tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76349659488294819382024-03-05T23:03:41.010-05:00Water Conservation Station...experience water the way we do.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-61566227703050595632013-05-21T18:09:00.000-04:002013-05-21T18:10:06.436-04:00Barrels of Fun!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roll Out the Barrels<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you to everyone who made Roll Out the Barrels 2013
such a success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The barrels were gorgeous,
the weather was beautiful, the food was fabulous, and the music was
delightful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most importantly, over
$2,000 was raised for the ACC Green School Program!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few photos from the event. We hope to see you for barrels of fun next year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lily Anne Phibian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Barrels inside the Lyndon House lounge
area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Artist Teresa Kingery and family.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0QQmu49D4FxyL3lBJE8XinLv9LSUEMbzWOmU-u32fDXP6ChdL5YCPOdq8oXecRk9cIj_lv919gI2Fwo6RsZ5NvPzeEYfIJSeo7EjZVX96OCI1DbNxt3607SHagXwIWmoQj8LoYRIaK3N/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0QQmu49D4FxyL3lBJE8XinLv9LSUEMbzWOmU-u32fDXP6ChdL5YCPOdq8oXecRk9cIj_lv919gI2Fwo6RsZ5NvPzeEYfIJSeo7EjZVX96OCI1DbNxt3607SHagXwIWmoQj8LoYRIaK3N/s200/IMG_3250.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Artist Justin & Jul Sexton made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Way</i> to the event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLka2_HH_qhhrLm-yiaft8YRuMkIC0aG8G0Shy1aCokDSV72qHMWFw9zr3l0svHWsZMtdCSPVcOzTS5u9O3E4dshg0gSr-gbrR1eWF8xpXeWxWF9Lug8DeWN_hheePAS1l94adAwo-qyM/s1600/IMG_2571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLka2_HH_qhhrLm-yiaft8YRuMkIC0aG8G0Shy1aCokDSV72qHMWFw9zr3l0svHWsZMtdCSPVcOzTS5u9O3E4dshg0gSr-gbrR1eWF8xpXeWxWF9Lug8DeWN_hheePAS1l94adAwo-qyM/s200/IMG_2571.JPG" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sean Arrington delighted us<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with his music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgFwHySMTyu-ywHI1OnAXlxVOSE6NSh3482LDNWYIDFUeOJBqtXcsdu1byQppOPgfp2_YAw264YoQwXWEaG3ZSCEGYyHAxw2jR8747hwhgm82ydJrVIAlpqaFKPIWBwENmqVGLxu7ewrD/s1600/IMG_3235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgFwHySMTyu-ywHI1OnAXlxVOSE6NSh3482LDNWYIDFUeOJBqtXcsdu1byQppOPgfp2_YAw264YoQwXWEaG3ZSCEGYyHAxw2jR8747hwhgm82ydJrVIAlpqaFKPIWBwENmqVGLxu7ewrD/s200/IMG_3235.JPG" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cindy Jamison & Teresa Yoder,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">talented sisters!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6Ko9di8ZLNLKJBQKsQm9z0rgCAXMizHOgsLFUfDzV9aF6-KVC0XNB4ydeyVgT5aCzewsdR_Ki9GRXTvS6Bs7CjHNjsVVw0FABoGJW3wxiEaNXnJCzkafEL8XGcnOqtSE7iTDbkmOSIn6/s1600/IMG_3239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6Ko9di8ZLNLKJBQKsQm9z0rgCAXMizHOgsLFUfDzV9aF6-KVC0XNB4ydeyVgT5aCzewsdR_Ki9GRXTvS6Bs7CjHNjsVVw0FABoGJW3wxiEaNXnJCzkafEL8XGcnOqtSE7iTDbkmOSIn6/s200/IMG_3239.JPG" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Artist Mike Ely stands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">by his barrel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmCram7MZVSjC74iZ6FwIoyefIjHK4Fya45mcaVTbOhnkFjkxSz1Tu2o19Bcz7jLjnCgXsB99c7yPiCU6XSUXmX95yi3HXNPGqxSy4EypVwScoWQWVbiWsJcwppnDhsjFQn_A4JOvv785/s1600/IMG_2582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmCram7MZVSjC74iZ6FwIoyefIjHK4Fya45mcaVTbOhnkFjkxSz1Tu2o19Bcz7jLjnCgXsB99c7yPiCU6XSUXmX95yi3HXNPGqxSy4EypVwScoWQWVbiWsJcwppnDhsjFQn_A4JOvv785/s200/IMG_2582.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What a beautiful garden<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">these barrels make!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizexX-Wn-0_YJK5poh_BV0MsY6Cd2UASFZYngsdNK8h8HSjJtrah45seadk3ryAHTqhXyD3FMDmi4KYiD28o0_oFMoz-DMr88TBfVK9ykwj4RWFx3QdbXRyQmlQvuSEUGxKXxsG7B-dsy0/s1600/IMG_2581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizexX-Wn-0_YJK5poh_BV0MsY6Cd2UASFZYngsdNK8h8HSjJtrah45seadk3ryAHTqhXyD3FMDmi4KYiD28o0_oFMoz-DMr88TBfVK9ykwj4RWFx3QdbXRyQmlQvuSEUGxKXxsG7B-dsy0/s200/IMG_2581.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let our rain barrels add<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">color to your home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ6Xxo33WXFjSyo_d4UZBJVayCLlsyge-0ppvp0RfASJDGVT_BxgCd6ihyphenhyphenFevli2XvGtm_OVpY5Vhyphenhyphen9lbAYuMQTP5uZS8Yf3d2Xm5JbH6-mMSp0kXq3IUf3A5k2qcOaoxZQg4eZVb_0D9/s1600/IMG_3281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ6Xxo33WXFjSyo_d4UZBJVayCLlsyge-0ppvp0RfASJDGVT_BxgCd6ihyphenhyphenFevli2XvGtm_OVpY5Vhyphenhyphen9lbAYuMQTP5uZS8Yf3d2Xm5JbH6-mMSp0kXq3IUf3A5k2qcOaoxZQg4eZVb_0D9/s200/IMG_3281.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These barrels are as <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">unique as you are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzVN-FcRfinEJPtvutjflIHlzAzl1PJCsICnND6ogfCCuN38ZqgLq3ZIpYMQ_FNxQjIc2G_qmvtU_WCv9m-3bjMY4sR-j1dUP0tFQiM48Vf_KQuOaOLx12j0-ZQ4ZFND0FVToROIkLaz8/s1600/IMG_2557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzVN-FcRfinEJPtvutjflIHlzAzl1PJCsICnND6ogfCCuN38ZqgLq3ZIpYMQ_FNxQjIc2G_qmvtU_WCv9m-3bjMY4sR-j1dUP0tFQiM48Vf_KQuOaOLx12j0-ZQ4ZFND0FVToROIkLaz8/s200/IMG_2557.JPG" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Proud barrel owners!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qtNYZLtSUn4j-Ch4XP2eKTeJCJ45FC36IFKEYJETvfbWuyqc0NpAzkGbXorCStshsUhUNFb29MIepWnQ_VhPQvPdAayEMhXlcAHH2LxaY07Bw8Fc5KiHRgkYoFd6_F2qwsXP3ehWTMBY/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qtNYZLtSUn4j-Ch4XP2eKTeJCJ45FC36IFKEYJETvfbWuyqc0NpAzkGbXorCStshsUhUNFb29MIepWnQ_VhPQvPdAayEMhXlcAHH2LxaY07Bw8Fc5KiHRgkYoFd6_F2qwsXP3ehWTMBY/s200/IMG_3243.JPG" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let the bidding begin!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) windowtext windowtext rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: black; border: 1pt black; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 0pt; mso-border-alt: none black 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-width: 0%; mso-no-proof: yes; padding: 0in;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Exterminate! Exterminate!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ynt1RikBw_oXc0J50od5X9da2p4fW0k7XGcCu-9ev4srgR0fsgH-D1ZUpu3F62zbnDnrgOWIvQw1fcytRc8AJ9KTDjFbJ6oTQdfd2zQfJ1Nz2znK1_xbahZqiZ9TVWhkoUcqZxRSgmFh/s1600/IMG_2594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ynt1RikBw_oXc0J50od5X9da2p4fW0k7XGcCu-9ev4srgR0fsgH-D1ZUpu3F62zbnDnrgOWIvQw1fcytRc8AJ9KTDjFbJ6oTQdfd2zQfJ1Nz2znK1_xbahZqiZ9TVWhkoUcqZxRSgmFh/s200/IMG_2594.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These ladies know the importance of
environmental ed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) windowtext windowtext rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dr., Who is this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) windowtext windowtext rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have happy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ACC Green School teachers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-45294118862376187012013-05-14T09:30:00.000-04:002013-05-14T09:30:02.633-04:00Roll Out the Barrels<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO9Q1oGz6h9nupe-AqefY-1xk9zXDjrZnzSh3P70PkqDZs6fF7XGqlp_cYJLvD_WS3tWTtFuLbttXL729-H1il16bSwIQz5r2HuLWLj_vax4agTSoWHZpbVdpBkYBOSO_qGex2z3-z2V4/s1600/Christian+Ward+no+background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO9Q1oGz6h9nupe-AqefY-1xk9zXDjrZnzSh3P70PkqDZs6fF7XGqlp_cYJLvD_WS3tWTtFuLbttXL729-H1il16bSwIQz5r2HuLWLj_vax4agTSoWHZpbVdpBkYBOSO_qGex2z3-z2V4/s200/Christian+Ward+no+background.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Christina Ward</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">“Rain,
rain, go away, come again some other day.</span></i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">” We all
remember repeating this rhyme as children. Lately, with all the recent weekend
rains in Athens, we may have found ourselves saying it as adults, too. But what
about when the rain does go away and we find “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">some other day</i>” ends up being few and far between? How do we
provide water for our thirsty plants and flower beds when the well-meaning
government places us on an outdoor watering schedule? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzQklsX9QSmmyzJQVlEx0SNNN5lFgtKF9mNZtAEukSRTxpej9zXlU6hSnbkj1wsUHjooUaHQQgXiHnCvF3_F1IwvDKHx2zpEyKSnAUsZiRzhHrGk87ZfT2uXWlzgajjGVb8UOkE6Q9PuT/s1600/Carol+Fox,+no+background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzQklsX9QSmmyzJQVlEx0SNNN5lFgtKF9mNZtAEukSRTxpej9zXlU6hSnbkj1wsUHjooUaHQQgXiHnCvF3_F1IwvDKHx2zpEyKSnAUsZiRzhHrGk87ZfT2uXWlzgajjGVb8UOkE6Q9PuT/s200/Carol+Fox,+no+background.jpg" width="115" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Carol Fox</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
have a suggestion: Rain Barrels. The concept of a rain barrel is simple. It
collects and stores rainwater from rooftops to use later. You can think of a
rain barrel as a bank in which you place water to save for a non-rainy day.
This water normally runs off your roof and into your gutter downspouts to
become stormwater runoff. The problem with runoff is it can pick up nasty
pollutants, such as oil, grease, bacteria, and sediment, as it travels to a
storm drain or waterway. The creek, stream, or river it runs into is often part
of the water source we pull our drinking water from. It really goes without
saying, but we want to keep that clean. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK. You
have now decided you want to conserve water, reduce stormwater runoff, and have
water available. You want a rain barrel. Where do you find one? There are
several ways you can add a rain barrel to your home:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Make your own barrel.</span></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">
Videos and instructions can easily be found in an Internet search. For example,
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFDlkJOdaM" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Paul James with HGTV offers a video</span></a> and materials
list for the DIY inclined. Depending on construction, the cost of building your
own can be as low as $20. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">2)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Purchase one at your local home and
garden center </span></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">or order one online. Depending on the features
you desire, a pre-made barrel can go for $50 - $250.</span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNCNT501sAfHjNZr2Y6xOORWB3qAChlXsmh502DJcDaQUl-63QG120niRYI1oz6Ofnpyd4R4psj3C59WvW6zeJ3lOmYvKz8tq3SVIVcSaab3WVmLBDp2dli_KWOqry5KKyaO2V9yrsJlh/s1600/Lorenza+Chico+Rozier%252C+no+background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNCNT501sAfHjNZr2Y6xOORWB3qAChlXsmh502DJcDaQUl-63QG120niRYI1oz6Ofnpyd4R4psj3C59WvW6zeJ3lOmYvKz8tq3SVIVcSaab3WVmLBDp2dli_KWOqry5KKyaO2V9yrsJlh/s200/Lorenza+Chico+Rozier%252C+no+background.jpg" width="93" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Lorenza<br />
"Chico" Rozier</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> 3)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Come to Roll Out the Barrels.</span></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">
If you are looking for a functional rain barrel, but are also concerned with
the aesthetics of your home, this is the place for you to pick up a barrel. Anyone
can put out a boring, plastic drum to collect rain water. But you are an
individual with a flair for the artistic. <a href="http://www.rolloutthebarrels.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Roll Out the Barrels</span></a> has 22 rain barrels created by local
artists, each as unique as you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Athens Paint and Body applied a clear coating
spray to each barrel to protect the art from the elements.</span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuYdgnjniX8XNpOqWxYOaEa9lEInlpx1D2FH60-Gzx4V9sjdu8m8dCM0rngnjFXRZMdpMAtGYgV4SMfgUYxt2nMRbKYl5lGXk8qK_eCLzwxn-pb7HHk8CRGQ0YRI5O9E-By1K-poQT0yT/s1600/Heidi+Hensley,+no+background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuYdgnjniX8XNpOqWxYOaEa9lEInlpx1D2FH60-Gzx4V9sjdu8m8dCM0rngnjFXRZMdpMAtGYgV4SMfgUYxt2nMRbKYl5lGXk8qK_eCLzwxn-pb7HHk8CRGQ0YRI5O9E-By1K-poQT0yT/s200/Heidi+Hensley,+no+background.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Heidi Hensley</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Want to know more about <a href="http://www.rolloutthebarrels.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Roll Out the Barrels</strong></a>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This free event is open to the public and takes place on Friday, May 17,
2013 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the Lyndon House Arts Ce</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">nter in Athens, GA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 22 rain barrels referred to are available
at this event through a silent auction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Proceeds from the auction benefit the Athens Green School Program, an
initiative to provide environmental education to ACC schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event features live music, food, and barrels
of fun. Most of the barrels are currently on exhibit at the Lyndon House. Others can be found around town: <a href="http://www.jitteryjoes.com/" target="_blank">Jittery Joe's</a> in Watkinsville, <a href="http://terrapinbeer.com/" target="_blank">Terrapin Brewery</a>, <a href="http://www.cofers.com/" target="_blank">Cofer's Home & Garden Showplace</a>, ACC Water Business Office, & <a href="http://www.thinkatthesink.com/" target="_blank">ACC Water Resources Center</a>. You can <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lilyanne.phibian?ref=tn_tnmn#!/media/set/?set=a.550815208292589.1073741831.100000923432803&type=1" target="_blank">vote for your favorite barrel</a> in our Facebook album by "liking" the photo. The barrel with the most votes wins the artist a kayaking trip for two from <a href="http://www.bigdogsontheriver.com/" target="_blank">Big Dogs on the River</a> and a gift certificate to <a href="http://www.locosgrill.com/" target="_blank">Locos Grill & Pub</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkSSTR6nDcK67VnZPtVJgLpWDeuVJnen8bFQrLDRaSieXRBQOxrOQIETigPZl4upsgIMG3VVsxP7E5LxruF3lvd7ihKwjHLo_N5zQpDg3HgetEVldKjs7OaZohEeDPQQZ44OcxRAQM_Ce/s200/Thomas+Easton,+no+background.jpg" width="130" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Artist: Thomas Easton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-HSyNFWyx_VrukTT2q4K_wfpIXQx3-XkM_CuHk8L9Ei1nUaATx4VNKYX0rH0KWnXZk3BHLzyABWPhEsXR6hXRjvr2X-dof3E4iVgdafwm9KXif9RmMScTdTi1ii2VmaQw6rypWa7xlPV/s1600/Teresa+Kingery%252Cno+background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-HSyNFWyx_VrukTT2q4K_wfpIXQx3-XkM_CuHk8L9Ei1nUaATx4VNKYX0rH0KWnXZk3BHLzyABWPhEsXR6hXRjvr2X-dof3E4iVgdafwm9KXif9RmMScTdTi1ii2VmaQw6rypWa7xlPV/s200/Teresa+Kingery%252Cno+background.jpg" width="127" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Teresa<br />
Kingery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-30207239981117994132013-05-07T10:55:00.001-04:002013-05-07T10:55:22.592-04:00Happy Drinking Water Week!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAbSmOTK-uXwSryqbtlbNbj42Lo5L6eDJ20mVYfR4NtJGOmzePS3mzl6JRXiuzZ0qP8Bq2KLZTvVLre0yecUnYPGt5cwVxzp63gDLl0d2VEuVLytK7Lm8YF4WwdbGVqdNkWtYXUmTOKd3/s1600/drinking+water+week+2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAbSmOTK-uXwSryqbtlbNbj42Lo5L6eDJ20mVYfR4NtJGOmzePS3mzl6JRXiuzZ0qP8Bq2KLZTvVLre0yecUnYPGt5cwVxzp63gDLl0d2VEuVLytK7Lm8YF4WwdbGVqdNkWtYXUmTOKd3/s200/drinking+water+week+2013.png" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white;">It seems like there is always a week or day set aside to honor something nationally. You know what I mean. There is National Asparagus Month, Nanny Week, National Smile Month, Random Huggers Day. This is just a sampling of the national awareness days in May. Well, not to be left out, drinking water also has a special time for recognition. This year it is celebrated May 5 - 11. You might be saying to yourself, "Really? Drinking water needs a special week of awareness?"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span> <span style="background-color: white;"><br />Well, yes. Here in Athens many of us take our drinking water for granted. It seems odd to celebrate something that is here all the time: day and night, 24 hours a day, holidays, rainy days, whatever. The tap keeps flowing. <span style="background-color: white;">That kind of reliability is hard to find anywhere else. Only tap water delivers: It </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">protects your public health, </span><span style="background-color: white;">provides fire protection, </span><span style="background-color: white;">supports the economy, and </span><span style="background-color: white;">enhances our overall quality of life.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://safewater.supportportal.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=23015" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp74YeRpQSSzhyphenhyphenzwr35B7MfIYqADFvHaa6AO0GAq4fRfUehRUZ5XNIbb3DngCUa831-haibJcIe7jCq4FnggTou_jjCnXcGk5QIQjJnxltTdgQrUlIaYwSg7J_Sk8272LSg8NuucTeMvrF/s1600/thirstin_small.png.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get answers to the<br />
most<a href="http://safewater.supportportal.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=23015" target="_blank"> Frequently</a><br />
<a href="http://safewater.supportportal.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=23015" target="_blank">Asked Questions</a> about<br />
drinking water from<br />
the Environmental<br />
Protection Agency!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Imagine....</h2>
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You get out of the bed in the morning, turn on your faucet to brush your teeth, and no water comes out...</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You flush your toilet, and nothing happens...</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Your home is on fire and when the fire department arrives, no water comes out of the fire hydrant...</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You are a business owner but have no restroom facilities or water to clean your store...</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You have no consistent or clean source of water to cook with or drink...</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Think of all the ways every single day that you utilize water--from bathing, to cleaning, to doing laundry, to drinking and cooking--everything we do and all the conveniences in life we take advantage of revolve around a clean and abundant water supply. Without it, society simply wouldn't be able to exist in the way it does.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Another important point: Water is by far the least expensive of all utilities we take advantage of - electricity, gas, cable, phone, etc., but the only one that we absolutely cannot live without. </span><br />
<br />
O.K., so you now agree water is AWESOME and you want to celebrate it. How does one go about honoring water? Well, here are a few opportunities for you to put a spotlight on water this week.<br />
<br />
<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqpIXJfUsOpzEo34TuNjgSuhVIW-0MKBpzBPPuDT4vcn1NK_4eICTpqlUaYr130k52q6kC_K6WF7f-ABZY7LiQDV1Zq0OKlYpfZ_tUTv4_kXAafy1H1cmBRFZOBMI4pHpm734IY-0JM8K/s1600/at+basins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqpIXJfUsOpzEo34TuNjgSuhVIW-0MKBpzBPPuDT4vcn1NK_4eICTpqlUaYr130k52q6kC_K6WF7f-ABZY7LiQDV1Zq0OKlYpfZ_tUTv4_kXAafy1H1cmBRFZOBMI4pHpm734IY-0JM8K/s200/at+basins.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<li> <strong>Read the blog</strong> in Water Conservation Station to realize why water deserves recognition. (Check.)</li>
<li>Come to our<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/573515109356023/?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank"><strong>Drinking Water Week Celebration and the Deadwood Guitar All-Star Jam</strong></a> at Locos Grill & Pub on Timothy Road, Wednesday, May 8 from 6:30 - 9:00. Local musicians, such as Rick Fowler, Kip Jones, and Fester Hagood, will play various guitars handcrafted by Jason Booth, of Deadwood Guitars. During the music, the Water Conservation Office offers give aways - <strong>WaterSense high-efficiency showerheads, aerators, and spray nozzles for hoses - </strong>you can put to use in your home to protect water. We will also have the Saltine Cracker Challenge for those brave enough to try. Take the challenge and discover how much you want some cold, clean water.</li>
<li><a href="http://athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=1233" target="_blank"><strong>Take a tour of the J.G. Beacham Drinking Water Treatment Plant</strong></a> on Thursday, May 9 at 4:00. Discover how we pump, filter, and treat this vital resource before pumping it to 98% of Athens-Clarke County's residents, schools, businesses, and industries. </li>
<li><strong>Thank one of our Drinking Water Treatment Plant workers</strong> for providing you with a service your life depends on. <span style="background-color: white;">All of these dedicated people make sure the water is clean and pumped to your home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even on Christmas! Thank you!!</span></li>
</ol>
Now I ask everyone to go and get a tall, cool glass of delicious tap water and make a toast to this clean, vital liquid that was delivered to you in the comfort of your home. Happy National Drinking Water Week. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-80129564403257511502013-05-01T16:59:00.000-04:002013-05-01T16:59:10.229-04:00Farewell! Despedida! Adieu! Addio!<div style="text-align: center;">
Farewell Everyone!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I am not going to lie my faithful bloggers, writing this blog has not been easy (I have avoided it for a week due to denial). I am here to say my final goodbyes as a Water Conservation Intern. Graduation is upon us.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="200" src="http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/images/MH900427709.jpg" width="200" /></div>
Soon, I will be able to call myself a UGA ALUM. How crazy is that? Along with that title, I will take with me my time spent working as a Water Warrior. I can not thank the ACC Water Conservation Office enough for the experiences and the knowledge I have gained while working here. Marilyn, Laurie, Jackie, Nicki, Lauren, and Becky have been amazing and their work here in Athens has truly made a difference (my heart warms when I see the Conserve:Water U Waiting 4? bumper stickers).<br />
<br />
I have been fortunate enough to attend and participate in many events with the Water Conservation Office.Within my first semester at the office I was even able to make a collection of short video clips for the Bob Snipes Water Resources Center with the help of Lily Anne Phibian. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFIk2_UkyA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFIk2_UkyA</a>) Looking back, it is difficult to choose just one event to be my favorite. In just this past year I was able to participate in the Ripple Effect Film Festival, the Athens Water Festival, Rivers Alive, the Christmas Parade and Float, and 2 Fix-A-Leak Weeks. Although these were the big names that are associated with the Water Conservation Office, the events and outreach programs done in the schools can not be overlooked! I will take with me all of the good memories I have of attending the Adopt-A-Class programs on Tuesday/Thursday mornings and being able to talk with students about the endless opportunities of jobs in water.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1FwMvJ10CsAcNwuy4HmQPas7IBv3-F4Fw6mnjRmHVh3xaipZZtd4y3ULz4FzWXDokOuDl24zgf7_B8W6gdR2c1V17YPDzwnfVc25yjzTozD6Ta0odvIIYo-Xe0Kia596mbsHjDA5FrMK/s1600/christmasphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1FwMvJ10CsAcNwuy4HmQPas7IBv3-F4Fw6mnjRmHVh3xaipZZtd4y3ULz4FzWXDokOuDl24zgf7_B8W6gdR2c1V17YPDzwnfVc25yjzTozD6Ta0odvIIYo-Xe0Kia596mbsHjDA5FrMK/s320/christmasphoto.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Working in water conservation, you can't help but find a new appreciation for water. I grew up a swimmer, lived on the Chattahoochee River, and loved all water related activities! I often took this precious resource for granted without realizing all the work and effort that goes behind the conservation and protection of our resource. I hope this blog is a weekly reminder of just how important water is and the responsibility associated with its protection. It is in EVERYTHING we do. Even in my favorite TV show!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://quicklol.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/howard-wolowitz-water-meme.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="133" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of www.quicklol.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
As my time ends, others begin. Keep reading and keep conserving! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sincerely,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nicole Duffy-Intern</div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-75762927235967578392013-04-23T09:09:00.000-04:002013-04-23T09:09:30.519-04:00Water Bottle Safety... Fact or Fiction?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNlJ9wOwAdS6MnCDHYX46vbVFIizfbojluPyaa-DiyH-PyQtipPNkXXi2c5rUVxAJXiRKEjwdgob_EZZJ_OP3jQS4nNebLGtbY0QWvUV2vJ-tEILsi3dsHlx-Hik4QNGH0LV0gohyphenhyphenqoFT/s1600/images+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNlJ9wOwAdS6MnCDHYX46vbVFIizfbojluPyaa-DiyH-PyQtipPNkXXi2c5rUVxAJXiRKEjwdgob_EZZJ_OP3jQS4nNebLGtbY0QWvUV2vJ-tEILsi3dsHlx-Hik4QNGH0LV0gohyphenhyphenqoFT/s1600/images+(1).jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In this day and age of increased water awareness,
more people are drinking bottled water. In 2008, Americans drank 9 billion
gallons of bottled water, which comes out to be approximately 30 gallons per person that
year. Bottled water is convenient and seems innocent enough, but is bottled
water safer than tap water? Not necessarily.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Tap water is tested multiple times a day to ensure
that the water is safe to drink. In Athens, the water that reaches your tap is
tested every hour of every day! Bottled water however, isn't tested as often. A study conducted by the <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/qbw.asp" target="_blank">Natural Resource Defense Council</a> tested over 1,000 bottles of water. “About 22 percent of the brands we
tested contained, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above
strict state health limits.” </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">They also found that some of the bottled water was just tap water, 25% or more
in fact. The tap water in some cases was treated further, other cases it </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">wasn't</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you haven't noticed, bottled water is expensive! Why buy bottled water when there is water
coming from your tap? Bottled water can cost anywhere</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> between$1 and $5. Let's say you buy a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> $2.00 20 ounce bottle of water, did you know that would equal $12.80 for a gallon of water! That's more than three times the price of a gallon of gas! Now look at the table below and</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> see how much a gallon of water
costs in Athens-Clarke County.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tier
1: Winter Average (WA)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">0.00342
cents/gallon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tier
2: 10% over WA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">0.00428
cents/gallon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tier
3: 10-25% over WA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">0.00513
cents/gallon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tier
4: >25% over WA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">0.00855
cents/gallon</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So would you
rather pay 0.00855-0.00342 cents a gallon for water or $12.80?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now to tackle the bottle itself. It actually takes at least twice as much water to make the bottle than to actually fill it. It takes 3 liters of water to make 1 liter of bottled water. A lot of water can be saved by simply using a reusable water bottle. Also,
plastic bottles are one of the main pollution sources and often end up in our
oceans. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1JhZ_CMJQRiBga-aPvr4A5jaoC0WrnxS7pMI1jdNcO-pIQ7T4CvrH0Lv5Hxuw55A4nRNMlxs_P8bwIkOa66BoWXtctEZzjYjMgipZsqok23puuilhYTVC4zkB2bG11LWx67IT-zHhkRl/s1600/t600-TappedBottleOcean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1JhZ_CMJQRiBga-aPvr4A5jaoC0WrnxS7pMI1jdNcO-pIQ7T4CvrH0Lv5Hxuw55A4nRNMlxs_P8bwIkOa66BoWXtctEZzjYjMgipZsqok23puuilhYTVC4zkB2bG11LWx67IT-zHhkRl/s1600/t600-TappedBottleOcean.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Not enough bottles are being recycled; one statistics says 75% of
bottles are thrown away. And in a time of oil dependency, there are 17 million
barrels of oil that are used to produce water bottles every year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So bottled water is </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">pricey,</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> not necessarily safer
than tap, and the bottle can be a harmful pollutant to our
environment. This is a huge industry that </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">isn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> going to change overnight but
here are a few things you can do!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Buy a reusable water bottle. They hold
large amounts of water and are easy to just grab and go.</i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJC1YUkhh2Jb8EA3w8NdaL-Y1tHdgTTxaEr_BXmjlzEn44LKA8E46xmhrIoA7vvx6i3CinkEuNe4eZbFtbpzpliVM7ge4QaHaaZHskeFgTWoGEf0HloQdNUt8764s11SVZYS0Ncyc1zdL/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJC1YUkhh2Jb8EA3w8NdaL-Y1tHdgTTxaEr_BXmjlzEn44LKA8E46xmhrIoA7vvx6i3CinkEuNe4eZbFtbpzpliVM7ge4QaHaaZHskeFgTWoGEf0HloQdNUt8764s11SVZYS0Ncyc1zdL/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>If you must buy a bottle of water, some
places don’t allow reusable water bottles, recycle the bottle. That will be
one-less bottle that could end up in the ocean.</i></span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j4YjSAahOosCuPTE_JKbmnU34aBKMIhA9dJUgGLoIbWznDlkDEDQvQ3mXx9B9PPPq2nlhSWZoV2uWpaWpVZUBiR9Q942X93IUNaUSedutjIpnWpok8PpdrL_NsMGawMOTJFSZbfGcioo/s1600/recycling_plastic_water_bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j4YjSAahOosCuPTE_JKbmnU34aBKMIhA9dJUgGLoIbWznDlkDEDQvQ3mXx9B9PPPq2nlhSWZoV2uWpaWpVZUBiR9Q942X93IUNaUSedutjIpnWpok8PpdrL_NsMGawMOTJFSZbfGcioo/s200/recycling_plastic_water_bottles.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Tell your friends! You are the change,
consumers control demand.</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Go to </span><a href="http://www.tappedthemovie.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">www.tappedthemovie.com/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">
for more even information! I just watched this for the first time and it really
got me inspired.</span></i></span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l3SyPr9k2Vwdm4y8cbrWPLFVeyyml9FvzJjdUSmzWsp_8zqG3ItBo0vb98ruEuyr-hxYewCCKgw2gq_dIWlk_TIB9zTyx_NulElzb-xb-mpa2V1Iv4yknSC0KSG0TOG_8MVZRFtPGxDu/s1600/movie-tapped-by-stephanie-soechtig-poster-mask9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l3SyPr9k2Vwdm4y8cbrWPLFVeyyml9FvzJjdUSmzWsp_8zqG3ItBo0vb98ruEuyr-hxYewCCKgw2gq_dIWlk_TIB9zTyx_NulElzb-xb-mpa2V1Iv4yknSC0KSG0TOG_8MVZRFtPGxDu/s200/movie-tapped-by-stephanie-soechtig-poster-mask9.jpg" width="140" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">
Next time you see a bottle of water at a store, take
a step back and reconsider buying it. It could just be tap water or even worse,
it could have harmful chemicals in it. <b><i>Drink smarter!</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> ~Lauren </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> WCO intern</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-37623145629738703702013-04-16T09:30:00.000-04:002013-04-16T09:30:00.790-04:00Yeah, I'm Cheap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduspUp1unOxL9bQ7PC1YBOMw2AUnyFcZJb7v2Uc6UNmF5DCF8GHZQxlp1pHnooa6451QJaFLmyDfnk9qgXnlR0CRDI_Bs4J5NyvE01YKAcNg5xfsArJtKpxxVJgqF5jYjn5ZZYptU3Oxh/s1600/taxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduspUp1unOxL9bQ7PC1YBOMw2AUnyFcZJb7v2Uc6UNmF5DCF8GHZQxlp1pHnooa6451QJaFLmyDfnk9qgXnlR0CRDI_Bs4J5NyvE01YKAcNg5xfsArJtKpxxVJgqF5jYjn5ZZYptU3Oxh/s1600/taxes.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another April 15 has come and gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did a warm feeling of satisfaction sweep over
you as you wrote your check to the IRS?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Feel like you are getting your money’s worth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about when you pay other bills? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Surely, </span>there is one bill that makes you
think, “Wow, I can’t believe how little I pay for how much I get in
return!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paying this bill makes me smile!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago I asked you to think of three things you
consider essential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t have a
top three, <strong>take a moment and mentally create a list</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What value do you place on these items?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are they worth every penny you pay?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One can assume we <strong>put a higher
monetary value</strong> on what we consider most important in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I</span>f water was on your list of top three,
as it should be, what price is fair to put on this commodity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need it for our basic survival - try going without for three days and see
how you are feeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also turn to water for putting out fires, cleaning, preventing the spread of disease, growing
fruits and vegetables, manufacturing products, creating energy, flushing a
toilet…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beneficial uses of water are
overflowing!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now what is its worth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What do you believe to be a fair price to pay for clean drinking
water transported to your house to meet all of your daily needs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often hear <strong>water should be free</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, it is supplied by nature,
available at any local river, and is replenished by rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one put forth any effort to create it, so
cost should be nonexistent, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
if you believe this, then please be my guest and walk to your nearest outdoor spring, river, creek, or
puddle the next time you brush your teeth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd5rgHX4NBkSr4JWre83xm2XnSovteJFaiZsMeKIFtZSWRvEU70kUP9lsY7et5PtLRsnV15_i1ZxDtmwLr2nnEhzlhG8ekLEpBjjdtHii311fJQHyfqwQZmbyzR-DHO9Sou2JTNfH0NLA/s1600/ValueofWater_ACC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd5rgHX4NBkSr4JWre83xm2XnSovteJFaiZsMeKIFtZSWRvEU70kUP9lsY7et5PtLRsnV15_i1ZxDtmwLr2nnEhzlhG8ekLEpBjjdtHii311fJQHyfqwQZmbyzR-DHO9Sou2JTNfH0NLA/s320/ValueofWater_ACC.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While your <strong>tap water isn't free</strong>, I suggest <strong>it is cheap</strong>. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd5rgHX4NBkSr4JWre83xm2XnSovteJFaiZsMeKIFtZSWRvEU70kUP9lsY7et5PtLRsnV15_i1ZxDtmwLr2nnEhzlhG8ekLEpBjjdtHii311fJQHyfqwQZmbyzR-DHO9Sou2JTNfH0NLA/s1600/ValueofWater_ACC.jpg"></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Utilities must balance the expenses of treating and delivering quality water with what people can afford to pay for this vital service.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2007 Athens-Clarke County (ACC) implemented a tiered rate structure to encourage water conservation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at the current rates, you find one</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> gallon of ACC tap water costs a customer $.004 in Tier 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go up to Tier 4 and the cost rises to just $.01 per gallon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, one penny for one gallon of water in the highest tier rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compare this to other liquid products you may purchase by the gallon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reality is this <strong>irreplaceable resource we rely on does
come at a price</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few factors which
contribute to determining the rates required to adequately treat and distribute
water: </span></div>
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is the cost for installing,
maintaining, and repairing the infrastructure we rely on to deliver water to
our homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Utilities must be able to cover the rising expenses of electricity,
chemicals and fuel used to supply and treat water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Federally required security enhancements have
been put into place following the 9/11 terror attacks, adding to expenditures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Salaries must be paid to the workers who are
on the clock 24/7 every day of the year to ensure water delivery does not fail.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s now compare three bills:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>water, cell phone, and cable/Internet
service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my earlier blog we found
people listed smart phones and flat screen TVs as essential items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is your bill for your cell phone?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Internet cable we all enjoy watching on our
TVs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know about you, but both my individual cell phone and cable bill are higher than my water charges. And which of these three items is truly
essential in my life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can’t say looking at my water bill in this way will make
me smile when I write my next check, but looking at the value and benefits I
receive from this service does make me appreciate it more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard to believe I can get so much from something
so cheap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtfrgFJEFi8Cth3uinuIJYPbR8GuJNSI4JkPRTMuTMlsbQuPwSRsY0lCQwJTp3NSfhfnyVfx3x4ohfx8Pllm9It21HR-sqMD2zFVCmspO0GLIEtFqRU07P4QfQUw1osKD-oYF-gF2F5h4/s1600/gallon+to+gallon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtfrgFJEFi8Cth3uinuIJYPbR8GuJNSI4JkPRTMuTMlsbQuPwSRsY0lCQwJTp3NSfhfnyVfx3x4ohfx8Pllm9It21HR-sqMD2zFVCmspO0GLIEtFqRU07P4QfQUw1osKD-oYF-gF2F5h4/s640/gallon+to+gallon.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="430" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtfrgFJEFi8Cth3uinuIJYPbR8GuJNSI4JkPRTMuTMlsbQuPwSRsY0lCQwJTp3NSfhfnyVfx3x4ohfx8Pllm9It21HR-sqMD2zFVCmspO0GLIEtFqRU07P4QfQUw1osKD-oYF-gF2F5h4/s320/gallon+to+gallon.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 304px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1559px;" width="64" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-65272809524381612602013-04-09T09:00:00.000-04:002013-04-09T09:00:02.909-04:00Water Resources Center<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stop 3. Water Resources Center</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRniue7AUlYu7hiIpmhrZrCDRZ7TKFZxXrcZsNhDOCeku49trBzIfPfmUxvb1JbIZBMr8PzUSXS9lL99dYYYFQ5lPYjZqEoKcKuY66dO37GIjdaGUg6jCHlhoK1GSbBuML3p3gd-Arj1X/s1600/wrc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRniue7AUlYu7hiIpmhrZrCDRZ7TKFZxXrcZsNhDOCeku49trBzIfPfmUxvb1JbIZBMr8PzUSXS9lL99dYYYFQ5lPYjZqEoKcKuY66dO37GIjdaGUg6jCHlhoK1GSbBuML3p3gd-Arj1X/s1600/wrc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our journey continues in search of buildings, businesses, and organizations that demonstrate water conservation methods in Athens-Clarke County. The next stop is the <b>Bob Snipes Water Resources Center (WRC)</b> located off Barber Street (I'm sure you've seen it on your way to Terrapin :) The WRC is a water and wastewater laboratory along with an educational facility. It highlights 5 sustainable and water saving elements both within and around the building. We will discuss each of these 5 elements over the next few blogs.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first element is the actual building itself. The WRC is <b>L</b>eadership in <b>E</b>nergy and <b>E</b>nvironmental <b>D</b>esign (<b>LEED</b>) certified. What exactly is LEED, you ask?? Well, LEED is an international green building certification program that ensures the entire lifecycle of a building is environmentally friendly. </span><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfU63bYYo3NC-Csji1sbaYxBxXTcR2O2IvZLOw1RkAoPD6JqUf" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfU63bYYo3NC-Csji1sbaYxBxXTcR2O2IvZLOw1RkAoPD6JqUf" width="200" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The WRC gained LEED status by:</b><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Installing <a href="http://www.epa.gov/watersense/" target="_blank">WaterSense</a> efficient plumbing fixtures to reduce water waste by 40%</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recycling 75% of construction debris</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Designing the roof to minimize heat absorption and maximize energy efficiency</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Planting drought-tolerant plants to reduce water used by irrigation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Including education in the design</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/VT/Water-Sense-Label-md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/VT/Water-Sense-Label-md.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://rvanburen.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/denton_dual_flush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://rvanburen.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/denton_dual_flush.jpg" width="244" /></a><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: blue;">WaterSense</span> dual flus</b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">h toilet meets EPA criteria</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Construction of the Roof</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e6PQPwRa80vseEp7A__-PmocfsDQm-M0Z5Nv9vbFBI_w3s2MDDk8U2i3zhGOBtGP-t04Z8nOQaftWS4BE6paMFQUOYXin0RO1FwVy5cLX6zf75VWb8S2LhpJzWJcXpJK6vJdvDTOiaei/s1600/WRC,+Nov+2011+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e6PQPwRa80vseEp7A__-PmocfsDQm-M0Z5Nv9vbFBI_w3s2MDDk8U2i3zhGOBtGP-t04Z8nOQaftWS4BE6paMFQUOYXin0RO1FwVy5cLX6zf75VWb8S2LhpJzWJcXpJK6vJdvDTOiaei/s1600/WRC,+Nov+2011+(3).JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHctwHqXaiwmKwirREik09pc5rRRjLU3J8tHoi5SRfLIbh_hXYAlOio0MjRvFfWA8uv5Iwh5U1Hgh_NDDAz2I6CMtx1sMrXj3qhOec-iYpGe0tMTm8i8FoZwaN5R06QPv9B-YYBdawDtP1/s1600/WRC,+Nov+2011+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHctwHqXaiwmKwirREik09pc5rRRjLU3J8tHoi5SRfLIbh_hXYAlOio0MjRvFfWA8uv5Iwh5U1Hgh_NDDAz2I6CMtx1sMrXj3qhOec-iYpGe0tMTm8i8FoZwaN5R06QPv9B-YYBdawDtP1/s1600/WRC,+Nov+2011+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Educational Displays in the Atrium</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <b>benefits </b>of the WRC as a LEED building include reduction in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">operating costs, reduction in construction waste sent to landfills, conservation of water and energy, providing healthier and safer environment for workers and visitors, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The public is welcome to visit the WRC Monday through Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-3499773147934625882013-04-02T09:30:00.000-04:002013-04-02T09:58:38.971-04:00Water isn't Essential?<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Think fast!</i></b> Name three things you can't live without. Got it? </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECV3F-xdI1Bg6FhHIrI-hf_VOVAGawLKyYZlElRxVFXvy2tlt6jf_5YV0-AMiQgDXCIzfXN-vrPya2YEwy5Lmmn0QJxVEkObeV3dUN1P9cR8XvM7T0ryloPIjAtcI9Wj4vLuY6bnJhd0F/s1600/flat+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECV3F-xdI1Bg6FhHIrI-hf_VOVAGawLKyYZlElRxVFXvy2tlt6jf_5YV0-AMiQgDXCIzfXN-vrPya2YEwy5Lmmn0QJxVEkObeV3dUN1P9cR8XvM7T0ryloPIjAtcI9Wj4vLuY6bnJhd0F/s200/flat+screen.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Is a flat screen TV essential?</em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Now let's see how you compare to the rest of America. In 2010, </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2010/05/18/10-things-we-cant-live-without" target="_blank">US News and World Report</a> listed ten items Americans claimed
to be essential in their lives. Items
included high-speed internet access, TV, coffee, and smart phones. Though the
article did refer to food, shelter, and clothing as “obvious staples," water was nowhere
mentioned. Not even once. Water isn't essential in our lives? </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tom Barlow, with </span><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/blog/2010/05/20/20-things-americans-cant-live-without/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daily Finance</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">, saw this list and he added his own selections in his blog. He went so far as to at least include
plumbing as a candidate for his Top 10. Tom is a wise man. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What about you? Did water spring
to your mind? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Don't feel bad if it didn't make your big three. </span><span style="line-height: 14px;">Sure, we all </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">know </i><span style="line-height: 14px;">we need water to survive, thus making it essential. But I think most people consider this as such an obvious answer, it doesn't need mentioning. And water is always there for us, right? We can stop at any Golden Pantry and find a cool drink or a toilet. We don't write it down on our wish list next to the iPad. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">I think most people take our water delivery
and wastewater removal systems for granted. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I could now move on to discuss how fortunate Americans are to have access to clean drinking water and good sanitation, how our list of essentials is actually a list of luxuries we enjoy, how 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water... But the point of this blog isn't to make you feel guilty. It is only to make you appreciate water and good sanitation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><strong>Here are three things you can try for the next month to become more aware of water in your life:</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtigsaq-HDc1ZFmHl09MHV7sBf-kYUbfy48ffBWPrJDIkVz-tEqqV2z5G8g9qUCCnJW-X96DzGFUFBPt1J7wS0_7Jb0NwzXPk0cMRjclsJFH5nGXX7TSprGgOrHNCH-Ol-mBSb5Pkb0YX/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtigsaq-HDc1ZFmHl09MHV7sBf-kYUbfy48ffBWPrJDIkVz-tEqqV2z5G8g9qUCCnJW-X96DzGFUFBPt1J7wS0_7Jb0NwzXPk0cMRjclsJFH5nGXX7TSprGgOrHNCH-Ol-mBSb5Pkb0YX/s200/coffee.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">1) I know this is touchy-feely, but <em><strong>be mindful when you are using water</strong></em>. Tune out the flat screen TV, the high-speed internet, the ringing cell phone, and turn on your water. Listen to it as it runs from the faucet. Feel the water as it touches you. Enjoy washing the dishes, turning something dirty back to clean again. Appreciate and be grateful for the water you have available for use. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">2) As you select items for purchase at the store, take a moment to <strong><em>think about water's role in the manufacturing</em> <em>of products</em></strong>. What do I mean? Let's take the beloved cup of coffee. Sure, we need at least 8 oz of water to brew our go juice. But water is also required to grow, package, and ship the beans. What looks like 8oz of coffee really required an estimated 37 gallons of water for one cup. This virtual water is also in your blue jeans, your bread, and your brew. Be aware of your water footprint. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) </span><a href="http://strikewithme.org/" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go on strike</span></em></strong></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em> with Matt Damon</em></strong>. He is not going to the bathroom until everyone has access to clean water and sanitation. Yes, this may be a little extreme for most of us to do, but it certainly does makes you aware of your toilet. If you can't commit as fully as Mr. Damon, how about not using the toilet seat for one month? Yes, I mean <strong><em>squat</em></strong> rather than sit. I guarantee, like Time Barlow, you will add plumbing and sanitation to your list of essentials.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">A wonderful quote from Danielle Raine observes, “the cruel irony of housework:</span><span style="line-height: 14px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 14px;">people only notice when you don’t do it.”</span><span style="line-height: 14px;"> Clean water delivered at the turn of a faucet or flush of a toilet is similar. You only notice water if it isn't there. Let's not wait until it isn't there to notice it. Become aware, appreciate, and take action to care for water now. It is essential.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Laurie Loftin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Conserve: WATER U waiting 4?</span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-57472637085874286362013-03-26T09:00:00.000-04:002013-03-29T16:43:28.754-04:00The Ripple is in Effect<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lights!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Camera!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i><b>Ripple</b></i>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Breaking News: Independent filmmakers gathered at Athens own Ciné to strut
the blue carpet, mingle with other local celebrities, and dine on delicious
food from the Broad Street Coffee Vegan Restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After an hour of glamming it up, the sellout crowd
moved into the theater for the debut of 17 incredible 30-second films, which
had been submitted to the inaugural Ripple Effect Film Project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each film had a unique personality, but all had
a focus on water conservation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Audience
members were asked to vote for their favorite shorts before viewing the
EcoFocus’ Film Festival’s feature film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Last
Call at the Oasis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Following the big picture of/for water conservation, the winners
of the Ripple Effect were announced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
the winners are… drum roll please….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Student Category</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Best Conservation Message: <i><b>Hydrowoman Doesn't Exist</b></i>, by Athens Academy, Global Challenges</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Best Overall: <i><b>Get a Grip, Stop the Drip</b></i>, by Tyler Ortel</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audience Choice Award:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i><b>Crazy Conservation</b></i>, by Christian & Christie Marie Shupe (see the video below)</span><br />
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<b>Adult Category</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Best Production Quality:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i><b>Elio’s
Big Splash</b></i>, by </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bryan Redding, Dan Jordan, and Ricardo, Tomas, & Elio Jiminez</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Best Conservation Message: <i><b>Water is Life</b></i>, by Lacey Avery</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Best Overall: <i><b>Every Drop Counts</b></i>, by Brody Bearden</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audience Choice Award:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i><b>Elio’s Big Splash</b></i>, by Bryan Redding, Dan Jordan, and Ricardo, Tomas, & Elio Jiminez (see the video below!)</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-45LxVCwYcE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you to all of the talented people involved in this project. Plans for making the other videos available are in the works. Check back on www.thinkatthesink.com or "like" the Water Conservation Office-Athens Clarke County on Facebook for updates.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-24333533185028267622013-03-11T10:18:00.000-04:002013-03-11T10:20:11.882-04:00Ten Thousand GallonsGuest Blog in honor of Fix a Leak Week!<br />
<br />
By Veronica Blette<br />
<br />
“Uh-oh, that can’t be good,” I thought as I entered my house to hear the sound of running water. I went upstairs to find that the flapper on my toilet had become stuck in the open position, which led to its earnest, yet futile, efforts to fill the bowl all day long. Yes, while I spent my day in the office trying to advance a nationwide ethic of water efficiency, water was running down my drain. My water bill for the month almost doubled as a result of that one day of wasted toilet filling.<br />
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So, what’s the connection with 10,000 gallons? That’s how much water we waste in our houses each year through leaks! Across the country, easy-to-fix household leaks add up to more than one trillion gallons of water lost annually, robbing homeowners of 12 percent of their water bill.<br />
Less than one percent of the Earth’s water is available for human use, and managing water is a growing concern in the United States. Using water more efficiently and avoiding waste helps maintain supplies at safe levels now and for future generations.<br />
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That’s why we are encouraging homeowners to find and fix leaks during the third annual Fix a Leak Week, March 18 – 24, 2013. Be <em>for water</em> and start saving today with three simple steps:<br />
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1. Check<br />
First, check your home for leaks. You can detect silent toilet leaks, a common water-wasting culprit, by adding food coloring to the toilet tank and waiting 10 minutes before flushing. If color appears in the bowl, your toilet has a leak.<br />
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2. Twist<br />
Give leaking faucet and showerhead connections a firm twist to ensure that pipe connections are sealed tight. For additional savings, twist WaterSense labeled aerators onto bathroom faucets to use 30 percent less water without noticing a difference in flow.<br />
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3 .Replace<br />
If you just can’t nip that drip, it may be time to replace the fixture. Look for WaterSense labeled models, which use at least 20 percent less water and are independently certified to perform as well as or better than standard models.<br />
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Don’t find yourself in my shoes. Take these simple steps and reduce the potential for leaks lurking in your life. Want to do more? Join my team and thousands of your neighbors by supporting the We’re for Water campaign. Visit <a href="http://www.epa.gov/watersense/">take the I’m for Water pledge</a> and “like” WaterSense on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/EPAWatersense">Facebook</a>.<br />
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<em>About the author: Veronica Blette leads EPA’s WaterSense program. Veronica has been with the Agency for more than thirteen years and, going forward, will always make sure the toilet is not running before she goes to work.</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-50753641010514704772013-03-05T09:00:00.000-05:002013-03-05T10:08:18.097-05:00Where does your water go?<br />
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In a recent Facebook post, we asked all of you what you wanted to learn from the blogs. We had a popular response from Stephanie Sharp who wanted to know:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[38].[1][2][1]{comment529178117122965_5605058}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span class="UFICommentBody" id=".reactRoot[38].[1][2][1]{comment529178117122965_5605058}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[38].[1][2][1]{comment529178117122965_5605058}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">"Interesting
figures like average gallons used per shower, bath,
dishwasher, washing machine...help me
extrapolate!"</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
Extrapolate, we shall! First, let's look at where the "average" family consumes most of their water:<br />
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<a href="http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/images/indoorwateruse_4web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pie chart showing indoor water usage. Shower: 16.8% Toilet: 26.7% Faucet: 15.7% Clothes washer: 21.7% Leaks: 13.7% Other: 5.3%" border="0" class="image_right" height="320" src="http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/images/indoorwateruse_4web.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Toilet- 26.7%</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Clothes Washer- 21.7%</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Shower: 16.8%</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Faucet: 15.7%</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Leaks: 13.7%</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other: 5.3% </span></div>
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Since a majority of water goes to flushing the toilet, washing clothes, and taking showers, let's explore those.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/VT/Water-Sense-Label-md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/VT/Water-Sense-Label-md.jpg" style="margin-top: 100px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/index.html" target="_blank">Water Sense </a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Toilets </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0K9MRJmly1oDByxBlniUR_-TxwsG2BBPGvOC6p1Wi3XAG6DyYc6Ti3RBrp7Tr4pPaHpVPbvC7WahvXwdPKcEdAv84m9ActcpXEUlTrZbHpRdiM6kBqL-JpibxSJKfHOBpQXJ2apecPO-/s1600/toilet+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>-Toilets installed before 1993 use between <strong>3.5 and 7 gallons of water every flush,</strong> toilets installed between 1993 and 2012 use about 1.6 gallons per flush. A new WaterSense labeled toilet uses no more than 1.28 gallons per flush., </div>
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-Leaky Toilet? Leaks can account for 13.7% of your water usage. You can waste <b>300-500 GALLONS of water every day from a leaky toilet.</b></div>
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<i>How can you fix this?</i></div>
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1.<u> Preventative Measures: </u>Buy a WaterSense Toilet- They can save 75-80% more water than older toilets! Find more information at <a href="http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">EPA's website.</a></div>
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2. <u>Routine Checks:</u> Check for leaks frequently! Sometimes, you may have a leak even if you can't hear the toilet running. The Water Conservation Office loves giving out blue Toilet Tabs, which can be placed in the tank of the toilet. If you see blue in the bowl, you have a leak. You can also do this by placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Lowe's has a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHxgCVWuAjs" target="_blank">great video</a> on how to do it!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRlrf9HvyjbTZ95tQ8e8Grk9c93DLxf7aVKseYT8DhP9VqIDXMMWg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" id="irc_mi" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRlrf9HvyjbTZ95tQ8e8Grk9c93DLxf7aVKseYT8DhP9VqIDXMMWg" style="margin-top: 102px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=u3135WxzR-zmBM&tbnid=_R1zfiTMI0SI6M:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdfw.cbslocal.com%2F2011%2F05%2F27%2Fsave-sales-tax-on-energy-efficient-appliances%2F&ei=zrsvUeXUJIq88AS_z4HgAQ&bvm=bv.43148975,d.eWU&psig=AFQjCNG2dOIDIP_ASr_ae43BNuXbC1wyrQ&ust=1362169160160559" target="_blank">Energy Star Appliance</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Washing Machine </b></span></div>
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Did you know? Washing machines can use <b>40-55 gallons of water per load! </b></div>
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<i>How can you reduce this?</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt18FM4vqpUljQ-88exV_dCvMXPELfEF7RMuCoxJooItLkjtPzLQbad39rhRBkhT13yoKwokxGbPt0ncpNxPNRhLa3kqdfBVqUiatbdedorg3q5VgYljDW9t6-torxQD0nXeJBu22ti0_u/s1600/wash+machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt18FM4vqpUljQ-88exV_dCvMXPELfEF7RMuCoxJooItLkjtPzLQbad39rhRBkhT13yoKwokxGbPt0ncpNxPNRhLa3kqdfBVqUiatbdedorg3q5VgYljDW9t6-torxQD0nXeJBu22ti0_u/s1600/wash+machine.jpg" width="200" /></a>1.
<u>Preventative Measures: </u>When shopping for a new washing machine, look for those products that are energy efficient. High efficiency Energy Star washing machines use less than 27 gallons per load. They save water and electricity!</div>
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2. <u>Routine Checks: </u>Run your washer only when you have a full load. If you must wash a smaller load, be sure to match the settings (small, medium, large, x-large) correctly in order to save water.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shower</b></span><br />
The shower can use about <b>7 gallons per minute. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiH_qB3E0FwS6VLZYxkumhP4b8WJr8U_R1IeLPLz-284oBEAnTtseACWPlQ_ULwI1OQbYh_z0hnCRkv0QzXx_UorAbTK2Pz3BCtscNLuWqXeA35ORrj9qBY_x5PVwFBcfVtU_-l_53078/s1600/shower+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiH_qB3E0FwS6VLZYxkumhP4b8WJr8U_R1IeLPLz-284oBEAnTtseACWPlQ_ULwI1OQbYh_z0hnCRkv0QzXx_UorAbTK2Pz3BCtscNLuWqXeA35ORrj9qBY_x5PVwFBcfVtU_-l_53078/s1600/shower+1.jpg" width="188" /></a><i>How can you reduce this?</i><br />
<br />
1. <u>Preventative Measures:</u> The Water Conservation Office loves giving away water-efficient shower heads at special events, but you can also find them in hardware stores. They can save up to about 5 gallons per minute! <br />
<br />
2. <u>Routine Checks: </u> We recommend taking a five-minute shower, or less! Look at these numbers:<br />
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<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<b>With a 5 gallon per minute showerhead:</b><br />
<b>5 min shower= 35 gallons</b><br />
<b>10 min shower= 70 gallons </b><br />
<b>30 min shower=210 gallons</b><br />
<b>1 hr= 420 gallons</b><br />
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Multiply this by the number of people in your household, and you will realize how important it is to keep showers short and install a more efficient showerhead! <br />
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<br />
Well, that just about sums it up! Those are the top three water consumptive activities inside your house, but here are a few more quick facts:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Baths:</b> 28-36 gallons for full tub</li>
<li><b>Running Faucet: </b>3 gallons per minute (You can save here too by installing a WaterSense aerator available at the <a href="http://www.thinkatthesink.com/" target="_blank">Water Conservation Office</a> or at thea hardware store. Make sure to turn the faucet off when brushing your teeth!)</li>
<li><b>Dishwasher: </b>15 gallons per load (you can save here by using an Energy Star Dishwasher)</li>
<li><b>Lawn Watering: </b>3-10 gallons per minute (fyi, more plants die from overwatering during drought than from not watering enough.)</li>
</ul>
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If you suspect you have a leaky faucet/bath, you can figure out how many gallons you are wasting by counting the number of drips per minute:<br />
<ul>
<li>60 drops/minute=192 gallons per month</li>
<li>90 drops/minute=310 gallons per month</li>
<li>120 drops/minute= 429 gallons per month </li>
</ul>
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We hope that this post has been relevant and helpful to you! Leave questions or comments below! <br />
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Here are links to useful websites:<br />
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<a href="http://fi.edu/guide/schutte/howmuch.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Guide to Water Use</a><br />
<a href="http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/indoor.html" target="_blank">EPA's Indoor Water Use</a><br />
<a href="http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/product_search.html" target="_blank">Water Sense Product Search</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-66710567154221041392013-02-26T09:00:00.000-05:002013-02-26T09:24:58.964-05:00Going Batty About Wildlife<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey there, Water Conservation Station readers. I am one of the new interns in the Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office and I am excited to share my thoughts on water conservation with
you guys. For my first blog, I would like to share a topic that is close to
my heart: wildlife. More specifically, how drought can affect wildlife. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The western United States has been in a drought similar to the one we
are facing in the south. However, they are facing a unique challenge: drowning
bats. I know that sounds backwards. If they are in a drought, how can bats be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">drowning</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here is
some bat biology to help you understand how bats drown during droughts. Bats drink in
flight by swooping down to the waters surface. In large lakes and ponds, this is done very easily for bats; however, these natural sources of water are
starting to disappear.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>So where do the bats turn? </b>Livestock drinking stations.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifd8O3q5NSTiZ7q5bpEcxaQQdeGmYZrDtond_HBl1Ju7yXKXzouEAe83zbHlQeSVJWnKce6vyYAhShJTt4f6nw9wkW7IfT5aiMRADcdkSnSBy0BUYSbsj14oqLCPG-vvUfQ1YGyhQdppQV/s1600/Cattle_drinking_trough_-_geograph.org.uk_-_602555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifd8O3q5NSTiZ7q5bpEcxaQQdeGmYZrDtond_HBl1Ju7yXKXzouEAe83zbHlQeSVJWnKce6vyYAhShJTt4f6nw9wkW7IfT5aiMRADcdkSnSBy0BUYSbsj14oqLCPG-vvUfQ1YGyhQdppQV/s320/Cattle_drinking_trough_-_geograph.org.uk_-_602555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Livestock drinking station </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(photo courtesy of<span style="font-size: x-small;">: <span class="licensetpl_attr">Stanley Howe http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cattle_drinking_trough_-_geograph.org.uk_-_602555.jpg)</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Livestock drinking stations are much smaller than lakes or ponds,
and are surrounded by structures which make it difficult for bats to drink
safely. As the water levels in these drinking stations go down, the bats can get
<b>stuck in the station</b>. When they can’t get out and are tired of swimming,
they often drown. To alleviate this problem, ranchers have installed "bat escape ramps" to help trapped bats escape. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbn-4y9mKH8MeQeaVpi_7QxRPJ3OZn2pkWggw78AvCvHp3vchhBOv6yjD0o1QmkL5iV5pgG1OsKkQcl4oAPFG_XnxpR4FGdZ55AG_yLKY62Mgj_CamnXC4XcJ8Sc2fs0sHVPWXfkwKXCs/s1600/lizard_escapes_mudoldtrough_kschlick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbn-4y9mKH8MeQeaVpi_7QxRPJ3OZn2pkWggw78AvCvHp3vchhBOv6yjD0o1QmkL5iV5pgG1OsKkQcl4oAPFG_XnxpR4FGdZ55AG_yLKY62Mgj_CamnXC4XcJ8Sc2fs0sHVPWXfkwKXCs/s320/lizard_escapes_mudoldtrough_kschlick.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Example of a bat escape ramp</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(photo courtesy of:<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Kary Schlick http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/lwm/aem/news/climate_change_and_herpetofauna.html)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just like the ranchers out west are helping the bats, we can
help our Georgia wildlife. Two groups of wildlife that are closely tied to water
are birds and frogs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Birds need water to help cool off during the hot
Georgia summers. Birdbaths are great for local birds. They provide a place
for them to clean and cool off during the summer. Placing the birdbath
near brush cover gives the birds a place to preen once they are done cooling
off. But you have to make sure that no predator can sneak up on the bathing
beauties. The lower the bath, the more open area is needed around the bath
to ensure that the birds are safe from any stealthy predators. Also, baths need
to be cleaned frequently to help prevent the spread of diseases among the
birds. Clean with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water and make sure to wear rubber
gloves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Frogs need water to stay healthy. Like Nicole said a few weeks ago, frogs breathe through their skin, so keeping it moist is essential. Backyard ponds can be a great habitat for a wide variety of
animals, including frogs, turtles, birds and lizards. Ponds can
help these animals survive when water around the state is difficult to find.
And who doesn’t want to look out into their backyard and see a turtle sunning
itself by your pond?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />To keep your baths and ponds full, you can collect rain
water with rain barrels. Or, while you wait for your shower water to warm up,
you can collect the cold water in a bucket and use it to refill the baths. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m looking forward to my time here at the Water
Conservation Office! Talk to you again soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Lauren</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Water Conservation Intern </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-86716463269036458522013-02-19T09:00:00.000-05:002013-02-19T09:00:02.581-05:00Transportation and Public Works<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stop 2. Transportation and Public Works</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our journey continues in search of buildings, businesses, and organizations that demonstrate water conservation methods in Athens-Clarke County. The next stop is the <b>Transportation and Public Works</b> building at the corner of West Dougherty Street and Lumpkin Street. The water conservation method highlighted here is a <b>rain chain</b>. The side of the building (facing Lumpkin Street) has a rain chain attached to a rain barrel. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwXIlh126_AOCD11m2PxKmVEf39ChRiBeCO8LW4VGsMUbCsGNKBzvQVnfUBwUCodpsi8MT4keqdWlc-Y3ai2ks0zoxBVD8b3ghUVe1Xs30WlKEWz0YTlX2bc_32nTP0f32Bzdkt3xOUsf/s1600/IMAG0635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwXIlh126_AOCD11m2PxKmVEf39ChRiBeCO8LW4VGsMUbCsGNKBzvQVnfUBwUCodpsi8MT4keqdWlc-Y3ai2ks0zoxBVD8b3ghUVe1Xs30WlKEWz0YTlX2bc_32nTP0f32Bzdkt3xOUsf/s320/IMAG0635.jpg" height="320" width="190" /><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are rain chains? </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rain chains are alternatives to downspouts. They visibly guide rain water from the roof down chains to the ground, a drain, or storage container like a rain barrel (remember the ones at Sandy Creek Nature Center, our Stop #1?). The collected rain water can be used to water flowers and gardens. The Transportation and Public Works rain chain supplies water for a rain garden. Some </span><a href="http://www.rainchainsdirect.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">organizations</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> suggest rain chains should replace downspouts, claiming they fulfill the same purposes of downspouts, but also break the flow of water as it hits the ground, mitigating its impact. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/3543404727_e45f146d08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/3543404727_e45f146d08.jpg" height="320" width="236" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>History of rain chains.</b> The Japanese have used rain chains for hundreds of years. Today the chains are used to direct the rain water from their roof to storage units for later use in household chores. The Japanese are also known for incorporating large decorative rain chains into their temple design. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The style.</b> The styles of rain chains vary from traditional chains to cups to decorative flowers. Link, cup, and flower chain styles are far more attractive than traditional downspouts and often add to the decor of a building rather than detract from it. Many people make their own rain chain from recycled materials such as clay pottery, pebbles, and even pine cones. Look at this <a href="http://gardentherapy.ca/rain-chain-diy/" target="_blank">website</a> for inspiration and installation tips. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.rainchains.com/aboutrainchains.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">For more information on rain chains visit here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check in next month as we visit another place in ACC!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-6450945979820139352013-02-12T09:00:00.002-05:002013-02-12T09:00:44.938-05:00Love StoryLove is in the air! As Valentine's day approaches us, we are reminded of just how important our loved ones are to us and how delicious those mini candy bars are. There is one relationship though that I don't feel gets enough credit; our relationship with water. This relationship not only tugs at our heart strings but keeps us alive. It is our friend, our life line, our home, and so much more; but in times of drought, like any normal relationship, it can be strained. With the rains that have encroached on our great city of Athens, the concept of drought is far from our minds. It is important to note that although we have gotten some influx of rain into the Oconee River, the impacts of years of persistent drought can still be seen. Although this lack of water can be detrimental to our community, it is usually the animals in the area that feel it first.<br />
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Last week, I was extremely lucky to have visited one of my favorite places in Athens: Bear Hollow Zoo. It is located on S. Milledge Ave., and, if you have never been, I highly recommend it. While I was there watching all the different animals, I was reminded just how important water is to them. Humans and most animals can actually survive longer without food than they can water. Talk about a strong relationship! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5I-3_xYW7DLDOHyxGPuHDAFAvrblhA_MEYxSOvdlbbezaQOBtQIamCkQMp_xVJVNEvGol8AX6pknRyvWyH-fUfge33bDOlhHXOEHb5PHjmRDrsjcfuGTq97umDUOkq2nb-0r3pomkMdh/s1600/beavers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5I-3_xYW7DLDOHyxGPuHDAFAvrblhA_MEYxSOvdlbbezaQOBtQIamCkQMp_xVJVNEvGol8AX6pknRyvWyH-fUfge33bDOlhHXOEHb5PHjmRDrsjcfuGTq97umDUOkq2nb-0r3pomkMdh/s200/beavers.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Animals, such as the beaver, call water their home, shelter, and livelihood. These great creatures are typically found along river beds and spend the majority of their time in the water.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AXaB2Zyjjd0jIABmT-tH_SFFpNLrzzBeH_qHCoyQfLTOZn0RnCWbgenG9a8w6CWKZT80RRzWYssKI1NkHG6TaywqxfYYCE5v_D_fGPguKzemwBN-akIIuGLvjNn_n8aeZ2kmYfTKDAsw/s1600/green+tree+frog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AXaB2Zyjjd0jIABmT-tH_SFFpNLrzzBeH_qHCoyQfLTOZn0RnCWbgenG9a8w6CWKZT80RRzWYssKI1NkHG6TaywqxfYYCE5v_D_fGPguKzemwBN-akIIuGLvjNn_n8aeZ2kmYfTKDAsw/s200/green+tree+frog.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Frogs, such as the green tree frog seen here, actually breathe through their skin! Not only is the quantity of water around them important, but the quality as well. When there are more contaminants in the water, it is much more difficult for them to breathe, thus hurting the frog. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf44JX8nrzc4aemH3kDKdRcdtRrJiKg-iQw2w1MUTT1FWCgypyRJDRo5ohxSDquwlL-UJiDhzFe_YMoG5uL9xjXtl9EiUn-A_JsbHwJR0z5zDU5710O1gJUqmR1B3yh0AaOx9wY0gSA-7/s1600/black+bear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf44JX8nrzc4aemH3kDKdRcdtRrJiKg-iQw2w1MUTT1FWCgypyRJDRo5ohxSDquwlL-UJiDhzFe_YMoG5uL9xjXtl9EiUn-A_JsbHwJR0z5zDU5710O1gJUqmR1B3yh0AaOx9wY0gSA-7/s200/black+bear.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Last, but certainly not least, are my favorite animals at Bear Hollow. Black Bears are much like humans in their water needs. They use water mainly to drink, to bathe, and for hunting. Black bears not only need water themselves, but also feed on insects, fish, and plants that need water to survive.</div>
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Moral of this story? Water is our most important relationship to consider this Valentine's Day. Spread the love, but save the water!</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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Nicole, WCO Intern</div>
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**Photos courtesy of Wade Sheldon of Bear Hollow Zoo.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-16554273231947369802013-02-05T09:50:00.000-05:002013-02-11T14:06:49.086-05:00Drought: Will it result in the "Stormwater Apocolypse"?<br />
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</span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">With
the <a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Walking Dead</span></a> returning in less than a week, I can’t
help but think about the zombie apocalypse. Okay, I am not really worried about
zombies, but there is another kind of apocalypse that can affect our streams and rivers
and it is much more realistic: The "Stormwater Apocalypse". The good
news is that it is preventable. The "Stormwater Apocalypse" refers to
what can happen to our water as a result of drought and the rains that follow. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">There is more to drought than water supply
shortages. There are important environmental impacts that most of us don’t
think about very much. These indirect impacts can be very damaging. Our natural
systems become more vulnerable to things like wildfires, habitat loss, invasive
species, plant diseases and pests during a drought. All of these things can lead to the
Stormwater Apocalypse! (Think from a frog or fish's point of view.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Over
the last several years local ecosystems have become weakened as a result of our
drought. <span style="color: #333333;">When it finally does rain, these systems
do not protect our waterways as well as they used to. Think about it, w</span><span style="color: black;">eakened trees and plants are more susceptible to disease
and pests. When root systems die more pollution enters our streams when it
rains. This is because runoff can more efficiently </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">dislodge and transport
sediment (aka dirt) because there are fewer plant roots holding the soil in
place. This additional sediment covers rocks and sand that aquatic life depends
on. Sediment can contains things like fertilizers, pesticides, oil, and other
pollutants, and dirty water can be a problem for critters that rely on clear
water to survive. All these problems can lead to a "Stormwater Apocalypse"
in our fragile streams and rivers. (These systems provide Athens with our drinking water. So, even if you are not a fish or frog, you need to care about these things.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdi_Xb_yYWZjhhSx7j2_CCzi25z-xnvhRxwop4QmO_w3hfsO9eC1Eha5QRbGsifwnLtpbfiYLG5M0c5PwhNt75d8SPQnkL207NNQXwqoaJ986elccSRXfwmENV00LCCnyDPoIB3fy_2EJ/s1600/Fowler%252520Drive%252520gallery-frames%252520copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdi_Xb_yYWZjhhSx7j2_CCzi25z-xnvhRxwop4QmO_w3hfsO9eC1Eha5QRbGsifwnLtpbfiYLG5M0c5PwhNt75d8SPQnkL207NNQXwqoaJ986elccSRXfwmENV00LCCnyDPoIB3fy_2EJ/s320/Fowler%252520Drive%252520gallery-frames%252520copy.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
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<v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f">
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</o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">That brings me to the good news! By eliminating litter and
dumping, using smart landscaping, rain gardens, detention ponds, rain catchment
systems, porous pavers, and other water-smart strategies we can protect our
waterways from the stormwater apocalypse. In fact, there are great examples
all around Athens. Here is a <a href="http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=4241"><span style="color: blue;">gallery of local projects</span></a> that protect water,
look great, and are fantastic examples of things we all should do. (These
photos are from <a href="http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=4241"><span style="color: blue;">Fowler Drive Elementary School</span></a>.) <a href="http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/forms.aspx?FID=485" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tell us about your projects!</span></a> Individuals and
businesses are doing cool things all around Athens-Clarke County to protect our
water. <b>What can you do today?</b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Stumped? Check out the <a href="http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=1849"><span style="color: blue;">Athens-Clarke County Stormwater Division</span></a> for
ideas!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you to “Conserve:
WATER u waiting 4?”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">-Marilyn Hall</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">ACC Water Conservation Coordinator</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-48100180135385228362013-01-29T09:00:00.000-05:002013-01-29T10:28:29.349-05:00Drink Up! It is Super Bowl Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are just days away from the biggest game in professional football; the Super Bowl. February 3rd at 6:00 pm E.T. the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens will compete for the title of Super Bowl XLVII.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy of Microsoft Word</td></tr>
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Whether you watch the game for the expertly performed plays or the outrageous commercials you will notice one thing: Water is in ALL of it! You may be rushing to the grocery store Saturday night to stock up on the necessary food and drinks for the day's festivities but the players are on a much different schedule.<br />
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The night before any physically active day, it is EXTREMELY important to hydrate (ask any athlete!). NFL players know their sweat rates and hydrate themselves accordingly. A sweat rate is more than simply drinking according to thirst. An individual's sweat rate can range from 1 to 4 pounds per hour; the variation is attributed to the sport, an individual's weight, and environmental conditions. You will notice 10 minutes prior to kickoff athletes are not drowning themselves in water in order to get hydrated. It is hugely important the night before a big game, or even a few hours before the start, that athletes are hydrating themselves properly so that the kidneys are able to process the water in a efficient manner and muscle strength can be improved. Water is used throughout all of the our body; blood is about 93 % water, muscle is about 73% water and body fat is about 10% water.<br />
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Now that you know just how important water is to an athlete's performance you may be wondering how these players are able to take in that much water. The water straight from your tap is a great way to hydrate but it isn't the only way!<br />
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Many foods have a high water content. Some examples of this are:<br />
Coffee: 99.5 percent water<br />
(new research has found that coffee taken in normal doses hydrates as well as water)<br />
Broccoli is 89 percent water<br />
Lettuce is 96 percent water<br />
Watermelon is 92 percent water<br />
Strawberries are 92 percent water<br />
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You can not function without water whether you are on the field or in the stands. As the highly anticipated day comes upon us, make sure to drink up!<br />
<br />
~Nicole<br />
ACC Water Conservation Intern<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-21844433050867085602013-01-22T09:00:00.000-05:002013-01-22T09:00:10.083-05:00Sandy Creek Nature Center<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Are you ready for a road trip???</span></b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If so, join the Water Conservation Office as
we travel around Athens-Clarke County in search of buildings, businesses,
and organizations that demonstrate cool water conservation methods! Every month we will visit a new place and
learn about how they conserve water.
We will share with you what we have learned and give tips on how to conserve water in your own home or
business! So buckle up and let the
journey begin...<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Stop 1. Sandy Creek Nature Center</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Sandy Creek Nature Center (SCNC) is known for being home to
over 4 miles of trails that go through the woodlands and wetlands of
Georgia’s Piedmont. L</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">ive reptiles, amphibians, marine and freshwater fishes also call SCNC home. SCNC has recently expanded and includes various
interactive exhibits on everything from composting to water </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">conservation</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (our favorite part). Now you might know
all of that, but there is one thing that you might </span></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">not</span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">know about Sandy Creek Nature Center...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sandy Creek Nature Center is the proud home of <b>two</b> 500 gallon rain barrels! </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from a downspout. This collected rainwater can be used on lawns, gardens, and even for washing cars and windows.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The first rain barrel is located in the front of the nature center as you walk in. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2wHTOMo0ZhGOoeL5kDQ7LXULcqBN37Ll6MwakRkutosv2xWKPymHaHrnFHzQNHHmOCXwOc5v9Zg2F5OHyh_KnYko71mzVHBqyZ4fCx0qxGiBhIIG6zycL9nbVIvfqs0IvqnagIGJTigq/s1600/rb+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2wHTOMo0ZhGOoeL5kDQ7LXULcqBN37Ll6MwakRkutosv2xWKPymHaHrnFHzQNHHmOCXwOc5v9Zg2F5OHyh_KnYko71mzVHBqyZ4fCx0qxGiBhIIG6zycL9nbVIvfqs0IvqnagIGJTigq/s400/rb+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The sign in front of the rain barrel informs readers that this is a rain water capture system that collects rain water runoff from the exhibit hall roof. SCNC conserves water by using the collected rainwater to water plants instead of using tap water. This system also reduces erosion and flooding by slowing down runoff from the roof and slowly releasing it to the ground. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second rain barrel is located behind the nature center near the trail heads. This rain barrel collects rainwater from the roof and condensate from the air conditioning system. SCNC uses this water for gardens around their property.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtc1oKj9Y5U-m0zywte1MNeILM1T-Dn4vA71kMNOJveTUSNRXRWfOCCKVRxId3_f-CKU4epYluD3DakrlxLeQLkNf-xGSZL3uSyXch9ItBA93GT-pv23aX6PKgjl0HEfbAAhpa7_sZRmw/s1600/rb+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtc1oKj9Y5U-m0zywte1MNeILM1T-Dn4vA71kMNOJveTUSNRXRWfOCCKVRxId3_f-CKU4epYluD3DakrlxLeQLkNf-xGSZL3uSyXch9ItBA93GT-pv23aX6PKgjl0HEfbAAhpa7_sZRmw/s1600/rb+9.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUPo1x70Lh1KHEyruDJpRcFHfNEjkuUg2sgJ_Qo-6RuNQxbD1434ZzJ8YaRLm0QoQNbmuq5brQU_tEYij2fDNompSnR7QFwZVk0HmFmJmvtKpKftXLybYAUG8CzG-AOC1-OiEL2bHN7gE/s1600/5b+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUPo1x70Lh1KHEyruDJpRcFHfNEjkuUg2sgJ_Qo-6RuNQxbD1434ZzJ8YaRLm0QoQNbmuq5brQU_tEYij2fDNompSnR7QFwZVk0HmFmJmvtKpKftXLybYAUG8CzG-AOC1-OiEL2bHN7gE/s1600/5b+8.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of the benefits of using rain barrels include:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">~Providing an alternative to using tap water for outdoor watering,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">~Reducing stormwater runoff that can cause floods,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">~Slowing stormwater runoff so that it can replenish groundwater and soil moisture,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">~Saving money on your water bill, and </span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">~Rainwater is often softer than tap water, which is better for plants.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Most rain barrels around homes are 55 gallons. You can find rain barrels at local garden centers or you can build your own. </span></span><a href="http://www.epa.gov/region3/p2/what-is-rainbarrel.pdf" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-indent: -24px;" target="_blank">Here</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-indent: -24px;"> is some more information on rain barrels from the Environmental Protection Agency and you can see how local artists have turned rain barrels into works of art at </span><a href="http://www.rolloutthebarrels.org/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-indent: -24px;">www.rolloutthebarrels.org</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-indent: -24px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Finally, <a href="http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/facilities.aspx?pagenum=2&RID=16&Page=detail" target="_blank">visit Sandy Creek Nature Center</a> and check out their awesome rain barrels and gardens! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Check in next month as we continue our journey around Athens-Clarke County!</span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-82908130865800919232013-01-15T09:30:00.000-05:002013-01-15T09:30:00.366-05:00Four More Years!<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week I celebrated my four-year
anniversary as the Water Conservation Coordinator here in Athens-Clarke County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though I had been working in
Environmental Planning since the mid 1990s, focusing on water has been
eye-opening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, making “Water Conservation” interesting and
exciting is hard!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Water
Conservation Office visits classrooms or hosts a festival, we do more than tell
people to turn off the water when they brush their teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We try to get people thinking about
water in ways they never have before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Water sustains life, provides fire
protection, drives our economy, transports waste, provides wildlife habitat,
makes farming possible, has magical physical properties…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the list goes
on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also a limited resource.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When people truly understand how important
water is and how scarce it can be, they will not need to be told to turn off
the tap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will just do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing I have learned is there is more to drought
than just the level of the Bear Creek Reservoir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe soil moisture is the most important drought indicator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When soil moisture is low the river dries up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the river is low, the reservoir cannot
be replenished and it also gets low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soil
moisture is affected by a lot of things, including groundwater tables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is why when someone says, “I can use
all the water I want to because I am on a well,” I remind them that their
water-use can affect the water available to everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something else I have learned seems obvious to me now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the demand for water is the highest, our
supply is the lowest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The demand is highest in the summer when people are irrigating their lawns, growing
gardens, cranking up cooling towers, and playing in the sprinklers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Late summer is also the time of year when
river levels naturally are their lowest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thirsty trees
draw water up through roots and water evaporates from the rivers under the hot
sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I</span>ncreased human demand combined with
natural summer pressures can lead to water
shortages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is why the Water
Conservation Office continually reminds everyone to be water smart in the
summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone’s needs are different and the supply is not always reliable. Ensuring that Athens has enough water to meet its needs is complicated. It is challenging and rewarding to work in water conservation. Think about how you and everyone else uses water and you will understand. I am lucky to have such a meaningful job. I hope my next four years will be as satisfying as the first.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And please, turn the water off when you brush your teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Marilyn Hall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ACC Water Conservation Coordinator</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-79126440551971406942013-01-08T09:45:00.000-05:002013-01-08T09:45:54.226-05:00Thank You, Athens-Clarke County Citizen<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hate to be a party pooper, but the 50 year celebration of
wastewater treatment in Athens-Clarke County (ACC) must come to a close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Athenians are fortunate to have essential and
exceptional wastewater services that safely <b><i>reclaim, refresh, and return</i></b>
the water we use to the environment. Our treatment systems have
continually grown and improved as the community has expanded and technology has
advanced over the last 50 years. Water reclamation plays a significant role in
our health and quality of life in Athens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">During our celebration we have highlighted several of our
dedicated ACC Public Utilities employees in the <a href="http://athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=4449" target="_blank">“Unsung Hero” section</a> of the
ACC website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucky for us, they are
performing essential - and often not so glamorous - jobs that are vital to the
health of our community. These unsung heroes make sure that you have safe and
reliable wastewater services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujZHHfrlfZdbG703Y4USykjwOQwDFzIIdk7w_XhVxSC5DzcSS0Fm5B2MK1Yrsmp3VQKANiSsGERwpKU3ZiqKeG_vEi0bz_D16FI4wUvmfE6mJhxPPM8gh1phrGB7VpgsP5ic1J9MtV-JG/s1600/FALW+2012+%252862%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujZHHfrlfZdbG703Y4USykjwOQwDFzIIdk7w_XhVxSC5DzcSS0Fm5B2MK1Yrsmp3VQKANiSsGERwpKU3ZiqKeG_vEi0bz_D16FI4wUvmfE6mJhxPPM8gh1phrGB7VpgsP5ic1J9MtV-JG/s200/FALW+2012+%252862%2529.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
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</span>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lily Anne Phibian reminds us our</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">toilets are not trash cans.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Before we end our commemoration, we must acknowledge one
more unsung hero in the world of wastewater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This person does not work for ACC, but plays a significant role in the
treatment of our effluent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who is
it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>YOU</strong>, the beneficiary of improved
sanitation in Athens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After potable water is used, it becomes wastewater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is created with the flush of a toilet, the
washing of dishes, the rinsing of clothes, and the draining of a bathtub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all contribute to the outflow, whether it
is from our own homes or used by local businesses to produce the items and services
we consume.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kyxCtPj-q6_9OcqasvP0F2cPCenbiv4_MEqi7akhjeGeJdDiStU49L1KRUsb9U7nlV0ZqYztQhem0n1mKZCPtojXgZaq-TnsTGmSs6_0Y9rNjf1ZkGpVat5OTxB1viA0ZryYekmXzDcb/s1600/FALW+2012+%252824%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kyxCtPj-q6_9OcqasvP0F2cPCenbiv4_MEqi7akhjeGeJdDiStU49L1KRUsb9U7nlV0ZqYztQhem0n1mKZCPtojXgZaq-TnsTGmSs6_0Y9rNjf1ZkGpVat5OTxB1viA0ZryYekmXzDcb/s200/FALW+2012+%252824%2529.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tommy Hall recycles used FOG at</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">one of several collection sites in ACC.</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The citizens’ role in wastewater treatment is more than a
passive one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything and everything you
put down the toilet or drain has an effect on our water reclamation facilities
(WRF).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our systems are equipped to
handle the usual suspects found in wastewater:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>pee, poo, and paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
other items, such as plastics, prophylactics, paper towels, baby wipes, and
pharmaceuticals, are harmful to the WRF equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fats, oils, and greases (FOG) result in
clogs, which lead to sewer overflows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
thank you, another one of our unsung heroes, for remembering <strong>your toilets and
sinks are not trashcans</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thank you
for <strong>putting FOG in the trash can or recycling it</strong> to protect our waters.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7uu4rzO-Ri5y353moHehbyqWXti_apuk99z0fzWvFHvMTcbc0iDMqFK_8lF0yjAtGgttzKQFOUmQHp4TSDBUz0v_LTb74t5tN2H6Zh5PMiCUSPr14WB5RHKItI-Nnetmp04qnFpA-9AJ/s1600/FALW+2012+%252873%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7uu4rzO-Ri5y353moHehbyqWXti_apuk99z0fzWvFHvMTcbc0iDMqFK_8lF0yjAtGgttzKQFOUmQHp4TSDBUz0v_LTb74t5tN2H6Zh5PMiCUSPr14WB5RHKItI-Nnetmp04qnFpA-9AJ/s200/FALW+2012+%252873%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athens Council on Aging replaced<br />
old toilets with new, low flow ones <br />
and repaired leaks to conserve water.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We appreciate all of <strong>your efforts toward water conservation</strong>.
Like anything else used daily, the components of the WRF suffer from wear and
tear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larger volumes of wastewater
entering the plant contribute to this deterioration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Efficient water use in your household
improves the functioning of our WRFs, increases the lifetime of each facility,
and reduces maintenance and repair costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">We ended 2012 with a greater appreciation for you, and all of the Unsung Heroes, who helped Athens-Clarke County reach 50 years of successfully reclaiming, refreshing, and returning our waters to the source. This has been something to celebrate. Party on.</span></span><br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com1Athens, GA, USA33.95 -83.383333333.7392375 -83.7060568 34.160762500000004 -83.060609800000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-6850179866723423242013-01-01T09:26:00.000-05:002013-01-03T09:43:26.373-05:00New Years Resolution<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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So….. The New Year has begun and what is on the forefront of
everyone’s minds? New Years resolutions of course!</div>
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Whether or not we like to admit to it, (because if you are
anything like me these resolutions will be forgotten faster than they were
begun) we all commit to starting the new year off on the right foot. Typical
resolutions are to spend less money, spend more time with family and friends,
become more organized, eat healthier, or become more fit. </div>
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This year, I decided to make a new initiative; break the
mold if you will. I have decided that my new year’s resolution will be to drink
more water! TaDa!!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Some of you may be scratching your head and wondering why on
Earth am so excited to drink more water when I could commit my efforts to other
things. And to that, I say be prepared to be amazed. </div>
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To begin, it is important to realize that OVER HALF of your
body is made up of water. In order for you to be the best you can be in the New
Year, you HAVE to stay hydrated. Water allows your body to:</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
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</span></span></span>Cushion joints</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Regulate body temperature</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Metabolize fat</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Process oxygen through your cells</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many people that set out for weight loss and extreme fitness
find that such a rigorous change in their schedule, quickly fades by the spring
months. By staying hydrated you can increase energy, metabolize fat cells more
quickly, prevent muscle aches, and better your digestion. By changing such a
small part of your daily routine, you can gradually improve all other aspects
of your life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that I have convinced you to run to your faucet and fill
a glass of water, just how much water is recommended to drink a day? Mothers
answer is simple, “Drink 8 glasses of water everyday hunny”. Although a sweet
gesture, just how much is a glass of water and do I need the same amount of
water as my 6 foot tall brother? (I am a measly 5’2”). The short answer is, it
depends. The Institute of Medicine recommends roughly 3 liters/ 13 cups of
beverages a day for males and 2.2 liters/ 9 cups for females. These estimates
are fairly close to the 8-8 ounces rule my mother taught me, so if it is easier
to remember I would say it is safe to stick with that. Other factors that
contribute to water needs are exercise, environment, and illness/ health
conditions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The easiest way that I have found to accomplish this
resolution= carry a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reusable water
bottle with you that has measurements written on the side that way you can
monitor how much water you have had to drink. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Drink up!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-11461603302754228552012-12-25T09:30:00.000-05:002013-03-25T14:58:35.846-04:00Happy Holidays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Good Dog Snoopy! You saved water by replacing your old showerheads with <a href="http://www.epa.gov/watersense/" target="_blank">WaterSense</a> labelled</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
showerheads!!</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZIfGyGVqYFc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Here is a video of the Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities float (winner of "Best Use of Lights!") from this years Athens Parade of Lights. <br />
<br />
Have a great holiday!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-35195125123001763312012-12-18T09:00:00.000-05:002012-12-18T09:35:39.432-05:00Water and Electricity<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Water and Electricity<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<td></td>
<td></td>
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</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNkGkE7YVh9SlwbsFS_0QSOIyYLOlZobNGuP6qVw5iRRWPstxCxVLgX4dI2BWOgtdz_NFHC-1WOhsz0ptCBPPt6otM630WNqq5DCc5KjsyfIL-2Eq4RbEeg2DKUwLchIYwuh4Phpjk7Hh/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNkGkE7YVh9SlwbsFS_0QSOIyYLOlZobNGuP6qVw5iRRWPstxCxVLgX4dI2BWOgtdz_NFHC-1WOhsz0ptCBPPt6otM630WNqq5DCc5KjsyfIL-2Eq4RbEeg2DKUwLchIYwuh4Phpjk7Hh/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you know that when you turn on a light it
uses water? I never thought that conserving energy also conserves water, but it does! Water
actually plays a huge role in electricity production. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are two main types of power plants in
the United States: <b>thermoelectric</b>
and <b>hydroelectric</b>. <b>Thermoelectric</b>
power plants heat water to produce steam for generating
electricity. <b>Hydroelectric</b> power plants use flowing water to turn turbines that generate
electricity. There are two components to water use in power plants. <b>Water
withdrawal</b> removes water from a local water source; the withdrawn water may
or may not get returned to its source. <b>Water
consumption</b> is the use of water that is not returned
to its source, usually due to evaporation loss.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Some cool things that use water for energy production include:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Drill/mine natural gas, coal, and oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Refine oil, uranium, and natural gas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Remove pollutants from exhaust</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Generate steam that turns turbines</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Transport</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Cooling</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Emissions Control</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Did you
know?</b></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> In 2005, thermoelectric power plants withdrew 143,000 million gallons every day to produce
electricity! This amounts to 41% of all the water withdrawn for our use.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Between 3,000-6,000 gallons of water are used to
power a 60-watt light bulb for 12 hours a day over a year </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Below is a
list of fuel sources and the amount of liters of water required</span></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fuel Source<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Efficiency (liters of water per 1000 kilowatt
hours)*<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Natural
Gas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tar
sands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">190-340<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oil
Shale<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">260-640<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Coal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">530-2100<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hydrogen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1,850-3,100<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Petroleum<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">15,500-31,200<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fuel
ethanol<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">32,400-375,900<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Biodiesel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: currentColor windowtext windowtext currentColor; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">190,900-969,000<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">*Information from the
Virginia Resources Research Center<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 13.5pt;"><span id="goog_388125056"></span><a href="http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wupt.html">For more information go here</a> or to find out the</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wupt-coalplant-diagram.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue;" target="_blank">typical process of turning coal into electricity go here</a>!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: center;">~Jackie Sherry</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: center;">Water Conservation Graduate Assistant</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-37597863279805822362012-12-11T09:30:00.000-05:002012-12-11T11:44:14.243-05:00It Starts and Ends With the River<i>It starts and ends with the river.</i> This refers to the lovely film created by Russell Oliver that was shown during the Downtown Development Plan Town Hall Meeting on November 27. It started with beautiful footage of the North Oconee River then proceeded through a virtual tour of the downtown planning area. It concluded with more footage of the North Oconee River, framing the downtown discussion. It was brilliant!<br />
<br />
Athens is creating a Downtown Master Plan that will define and direct the type of development for the area. All of the ideas presented at the Town Hall Meeting include more greenspace. I agree that downtown would benefit from more trees and open spaces for people to gather, but how will that affect our water resources? As the frequency and duration of drought increases, and most climate scientists say it will, we need to protect our limited water supply. Fortunately, additional greenspace does not have to dramatically increase the stress on our water supply. If planned properly it can even protect our water.<br />
<br />
Cisterns can be incorporated into the infrastructure of downtown to collect rainwater and condensate from HVAC systems. The water collected in the cisterns could be used for irrigation, reducing the amount of potable water needed to maintain the additional greenspace. Hotel Indigo, Athens-Clarke County, <a href="http://sustainability.uga.edu/what-were-doing/campus-operations/water/" target="_blank">UGA</a>, and others in Athens already use captured rainwater or condensate to irrigate landscapes. All new developments in downtown should do the same. Other communities even incorporate underground cisterns into their street infrastructure. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.canalparkdc.org/about/sustainability" target="_blank">New Jersey's Canal Park</a> includes a linear rain garden, low impact design tree pits, and approximately 80,000 gallons of underground cistern capacity. Almost all of the stormwater generated by the park will be used to satisfy 95% of the park's needs for irrigation, fountains, toilet flushing, and an ice rink.<br />
<br />
Other communities have extensive plans for green infrastructure. <a href="http://www.phillywatersheds.org/what_were_doing/green_infrastructure/tools" target="_blank">Philadelphia</a> protects and enhances its water resources by using innovative green stormwater infrastructure. <a href="http://www.nashville.gov/stormwater/docs/reports/GreenInfrastructureRpt101120.pdf" target="_blank">Nashville's Green Infrastructure Master Plan</a> includes the use of underground cisterns for irrigation.<br />
<br />
Some large developments, such as the<a href="http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/DallasHotel.aspx" target="_blank"> Dallas Omni Hotel</a>, have underground cisterns that capture recycled condensate water that is used to irrigate the landscape instead of using city drinking water. I am not proposing that a hotel of this scale is appropriate in Athens, but if this place can protect water we can too. <br />
<br />
-Marilyn Hall<br />
Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Coordinator<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-8685484872936429432012-12-04T09:30:00.000-05:002012-12-06T08:38:26.425-05:00<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ll Have a <span style="color: #0070c0;"><span style="color: blue;">Blue</span></span> Christmas<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The recent Black Friday fisticuffs at the Wal-Mart in
Moultrie, Georgia, remind us the season of giving is upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Ah, makes me so proud to be a
Georgian!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Rather than leaving a store black and blue, make it your goal to incorporate some <span style="color: #0070c0;"><span style="color: blue;">BLUE</span></span> into your gift giving. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span>This holiday let’s fight for
something more important than cheap electronics:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>clean water, protection
of our rivers, and a safe drinking supply for all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The following unique gift ideas are
sure to please that hard to shop for person on your list, as well as safeguard
our aquatic resources.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span></b><a href="http://www.beenatural.com/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Bee
Natural Honeypot</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Athens, GA<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrv-rWC3JSAsz3RcmZ31p-cJ2vkbLZF2zm_GaTB5NXVJ8Whnav00DupEcca9_jWuyTiUmFR3fPbA6oCvaH1Rkp_HW2TkUdc9N6yodFcjVjDNQNMLWsT9IhaOoabRNeQdy1vNoy1wOc5nvs/s1600/honeypot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrv-rWC3JSAsz3RcmZ31p-cJ2vkbLZF2zm_GaTB5NXVJ8Whnav00DupEcca9_jWuyTiUmFR3fPbA6oCvaH1Rkp_HW2TkUdc9N6yodFcjVjDNQNMLWsT9IhaOoabRNeQdy1vNoy1wOc5nvs/s200/honeypot.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">For a handcrafted item that smells
like warm honey, adds a soft glow to any room, and benefits our local waterways,
consider getting that special someone a Honeypot. These luminaries have been featured in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Southern
Living Presents</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Southern
Distinction</i> magazines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I</span>n a generous demonstration of Creighton Cutts' (the genius behind the Honepot) passion for the rivers, he joined with the </span><a href="http://www.waterkeeper.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Waterkeepers
Alliance</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and is donating </span><a href="http://www.beenatural.com/affiliateprogram.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">25% of retail orders</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">
to the Waterkeeper organization of your choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Add which Waterkeeper you would like to contribute to in the comment
section when ordering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Charity Gift Card<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you know someone who is passionate about water issues <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i></b> has everything? Then a </span><a href="https://www.tisbest.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">TisBest Charity Gift Card</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is the perfect present. This gift card works like any other, except instead of buying more stuff, the recipient spends it to support a charity of his or her choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are over 300 organizations to select from, including several with an aquatic focus, such as American Rivers, Ducks Unlimited, and The Ocean Conservancy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Design the card with over 50 stock images or personalize it with your own message, image, or company branding. Both you and the recipient get to give the gift of giving. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGHycrW3MpiPGgUouolE0joMMY8ec4675SrdGp0ppI6NznydqYI-9SUqNKaSmb4yxBIxGOVEhswQJFkdMDGIveEoTyQF5lEfYLTsrVn83nr05EC1uQ6JEHcxBLtD2YfgEFWAazKwLlJG1/s1600/christmas+cactus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGHycrW3MpiPGgUouolE0joMMY8ec4675SrdGp0ppI6NznydqYI-9SUqNKaSmb4yxBIxGOVEhswQJFkdMDGIveEoTyQF5lEfYLTsrVn83nr05EC1uQ6JEHcxBLtD2YfgEFWAazKwLlJG1/s200/christmas+cactus.png" width="150" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Cactus<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am serious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People regularly give Poinsettias for the holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why not be creative and give a Christmas Cactus Tree? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No other plant has such a reputation for needing very little water for survival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Websites, such as </span><a href="http://www.cactuslimon.com/cactuslimongifts.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">cactuslimon.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, offer an impressive selection of blooming cacti to brighten up any room for years to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your gift requires conservation, is unusual, self-sufficient, and an uncommon beauty. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Filtered Water Bottle <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://water.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Water.org</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><u><span style="color: blue;"> </span></u></span>has a special, limited edition </span><a href="http://water.org/gift/?utm_source=water_org&utm_medium=web&utm_content=new_bottlead-green"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">CamelBak
Groove Water Bottle</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> available in stainless steel or BPA-free plastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bottle keeps great tasting filtered water
always at the fingertips of your lucky recipient. Even better, $10 from each
bottle purchased goes to support Water.org, whose mission is to bring safe
drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries. Matt Damon
supports this organization, so it has to be alright!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WaterSense Showerhead<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHJ6mOe52dQqaFhg4cfIV9dJiABkqwJOmsyuNkCiheedyQ3047MXYR7F2rTmRp7wMDBX-TsL89CEJcUkRNUKXoub8hEpGD30HENweysGAQQLoNPB4S2kD_X7ktYRzGxx41BCGCNxQaRBI/s1600/small+watersense.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHJ6mOe52dQqaFhg4cfIV9dJiABkqwJOmsyuNkCiheedyQ3047MXYR7F2rTmRp7wMDBX-TsL89CEJcUkRNUKXoub8hEpGD30HENweysGAQQLoNPB4S2kD_X7ktYRzGxx41BCGCNxQaRBI/s1600/small+watersense.gif" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Long gone are the days when a “low-flow” showerhead equated to poor water pressure and soapy hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be granted the coveted WaterSense label, manufacturers of showerheads must meet rigorous standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is products providing even coverage, pleasing spray intensity, and exceptional pressure, all while using less water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who wouldn’t want to replace their old, H2O guzzling fixtures with these new drops of liquid sunshine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look for the WaterSense label and buy someone you care about a luxurious showerhead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earn extra brownie points:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Include a homemade gift certificate that promises personal installation of the product.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope these gift ideas inspire you to search for a present
that packs a one-two punch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Choosing
from above allows you to knock out a person from your holiday shopping list and
give to something you depend on every day. Water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you won’t end up in a bad youtube video
for getting into this fight. So, putting a new spin on <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ODrPL9-kEs" target="_blank">Elvis Presley</a></span> and </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8YQqK5e5es" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Porky Pig</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">’s renditions of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Christmas</i>, I wish everyone a
<span style="color: blue;">blue, blue, blue, blue</span> Christmas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy Holidays,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laurie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7634965948829481938.post-66089563684001293582012-11-27T09:30:00.000-05:002012-11-27T09:30:02.992-05:00Watery FarewellThis is it.<br />
<br />
This is my final blog as a Water Conservation Office intern. <br />
This is my second to last week as a student at the University of Georgia. <br />
My graduation on the 14th of December looms nearer and nearer...ever present on the horizon.<br />
I just attended my last home football game (after five seasons) as a UGA student. --Wreck Tech--<br />
<br />
My blood bleeds <span style="color: red;"><b>red</b> </span>and <b>black. </b> But because of this internship, it bleeds <b style="color: blue;">blue</b> too.<br />
<br />
The things I've learned I've shared with you in all the water conservation station posts. <br />
I hope to have also shared some of my heart with you.<br />
Sometimes it's hard to reach through the internet and connect to readers you never see, but all you can do is be honest and hope those reading believe you. <br />
One thing I have learned is that blogging is a conversation. It's not a lecture, it's not a scientific paper. It's me talking to you. It's the two of us sharing ideas, facts, and news.<br />
Sure, it's not the same as sitting together on North Campus enjoying a beautiful November day, but it's the new age, and as I've mentioned before, it's adapt or get left behind. <br />
Thanks for adapting with me.<br />
<br />
To my readers: this has been a beautiful, months long conversation with you. I will miss talking with you every Tuesday morning. Thank you for listening. Please keep coming back to support the new bloggers for Team Water, they love to see your comments and your page views.<br />
<br />
To my office: thank you. This internship has been priceless.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Annaliese Ashley-Intern<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10686759357450881908noreply@blogger.com0