点废成绿 Greening the Beige (GtB) is an eco-minded arts collective and not-for-profit community network dedicated to nurturing awareness of environmental issues. 点废成绿 GtB promotes and celebrates earth friendly artists and organizations in Beijing.
"Why are we being forced to choose between the economy and the environment? We tend to forget that without an environment we would not have an economy, as everything we consume and I mean everything comes from our environment."
~ Franke James (contemporary artist, photographer, writer)
Beijing's landfills are getting full fast! Reduce the "trash" you throw away by purchasing products with minimal packaging. Look for reusable, recyclable, and biodegrable items and remember to carry your reusable shopping bags!
Beijing is desert country, set to grow exponentially more so in the years ahead...
So thought I'd share a great resource from The Beijinger focused on the #1 rule of desert survival:
ALWAYS STAY HYDRATED.
Water -- it's more precious than oil!
"A 2007 study found that nearly 40 percent of bottled water in Beijing is merely tap water with fake seals. (If you’re wondering why anybody would bother to counterfeit such a cheap commodity, it’s because the high sales volumes of the bottled stuff make “fake water” a very profitable business.)
In general, the main villains in tap water are bacteria, chlorine, and chemical contaminants, in particular, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). Bacteria can give you stomachaches or diarrhea, so tap water is treated to kill those microorganisms, but then no one likes the taste of the chlorine that gets the job done. VOCs are most dangerous, as some have been linked to certain cancers and serious diseases.
But government tests declare our tap water safe and potable. Recently, they even promulgated a 12-year Urban Drinking Water Sources Protection Plan to ensure it. Before you breathe that sigh of relief, don’t forget the many miles of pipes and tanks between the water plants and our homes. Older homes may harbor rusty pipes and sedimentation from bad plumbing; even new homes aren’t necessarily safe, as shoddy building codes can lead to the wrong pipes or solvents being installed, leading to the contamination of otherwise good water by the time it pours from your faucets.
Specifically because water is tasteless and the bad guys invisible, it’s hard to tell what you’re getting. So how can you guarantee yourself a supply of clean drinking water? Let’s peruse the options."
Thirsty for more? Read more here.
