Blog Archives - BWTL

Episode 33 - Turfgrass and Lawns

6/19/2017

Source: NASA

Link to the Freakonomics podcast discussed throughout this week's episode.

Episode Highlights:

[1:25] Father's Day recap - John and Brent share their Father's Day stories.

[4:24] The Birthday Game - Play along:
- Mike Johanns
- Elizabeth Warren
- Dianne Feinstein

[7:00] Intro to Freakonomics episode - Overview of the recent Freakonomics podcast episode "How Stupid Is Our Obsession With Lawns?"

[9:24] Role of turfgrass in the U.S. - We take a closer look at some of the claims made in the Freakonomics podcast about the role of turfgrass and lawns.
- Brent estimates that 25 percent of American lawns are irrigated.
- Lawns generally need about 1 inch of water per week.
- Contrary to the suggestion in the Freakonomics podcast, turfgrass is not the most irrigated crop in the U.S.
- Benefits of turfgrass include carbon sequestration, erosion control, dust control and noise abatement.

[19:05] Carbon footprint of lawns - Lawn equipment manufacturers have made great advances in developing efficient engines for lawnmowers, blowers and string trimmers.

[23:38] Municipal irrigation - Municipal irrigation is often done with reclaimed water.
- In California, for example, reclaimed water not used to irrigate highway medians and cloverleafs is simply returned to the ocean.

[27:12] Role of local regulations - Local regulations and climate conditions can help determine the best lawn or landscape for you!

[31:51] Tip of the Week - Brent is back to offer this week's tip:
- Water your lawn only when you need to.

Episode 32 - Celebrities and Water

6/1/2017

Episode Highlights:

[1:18] Corinne Butler as our guest - Corinne works in our office and is also a listener of the Bringing Water to Life podcast.
[4:15] The Birthday Game - Play along:
- Morgan Freeman
- Marco Rubio
- Dana Carvey
[6:55] WaterSense and the President's Budget - John was asked a question about how WaterSense could be threatened if the Administration's budget is truly "dead on arrival."
- WaterSense is not authorized by Congress and does not receive funding directly from Congress.
- EPA Administrator could decided not to continue the program without congressional action.
- More information on WaterSense here.
[10:20] Celebrities and water - Many celebrities have weighed in on water issues.
- Michael Phelps Colgate commercial about saving water (see above).
- Lady Gaga did a PSA after her music video that was filmed in California (see below).
- Shailene Woodley and other celebrities weighed in during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
- Matt Damon actually runs water.org.
- During the Flint water crisis we heard from a lot celebrities - there will actually be a Lifetime movie about the crisis. Katie Couric is one of the producers.
- [19:10] 33 Celebrities on Drinking Water - "I've Bin Drinking Distilled Water For So Long That When I Drink Normal Water It Feels Like I'm Swallowing Huge Chunks Of Aluminum." — Jaden Smith
[28:15] Tip of the Week - We are missing Brent, but Corinne tries to give a tip of the week:
- Make sure you turn off the water when your brush your teeth.
- Now that the summer is beginning and everyone's pools are open, please remember to drink water.

Lady Gaga PSA - Save Our Water from ACWA on Vimeo.