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Aug
04
Posted by Mark Clawson
Our oceans are being threatened by “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” This is a phenomenon that has many scientists concerned. The debris field of this massive vortex of floating plastic trash is said to be twice the size of Texas.
An article written by Paul Rogers from the San Jose Mercury News highlights some of the issues that are involved. For the full article you can click here.
“The bobbing debris field, where currents swirl everything from discarded fishing line to plastic bottles into one soupy mess, is about 1,000 miles west of California,” Rogers writes.
Most of us know that plastic just doesn’t decompose; you might check my post on plastic bottles for more information.
It may be impossible to clean up this mess. The larger pieces can be pulled from the ocean; however, we are dealing with an area that is just too large.
Rogers says “First, most of the plastic is broken into tiny fragments. Plastic becomes brittle from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and eventually breaks up into minuscule pieces like confetti. Billions float just below the surface in the garbage patch, which is located north of Hawaii but shifts in size and location depending on the season and the currents.”
Holly Bamford, director of marine-debris program for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Silver Spring, Md. has these comments.“Albatrosses and other sea birds die from ingesting plastic, which fills their stomachs without providing nutrition. The plastic pieces also can absorb toxic chemicals, which then migrate up the food chain, even potentially contaminating fish that humans eat.”
This issue is an “out of sight out of mind” issue according to Rogers. We can be thankful that scientists are looking into the problem. However, we must be more vigilant in protecting our planet. We need to be disciplined and create habits that are friendlier to the environment.
This is all about setting roots in our culture; about the importance of being good stewards of our Planet. Taking action creates a domino effect; it can inspire others to take action. Our beaches and oceans are littered with items made of plastic; so buy reusable shopping bags and water bottles.
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Jun
08
Posted by Mark Clawson
A very good friend of mine suggested that I write an article about plastic bottles and the harm that it does to the environment and to our own health.
Here is a catchy number, 25 Billion, yes that is the number of plastic water bottles that Americans will purchase this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill.
- Container Recycling Institute
Worldwide 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.
- OneWorld
1.5 million barrels of oil is used annually to produce plastic water bottles for America alone; enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.
- Earth Policy Institute
Imagine a water bottle filled a quarter of the way up with oil. That’s about how much oil was needed to produce the bottle.
- National Geographic
The bottled water you purchase is often in #1 PET or PETE bottles (polyethylene terephthalate), which may leach DEHA, a known carcinogen, if used more than once.
- Mothering.com
There is increasing evidence of adverse health effects tied to Bisphenol A, or BPA a widely used chemical in the manufacturing of plastic polycarbonate bottles, including baby bottles, water bottles, food and beverage containers.
Like all plastic, these bottles will be with us forever since plastic does not biodegrade; rather, it breaks down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate our soil and waterways.
Along with plastic bags, plastic bottles are one of the most prevalent sources of pollution found on our beaches.
Many studies show that the quality of bottled water may be no better than tap water.
The statistics that I used above came from reusablebags.com.
So, what’s the solution to this problem?
We need to purchase eco-friendly reusable water bottles; we must make an effort! I think that we all get too tied up in our own daily lives without focusing on the universe. Planet Earth is part of that Universe. It’s not like we want to be bad stewards of our environment.
My first thought was that some of us need more than one water bottle and that can be a problem if you are spending $20-$30 for a stylishly designed reusable watter bottle.
I found a five pack offered thru the Home Shopping Network for $14.95. These bottles are plastic; but they are BPA free. This, however, would be making a step in the right direction.
If you really want to make an impact you need to consider a product, like the one above, made by the Swiss company SIGG.
This is one of the kid’s models.
Wide-mouth model; you can put ice in the container.
SIGG makes their green reusable water bottles from recycled aluminum and have an internal coating that makes them resistant to fruit juice acids, energy drinks, alcohol and virtually any consumable beverage. Here is a link to an article written by Emily Piloton for inhabitat. Emily shows you how the company uses a low-waste production method to produce their product.
The liners are taste and scent neutral which is a very good thing. Recently, there has been a lot of press concerning Lexan plastic water bottles (Polycarbonate #7) leaching harmful chemicals into the container’s ingredients. It’s extremely important to note that SIGG bottles exceed FDA requirements and have been thoroughly tested to ensure 0.0% leaching – so they are 100% safe.
To see more bottle styles click here.
Remember to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the post. You can even ask me to write about something; like my friend did. I will put in a good effort!
