Oil and Water

I've been following the BP Oil Spill - wait a bit: it isn't a spill so can we stop calling it that? - saga with some interest. Not just because of the scale of devastation it is causing, nor because of how it highlights our over-reliance on fossil fuels, but also for how stupid some Americans can be in blaming Obama for this and asking him to step in and take charge.

I think these guys should just stop watching Bruce Willis movies and think for a bit:
What could the navy/coast guard/army/airforce/GI Joe/Obama do that BP can't? Besides cleaning up that is, which is already being done. Yeah, well, nothing is just about the right answer. In this instant-gratification age, we all just seem to live in a kind of la-la-land where titanium-clad space shuttles and leaping moon rovers exist, and where a bit of bravado, machismo and derring-do always saves the day and the hunk always gets the girl.

Well, sorry guys, it doesn't work that way in real life.

The crisis in the Gulf of Mexico is bad. In fact it's worse than just about any other environmental disaster ever. But there's no quick solution, no 'you're the disease and I'm the cure' (OK that's Stallone, not Willis) speedy fix. The best guys to do the job are, ironically and much as we all might hate it, the guys who caused it in the first place. So let's quit with the posturing, OK? It's beginning to grate on this non-American's ears.

Now on to something quite different - I thought I'd throw something into the mix. Water. Yeah, yeah water and oil and all that...

I came across a couple of really good books recently. Green Design, ISBN 978-1-55643-836-3 is a really cool book with all sorts of green solutions and ideas.

Coincidentally, I was sent a link to a TED talk on clean water which showcased the Lifesaver water filter which is a remarkable device that can alter the way we approach the care of the victims of natural disasters like the 2004 Asian Tsunami or Hurricane Katrina. In both cases, and almost all like them, water becomes a scarce necessity. Or I should say 'clean and safe drinking water' becomes scarce. The Lifesaver filter is one such solution which is remarkable as it has also been scaled up to provide water for a family unit rather than an individual.

Watch the TED talk here:


I immediately recalled a similar personal device in the Green Design book and dug up this info on the Lifestraw. A truly remarkable device shaped like a straw and through which you suck up clean, safe drinking water from virtually any water source including muddy puddles and standing water.


Read about it and even watch a video demo here:
Lifestraw: A $5 water filter
Or check out the site of the organisation that made it possible:
Vestergaard Frandsen

There are heaps of other great ideas in the book too - including a water drum that makes fetching water from miles away a much simpler, safer and less arduous task. There are also some beautiful designs for lights, seats, interiors and much more. You can buy the Green Design book online: