Ancient Delight in a Tiny Cup
One delightful cup of Turkish coffee courtesy of an awesome Distributor and a generous coworker. Delish!
Did you know that coffee, as we drink it now, was originally prepared in the Ottoman Palace? They were the first documented people to roast the beans prior to consumption. If you're a serious Bean Juice connoisseur as I am, you'll find great pleasure in tasting the original roast from Turkey.
Read about the history of Coffee at http://www.turkishcoffeeworld.com/History_of_Coffee_s/60.htm
Since we’re on the subject of coffee, and we’re an Environmental company, it would behoove us to recommend ways to recycle your old coffee grounds.
- Coffee Grounds are organic material, and they make great compost. Just ask this guy.
- Coffee Grounds have been known to be excellent fertilizer for rose gardens.
- Because of their odor-absorbing abilities, Coffee Grounds can deodorize refrigerators, vehicles, and other places where smells can be problematic.
- Much like Tulsa artist Karen of coffee-art.com, you can re-brew and paint with used coffee!
Do you have more tips on how to reuse/recycle coffee? If so, send us an email.
(Bruce)
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Pond Algae Treatment: Target The Source, Not the Symptom
(Japanese Koi Pond exhibiting Green Water)
Algaecides - The Quick, Dirty Method
The problem with adding algaecides or similar products is that they only kill algae. They do not treat the source of the problem, which is nutrient overload in the pond.
Pour it in, say bye bye to the nuisance. That’s the logic behind algaecides, and in that respect, they work. But what happens next? When the algae dies, it sinks to the bottom and creates a sludge. This sludge has a variety of negative issues associated with it, such as aesthetics and odors. But from an ecosystem approach, this sludge is a huge nutrient (fertilizer) source for subsequent algae growth.
Bio-Based Treatment with BZT - The Sustainable Method
A simple, ecofriendly method of pond algae treatment is to assimilate its food source before it has a chance to grow. This requires no chemicals with “Danger: Poison” labels, no permit to handle toxic substances. Instead, through the addition of BZT, one can achieve pristine water conditions and MAINTAIN them. Naturally.
BZT contains targeted, all-natural microorganisms that consume excess nutrients in the water, thus ‘starving out’ other organisms, such as algae. Over time, this battle of attrition causes the algae to die off. When it dies, it sinks, and rather than the dead material building up into yet another nutrient sludge, BZT breaks up the dead material faster, using up the nutrients more quickly.
In addition, BZT eliminates odors, oxidizes ammonia, and improves fish health by providing a cleaner, biologically balanced environment for them to thrive.
BZT Koi & Pond is designed exclusively for small, backyard-type decorative and koi ponds, while BZT Aquaculture is designed for larger bodies of water with heavier organic loads (aquaculture farms, municipal ponds, etc.).
The Importance of Custom Treatment Protocols
United-Tech offers free technical service to customers, which includes custom protocols for unique and difficult situations. Though our standard instructions tackle everyday pond situations, occasionally a pond will exhibit extreme symptoms of nutrient loading and/or other factors which may need to be addressed. Available Monday-Friday, 8-5 CST, the United-Tech Support Team is here to serve our customers.
In summary, we propose that all-natural treatment with BZT is safer, more sustainable, and more sensible than adding chemicals known to provide quick results of symptoms without targeting the cause of the algae growth. United-Tech has conquered these issues for decades in agricultural, municipal and commercial water features, as well as residential applications. It is what we do.
Previous Stories Associated with Algae Treatment:
Backyard Water Conservation - The BZT Method
Springtime Pond Treatment - Prevent Algae Blooms Before They Start
Featured Project: Rasti-Land Amusement Park
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Clean Up Oil on Manufacturing Floors
If you would like your floors to look good as new, whether they be manufacturing floors, commercial kitchen floors, or simply an oily driveway, we can help.
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9 Common Items You Shouldn't Flush
Here's a list of items (by no means comprehensive) that should never go into the porcelain god, no matter what you've been taught.
1/ Dental Floss
Put the stuff in the trash. It won't biodegrade, and it will clog pipes and sewers.
2/ Fats, Oils, Grease
Unless you want raw sewage eventually overflowing in your home and on the street, recycle it instead (where available), or let it cool and dump it in the trash. FOG is the number one culprit for backups, and yet it's so easy to avoid.
3/ Cotton Swabs
Though the cardboard variety will eventually compost, the plastic swabs last for centuries and clog pipes and sewers. Those that make it to the lift stations and beyond have to be manually removed and send to a landfill.
4/ Condoms
Here's a photo of a metropolitan lift station we treat. See that little rubber sitting there? It’s gross, and to top it off, a city worker will likely have to dispose of it for you by hand. Classy! Though condoms are supposed to be biodegradable, the process takes longer than the sewer system will tolerate. Put yourself in their shoes, no matter how afterglowy you seem to be, and the world will be a cleaner place.
5/ Hair
Hair is an effective clogging agent for pipes and drains. It attracts other solids, including fats, oil, and grease, and can eventually cause raw sewage to back up in your home. Unless you WANT to create headaches for yourself, or your neighbors, either donate the hair to Locks of Love, use it as compost, or ask your grandmother to weave you a hat. Just don't put it down the toilet.
6/ Tampons/Sanitary Napkins
This is a photo of a municipal lift station. Look at those used tampons floating in the muck. A friendly neighborhood municipal worker has to manually remove those and send them to the landfill. Sounds like a great time to me.
7/ Chemicals
What keeps your pipes flowing freely is primarily the result of beneficial bacteria (like the kind we add in concentrated form to BZT Drain & Septic). Every time you flush chemicals down the drain, you are wiping them out. Chemicals also cause problems for the municipality that come with a significant price tag. Also, they are awful for the environment.
(Supplemental) Treat your drains and septic systems with an effective biological product, BZT Drain & Septic, instead of waiting until there’s a problem. One of our goals as a company is to reduce the world’s dependance on harmful chemicals while providing a sound, powerful solution to organic waste. This is where it begins, and ends.
8/ Coffee Grounds
Yes, they are biodegradable, but it takes awhile and they would be better off in your compost bin. Coffee grounds clog septic systems, too. Big no-no.
9/ Paper Towels/Tissue
Toilet paper is designed for use in toilet plumbing/sewers. However, paper towels and tissues are not. They don't biodegrade quickly, and they may choke the sewer lines and flood your house with raw sewage eventually. Yum!
If we’re all a little more responsible, careful, and knowledgable about such icky things, we will be better able to keep this planet sustainable. Please join us in the effort, and eventually we may not have to post such icky photos.
(Bruce Rich, CIO)
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Animals in the Office
United-Tech hosts a small zoo in our offices. Here are a few of our lovely pets.
Sammy is a happy little dog. She spends most of her time in our CFO’s office chewing on plushies and barking at the UPS guy.
These Flame Dwarf Gouramis don’t like to sit still. It’s feeding time!
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Say Cheese! Photo - Gov. Mary Fallin (OK) Presents Award to UT CFO
The Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce invited United-Tech CFO John Page to the Oklahoma World Trade Conference this year to present us this International Export Certificate. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin presented the certificate.
Special thanks to our international clientele for contributing to this successful achievement.
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Koi Photos - UT Visits Koi Country
See the whole photo set @ United-Tech Facebook Page.
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Pulp/Paper Sludge Waste Treatment
United-Tech provides sound, environmentally responsible solutions to waste control issues. That said, we also like to save money for our customers.
(Before Treatment)
Case in point: A wallboard manufacturer faced routine dredging of two settling ponds. Each event carried a hefty price tag of well over $1 million dollars per year. Heavy paper/pulp sludge build-up also strained their regulatory discharge limits, leaving the settling ponds at risk.
United-Tech developed a custom bioaugmentation program using BZT® Waste Digester. Seed and maintenance doses were applied regularly, and data was collected and continuously monitored. By the end of the program (less than a year), sludge volumes not only decreased, but also one of the ponds stood empty and continued to serve as a standby pond.
From start to finish, the company went from utilizing two settling ponds, plus a large finishing lagoon, to operating only one pond and having a backup pond. Also, the effluent remained cleaner than the historical flow.
Summary: Success exceeding expectations. This is what we achieve at United-Tech.
(After Treatment)
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New Ocean Life Discovered off the Coasts of Bali
Click through for some fantastic photos of these new findings. (offsite link)
Conservation International is a nonprofit notable for empowering ‘societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well being of humanity.’ You can find more about the work they are doing at http://www.conservation.org. We salute them for their efforts and discoveries.
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