As the general population becomes more aware of our environmental challenges and the emerging energy crisis certain words have become popular in the media.  Not too many years ago words like sustainable, green or renewable would bring snickers from people who thought the environmental movement and search for alternative energy sources were just hoaxes perpetuated by those with purely political agendas.  Not anymore.  Just about everywhere you look in media and advertising people are talking green and sustainability.

One unfortunate side effect of having meaningful words become marketing buzzwords is that what these words mean and represent is often lost in a barrage of advertising and shallow quasi-news reporting.

The words sustainable and sustainability are powerful words with meaning that reveals great wisdom for the future of humankind.  It is important that we preserve the power of these words to help us understand what we must do to provide a high quality of life in the years ahead.  It would be tragic to be seduced by the spin doctors that because we put a green or sustainable label on something that we are properly addressing our long-term challenges.

Problem: Waterways and public drinking sources can contain deposits of heavy metals that can cause serious health problems.  These contaminants are very difficult to remove using conventional methods.

Solution:  Certain plants that thrive in watery environments can absorb these pollutants as they grow.

The following article was reprinted from Asian Age:

By Syed Akbar

Pineapple, sunflower and amaranthus, the popular leafy vegetable of the Indian kitchen, can suck up pollution from the soil, water and air, researchers at the University of Hyderabad have reported.

These plants accumulate the pollutants in their roots, stems and leaves and leave the substratum clean.