Looking for a new family home in London in 1999 we took advice and found a suburban ‘semi’ that would lend itself to one or two modifications enabling more sustainable use of resources. Within 18 months of moving in, the
See through loos – Japan – ech2o newsletter snippet
In Japan there are, apparently, two concerns with public toilets, especially those located in parks. The first is whether it is clean inside, and the second is that no one is secretly waiting inside. These loos, that turn opaque once
I wish I’d been a monk … Warren Liebold, Europe in the Middle Ages
Water Technology in the Middle Ages: Cities, Monasteries, and Waterworks after the Roman Empire, by Roberta L. Magnusson, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. Before reading Water Technology in the Middle Ages I don’t think it ever occurred to
Pneumatic Poo – Philippa Jefferis, UK
What links Cairo, Oman, Gibraltar, Bolivia, Porto and the capital city Yangon in Myanmar with the Houses of Parliament in London? Unless you have really spent a lot of time doing pub quizzes during this Lock Down, then it is
Water at The Graig, Llanidloes, Mid Wales – Chris Lord Smith, UK
Despite living in one of the wettest part of Wales, water and its conservation is of great importance. For example, this is written in the middle of May and for the last 6 weeks we have had no significant rain
Do not use the toilet while the train is standing in the station – Cath Hassell, India and UK
“No more platform No 2s” was a headline in the Guardian back in October 2017 referring to the fact that in 2019 the practice of trains discharging the contents of their toilets directly onto the tracks would stop.[1] A combination
Testing for coronavirus in wastewater – a game changer in the fight against Covid-19? – Cath Hassell, World
We all know that Covid-19 is a respiratory illness and you catch it by inhaling infected droplets, but can the virus that causes it (SARS-CoV-2) be found in wastewater and if so is that a good or a bad thing?
Sewer workers in Pakistan – Pakistan – ech2o newsletter snippet
Sanitation is such an important job and yet in many countries across the world the people who clean the sewers face discrimination, incredibly unsafe working conditions and are poorly paid. This excellent report highlights the issues faced by sewer workers in Pakistan
Living in the sea – virtually – Philippines – ech2o newsletter snippet
Fascinating short film about the inhabitants of Ubay Island in the Philippines. After an earthquake in 2013 lowered the island by a metre, the island is flooded by the sea at high tide for four hours a day. The islanders were offered
Turning fire hydrants into public water fountains – USA – ech2o newsletter snippet
There are 118,000 fire hydrants throughout New York. A fire hydrant can release 4,500 litres of water per minute when fully opened, so recreational use may cause the network to lose pressure, potentially reducing the system’s capacity to quench fires.