Happy Earth Day!
I'm going to purchase myself a stainless steel bottle, and cut plastic bottles out of my life for good!
What's your commitment to the Earth today? Leave a comment below!
To go along with my plastic bottle boycott, I'll make today's "Harsh Facts" centered around plastic bottles.
Also, keep reading to find out 17 ways you can make your car more fuel efficient!
Also, keep reading to find out 17 ways you can make your car more fuel efficient!
Picture courtesy of: http://www.wildchina.com/blog/2012/02/seeking-your-advice-how-to-solve-wildchinas-waterbottle-problem/
Harsh Facts of the Week
In 1976 Americans drank, on average, 1.6 gallons of bottled water each year. Thirty years later, the average consumption had increased to thirty gallons per person. This is despite the fact that bottled water can be anywhere between 240 to 10,000 times more expensive than tap water.
Americans drink more bottled water than any other nation in the world: 29 billion bottles every year. To make the plastic for those bottles, 17 million barrels of crude oil must be used. That is equal to the fuel needed for 1 million vehicles to be on the road for a year.
The recycling rate for those 29 billion bottles is low. About 13% go into the recycling process. In 2005, approximately 2 million tons of water bottles entered U.S. landfills.
In 2006, Fiji shipped 18 million gallons of bottled water to California, releasing about 2,500 tons of pollution in order to transport them. That same year, Western Europe's shipment of bottled water to New York City released 3,800 tons of pollution.
The best part? Contrary to popular belief, water from bottles is not always cleaner or safer than water from the tap.
To solidify the information you just learned, watch this awesome video on storyofstuff.org! The video is fun and easy to understand, and it explains how, for years, corporations have been tricking us into thinking bottled water is better. It's only eight minutes long, and I promise it will be worth your time.
So, now that you've read the Harsh Facts and watched a cool video, what do you think? Is it starting to sound like a smart idea to ditch the water bottle for good?
