If your water comes from a private source, such as a ground well or flowing spring, there are some important facts you should know.

• v People drawing water from private wells are responsible for assuring that the water is safe for consumption.
• v The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency only requires that municipal water sources be tested for about 80 of the 75,000 known contaminants.
• v The standards for safe drinking water are established for a 175-pound healthy adult and may not be satisfactory for children, women who are pregnant or nursing, or adults with compromised immune systems.

There are many methods that can be used to purify water and each one is best for removing a certain type of impurity or contaminant but may not be effective at all for others. Some of the more common water purification technologies are:

• v Distilliation – Water is heated to boiling and then cooled to condense the water vapor. Impurities are filtered out by the evaporation
• o Effective for: bacteria, lead, nitrate, sodium chloride, organic chemicals and pesticides
• o Pros: removes a wide range of contaminants, reusable
• o Cons: slow, requires a large amount of water and energy
• v Carbon Filtration – Water is passed through an activated carbon filter that absorbs odors, flavors, organic compounds and many hazardous chemicals
• o Effective for: hydrogen sulfide, radon, chlorine, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, benzene, colors and orders
• o Pros: removes objectionable odors and flavors
• o Cons: won’t remove heavy metals and the filter must be replaced periodically
• v Ion Exchange – water is percolated through a layer of resin beads that have a sodium exchange coating to “soften” water before using other treatment methods
• o Effective for: nitrates, sulfates, fluorides, iron, magnesium, calcium and manganese
• o Pros: removes dissolved minerals and metals effectively at a relatively low initial cost
• o Cons: doesn’t remove bacteria – in fact, beads can become breading ground for bacteria
• v Micro Filtration – water is passed through a porous filter to remove sediments and suspended materials
• o Effective for: sediments
• o Pros: removes all suspended impurities larger than filter pore size
• o Cons: doesn’t removed dissolved contaminants
• v Ultraviolet Radiation – low level ultraviolet light kills bacterial and viral pathogens but leaves no radioactive trace
• o Effective for: bacteria, viruses
• o Pros: sanitizes water
• o Cons: doesn’t remove suspended particles or ions

As you can see, no single purification method removes ALL the contaminants from water and you may have to employ several methods to make your water safe for drinking and cooking.

Hybrid power generation systems can combine solar, wind, battery and generator power to keep your island hideaway running around the clock and around the year. In many parts of the world, the peak operating conditions for solar and wind power occur at different times of the day or even during different seasons, so a hybrid system is more likely to deliver electricity when you need it. Reserve power (up to three days worth) can be stored in battery banks and a diesel or gasoline generator can be added to the system for those rare island days when there is neither wind nor sunshine.The diagram to the right, from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) site shows a simplified Hybrid design.

Hybrid systems are designed to be operated “off the grid” (i.e. not connected to a commercial power distribution system) which makes them ideal for stand-alone operation. Sophisticated electronic controllers manage the multiple power sources and monitor the status of the batteries. If the reserve runs low, the controller automatically starts the generator to supply power and charge the battery bank.

The EERE Web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov/ provides a wealth of information about alternative energy sources, including information on hybrid solar lighting (HSL) – a new technology that harnesses the sun by collecting sunlight and routing it through fiber optic cables where it is combined with electric light in special hybrid light fixtures to provide interior lighting. The Department of Energy estimates that HSL systems will deliver an equivalent amount of light for about 25% of the cost of a completely electric solution.

A catamaran is a type of boat consisting of two hulls joined together by a frame. In fact, the word catamaran comes from the Tamil words kattu, which means “to tie,” and maram, which means “wood” or “tree.” A catamaran is, quite literally, two trees tied together!The original catamaran was invented by the Paravas, an aristocratic fishing community on the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, India. They were used as early as the fifth century A.D. by the Tamil Chola dynasty when they conquered the areas we now know as Burma, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The first mention of the catamaran in English comes from adventurer and pirate William Dampier who wrote about them in 1697 after visiting India in search of business opportunities. However, the catamaran we know today actually evolved from the swift sail and paddle boats made out of two widely separated logs and used by the Polynesians to travel from one island to another. In the 1870s, an American named Herreshoff began building Polynesian-style catamarans to his own specifications and their speed and stability soon made them popular pleasure craft.

In 1967 another American, Hobie Alter, produced the first 250-pound Hobie Cat 14 and two years later he introduced the Hobie 16. More than 100,000 Hobie 16s have been manufactured in the past thirty years and they are still in production!

Today, catamarans cover the full spectrum of boating, from small “Beach Cats” to huge super- and mega-cats that can exceed one hundred feet in length. There are even a number of powered catamarans available such as the Lagoon Power 44 shown below.

For the island lover looking for a modular home that is not only easy to transport and install, but looks straight out of an magazine, the Australian-based company Prebuilt has created a number of simple, striking homes. Proving that utility and beauty aren’t mutually exclusive concepts, the Mod House is a stunning design that combines Modernist and Japanese aesthetics with 21^st century building technology. Ranging from a simple one-bedroom to a five-bedroom complex, the Mod House comes with a large deck, designer fixtures, and features a spacious, light-filled layout.

http://www.prebuilt.com.au/index.php?action=productcatalogue&prodcat_id=806&prod_id=5369&pageID=6504&sectionID=6485

Warm, sunny and tropical are some of the first impressions that come to mind when one thinks of a private island, and these qualities can certainly make for a dream vacation- but there are serious hazards involved in getting too much of a good thing. Heat stroke, also known in a milder form as heat exhaustion, can be a life-threatening condition if left untreated, particularly for children, the ill and the elderly. Resulting from an inability to generate enough cooling sweat to stabilize body temperatures, symptoms of heat-induced illnesses include faintness, nausea and headaches, and in extreme cases the afflicted may vomit, be unable to adequately breath, and become unconscious.

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