A few weeks ago, we raised the issue of increased plastic bottle waste during summer months. Happily, we’ve since stumbled upon Plant It Water—an alternative water bottle that is made from over sixty percent renewable resources and can be completely recycled after use.

In addition to boasting super green packaging, for every carton of water sold, the company plants a tree and makes a donation to A Single Drop, a non-profit dedicated to providing clean water in developing nations.

Currently, Plant It is only available at fundraisers at events. For a list of events in your city, check out PlantItWater.com.

Monday’s New York Times features an article exploring the report “In Search of Shelter,” released from a global climate summit in Bonn. “In Search of Shelter” details growing accounts of migration driven by climate change, and the resultant populations of displaced citizens. Times contributor Tom Zeller highlights the large communities in Asia that rely on the Himalayas to replenish rivers and provide drinking water. With those glaciers rapidly shrinking, millions of residents will eventually be without water and forced to relocate.

A common, and probably valid, fear is that impoverished communities—those with the fewest resources and heaviest reliance on the “whims of the weather”—will be the most severely impacted.

In large part, the concept of climate-induced migration is one met with contention and skepticism. After all, how can something so elusive be measured? A myriad of factors may be at play with any single decision to move, including political, economic, and familial considerations. Since it’s nearly impossible to isolate climate change as a catalyst for migration, the numbers surrounding the phenomenon are frustratingly inconsistent.

Still, environmental leaders worldwide are desperately trying to find empirical measurements for the phenomenon. Visit the New York Times for the full story and to read the complete “In Search of Shelter” report.

What do you predict will be the impact of climate migration?

While we spend a lot of time discussing water conservation as a whole, we thought it would also be helpful to begin defining some of the pertinent terms and concepts.

In simple terms, gray water is defined as used water from your sink, shower, or washing machine. It doesn’t include water from your toilet (known as black water), or water from kitchen sinks or dishwashers (which contain food particles and other pollutants).

Gray water is contaminated and can’t be used for drinking. However, it’s a great way to water your lawn. Americans’ lawns account for about 30 percent of residential water consumption—or 2 billion gallons a day. Worse yet, most Americans water their yards with the same water they drink. Gray water not only has the potential to save a tremendous amount of fresh water, some studies have shown that the cleaning solvents in gray water may also be an effective fertilizer.

how to collect gray water

Sold yet? If so, there are some simple, elbow-grease solutions for collecting gray water—like plugging the sink and scooping out the used water in buckets. You can take those buckets of water and dump them directly into plant soil.

If the thought of scooping your own bath water doesn’t exactly appeal to you (it doesn’t really appeal to us either), there are cheap DIY-systems that involve simply rerouting washing machine water to your garden through a hose. One thing to keep in mind: Be sure to use a filter to catch food, dirt, or hair. Visit the World Wild Fund for Nature for step-by-step instructions.

Are you recycling your gray water? Which method do you like the best? Share your tips with our readers.

photo credit: rubenerd

Our favorite links from the week that was:

+ Über-chic, high-performance electric car maker Tesla isn’t one to be left out of the auto industry mayhem: Co-founder Martin Eberhard is suing CEO Elon Musk for slander and mismanagement of Tesla Motors’ funds.

+ Inhabitat features a building that converts air to water.

+ Treehugger asks, Is peeing in public green? We respond, Does it matter? (Image credit: almbfa2004 on Travel Shots)

+ Sony Ericsson launches their Green Hearts phone. made of fifty percent recycled materials.

A recent report on NPR highlights one of California’s most troubling barriers to reducing water consumption—the lack of water meters in most of the Central Valley.

Metered cities use about 15 percent less water than unmetered locales. And it’s no surprise: Without meters, how can anyone realistically measure consumption, much less make an effort to conserve? Puzzlingly, a lack of infrastructure isn’t the biggest barrier here: it’s the mounting rebellion from residents. A group of fervently opposed citizens are actively resisting installation of meters (and in one case, even successfully fought to have already-installed meters ripped out), citing high costs to taxpayers.

For a state that’s always been progressive, California is lagging far behind in the effort to conserve water. The good news is, according to KQED, three new laws will be enacted to ensure nearly everyone is metered:

• All homes built after 1992 are required to have meters.

• Cities that receive federal water supplies must install meters by 2013.

• All California cities must be metered by 2025.

While meters aren’t legally required until 2025, water-conscious residents can—and are encouraged to—buy and install meters in their own homes prior to these laws taking effect.

If you have a water meter, what do you think about those who aren’t paying for what they use?