Londonontap water competition

http://www.londonontap.org/competition/the-winner/

Launched in May 2008, the competition ran for three months and received over 115 entries. Ten designs were shortlisted for final judging in September 2008 and on December 1, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson announced ‘Tap Top’ as the winning design. Click here to see the shortlisted designs

The winning carafe, designed by London-based designer Neil Barron, will be used to serve tap water in restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels throughout the capital – underpinning the city’s commitment to providing high quality drinking water whilst reducing the environmental impact of packaging and transporting bottled water.

The competition was aimed at London based designers, to showcase the quality of design and craftsmanship associated with a city, which enjoys a reputation as the design capital of the world.

The winning designer received a one-off award of £5,000, sponsored by Thames Water.

Profits made from the sale of the carafe (after costs for set-up, manufacturing and distribution) will go to leading charity WaterAid – who provide vital water resources to some of the world’s poorest people. The minimum donation to WaterAid per carafe sold will be £1. Thames Water, The Mayor of London and the Crafts Council will make no profit from the project.

The design
The carafe design is derived from a stylised tap to subtly reinforce the tap water message. It has four pouring spouts which are drip-free and instinctive to use. The form produces a waistline with four exits which helps to trap the ice when pouring. The carafe is tall, tapered and elegant, yet quirky and contemporary.

The designer
Neil Barron is a London based industrial designer and part-time senior tutor at the Royal College of Art. He has produced many mainstream commercial products for clients including; Intel, Boots, Thulé, Body Shop, Lego, Escada, Unilever and E.ON. Neil thrives on the challenge to create the new, but tries to think and act responsibly regards environmental, cultural and social issues.

For more information regarding high quality drinking water visit www.revivedwater.com

Bottled Water-Facts and Figures

Understanding the differences
Bottled water costs 500 times more than tap water (CC Water), the equivalent of paying £1,500 for a pint of beer or glass of wine.

70% of people say the price of mineral water in restaurants is ‘too expensive’ and want to see free tap water readily available. (NCC 07)

One in five people are ‘slightly nervous’ or ‘too scared to ask’ for tap water (NCC 07)

92% of people say they should have the right to free tap water (NCC 07)

The average Briton drinks 37.6 litres of bottled water each year (Bottled Water Information Office)

2.7million tonnes of plastic are used to bottle water each year worldwide (EPI, 2006)

A quarter of all bottled water is produced for export markets (EPI,2006)
22million tonnes of bottled water are transferred each year from country to country (CIWEM)

Three out of four plastic bottles are still not recycled (WRAP 2007)
In 2006, 1.5million barrels of oil were used to make the 26billion litres of bottled water sold in the US. Enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year. (EPI, 2006)
Globally, nearly a quarter of bottled water crosses national borders to meet consumers (EPI, 2006)

Bottled water has a higher carbon footprint per litre than tap water - more than 300 times the CO2 emissions per litre in the case of some imported brands.
One tonne of CO2 is equivalent in volume to 6 double decker buses.

According to the Container Recycling Institute, 90 percent of PET bottles end up in landfills, at a rate of 30 million a day, where they take 450 years to break down.
In 2006, the UK consumed 2275million litres of bottled water (Bottled Water Information)

According to Dr. Gina Solomon, senior scientist at the NRDC (National Resources Defense Council), about 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) - a major greenhouse gas -are emitted during the transportation of bottled water from France, Italy, and Fiji to the U.S. (Quoted on www.greenerchoices.org)

Notes:
EPI (Earth Policy Institute)
CIWEM (Charted Institute of Water)
WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme)

Visit www.revivedwater.com and discover alkaline water

The poison lurking in your plastic water bottle

By JO KNOWSLEY, Daily Mail

Bottled water: Health fears
A Potentially deadly toxin is being absorbed into bottled mineral water from their plastic containers. And the longer the water is stored, the levels of poison increase, research reveals. As the sell-by date on many bottled waters is up to two years, scientists have now called for extensive further studies.
The research by world expert Dr William Shotyk - who has vowed never to drink bottled water again - will be published in the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal next month. It is sure to revive concerns about the safety of bottled water, the world's fastest-growing drinks industry, worth £1.2billion a year.
The tests found traces of antimony, a chemical used in the making of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, used by most mineral-water sellers.
Small doses of antimony can make you feel ill and depressed. Larger quantities can cause violent vomiting and even death. The study stressed that amounts of antimony were well below official recommended levels. But it also discovered that the levels almost doubled when the bottles were stored for three months.
Professor Shotyk, of Heidelberg University in Germany, said: "I don't want to shock people but here's what I know: Antimony is being continuously released into bottled drinking water. The water in PET bottles is contaminated."
He tested ground water and 15 types of bottled mineral water in his native Canada. The ground water contained two parts per trillion (ppt) of antimony. Bottled water had an average 160 ppt of antimony when opened immediately after bottling. But ground water stored in a PET plastic bottle had 630 ppt of antimony when opened six months later.
Professor Shotyk then tried the experiment in Europe, collecting 48 brands of water in PET bottles and water from its source in the ground at a German bottling plant. The water had four ppt of antimony before being bottled, the contents of a new bottle had 360 ppt and one opened three months later had a staggering 700 ppt.
Antimony finds its way into water by 'leaching' from the plastic in the same way that water absorbs flavour from a teabag. Health authorities said even the higher levels of antimony found are way below official safety guidelines, set at around six parts per billion by international environment agencies.
Elizabeth Griswold, director of the Canadian Bottled Water Association, added: "The levels do not pose a risk to humans. They are simply trace elements."
But David Coggan, a Southampton University-based epidemiologist who works with the Medical Research Council, called for further research into the findings.
He said not enough was known about the effects of antimony and how much had to be consumed before it became dangerous. Last year naphthalene, which can cause liver damage in high doses, was found in two bottles of Volvic mineral water. Bacteria which could leach into bottled water has been cited as a possible reason for rising levels of food poisoning.



Add your comments View all
Comments (22)
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below?
People need to wake up and start taking some action against these companies. Isn't it obvious that ANY amount of antimony or other chemical is poisonous to the body? Why are so many people brainwashed into believing that "trace" amounts are not problematic?
Toxic chemicals do not belong in the body PERIOD because they make us sick and disease stricken. The same problem is happening with our food. We shouldn't be accepting this and many people just tend to sit back and do nothing and actually argue in favour of these companies. Shame on you!
- Linda Brokopp, Toronto, Canada, 22/3/2006 15:40

I believe none of us really know the effects food and drink containers may have on our bodies because there just isn't enough research into it. The reason for the lack of research is possibly due to the potential effects of such manufactured products on the body taking many years to have any impact, therefore it being very hard if not impossible to tie any particular product/chemical to a specific illness.
Lots of people still have lead water pipes on their properties which isn't desirable, but even if they have the more modern plastic pipes can anyone honestly produce evidence of how much research has gone into ensuring the safety of these.
- Darren Milburn, Redcar, 21/3/2006 18:05

For the healthier alternative to bottled water visit www.revivedwater.com and discover ionised water filters

Revived Water not only for the Alkaline Water also for the Many Health Benefits of Acid Ionized Water too.

The Many Health Benefits of Acid Ionized Water
April 15, 2009 http://www.newshealth.us/?p=309

If you’ve been reading some of the articles on the health benefits associated with alkaline water and water ionizers, then you may be confused by this title. But, did you know that there are a wide variety of uses for acid ionized water as well? That’s right! Using your water ionizer to produce acid ionized or alkaline ionized water is equally beneficial. Below, you will learn many of the best uses for this specialized revived water which has recently become available and easy to produce right in your own home.

One of the best uses for acid ionized water is for skin care. Human hair and skin is actually mildly acidic, which allows for the water to interact with it beneficially. Acid ionized water has the ability to restore sheen to hair as well as thickness of body. Also, it can promote smoothness and tightness of the skin. In some cases, it has been seen to remove years worth of wrinkles and cause people to look years younger! Acid ionized water is also great for treating dry or itchy skin, including the itchiness which results from common rashes such as poison ivy or poison oak. It has also been shown to reduce or eliminate acne and eczema. Finally, acid ionized water has been shown to treat athlete’s foot, minor burns, and insect bites. All of that, and just for the skin!

Acid ionized water is also great for using around the house, particularly in the kitchen. It’s acid composition has shown to have superior cleaning and disinfecting ability when cleaning work surfaces and cutting boards. Want to avoid dangerous salmonella and e-coli? This water will help to ensure your surfaces and plates get cleaned properly to protect you and your family. Also, it is optimal for cleaning fresh fruits and vegetables. Acid ionized water has been shown to better remove pesticides and bacteria from such foods.

There are also a ton of uses of acid ionized water that do not fit in the above two categories. Use it to brush your teeth and gargle after brushing for cleaner, healthier gums and teeth. Flowers have been shown to stay fresh longer when placed in mildly acidic water. Also, it has been used for years in hospitals to treat bedsores, infections, and diabetic ulcers. And for you gardeners, spraying it on your garden can vastly reduce the amount of pesticides you have to use.

Hopefully, if you thought that a water ionizer was only beneficial for producing alkaline water, you now see the myriad of benefits that can come from proper utilization of acid ionized water. For optimal health, it is important to use both in conjunction. Returning your body to an acid/alkaline balance by consuming alkaline water is just as important as the benefits listed above, if not more. It will help you avoid chronic diseases such as heart burn, constipation, diabetes, and migraines.

Alkaline Water for Home and Commercial Use and can be supplied by RevivedWater.com

Acid ionized water is for external use only, not for drinking. Its antimicrobial and astringent properties have found widespread use. In fact, water ionizers were of established use in Japanese hospitals for the value of their ACID ionized water, long before the benefits of alkaline water were discovered.

Its home uses include:

In the Kitchen

Clean work surfaces, cutting boards, etc. and rinse dishes with high level acid ionized water. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables to kill bacteria.




Skin Care

Because human hair and skin is mildly acidic, acid water is used restore sheen to hair and smoothness to skin. It can relieve dry itchy skin, including the itchiness resulting from poison ivy and poison oak. Helps in the treatment of acne and eczema.
Tests have shown that this “oxidized” water can be used to treat:
Athlete’s foot
Minor burns and scratches
Insect bites.


Flowers: Stay fresh longer in mildly acidic ionized water

Teeth: Used for brushing and gargling

Commercial uses:

Acid ionized water with high oxidant levels (O.R.P. of +1100mV) is currently used in American and Japanese hospitals in the treatment of bedsores, operative wounds with complicated infections, and diabetic ulcers. This water is sometimes referred to as "super oxide water". It is used extensively in Japan’s medical facilities for the sterilization of surgical equipment and wounds. For the same reasons, it has been adopted by the food service industry for the sterilization of kitchen utensils and the cleaning of seafood and meats. In agriculture acid ionized water is used effectively on plants to kill fungi and molds. For example, it is sprayed on sprouts, wheatgrass, and germinating plants in nurseries to prevent mold. Because it is non-toxic, there is no danger to the environment. Golf courses have used it to vastly reduce their reliance on pesticides and herbicides.

links alkaline water
links kangen water

Alkaline Water -should we be bathing as well,as drink?

Alkaline Water,Kangen Water,Ionised Water or Revived Water the properties and benefits from these machines should not be dismissed.I believe that the evidence is there, to be a must, for people to consider these products,to prevent and control illness.
Public water treatment systems rely on chlorine to kill harmful bacteria. Until recently, concerns about drinking water focused on eliminating pathogens. Chlorination of drinking water was a major factor in the reduction in the mortality rates associated with waterborne pathogens. The use of chlorine was believed to be safe until recent years, when halogenated organic compounds, such as chloroform, were identified in chlorinated drinking water supplies. Recent surveys show that these compounds are common in water supplies throughout the North America and UK. These concerns about cancer risks associated with chemical contamination from chlorination by-products have resulted in numerous epidemiological studies. These studies generally support the notion that by-products of chlorination are associated with increased risk of cancer and other health problems. These risks arise from both drinking and bathing in chlorinated water.

Following are quotes from a variety of sources:

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, Jan 18, 2007 "Drinking, bathing or swimming in chlorinated water may increase the risk of bladder cancer, a new study shows." See article

U.S. COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: "Cancer rates for people on chlorinated water systems is 93% higher than for those on non-chlorinated water systems..."

DR. J.M. PRICE, MD: "Cancer risks among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine."

NEW SCIENTIST 18 September 1986 - Ian Anderson "Studies indicates the suspect chemicals can also be inhaled and absorbed through the skin during showering and bathing." "Ironically, even the chlorine widely used to disinfect water produces Carcinogenic traces." "Though 7 out of 10 Americans drink chlorinated water, its safety over long term is uncertain." "Drinking chlorinated water may as much as double the risk of Bladder Cancer, which strikes 40,000 people a year."

U.S. NEWS &WORLD REPORT - July 29 1991 Is Your Water Safe--The Dangerous State of Your Water "A long hot shower can be dangerous. The toxic chemicals are inhaled in high concentrations."

HEALTH CANADA --"Several studies on humans have also found a link between long-term exposure to high levels of chlorination by-products and a higher risk of cancer. For instance, a recent study showed an increased risk of bladder and possibly colon cancer in people who drank chlorinated water for 35 years or more.

Daily Strength.org