Recent Green Weeks:
September 5:
Cook More Efficiently
August 29:
Use Cold Water for Laundry
August 22:
Find New Uses for Old Phones
August 8:
"Bee" Kind to Pollinators: Limit or Avoid Pesticide Use
August 1:
Reduce Waste: End Junk Mail!
July 25:
Encourage Pollination: Help Bees!
July 18:
Use Less Oil: Walk or Bike at Least Once this Week Instead of Driving
July 11:
Water Lawns and Outdoor Plants in the Morning or Evening Only
July 4:
Practice Safe Souvenir Buying
June 20:
Reuse Paper Scraps
June 13:
Safely Dispose of Hazardous Wastes
June 6:
Give New Life to Old Stuff
May 30:
Make Your Own Non-Toxic Cleaners
May 23:
Find Ways to Consume Less
May 16:
Reuse your food scraps and yard waste: make compost!
May 9:
Make Sure Your Seafood's Sustainable
May 2:
Use a Low Flow Showerhead
April 25:
Reduce Weight in your Vehicle
April 18:
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
April 11:
Switch to Fluorescent Bulbs
April 4:
Buy in Bulk
March 28:
Unplug Your Appliances When They're Not in Use!
March 21:
Turn Off Your Engine Instead of Idling Your Car
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Idea of the Week: Use a Reusable Water Bottle
What to do:
Instead of buying bottles of water, carry tap water with you in a reusable container.
If you dislike the taste or quality of tap water, consider buying a filter for your kitchen faucet.
Why it Helps the Earth:
As we know, the mountains of plastic water bottles discarded each year require resources to manufacture and recycle and take space in landfills.
The floating "garbage patches" that mar the ocean are a tangible reminder of plastic pollution:
Great Pacific Garbage Patch Swells.
But water bottles also pose a more subtle threat to the planet's well-being. As they decompose, plastic containers leave behind particles and chemicals. Even after they have seemingly disappeared, plastic containers continue to pollute.
What the Research Says:
The contamination of oceans by chemicals and plastic has been receiving attention recently from both scientists and the media.
To learn more, try reading
Plastic Breaks Down in the Oceans After All—And Fast on National Geographic News,
Chemicals From Plastic Water Bottles Found Throughout Oceans on Wired, and
BPA Found Beached and at Sea on Science News.
Why it Helps You:
We are fortunate enough to live in an age when drinking water is clean and plentiful.
A little planning ahead—don't forget your water bottle when you leave the house—
keep you from having to pay for something that's almost free anyway!
Buying a bottle of water doesn't gaurantee purity. Some bottled water can actually contain more contaminants than tap water:
Bottled Water Contains Disinfection Byproducts, Fertilizer Residue, and Pain Medication.
NOTE:
There are concerns over the safety of some plastic water bottles. BPA, a chemical contained in certain reusable bottles, may have a harful effect on humans.
For more information on BPA, you can read
the results of a study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The FDA has voiced some concerns about the effect of BPA on children.
Although so far less substantiated, there are also some worries about PET, a chemical found in disposable bottles:
Plastic Water Bottles May Pose Health Hazard.
Concerned water drinkers usually turn to reusable stainless steel or glass containers.
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Last Revision: July 6, 2010