It is common knowledge that coal power plants produce a very large amount of air pollution. This is no surprise as coal is the second largest source of energy for the U.S. What may not be widely known is that coal mining is yet another source of water pollution.

A recent example of this additional threat to our water supplies was discovered by the Sierra Club. The environmental group is suing ICG Hazard for dumping toxic amounts of selenium in rivers near a mine in Kentucky. Large amounts of this element can cause severe health problems in both the wildlife in rivers and people who get their drinking water from these sources.

Not surprisingly, a representative for the coal company claims that the company is discharging water within the restrictions of its permit.

What is blatantly obvious to the Sierra Club, or anyone who cares about the environment and health in general, is that companies like ICG Hazard simply do not care about the environmental repercussions of their actions. You can also easily make the case for the idea that the more money a company makes, the easier it is to get away with inexcusable actions.

What typically happens? The company gets sued. It easily pays the fees. Business continues as usual.

Coal, like many other non-renewable sources of energy, is something that we must discontinue using. Many organizations, like the Sierra Club, are fighting a battle that needs to be won if we are to expect to live in a habitable world in the future.

Hopefully, the large energy companies that currently have most of the power to make significant changes will begin to do so real soon. As they exhaust the sources of dirty coal, they will realize that they must make the switch to clean renewable energy if they expect to remain in the energy business.

It would be a win for them and a win for the environment.

Are you prepared for summer?

Well, its right around the corner. Many people are planning their summer activities and vacations right now with summer officially starting just a little more than a month away.

With most summer activities happening outdoors in increasingly warmer temperatures, water consumption drastically increases. This is a good thing because people, in general, should be drinking more water than they already do.

So how is this news? Well, its not really, except in regards to how people get their water. As more people drink larger amounts of water during the summer time, more bottled water is purchased. Many of these bottles do not get recycled and further adds to our growing waste problem.

A great solution to this problem is to bottle your water at home. A home water filter can provide you with all the water that you need. As summer activities bring you away from home, you can easily find reusable containers to take with you and fill up over and over again. In many ways this is more convenient than going to the store every time you need water.

Another benefit of a home water filter is that your drinking water costs do not go up over the summer time. On the other hand, you can easily spend much more than you usually do buying even more bottled water during the hot summer months.

So do yourself a favor financially and do your part to protect the environment by purchasing a home water filtration system. Aquasana water filtration systems are the best water filters on the market. Go to my aquasana coupon page for a 20% discount on this great system.

Choose the smarter way to get the clean water you need.. and get out there and enjoy summer!