I think the Government will owe more to us then us it...all that water that they don't collect that goes down the storm drains, for not collecting it there should be a penalty...

Taxing the rain in the rainwater tanks looks like a great way to encourage the use of rainwater tanks...

I wonder if I could get a deduction if I pissed in the gutter.

"If 1000 homes were to install 5000-liter tanks with an annual yield of 57,000 liters, this is 57 million liters that would not have reached a river or ground water system, or - viewed another way - is taken from either the environment's entitlement or another productive use."

haven't they realised its not been raining that much lately, also it assumes you use all the water in that 5000L.

If they really wanted to make some money taxing things, why not tax people that horde money. When they really should be spending it...

Monocle

Former Wallpaper* editor and founder Tyler Brule's new publishing venture is on newsstands now. Monocle magazine is "A fresh focus on global affairs, business, culture, design and all you need in life.". The editorial focus is ABCDE; Affairs, Business, Culture, Design and Edits, with the first issue featuring an Affairs report on Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force, a Business Q&A with the CEO of Lego, a Culture report on Afghan Sounds, a Design Report on fashion house H&M's new directions and Edits, a 25x25 global destination guide. Of note, subscribers will have access to a "web-based broadcast component covering the same areas through a variety of bulletins, mini-documentaries and talk formats.". According to the website examples of the online content will be available to all visitors initially, but will soon become subscriber-only.

Banned Hiroshima Pictures

The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed about 250.000 people and became the most dreadful slaughter of civilians in modern history. However, for many years there was a curious gap in the photographic records. Although the names of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were incised into our memories, there were few pictures to accompany them. Even today, the image in our minds is a mixture of devastated landscapes and shattered buildings. Shocking images of the ruins, but where were the victims?

[ Even death seems better in Japan ]

The Real Cost of Bottled Water

We have tried to calculate the true cost of producing and transporting bottled water before, and have come up with just vague approximations, which did not take the production of the bottle into account. Over at Triple Pundit, Sustainability Engineer and MBA Pablo Päster has done a thorough and exhaustive study of the cost of bring a litre of Fiji Water to America. He starts with the production of the bottle in China, taking the bottle blanks to Fiji, and confirming that it takes more water to make the bottle than it actually holds. He then transports the bottle to the States by ship. Not even including the distribution in the States, the numbers are absolutely staggering.

In summary, the manufacture and transport of that one kilogram bottle of Fiji water consumed 26.88 kilograms of water (7.1 gallons) .849 Kilograms of fossil fuel (one litre or .26 gal) and emitted 562 grams of Greenhouse Gases (1.2 pounds).

[ The Results ]