Swimming Pools - Chlorine vs. Salt Water vs. Natural Water

Chlorine vs. Salt Water Systems

No, it doesn't turn your swimming pool into the Atlantic Ocean. Nor does it make you feel like a seasoned salad after swimming in it. It simply gives you all of the benefits of traditional chlorinated water, without the negative side effects.

So, what is the real difference from a salt water pool vs. chlorine option? Here is a quick run-down of the pool battle:

Salt water is more comfortable for swimmers. Don't be fooled into thinking that there is no chlorine in these pools. There is. However, in a salt water pool vs. a chlorine pool, the level of chlorine needed is lower and the pH level can be a bit higher. That means the pool water does not cause burning, itching, dry skin, or green hair. It also smells and tastes better.

These pools are less expensive to maintain. A salt water pool vs. chlorine pool is a lot cheaper over time because you do not have to add chlorine tablets to the water. Instead, you just add salt! The salt water runs through and electrical system that charges the salt and creates chlorine on its own. It is initially more expensive to maintain, but in only a few summers, it will pay for itself. After all chlorine tablets cost $60 or more per bucket and you'll only need about $20 worth of salt every summer, in most cases.

It is, in general, less time consuming to maintain these pools. A salt water pool vs. chlorine pool eats up less of your time because the control box, which charges the salt, regulates most of the water levels. Once you learn the system, you can easily control it, even when you go away on vacation by setting up a timer. However, be aware that you'll still have to check the water for pH levels as well as calcium levels.

Both salt water and chlorinated water are unhealthy for the environment. No one really wins the pool war when it comes to environmental concerns. While salt water may be a bit safer, it can still cause soil and drinking water problems, as well as kill sensitive plants around the pool. On the plus side, a salt pool option is safer for pets and for your family.

As you can see, a salt water pool vs. chlorine options is a much better choice in most cases. However, there are still some problems with salt water, and you should also consider natural pool water option, which are much safer. These systems cost a bit more initially, but the price is worth it because the quality of the water is unbeatable. Before you choose a pool system, make sure that you consider all the options.

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Natural Water Swimming Pools

Something new to think about is a natural water swimming pool.

This gorgeous swimming pool isn’t a typical chlorine-filled watering hole–it’s actually a natural swimming pond that relies on plants to filter the water. (Don’t worry, you’re not swimming among the plants and stepping in squishy mud; the plant regeneration area is kept separate from the swimming area.) Even if you already have a swimming pool, you can enjoy the benefits of a chemical-free pond and relaxing natural environment using the structure you already have with a few design changes.

Natural swimming ponds are already quite popular in Europe and are gaining interest in the US. Companies like Clear Water Revival (UK) and Total Habitat (US) can help you design your perfect dream pond, or revamp the pool you already have. The cost of new natural ponds versus conventional swimming pools is said to be comparable, but maintenance costs for a chemical-free pool will be much lower. (Just think of the increased health benefits as an added bonus.)

A natural pond is usually larger than a normal pool to accommodate the plants, rocks, and natural vegetation that comprise the filter zone (separate from the designated swimming area). Once water filters through the plant zone, it is then pumped through a UV filter to ensure maximum cleanliness and aeration. Typically, natural ponds have a waterfall to pump water back into the swimming area. Design and shape options are endless.

Whereas a conventional pool is little more than a concrete tub, a natural pond is a landscape centerpiece that will enhance the value of your home and quality of your life. What could be more beautiful than that?

Read more: Natural Swimming Ponds Ditch The Chemicals | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming (It's not so hard to do! Read the list and give it a try!)

Global Warming is a dramatically urgent and serious problem. We don’t need to wait for governments to find a solution for this problem: each individual can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle: starting from little, everyday things. It’s the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late.

Here is a list of 50 simple things that everyone can do in order to fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of these ideas are at no cost, some other require a little effort or investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term!

1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
   CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
   We recommend you purchase your CFL bulbs at 1000bulbs.com, they have great deals on both screw-in and plug-in light bulbs.
2. Install a programmable thermostat
   Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.
3. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
   Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
4. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
   Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
   Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy efficient products available.
6. Do not leave appliances on standby
   Use the “on/off” function on the machine itself. A TV set that’s switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
7. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
   You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.
8. Move your fridge and freezer
   Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.
9. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly
   Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.
10. Don’t let heat escape from your house over a long period
    When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
11. Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing
    This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.
12. Get a home energy audit
    Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.
13. Cover your pots while cooking
    Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!
14. Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full
    If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.
15. Take a shower instead of a bath
    A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximize the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.
16. Use less hot water
    It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.
17. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
    You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
18. Insulate and weatherize your home
    Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home.
19. Be sure you’re recycling at home
    You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.
20. Recycle your organic waste
    Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.
21. Buy intelligently
    One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.
22. Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
    You will also cut down on waste production and energy use… another help against global warming.
23. Reuse your shopping bag
    When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.
24. Reduce waste
    Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
25. Plant a tree
    A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.
26. Switch to green power
    In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money by selling the energy you produce and don’t use for yourself.
27. Buy locally grown and produced foods
    The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
28. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
    Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
29. Seek out and support local farmers markets
    They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.
30. Buy organic foods as much as possible
    Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
31. Eat less meat
    Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
32. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
    Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.
33. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates
    Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free service connecting north american commuters and travelers.
34. Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car
    This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.
35. Keep your car tuned up
    Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
36. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
    You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance.
37. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated
    Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!
38. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
    You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on GreenCars websites.
39. Try car sharing
    Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar - offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar.
40. Try telecommuting from home
    Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.
41. Fly less
    Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel carbon emissions by investingin renewable energy projects.
42. Encourage your school or business to reduce emissions
    You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action.
43. Join the virtual march
    The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other people urging action on this issue.
44. Encourage the switch to renewable energy
    Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them. U.S. citizens, take action to break down those barriers with Vote Solar.
45. Protect and conserve forest worldwide
    Forests play a critical role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on saving forests from global warming.
46. Consider the impact of your investments
    If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming. Check out SocialInvest and Ceres to can learn more about how to ensure your money is being invested in companies, products and projects that address issues related to climate change.
47. Make your city cool
    Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation. If you’re in the U.S., join the cool cities list.
48. Tell Congress to act
    The McCain Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would set a firm limit on carbon dioxide emissions and then use free market incentives to lower costs, promote efficiency and spur innovation. Tell your representative to support it.
49. Make sure your voice is heard!
    Americans must have a stronger commitment from their government in order to stop global warming and implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws with teeth. Get the facts about U.S. politicians and candidates at Project Vote Smart and The League of Conservation Voters. Make sure your voice is heard by voting!
50. Share this list!
    Send this page via e-mail to your friends! Spread this list worldwide and help people doing their part: the more people you will manage to enlighten, the greater YOUR help to save the planet will be (but please take action on first person too)!

 http://1111now.com/wordpress/top-50-things-to-do-to-stop-global-warming/

Oregon couple builds a dream cabin for $10,000

(By Thomas J. Story, Sunset via USA TODAY)

USA TODAY -- For $10,000 in materials, Mariah Morrow and Ryan Lingard built their own off-grid mountain cabin in the wilderness near Joseph, Ore., where they hike, ski and snowshoe.

"It's peaceful here, and spending time off the grid resets your priorities," Lingard tells Sunset magazine, which profiled their DIY project. An architect, he designed the 130 square-foot, cedar-clad cabin, which has an 8-foot-high barn door that opens to a view of Wallowa Lake.

The couple bought the small lot -- a six-hour drive from their Portland base -- for $47,000 and used mostly recycled materials to build the cabin, which has no running water or electricity. They use a portable toilet, a wood stove for heat, oil lamps for light and small solar chargers to power cell phones.

Sunset, one of my favorite magazines, gives tips for building your own dream cabin or buying one of several prefabricated ones. Lingard sells a prefab version of his "Signal Shed," starting at $18,000. For a more elaborate (and expensive) cabinesque abode, read Green House's feature on the E.D.G.E.
USA TODAY

http://www.ksdk.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=209726

Orgonite

You may already know about chemtrails, a global aerosol toxin release program that is happening now in our skies–or you may not. If you don’t know what chemtrails are, just look up in the sky every now and then over the next couple of days, you may just catch one of the unmarked, high-altitude, mystery jets releasing a long plume of toxins, which are different than the quickly dissipating vapor contrails of military jets.

If you’re like most of us, and by that I mean most of us Earth Citizens, you’re really pissed off about this attack on our health, our lungs and our planet, Our Earth. You want to know how to remedy the situation, to fight back back.

Write a letter, talk to a representative, ask questions, get the word out, tell everyone you know–these are all options to explore. They will bring results. Over time. Meanwhile, all of us are breathing this stuff–whatever it is they’re releasing–directly into our lungs. Here’s what you can do today to stop the chemtrail madness. There’s a reason for everything, even for why you arrived on this page! Could it be that maybe you’re supposed to build an Orgonite Chembuster? Think about this carefully: each well built Orgonite Chembuster unit clears the sky of chemtrails and produces positive orgone energy simultaneously. For up to 120 miles in all directions if you add extra crystals!

Put it wherever you want–in your backyard or somewhere inside your house–it still has the same effect. The Orgonite Chembuster is a major improvement over the Cloudbuster design of Wilhelm Reich. Quartz and Citrine Crystals and Orgonite have been added to the mix. The Orgonite Chembuster does not accumulate negative orgone energy like the Cloudbuster; it actually pulls negative orgone energy down from the sky and transmutes it.

So it effectively becomes a transmitter of positive orgone energy. How does this happen? The Orgonite does it. Quartz and citrine crystals inside the copper pipes surrounded by resin mixed with metal shavings. The best part is, you can make it yourself. With about three hours, some online ordering of your crystals (http://bit.ly/quartzCrystals), a trip to home depot and about 150 bucks, your personal effort will result in the healing of the atmosphere for up to a 120-mile radius. You’ll have the personal knowledge that you are helping heal our planet. YOU can help stop chemtrails.

It’s time to take responsibility. Earth is your planet. With a well made Chembuster you will be able to noticeably reduce the effects of chemtrails within a 45-mile radius, which is already a significant effect. If you use extra crystals, you can extend the effect for up to 120 miles in all directions from the location of the Orgonite Chembuster.

How to Build a Chembuster:
http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51533


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