Change the Margins

Water Bottle Debate: Steel vs. Plastic

You've finally realized the evils of the plastic water bottle and got yourself a stainless steel one. But is it really better? This piece in the Opinion section of The New York Times by Daniel Goleman and Gregory Norris breaks it down for ya via  a cool illustration and specific details on manufacturing and usage.

The bottom line: just how "green" a product is often comes down to where we get it, how we use it and how we dispose of it. The Goleman and Norris's final suggestion:

Then again, some old solutions we shouldn’t discount. Before stainless steel thermoses, before bottled water, we already had an eco-friendly method of getting water: drinking fountains.

Boeing's High Tech Toilets

I know that perhaps it seems like lately I'm obsessed with toilet news, but water issues are near and ear to me. Heard an interesting piece on NPR yesterday about Boeing's green efforts, including their attempts to deal with California's water shortage. The company has installed 400 dual-flush toilets in its Space and Intelligence Systems campus outside Los Angeles because not all bathroom activity requires the same amount of flushing power.

You can listen to the story here.