Solvatten - how to get fresh water from the sun

Solvatten (Sun Water) is such an amazing invention!

Petra Wadström came up with this idea when travelling with her family in Indonesia in 1997, and it took her ten years of research and testing before production could begin.

Solvatten is a container of 10 liters that, when put in the sun, cleans water from bacteria, viruses and parasites. Apparently UV-light kills microorganisms as well as boiling does, and combined with heat and a built-in filter this really works. And without any chemicals being used! The container can be used in any country as long as there is sun. Doesn't matter if it's cold as long as the sun is out. Solvatten can produce up to 30 liters (8 gallons) of safe drinking water in a day.

It's so easy. You fill it up with water and leave it in the sun for two-six hours and voilà, when the indicator tells you the water is safe, you've got water ready to drink. It almost sounds to good to be true, but the water from Solvatten is approved by both WHO and FDA.

In many countries wood or charcoal is being used to heat up water to make it safe. In Africa 70% of household income is spent on that kind of fuel. Solvatten can help reduce that cost as well as help preventing deforestation.

Such a great and simple way to use free solar-energy and completely organic too!

You can find a long list of the organizations Solvatten cooperates with on their homepage.

I'm so proud of this Swedish innovator!

Diamonds are forever

If you want to make sure that your gold and diamonds come from a sustainable source there are a few things to consider.

The Kimberley Process is a social initiative that started in May 2000 to stop diamonds from conflict areas, so called Blood Diamonds. Many countries and companies in the diamond trade participate in this important task and they have reached great results in just over ten years. You can read a lot of interesting information about the process in the webpage. Since the KP certification is not legally binding for the participants every consumer plays an important role. The Kimberly Process really emphasis the importance we all play as consumers and what we need to ask for when shopping jewellery.

You can also look at Fair Trade Gems for more information and finding retailers.

Coalition for Green Gold is an interesting initiative on sustainable mining. Working against rainforest deforestation and mercury, cyanide and arsenic contamination this is extremely important. For example; mercury is used when extracting gold, and it's poisoning the water, the animals and the people living close to the mines. You can also find information about this work on Fairtrade and on Alliance for Responsible Mining.

If you want to shop some gorgeous jewellery, check out these websites;

Noën is a german company making beautiful jewellery in organic gold and diamonds. They don't want to compromise between beauty and social responsibility, and they really manage to mix those two together. The gold is extracted without chemicals and their diamonds are certified through the Kimberley Process. On their homepage you can even watch a video from one of the sites where they extract gold.

Ekoguld is Sweden's first Fairtrade certified goldsmith. Their gold are Fairmined certified and their gems are from sustainable and fairtrade sources. They even offer their customers to use recycled gold if they want to.

Dandelion is spelled with three E:s

Dandelion Sportswear is a Swedish company based in Stockholm. The three E:s stands for Ecologic, Ethic and Esthetic and is the foundation of the entire company.

Dandelion encourage their customers to consume less and recycle more and they adjust their collections according to this principle. The clothes are beautiful and functional and once they are worn out you can return it to them for recycling.

All clothes are 100% organic and they make sure that everybody in the supply chain gets a decent pay for their work and that no producers use child labour. No toxic dyes are being used which not only is beneficial to the environment but for the employees as well. The design and function is not compromised with and comfort is the main goal.

Nicole, the designer and founder, has a genuine design background from some of the most prestigous schools in the industry. She is also the founder of Strömmingsloppet (The Herring race). It's carried out each year in the city of Vaxholm in the archipelago outside Stocholm. The race has recieved the eco-label Håll Sverige Rent (Keep Sweden Clean)and 100SEK of each participants fee is donated to WaterAid.

Drink responsibly

In the western world, and in Sweden in particular, tapwater is so healthy and tastes so good there is really no reason to drink bottled water.

Sodastream is the largest worldwide company to provide products for carbonating water.
The soda maker is not very expensive (the cheapest one costs about the same as 50 liters of bottled water). One carbonator costs about 15USD and can be used to make 60-130 liters of carbonated water (depending on the size) and when it's empty you leave it to a retailer so it can be refilled and reused. The bottles used for the soda makers are either glass or plastic, depending on which soda maker you choose. The plastic bottles are high-pressure resistant, can be re-used for up to three years and the plastic is free fom Bisphenol A and does not give away any phtalates or PCB.

You save money, you save the environment and you're never out of fresh carbonated water.

Rooftop farming New York

In USA the art of rooftop farming is picking up. It sounds simple enough to start gardening on your own roof to get fresh vegetables and fruits, but you have to consider the impact of wind, sun and rain and plan accordingly. The rooftop farms are carefully planned to protect it's harvest and produce as much as possible on the limited space.

There are a lot of different reasons why people want to start a rooftop farm. Some value the marketing potential of a rooftop farm, some are interested in managing stormwater, and others want to supplement their commercial kitchens with locally grown food.  

Gotham Greens is situated in Brooklyn and sells their produce to local chefs, markets and retailers. They started in 2008 and their goal is to produce over 80 tons of fresh greens annually. They care about keeping the entire chain sustainable. From fair treatment of workers to biodiversity and preserving water. Their main goal is to produce tasty, safe and nutritious greens. The greenhouses are powered by solar-panels and they have an advanced computer systems to manage heating, cooling and plant nutrition.

Brooklyn Grange is another rooftop-farm. They sell their produce directly to the local people and businesses. Everybody is welcome to visit and to participate. They visit different markets to sell their produce, and in the sping of 2012 they will start an apiary project which will include 25 bee hives and produce over 1000 pounds of honey.

Follow up on their projects and read about the driving spirits behind them on Brooklyngrangefarm and Gothamgreens

A Positive Greenhouse Effect

By 2050 up to 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. In the same time the population will increase with 2 billion people. How will we provide food for everybody?

Plantagon is an interesting Swedish company working on a solution. They have developed architecture and technology for urban agriculture.

They've designed several different types of greenhouses; from houses used only for farming to solutions integrated in already existing office buildings. They've taken into consideration both the architecture itself and also ways to provide as much natural light as possible.

The entire farming process is based on a sustainable system with organic fertilisers, water recycling and ways to convert waste into biogas. They want to integrate farming with cities in ways that saves both money and the environment.

Their first greenhouse is currently being built in the city of  Linköping in Sweden.
They will be the first city in the world to test this new technology and break new grounds for future cities to develop sustainable farming solutions.

Read more about Plantagon's truly amazing inventions here.

Exciting  information about Vertical Farming can also be found on Verticalfarm.

WaterRun

One billion people don't have access to clean safe water.

5000 children die each day from diseases caused by unsafe drinking water.

WaterRun works together with public and private donors to help provide clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education around the world.

Only 20$ can provide safe clean drinking water for one person for 20 years!

To provide access to water is the biggest challenge we have in the world. It plays an important role in a sustainable future for all of us.

Help out and read more here

Whole Foods - Whole People - Whole Planet

Whole Foods Market started their first store in 1980 in Texas. Today, there are 310 stores in North America and the U.K and WFM are the world leading retailer when it comes to natural and organic food.

Apart from the actual stores they also contribute in spreading the message of a sustainable future. Among other things, they work together with farmers to get meat free from antibiotics and to reduce the use of pesticides in the fields.
WFM take great pride in not only caring for the animals and the planet but also to educate their customers in ways to reduce their impact on the environment. That includes discussions about animal cruelty, sustainable agriculture and why we should use environmentally-friendly cleaning materials etc. There is an extensive program designed to educate children, teachers and parents about healthy eating and to give children access to nutritious food.

They have also started a foundation, Whole Planet, that deals with micro-lending operations and sponsoring af neighborhood events to support organic farmers and expand the market for organic produce.

Whole Foods Market's vision is a sustainable and holistic future where we all work together with an in-depth knowledge of the environment and that we all are connected to each other. A future where everybody accepts resonsibility.

They see this vision as something that's going to seep through every company, organisation and individual and they lead by example through sustainable and ethical business practices.

It's a grand vision, and one for all of us to believe in to make it happen.

Read more; Wholefoodsmarket

Six Senses

Apart from beeing absolutely amazing resorts, their spas and hotels are something out of the ordinary when it comes to environmental issues, and they are highly involved in reducing the impact of their activities.

There is a very extensive program to try to achieve this in every possible way; from waste management to energy saving, from environmental concerns during constructions to raising awareness among staff, guests and the local community.

Apart from the smaller things, they are also involved in sustainability issues on a larger scale.

They have a fund, SERF, that is to be used primarily for social and environmental projects and initiatives in responsible development. All of the resorts and spas contribute 0,5% of their total revenue to this.

Six Senses is also dedicated to a water saving project. Half of the sales of water on their resorts are invested in organisations that helps to provide clean water for people around the world who doesn't have access to that.

In 2008 they started a symposium called Slow Life. The hope for this is that politicians, philosophers and influential people, sharing insights and making connections, can make way for a better and more sustainable future. Some of the speakers on the 2011 symposium were; Daryl Hannah, President Mohamed Nasheed and Richard Branson.

Read more and dream away at; Sixsenses