ECOsmarte blog

When I first started with ECOsmarte, I had no idea how "green" they were. In fact when I first started with the company, I was just finding out about the whole house filtration systems - having been caught up with the amazing pool/spa systems at first. Believe me, folks, there is an environmentally friendly solution to clean water in your home.

I am the only "water" person in my Green Building Council of Ventura group, the only one! ECOsmarte is virtually the only water company that replaces your water softener - certainly the only one to do so guaranteeing satisfaction with a water hardness measurement of 25 grains and under. Here is what we do for the environment:
1. No brine discharge from your water softener, which translates into no chlorides going into the environment.
2. No water waste, as in reverse osmosis, where approximately 3 gallons of water is wasted for every gallon produced.
3. No hard water deposits, eliminating the need for the really caustic and toxic chemicals that remove scaling.
4. Maximum effectiveness of soaps and detergents (just like softened water), eliminating the need for excessive use.
5. No landfill waste of mineral sludge, filters or resin exchange pellets - ECOsmarte uses none of those.
6. Non-toxic back wash - even the backwash from an ECOsmarte system is non-toxic and can be used for supplemental irrigation which saves even more water.
7. No monthly servicing, so forget all the gasoline used by the service people and the carbon emissions from those trucks - not a part of the picture with ECOsmarte.

And this is just for the home systems!! Later today I will be sure to provide you with a list for our pool systems as well. And there are some way cool things we do for the planet with our pools. ECOsmarte is proud to do our part for the Planet.

Happy Earth Day everyone!!

I recently had a booth at the Santa Barbara Home and Garden Show. I did my homework before I went and had a sheet that compared ECOsmarte Water to the 4 other water companies that were attending the show. This was a successful technique, as potential customers basically had a cheat sheet of sorts to question the other water companies. ECOsmarte had pretty much no competition in the environmentally friendly category, which is a great thing in this area, as many people are very environmentally conscious. The show was a good one and I did well.

That show was just a month ago, and now we are coming up to Earth Day, which is a very big deal in California, even more so in the areas I concentrate on - Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. I will have a booth at 3 events - Earth Day at Oak Grove School in Ojai, Earth Day event in Ventura and Earth Day in Santa Barbara as well. The coordinator of the Ventura event called me yesterday to confirm he received my registration. He then described to me a phone call he had received that morning.

A man called the coordinator and asked if there were any water companies that were going to have a booth at the event. He was a bit "cagey" when questioned and was not clear whether he was an individual who wanted to attend the event or a vendor wanting a booth. The coordinator said yes, ECOsmarte Water was going to be there, he had just received the registration. The coordinator said that as soon as he mentioned the name of my business, the phone call ended very quickly after that - the caller basically saying okay thanks and bye. The call felt strange and odd to him.

I told the coordinator that I suspected the man who called was from one of the other water companies (likely at the Santa Barbara show) and knew he could not compete with ECOsmarte in the environmental arena, so was checking out the competition before committing to a booth to see if I was going to be there.

I wouldn't miss it for the World.

I found some information about anti-bacterial soaps - way scary!
The common ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps is Triclosan, which is poison, can be absorbed into your skin/body and stays in the environment roughly forever. Read about it here and if you are like me...never buy anti-bacterial soap again. I hate the fear mongering that goes with advertising, sometimes. Fear the Germs!! They will kill you!!! Come to find out the "solution" offered is worse than the cure, for you and for the Planet. Geez!

Okay, all you landscapers out there creating beauty with plants, this is for you...

Yes, ECOsmarte offers whole house water filtration systems....which can be installed to service not only the water in your house but the water that irrigates the lovely landscaping outside of your home.

Why?

ECOsmarte provides distinct advantages to outside irrigation water. Check it out...

What is the most common maintenance issue with irrigation systems (especially in the Ventura County area - or anywhere with hard water)? Hard water deposits! Not a problem with ECOsmarte Water. The hard water deposits are not a problem in irrigation systems, and the effect of hard water on the soil is not a problem, either. Copper ions in the water encourage existing scale to go back into solution, keeping your irrigation lines clean without any toxic chemicals. ECOsmarte transforms the minerals into a bicarbonate state; they will not accumulate and harden your soil, as normal hard water will do. If you aerate your lawns, the need for it will be dramatically reduced or eliminated with ECOsmarte. The copper ions in the water reduce the surface tension of the water, creating a "wetter water". What this means in practical terms is that you will use less water - 8% to 10% less; it will be absorbed better and more easily. And forget the need for fungicides, surfactants and chemicals! You can have chemical-free lawns. All of this has been proven at our golf course applications.

Benefits
Hard Water Irrigation Issues Eliminated
Fungicide, Nematicide and Surfactant use Eliminated
Aeration punching dramatically reduced
Wetter Water lowers water use 8-10%
Pure, clean water with no toxins or chlorine helps plants thrive

All this plus the advantages of having ECOsmarte Water in the house? Tell your landscaping clients you have a solution for their water issues. Oh, and guess what? ECOsmarte Water is perfectly safe for septic tanks because ZERO SALT is used in the water treatment!! Questions? Call the ECOsmarte Dealer nearest you. In California, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, that would be me!

What do you do when the seemingly best solution...is toxic?

Arundo is the name of a giant cane-type of plant that has invaded large areas of the Ventura River (California) in the last 10 - 15 years. Arundo is invasive, non-native, and chokes out other native plants, wrecking havoc with the ecosystem. Local plant, animal, bird and insect species are all adversely impacted. Arundo is highly flammable and a huge water user - the plants can grow up to 3 inches per day.

Removal of the arundo is critical to restoring the balance. To accomplish this task, the Ventura County Watershed Protection District is using a version of "Roundup" for use near water called "Rodeo". (Okay, someone has to say it - what's with the cowboy names for pesticides?? Geez.) The long term goals are to save water, reduce flooding and fire hazards, and restore the native habitat of the river.

Herbicides have consequences. The half-life of Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Rodeo, ranges from 35 - 63 days in water. The half-life of Glyphosate in soil ranges from 3 - 249 days, and residues of the chemical have been found in treated areas up to one year later.

The USDA and the forest service information sheet tells us that Glyphosate breaks down from micro-organisms in soil and does not bio-accumulate in fish or release back into water moving through soil very easily. That all sounds good. They tell us that the amounts of the chemical that get into the water would be so small, they wouldn't be a problem. Of course, the date of that paper is 1997. That's a little scary.

Well...the doctor of environmental medicine in town who treats extremely chemically sensitive people, trying to help them stay healthy and lead normal lives, disagrees. So do the chemically sensitive people, some of whom I have talked to. They are up in arms about it.

The restoration of the Ventura River watershed necessarily involves removal of the arundo, and it's a tough call. There have been discussions of different solutions, straight manpower, bringing in goats to graze on the plants, and planned burns, which would all cost more or would take too long (the powers that be concluded). There is a time frame here, because the removal of the silt-filled 59 year old Matilija dam is scheduled to begin in 2009, and the silt needs a clear passage down the riverbed to the ocean. Everything is connected.

Marin County seems to be having a similar issue, I see. I was surprised to find this: "The National Audubon Society, whose mission is 'to conserve and restore natural ecosystems … for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity,' refers to glyphosate as a 'strikingly benign herbicide.'" Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron to me - benign herbicide. Certainly not benign to the plants. But perhaps not nearly as toxic to the environment as many other herbicides.

So the arundo removal continues...poisons are being sprayed on the problem areas. Meanwhile, we have some active environmentalists here who plan on checking the downstream water quality; the "StreamTeam". Let's hope that nasty Glyphosate doesn't get into the drinking water.

One more reason to have a good whole house water filtration system, eh?

'Tis true, folks. If you are not familiar with Burt's Bees, they are makers of most excellent personal care products, and a very successful company. They have an admirable record of being earth friendly and holding very high standards for their products. For example, here is a list of the ingredients they will NEVER put in their products - straight from their website:

* Parabens - Synthetic preservatives that are potential toxins and endocrine disrupters
* Sulfates (sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate) - Synthetic cleansing agents that potentially damage the lipid layer of your skin
* Chemical Sunscreens (parsol 1789/oxybenzone) - Synthetic sunscreens that get absorbed and potentially disrupt hormone balance
* Petro Chemicals (petrolatum/mineral oil/paraffin) - Non-renewable byproducts of crude oil with potentially dangerous impurities
* Glycols - Synthetic chemicals that potentially draw other chemicals into the bloodstream
* Phthalates - Synthetic fragrance components that are potential toxins
* PEGs or PPGs - Synthetic ingredients processed with ethylene oxide, a toxic residual impurity
* DEA/TEA - Synthetic stabilizers that can react with other ingredients in products and form nitrosamines, known carcinogens
* Formaldehyde Donors (DMDM hydantoin/ diazolidinyl urea/ methylisothiazolinone) - Potential effect of some preservatives degrading over time and releasing small amounts of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen
* 1, 4-Dioxanes - Accidental by-products from ethoxylation (common ingredient processing), which are not declared on ingredient labels and are classified as possible carcinogens

After reading that, I wanted to run to my bathroom to see exactly how many bottles of whatever else I own have the above toxic ingredients! Fortunately, much of what I use is Burt's Bees brand. I love their products! I use their skin care line, their makeup, and really enjoy all the variety of luscious lotions, i.e. lemon butter cuticle creme, almond milk beeswax hand creme, peppermint foot lotion and milk & honey body lotion. Being a lotions and potions kind of gal, I have bought and used them with much pleasure until yesterday.

I ventured off to the local store that carries Burt's Bees products. I found exactly what I was looking for and took it up to the cashier. As I completed the transaction, I remarked how pleased I was to have found what I needed. The next words of the grandmotherly-looking woman behind the counter would rock my world, and not in a good way.

"Did you know that Burt's Bees was just bought by Clorox?"

"You have got to be kidding me..."

"No, it's true. I saw it in the news yesterday."

"Wow, thanks for the information, I'll have to check into that."

I went home, jumped on the internet and verified the truth of her assertions. Burt's Bees owners sold out for $925 million to Clorox, and the deal will be completed this month. Arrrrrrgh!

I happen to know a bit about chlorine and its hazards because I am in the water business. So I am quite familiar with the toxic by-products that we expose ourselves to every time we put our bodies in a pool or spa that is sanitized with Chlorine or drink water that has been sanitized with Chlorine or especially take a shower in unfiltered water that has been sanitized with Chlorine products. You can research this easily on the internet as well.

Clorox asserts the following:

"Clorox® Regular-Bleach is proven to be versatile as a disinfectant and a powerful cleaner in your home. In fact, it's so powerful that it is often perceived that bleach is harmful for the environment. But the fact is that bleach starts as salt and water and ends as salt and water."

If you read further you find this qualifier:

"During use as a cleaner and disinfectant, and during disposal, about 95 percent to 98 percent of the bleach reacts and quickly breaks down into salt and water. The remaining 2 percent to 5 percent breaks down to form by-products that are effectively treated by municipal waste water treatment plants or septic systems."

They only forgot one word; toxic by-products. Some very damaging substances, dioxins and furans, for example, and also trihalomethanes, can arise when chlorine products come in contact with organic matter such as wood, soil, waste, etc. Dioxins and furans can form when chlorine atoms react with wood pulp, as is the case in the paper bleaching process, or when municipal waste or backyard garbage is burned but not thoroughly. Dioxins and furans are extremely toxic chemicals, known carcinogens and hormone disruptors, and are among the"dirty dozen" chemicals targeted for elimination in the 2001 Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Trihalomethanes, including the carcinogen chloroform, are formed when chlorine reacts with carbon-containing organic matter. Some studies suggest that trihalomethanes may cause miscarriages, birth defects, and bladder and rectal cancers.

Household bleach usually contains trace amounts of hazardous organochlorine compounds, particularly in scented varieties, and tiny amounts are further produced as it breaks down. Chlorine from bleach could produce dioxins, dioxin-precursors, and bioaccumulating chlorophenols from contact with organic matter in the waterways. Also, small amounts of trihalomethanes can be produced as well, since they can form whenever chlorine encounters common sources of carbon such as dirt, sewage, or leaves in the water stream.

After all that, household bleach actually poses the greatest threat to health through carelessness or misuse. According to the EPA, in the year 2000 alone more than 25,000 children were exposed to or poisoned by household chlorine bleach. Moreover, if chlorine is combined with ammonia or with cleaners that contain acids (like toilet bowl or oven cleaners), toxic and highly irritating chloramine and chlorine gases can be produced.

Knowing all that, why even use bleach when there are many excellent alternatives that you can make yourself (if you don't want to buy the high-priced green alternative cleaners). Here is just one place on the internet that gives specific recipes.

Winding up my Clorox bashing...The nastiest thing about the company is that they do animal testing, which you probably won't find mentioned on their website. But here is an online petition to sign that asks Clorox to stop doing animal testing, especially since the need for animal testing has been eliminated by other alternatives.

Socially responsible company? No.

Environmentally responsible company? No.

Company trying to "green" up their profile by acquiring socially responsible and environmentally responsible companies? Yes.

So...when I get to the end of my Burt's Bees products...I won't be buying more. I will be searching out a company that is truly socially responsible, earth friendly and not just pretending to be. Now that I know better, I won't be able to get the idea out of my mind that somewhere in the huge conglomeration of companies that is Clorox, there are animals being tortured needlessly. Not with my dime!

Well, I'm in a mood this morning. Okay, I know we purveyors of non-chlorine and non-salt (chlorine) pools are in the minority and the toxic chlorine pool peddlers are still in the majority. The tide is turning, but not fast enough for me. I also understand that since I represent a company that manufactures chlorine-free and salt-free pool and spa systems, that salt pool and chlorine pool salespeople might be prone to attacking the validity of this technology. So they can sell people more toxic chemicals. So - I took a look in their bag of secrets (that are not so secret now that the internet is in existence).

I pulled these links up in an instant with a Google search for "chlorine pool asthma". Read these recent news links and articles - that are ALL about Chlorine pools. Perhaps you will think twice about having any chlorine in your pool, or anywhere in the water for your home. (We can help you with that.)

Washington Post article "Being in the Pool Is Just Plain Irritating"
The Ledger online from Florida "Asthma Risk Higher For Infants Who Swim Indoors"
The Independent online from Ohio "Swimmer's Cough"
The Herald from South Carolina "Fumes affect 20 children at kiddie pool in Myrtle Beach"
Daiji World from the West Coast of India "Love to Swim? Beware of the Water!"
Last but best - this site is so comprehensive and informative about the dangers of chlorine pools: "Chorine Toxicity - A Matter That Should be of Concern to All Swimmers, Coaches and Parents"

Now, I gotta tell you - that was SO easy to research. And this information is just the tip of the iceberg. Try doing a search with "chlorine cancer" - that's scary. Or try "chlorine miscarriages" - that's very sad. Again, try "chlorine heart disease" - very scary. Chlorine by-products are absorbed through your skin, so don't think that since you are not drinking it - you're safe. Please don't continue to jump into that pool filled with toxins, or drink unfiltered water. Technology already exists that can help you eliminate chlorine by-products from your pool or spa, and from your drinking water, too. ECOsmarte.

I'm excited about a well water system being installed in Upper Ojai, a beautiful area between Ojai and Santa Paula in Ventura County, California. The owner has dealt with water that smells like rotten eggs and causes black stains ever since she purchased the home. Not hard to figure out that the rotten egg smell was hydrogen sulfide; the home is very close to the hot springs in that area. The black stains turned out to be manganese. The owner was actually taking her laundry to a friend's house rather than risk stains - that's how bad it has been...

I take trips up to Santa Barbara and Carpinteria periodically, both for work and for pleasure. Last year sometime I recall spotting a news item in a local paper about water quality problems in Carpinteria. Here's the water quality report that details it. This was a serious problem that actually necessitated mailing notices to all residents in February of 2006, notifying them that the Carpinteria Valley Water District had been in violation of recently changed state water standards for the last quarter of 2005...

Took a walk at 7AM this morning with a friend and my 2 dogs. We chose a hike called "Shelf Road" in Ojai; a road that is cut into the foothills above Ojai, replete with some amazing views...

Photo Courtesy of Ray Smith at Daly Road Graphics - Thanks, Ray!

With all the information at your fingertips through the internet these days, why would anyone still choose a chlorine pool? I don't get it. Asthma is a very real danger; studies/articles you can read about it here, here, here and here.

So, I've been an ECOsmarte dealer for over a year now. And I've heard all the recommendations about sand filters with glass media. (Yes, I said glass.) To get the best filtration and the least maintenance with an ECOsmarte pool - they (home office) recited the magic formula; a sand filter with glass media.
Well, you know me - I ask a lot of questions...

So how did I find ECOsmarte? What happened to create my passion with water? Here's my story... I have lived in the Ojai Valley for the past 11 years. It's a beautiful place to live; I feel very fortunate to be here. A year and a half ago I was in my 19th year of a successful and satisfying massage therapy career. I also worked part time as a ranch manager. My employers asked me to find a chlorine alternative for their 40K gallon pool and 2 spas, as they are both quite sensitive to chlorine...

A warm welcome to all of you who have discovered ECOsmarte's new blog. Why are we here? Because our passion is water. We are here to create a forum to discuss and explore the fascinating world of water, how it affects our health and our planet.