fixed cost design review, the Apex PumpBuddy®, Leaf Beater® and custom made commercial grade downspout filters. The filters come in your choice of aluminum, stainless steel or copper.

Also available for purchase is a decorative downspout filter and a custom decorative pipe sleeves with a special precast footer. The decorative systems can add an architectural element to the home or hide the visible elements of a rainwater harvesting system. “Homeowners can now harvest rainwater without detracting from the beauty of their homes,” stated Burden. “We offer solutions that are not only dependable, but allow the average homeowner to install and use with ease.”

Homeowners once purchased rainwater harvesting systems to decrease their water footprint or save money on their utility bill, but rainwater can also prove to be a useful asset in times of emergency. “Rainwater harvesting systems can prove to be a necessity in the event of wildfire, flooding, drought or other domestic or natural emergencies,” said Burden.

Create peace of mind with an independent, alternative water source using a Rainwater Warehouse Deluxe Rainwater Harvesting System. You will never have to worry about water regulations or drought when you have your own source of harvested rainwater. When you purchase a system from Rainwater Warehouse you aren’t just buying a system, you are buying independence. Rainwater Warehouse provides only the most durable systems and components, field tested and proven to withstand the elements.

All major credit cards are accepted and the team is available to speak to if you have any questions prior to purchase. For more information you can visit Rainwater Warehouse on the web at www.rainwaterwarehouse.com.

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Every pound of beef you eat requires about 50 bathtubs full of water to produce.

One pound of pork requires the same amount of water it takes to do about 17 loads of laundry.

It takes almost 20 gallons of water to produce a cup of beer. Most of that water is used for growing barley.

One pound of cheese requires 600 gallons of water, that’s 6 times more than the average American uses in a day.

The water used to make 500 sheets of paper is equivalent to running a fire hose for about 13 minutes.

Water is a finite resource. According to the EPA, at least 36 states are predicting water shortages by 2013, so consider conserving water by cutting down on eating water-inefficient foods.

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Forty-one years later, Earth Day has spread to Yogyakarta, Indonesia where today zoo keepers are building compost bins to turn animal dung into natural fertilizer in order to reduce air pollution from the waste. Kuwaitis are cleaning up beaches, women in Mumbai, India are planting trees, and volunteers in British Columbia are holding e-waste recycling drives.

Students pose for a photo with a globe during a campaign to mark Earth Day in a middle school in Dexing, Jiangxi province in China 4/19/11. Credit: Reuters/China Daily

It’s great to know that on April 22^nd people everywhere are uniting for a good cause. But what will happen on April 23^rd? Or the day after that? Will Senators who roll up their shirt sleeves and pose for a publicity photo shoot with a shovel and some seeds in front of a mound of dirt actually follow through on their promises to promote fair environmental legislation? The danger of dedicating a day to a cause is that it provides people with an excuse to do something good one day a year and then ride on that sense of accomplishment for the next 364 days without accomplishing anything new.

This Earth Day, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, take a shorter shower, and bring a reusable bag to the grocery store. And then do the same thing tomorrow.  If we are ever going to make real change, EVERY DAY HAS TO BE EARTH DAY. Find a way you want to change your lifestyle to be greener; make that commitment and stick to it. You might have lost sight of your New Year’s Resolutions by this point (guilty), but don’t lose the Earth Day momentum.

Learn more about Earth Day here.

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This year’s World Water Day theme is Water and Urbanization because, according to UN-Water, “rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters” are causing enormous stress on urban water systems and people are suffering as a result. Growing slums account for nearly 40% of the world’s urban expansion. Utilities infrastructure is limited and unreliable in these booming slums and the result is often poor sanitation and disease. World Water Day “will encourage action by governments, organizations, communities, and individuals around the world to actively engage in addressing urban water management challenges.”

Here are two easy ways to part in advocating for the human right to water: (For more ideas click here.)

UNICEF is holding a fundraiser called the Tap Project. All you have to do to get involved is dine at a participating restaurant in your city during World Water Week (March 20-26) and then you agree to pay $1 for the water they would usually give you for free. Your dollar goes to a good cause, and you enjoy a nice night out on the town. To learn more and find participating restaurants in your area, click here.

Also, ITT Watermark, the world’s largest provider of water and wastewater treatment solutions, is conducting a Facebook campaign in honor of World Water Day. Between March 21 and March 25, ITT will donate $1 USD for each post, comment or “like” on the ITT Watermark Facebook page, up to $10,000. Funds raised will go to ITT Watermark’s nonprofit partners: Water for People, Mercy Corps and China Women’s Development Foundation.

Happy World Water Day!

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World Plumbing Day is intended to remind us of the vital role plumbers can play not only in improving global health, but also in protecting the environment. Professionals in the industry, especially certified Green Plumbers, who are equipped with the knowledge to conserve water and energy can sustainably contribute to a cleaner world. On March 11^th, show your solidarity with those who lack safe water and your support of a greener planet by celebrating World Plumbing Day. Here’s how.

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Now, for some news stories about water and the environment:

In Tucson, saving the bath water too: Arizona moves toward graywater conservation systems in response to threats of drought.

Fish pedicure safety in question: Health officials are “currently investigating if there are any potential risks of infection associated with the commercial use of fish spa pedicures in the UK.” The latest pampering craze involves dunking one’s feet in a tank filled with small fish that eat dead skin.

New Orleans water pipes need to be replaced not patched: Even though the government has patched over 86,000 leaks since Hurricane Katrina, the amount of cracks in the local water infrastructure system per year is still 30% higher than before the hurricane. “Now the city is seeking federal assistance for a major overhaul of its deteriorating water supply network.”

California’s Regulators turn blind eye to groundwater pollution from dairies: A new report from Food and Water Watch “outlines how serious the contamination of groundwater systems near Central Valley dairies has become. Not only are the pollution levels frightening, but so too is the lack of care shown by the agency in charge of protecting groundwater supplies.”

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Greenpeace demonstrators protest Sato's arrest and Japan's whaling industry

Whaling in Japan is on the verge of collapse

The tide of public opinion in Japan has finally begun to turn against the whalers

In 2008, a colleague and I intercepted a box of whale meat intended as “souvenirs” for the Japanese whaling fleet’s crew. Greenpeace investigations of corruption inside the whaling programme funded by Japanese taxes, prompted by whistleblowers inside the industry, revealed that the embezzlement, gifting and eventual sale of prized whale meat cuts on the black market was a common practice.

We handed the box to Japanese authorities and called for an investigation. But instead of investigating our claims, the Japanese authorities decided instead to prosecute myself and my colleague for theft and trespass. We were convicted in September 2010 and sentenced to a 12-month suspended prison sentence, a conviction that we are currently appealing. Our case has not only helped to focus public opinion onto the whaling issue inside Japan, it also brought international legal pressure over the prosecution of two activists.

Because of our case, many inside Japan are now aware of the whaling industry’s kickbacks and embezzlement. The tide of public opinion in Japan has finally begun to turn against the whalers, which will eventually drive a stake through the heart of my country’s whaling industry. The facts are clear: there is shrinking demand for whale meat, and roughly 6,000 tonnes of it are sitting in cold storage. For the first time, people in Japan are beginning to wonder why a fleet of Japanese ships is travelling thousands of miles to bring back unwanted meat.

Last December, one of the government bodies in charge of Japan’s whaling programme, the Fisheries Agency of Japan (FAJ), said on national television that whale meat was being misappropriated; five officials who received meat “gifts” are reportedly facing disciplinary action. In 2008, we were detained for 26 days, put on trial and convicted for a similar action for which these officials are only facing “disciplinary action”.

And it has come to light that two senior managers within the whaling industry, including Jun Yamashita, the number two official in the FAJ and a key negotiator for Japan at the International Whaling Commission, the body that regulates whaling, were also reprimanded for their official’s actions. Combined with reports of reduced targets for whale catches in the Southern Ocean, falling sales despite vigorous promotion, and massive stockpiles of whale meat, it appears that the whaling programme in Japan is on the verge of collapse.

I am proud to have helped blow the whistle on Japan’s whaling industry and even prouder that the movement inside Japan to bring this shameful hunt to an end continues to grow.

However, our case is about more than bringing an end to whaling; it is also about securing a place in Japanese society for dissent and for exposing the sometimes difficult and inconvenient truth. Yes, I did intercept a box of whale meat. But I did so in order to reveal the waste of huge sums of money that my countrymen have unknowingly given to perpetuate a hunt that brings embarrassment and shame to Japan. My interception of this meat has already changed my life for ever but I hope that the ongoing legal case will help create more space for justice and for activism in Japan.

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