theHword.com

Picture a plastic water bottle one-quarter full of oil. That’s about how much petroleum it took to make that one bottle. Not to mention the gasoline it took to transport that water from the plant to the distribution center to the grocery store to your home.

Now picture that water (or soda or juice or ice tea) bottle in the landfill where 80% of them end up. Petroleum-based plastic, no matter how small the pieces, will never decompose. Never, ever, ever.

Also consider – bottled water costs 1000 times more than tap water. Yikes. Plus, compounds in clear plastic food and drink containers may pose health risks because those chemicals can leach into the product that is consumed.

Scary stuff. So what to do if this matters to you? Here are some ideas.

If you do use plastic, be sure to recycle it. Recycling one plastic liter bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.

Drink tap water. If you are concerned about water quality, buy a water filter that connects directly to your tap or that filters through a water pitcher. The expense is much, much lower than buying water in bottles. Drinking 2 liters of water each day from the tap costs only about 50 cents per year.

Use reusable bottles that are made of stainless steel or of plastic that is free of BPA and PET chemical compounds.

Opt for corn-based plastic packaging. It may or may not be surprising to note that the largest manufacturing plant producing corn-based plastic is just outside Blair, Nebraska. In fact, here’s a great Smithsonian article about the plant and the process. Americans use up about 1500 plastic water bottles per second. Just imagine if the industry fed Nebraska’s agriculture-based economy!

As long as you’re paying attention to plastic, you can avoid heavily packaged products of all kinds – foods, hardware, toys, etc.

Keep those reusable cloth shopping bags in the car and use them. Use them at the hardware store, drugstore, convenience store, superstore… not just at the grocery store. Reuse plastic shopping bags or donate them to thrift stores.

Take these actions as it makes sense for you, if it matters to you. Every little bit helps.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/28/water-bottles-health.html

http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Stories/SpaceScience/Water-bottle-pollution

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/watershed-art-installation.php

About the author: Amy Sandeen

Amy Sandeen is the Executive Director of Prairie Loft Center for Outdoor and Agricultural Learning. Amy grew up in Hastings, then lived in Minneapolis/ St. Paul for 18 years before returning to her roots. She is fascinated by the nature of humans and our relationship to the world.