Green Ideas
Where does groundwater come from?
September 9, 2015We talk a lot about groundwater, but it’s been a while since we’ve explained what, exactly, it is. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there’s ground water pretty much everywhere on earth. It varies in amount and in distance from the surface. “The water table may be deep, such as under a hillside, or shallow…
Egad! It’s El Niño
August 18, 2015A Morning Call story this week states that the Old Farmer’s Almanac is forecasting lots of snow and cold this winter across much of the northeast. Meteorologists, on the other hand, are calling that prediction a bunch of hot air. Instead, they say, the El Niño that’s affecting our weather has all the appearances of…
Make your own all-natural bug spray, ant traps
July 18, 2015It’s been clearly documented that the use of pesticides has led to water pollution, and doctors and scientists have linked pesticides in our food to disease. We’re always looking for ways to reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides in our homes and gardens, so when we saw these two recipes from Rodale’s Organic Life, we knew we had to…
Tired of the rain? Save some before it goes away
July 8, 2015With all the rain we’ve had recently, saving some water for a (non-) rainy day is probably the last thing on your mind. Yet it’s actually the perfect time to think about it, because waiting until your garden is dry and the plants are wilted and brown is too late. A rain barrel is the…
The land of 10,000 lakes — and a lot of pollutants, too
June 25, 2015Apparently not even the far reaches of Minnesota — known as “the land of 10,000 lakes” — can escape source water pollution. A story from Pollution Online states that scientists have found a host of drugs in 11 lakes and four rivers, even in remote areas. Among the drugs found were those used in certain X-rays,…
Help us celebrate National Drinking Water Week!
May 6, 2015Join us as we celebrate our most important natural resource: clean drinking water. “Drinking Water Week is an important time to understand our drinking water – from source to tap,” says American Water Works Association Chief Executive Officer David LaFrance. “To understand the process is to truly appreciate the hard work and dedication that…
It’s time to get out in the garden!
April 23, 2015Get out your shovels and rakes — gardening season is here! Yes, we know it’s cold out. In fact, it seems like the warm weather will never stay longer than a few days — but we promise, it will. Besides, some veggies like the cooler weather, and they do best when they get an early…
Earth Day events — can you dig it?
April 14, 2015Next Wednesday (April 22) is Earth Day. Are you doing something special for the planet? It could be as simple as keeping that new year’s resolution to recycle more, or vowing (and keeping your vow) to take shorter showers. Over the next two weeks, there are celebrations and events across the Lehigh Valley. We’ve gathered…
LCA’s Chief Executive Officer takes a stand on nutrient pollution
February 6, 2015Last August, the City of Toledo issued a city-wide “do not drink” water advisory due to their detection on cyanotoxin microcystin in the drinking water. This contamination event occurred due to a large algal bloom in Lake Erie. What causes such an event? Nutrient pollution. This term is used to describe the influx of nitrogen, phosphorus…
That pesky snowfall is actually good for the water supply
January 25, 2015As we find ourselves in the middle of a second snowstorm in just a few days, it’s as good a time as any to think about how much of that snow ends up in our drinking water. Although snow can pile up quickly, an inch of snow and an inch of rain are very different…