Plastic Water Bottles
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Issue: We in the US buy more than ½ billion bottles of water every WEEK. That is enough to circle the globe more than five times. Yet, less than 20% of them are ever recycled and they do not biodegrade. Every piece of plastic ever made still exists somewhere on the earth – there is no “away” in which to throw them. In landfills, where most end up, they create a toxic stew called leachate that contaminates ground water.
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Why should we care?
This 8 minute video, The Story of Bottled Water, recaps this nicely!
The bottom line: bottled water is wasteful, adds way too much plastic to our world, leaches fixatives into the water, and interferes with the hydrology cycle. It is easy to use other containers and be part of a solution!
This 8 minute video, The Story of Bottled Water, recaps this nicely!
The bottom line: bottled water is wasteful, adds way too much plastic to our world, leaches fixatives into the water, and interferes with the hydrology cycle. It is easy to use other containers and be part of a solution!
Learn More with YouTube Videos
What Really Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away? This is an excellent TedTalk on YouTube
The History of How Plastic Changed the World
Why We Need to Stop Plastic Pollution
Three Things You Should Know About Plastic
What Really Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away? This is an excellent TedTalk on YouTube
The History of How Plastic Changed the World
Why We Need to Stop Plastic Pollution
Three Things You Should Know About Plastic
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Learn More in About an Hour: (1hr 22min)
Plastic Paradise. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (documentary trailer) and go to https://vimeo.com/ondemand/plasticparadise to see options for streaming the full film. |
Explore Some of the Issues:
Recent changes in recycling in China have changed the model for recycling, and the US lacks the infrastructure to process all of the plastics we create. Even if we think they are being recycled, the truth may be quite different. See this article in LiveScience.
Recent changes in recycling in China have changed the model for recycling, and the US lacks the infrastructure to process all of the plastics we create. Even if we think they are being recycled, the truth may be quite different. See this article in LiveScience.
For Your Contemplation: The weather is warming and keeping hydrated is important. Over the next two weeks, pause before you leave the house and consider if you might need hydration while you are away. If the answer is yes, fill and take a reusable container. Reflect on how many bottles you’ve kept from a landfill.
Get Involved Locally and Regionally:
Bottling water is a controversial issue in Michigan. Learn why:
Bottled Water Wars: Legal setback for Nestle, Michigan legislators move to restrict shipments out of Great Lakes watershed
Read about Nestle in Michigan, from The Guardian
Sierra Club involvement -Plastic Free July 2020
Also check: businessinsider.com/17 facts about bottled water that may change your mind…
Bottling water is a controversial issue in Michigan. Learn why:
Bottled Water Wars: Legal setback for Nestle, Michigan legislators move to restrict shipments out of Great Lakes watershed
Read about Nestle in Michigan, from The Guardian
Sierra Club involvement -Plastic Free July 2020
Also check: businessinsider.com/17 facts about bottled water that may change your mind…