Tag: water (Page 3 of 4)

Earth Week Scavenger Hunt

April 16, 2013 / / 54 Comments

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 28th!!!

Take part in our Earth Week scavenger hunt and YOU could win cool prizes!

Rules: Take pictures of the following items and post them on the Office of Sustainability Facebook and Twitter pages. The top photo-getters will receive fun prizes! For a list to take around with you, use our printable Earth Week Scavenger Hunt!

Send us a picture of…

  • your reusable water bottle
  • the front of Tufts Institute of the Environment or the Office of Sustainability
  • you with President Monaco doing something sustainable together
  • “Choose to Reuse” sticker
  • compost
  • a bike
  • a meatless meal
  • bike generator (in the lobby of TIE/OOS)
  • Terracycle (try Tower Café or the Lobby of OOS)
  • an Eco-Rep
  • a CFL or LED lightbulb
  • you on the T or MBTA Bus
  • one of the 4 Zip Cars on campus
  • wildlife (bonus points if it’s not a tree, flower, or squirrel)
  • you turning off the lights or your power strip
  • Recycling!
  • Tina Woolston, Director of the Office of Sustainability
  • a Professor teaching an environmental class
  • an Eco-Tour sign
  • Eco-Labels
  • TSC Meeting or Branch Meeting

We will be handing out Choose to Reuse stickers to ALL participants, whether or not you win, at our table at Earth Fest. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Chemicals and Gasoline contaminating 3-5 gallon water bottles?

February 25, 2013 / / 15 Comments

Report put out byGREENUVM: “BURLINGTON – Vermont health officials are advising anyone who has purchased either 3-gallon or 5-gallon drinking water bottles since November 1, 2012 to open and check for gasoline odor before using the water.

Clean water is odorless. If you smell gasoline or chemical fumes, do not drink or use the water.

This precaution is being urged following reports from Massachusetts that plastic water bottles of these sizes may have become contaminated by being used to store fuel and then recycled back to drinking water bottlers.

Only 3-gallon or 5-gallon size bottled water containers are affected.

If you find a water bottle with an odor, notify the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation at 802-585-4912, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, after Super Storm Sandy struck the eastern seaboard in October, some gasoline shortages were reported in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and some residents used empty containers such as large water bottles to transport gasoline. Laboratory tests conducted by Massachusetts state officials on a sample taken from a 5-gallon container of Poland Springs bottled drinking water showed the presence of small amounts of chemicals including benzene. This indicates gasoline contamination.

Other bottled water suppliers who use refillable plastic bottles could also be affected by this event.

In the past three months, bottled water companies have had an increased number of returned water bottles found to contain gasoline residue or fumes. Despite disinfection and sanitation efforts, a small number of contaminated bottles are believed to have recycled back to consumers, based on a number of consumer complaints.

Neither the Vermont Department of Health nor the Department of Environmental Conservation, which regulates public drinking water supplies in the state, have received reports of contaminated bottled water.

The possible health effects of consuming water contaminated with these chemicals will depend on the amount of exposure. If you can smell chemicals, you can assume contamination. If you have health concerns, contact your health care provider.

If you use refillable bottled water containers for anything other than drinking water, for the protection of everyone, do not recycle back to the water supplier. “

Oct. 12: The Future of Water Symposium

September 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Cloudy with a Chance of Solutions:
The Future of Water

Friday, October 12, 2012 | 9 am – 5 pm

 

Radcliffe Gymnasium, 10 Garden Street, Radcliffe Yard
Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Radcliffe Institute’s annual science symposium will focus on the important and challenging topic of water. Water is a theme that encompasses issues as varied as environmental contamination, public health, agricultural shortages, and geopolitical disputes. “Cloudy with a Chance of Solutions: The Future of Water” will focus on the ecological and human health hazards of environmental contaminants, the threats to drinking water of fracking, the promise of new technologies for water treatment, the need for national water policy, and the role of urban and other areas in conservation. The majority of the talks will focus on the “hard science” of water-related issues; others will offer the perspectives of experts from the policy, business, or urban-planning worlds to put the scientific discussions in a broader context and to link them thematically.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.  

For more information and to register, please visit www.radcliffe.harvard.edu or call 617-495-8600.

Register Now!

Jun 13: Citizen Scientist Training Workshop

June 11, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Mystic River Watershed Association will offer a Citizen Scientist Training Workshop on Wednesday, June 13th, 6-8pm in Somerville. This Workshop allows interested volunteers to learn about water quality monitoring methods and concepts. By completing this workshop, you’ll be prepared to join MyRWA’s Baseline Monitoring Program. The Baseline Monitoring Program requires a monthly commitment between 6am and 8am. No experience is necessary – all are welcome!

Space is limited – you have to register for this event. To register email Beth@MysticRiver.org today!

Jun 26: Walking Tour of Blueback Herring River Route (Somerville, MA)

May 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

In collaboration with the Inner Core Committee, MetroFuture Walks & Talks will be hosting an afternoon walk from 3-4:30 pm on June 26 along the Blueback Herring River Route in Somerville. In the fall of 2009 the City of Somerville was awarded a grant by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust to create new opportunities for the community to access and enjoy the Mystic River. One component was to develop a safe pedestrian route from Foss Park to the Blessing of the Bay boathouse called the Blueback Herring River Route. We will gather at the Mystic Activity Center for a brief overview of the project and then we will walk along the 0.6 mile route and back (a total of 1.2 miles). Each participant will receive a copy of the Blueback Herring River Route map as well as a copy of the publication “How to Develop Walking Routes to the Lower Mystic River and its Tributaries: A Tool Kit”. Please note that portions of the sidewalks along the route are rough and uneven and may be difficult to navigate in a wheelchair or for people with other mobility difficulties. This event is made possible with funding provided by the Sustainable Communities grant and will take place rain or shine. RSVP here.

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