The new technology works by using a form of bacteria to filter polluted materials from sewage water.

AARHUS, Denmark — Jan. 20, 2016 — A water treatment plant in Denmark will become the first in the world to produce 50 percent more electricity than it uses, according this release.

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon

Iceland's Blue Lagoon in the spring.

Bernard Beer Spa    A couple enjoys the Bernard Beer Spa in Prague.

igloo hot tub at Iglu-dorf      Cool: The Iglu-Dorf sits at the top of one of Europe's top ski slopes overlooking St Moritz, Davos and Klosters

Wine Spa at the Hakone Yunessun spa resort    Guests hold their glasses as they bathe in a pool of red at the Hakone Yunessun spa resort, one of Japan's most popular hot spring resorts.

Chena Hot Springs (Fairbanks, Alaska)   

And more from the Smithsonian Magazine

 

The Nano Membrane Toilet

Unlike most toilets, this invention does not need water and it does not smell either. The groundbreaking john makes use of a revolving machinery to transfer the waste to a holding chamber which contains the nano elements. The process also blocks off any odors as well as keep the stool out of view.

Video  and more about the The Nano Membrane Toilet

From the Los Angeles Times  “Our maps and estimates show where the groundwater is quickly being renewed and where it is old and stagnant and non-renewable,” said Tom Gleeson, a hydrogeologist at the University of Victoria and leader of the study, in the article.

According to the research team, the upper 1.2 miles of the Earth’s crust currently holds six quintillion gallons of groundwater, shared the article. Above ground, the amount would form a layer of water 600 feet high across the globe.

…The measurements showed that 5.6 percent of groundwater is less than 50 years old, a finding Gleeson noted was the biggest surprise of the study.

“This global view of groundwater will, hopefully, raise awareness that our youngest groundwater resources — those that are most sensitive to anthropogenic and natural environmental change — are finite,” she concludes.

Don’t you want to be clean? Don’t you ever feel … not so fresh?

You don’t try to clean the rest of your body with a dry towel, right?” said Jerry Bougher, the marketing manager for toilet seats at Kohler, the plumbing fixtures company. Say you’re covered with mud, he said. “Will you clean yourself up with a bunch of paper? No, obviously, you’ll take a shower.

This is the basic pitch for the electronic bidet toilet seat

TOKYO— Yoshiaki Fujimori wants to be the Steve Jobs of toilets.

Like iPhones, app-packed commodes are objects of desire in Mr. Fujimori’s Japan. The lids lift automatically. The seats heat up. Built-in bidets make cleanup a breeze. Some of them even sync with users’ smartphones via Bluetooth so that they can program their preferences and play their favorite music through speakers built into the bowl.

 

Toto Ltd is giving couples a chance this Valentine’s Day to purify their love inside a 3-meter tall toilet.

Japan’s largest maker of so-called sanitary ware this weekend will hold a special event in Tokyo’s posh Roppongi district where couples can walk inside a room through a toilet seat-shaped entrance, play toilet-inspired games together and strengthen their bond.

Some of the games at the event, including one in which pairs work together to exterminate virtual germs that are projected onto the floor, are sure to make couples feel closer, a Toto spokesman said.

They’re known among Madison Water Utility inspectors simply as “flooded houses” – homes with collapsed ceilings and peeling drywall, water pouring out from under doors, thick ice on the insides of windows.

If you have frozen pipes, do NOT leave home until you turn the house water off!

October is Energy Action Month, a time to take simple actions to save energy and money on your utility bills. And one of the easiest places to take action to save energy—and water—every day is in your shower.

Many Americans know about the importance of saving energy and water. But few know about the drops-to-watts connection—that it takes energy to pump, heat, treat, and deliver the water we use every day. We turn on the bathroom lights and the shower without realizing how closely related water and energy are to each other.

If you want to save energy, as well as water and money, start with your shower. Showering is one of the leading ways we use water at home. The average family uses more than 13,000 gallons of water annually just for showering—or about 17 percent of your home’s indoor water use. That adds up to 40 gallons of water per family each day—or nearly 1.2 trillion gallons of water used each year nationwide just for showering!

That’s why EPA has also declared October Shower Better Month. By replacing just one showerhead with a WaterSense labeled model, the average family can save more than 2,900 gallons of water each year—the amount it takes to wash more than 70 loads of laundry. A WaterSense labeled showerhead can also save the amount of electricity it takes to power the average family’s home for 13 days and reduce their annual water and energy costs by more than $70!

WaterSense labeled showerheads are available in a wide variety of styles and prices. Most importantly, all models that earn the label must be independently certified for both efficiency and performance. So you can enjoy a satisfying spray while saving water, energy, and money—in other words, you will shower better!

 

American Standard was recognized with a Popular Science “Best of What’s New” award for its SaTo sanitary toilet pan designed to increase access to safe sanitation in Bangladesh. The SaTo (derived from “Safe Toilet”) is easy to use and inexpensive to produce, and incorporates local bathroom practices and other on-the-ground realities. 

“Imagine a world where no child dies needlessly from a lack of safe sanitation and where all people can live healthy, dignified lives.”   — Bill Gates, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

For every Champion toilet purchased in 2014 American Standard will donate one hygienic latrine pan to a family in Bangladesh.

 Flush for Good

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