BottleLESS

Most people don’t realize the impact bottle water has on our environment. Sadly the Manufacturing, processing and transporting of bottled water, burns millions of barrels of oil, generated millions of tons of greenhouse gasses, and injects 38 billion plastic bottles into our landfills.

Plastic water bottles are made of petroleum, a non-renewable resource that requires new fossil reserves to be extracted all the time. In the U.S alone 1.5 million barrels of oil are consumed in making the bottles.

Most bottles end up in landfills, adding to our domestic landfill problems. Every year about 1.5 million tons of plastic go into manufacturing water bottles for the global market, using processes that release toxics such as nickel, ethyl benzene, ethylene oxide, styrene and benzene.

Bottle water companies are moving 1 billion bottles of water a week in ships, trains and trucks in the United Sates alone.

http://www.edf.org/ecosystems/video-solutions-western-water-use

Reducing Other Greenhouse Gases

Bessy’s Stomachs

Methane is the second most significant cause of greenhouse warming, behind carbon dioxide. Bessy, the science cow, and her many brothers and sisters are one of the greatest methane emitters. Bessy’s grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause her to produce methane, which she exhales with every breath. The sheer size of her herds makes a significant contribution to global warming.

Bessy the Science Cow Bessy and her cow friends are one of the world's greatest methane emitters. Cows exhale methane, which is a byproduct of the digestion of their grassy diet.

Livestock lead rice-growing, gas-flaring, and mining in global emissions of this highly potent greenhouse gas. Options for reducing methane emissions go beyond reducing beef and dairy consumption. These mitigation strategies also include reducing methane emissions from mines, gas production facilities, and landfills

Global Warming Facts

Three out of four of the world’s highest-density cities are in rapidly developing countries, where vehicle pollution is high. In Central Europe alone, 21,000 deaths are tied to air pollution each year. The concentration of photochemical pollutants, such as ozone, tends to increase with warmer temperatures. Ozone damages lung tissue and is especially harmful to people with asthma and other lung conditions.

Increased Air Pollution Air pollution in high-density cities can be a health hazard to individuals with asthma. Photochemical pollutants tend to increase with warmer temperatures.

Hotter Summers & Warmer Winters

A 1995 heat wave killed more than 500 people in the Chicago area, and heat intensity is likely to rise in the future. Statistical studies estimate that a temperature rise of 2°F could double or triple the number of heat-related deaths in Atlanta, in part because the heat index will increase exponentially as temperature rises. But warmer weather may save lives in the winter by reducing hypothermia and driving-related fatalities.

Rulemakers & Watchdogs

Those who set the rules, traditionally governments, will always play a critical role. But the groups watching over corporate behavior are now far more diverse than just regulators, and include a wide range of non-governmental organizations, politicians, and the legal community. The number and power of these de facto rulemakers is expanding in fascinating and important ways.

The Green Wave

"What’s going on? Why are the world’s biggest, toughest, most profit-seeking companies talking about the environment now? Simply put, because they have to. The forces coming to bear on companies are real and growing. Almost without exception, industry groups are facing an unavoidable new array of environmentally driven issues. Like any revolution, this new “Green Wave” presents an unprecedented challenge to business as usual.

Biodiversity: Coral Reefs

Biodiversity: Coral Reefs

Sustainability and Society

We, as a society, have a need for sustainability. People in the industrialized World today would find it hard to escape references to global warming and climate change. Our society faces problems associated with peak oil and the potential effects of a decline in oil production . Our society has a high ecological foot print and our way of life has an impact on not only our local environment but on the eco system as a whole, effecting  the rain forests and potentially causing the extinction of may of the species that inhabit the Earth with us. Scientists have shown that our current society and our current way of life gobbles up our Earth and its resources , going beyond what our planet can coupe with. Thus, we have a need for changing our current way of doing things if we wish to have a hi-tech society so that we don’t destroy our Earth; we have a need for a sustainable society .

This is what I like to pursue in the green Zero Waste world

 It is important not to leave Zero Waste to “waste experts.” Many different skills need to be deployed in the movement towards Zero Waste and sustainability. Everyone has a role to play. Citizens or communities need to take the leadership role in organizing meetings to engage all sectors of the community. All organizations (nongovernmental organizations, grassroots movements, business and governmental) that provide waste reduction, takeback, reuse, recycling and composting services should be involved in order to achieve Zero Waste. All of these groups and individuals should be challenged to pursue Zero Waste at home, at school, at university, at work and at play, while their communities develop longer term policies and programs for the entire community. Existing service providers should be asked to adopt Zero Waste as a goal and seize the opportunities to reduce waste, provide takeback services to local manufacturers and retailers, and to help communities and businesses get to Zero Waste. The communication with all sectors of the community should be permanent, in all planning and implementation phases of the Zero Waste plan.

How my class affected my life

The class helped me understand the ways I can lead a greener life, conserve the world 's resources and reduce the amount of waste and pollution I create through recycling.Whether I am a student spreading the message about the importance of eco green living and recycling, or a home maker deciding what to buy for my home or how to dispose of my unwanted furniture, I can make a difference.  It is important for every one of us to understand the impact of our human activities on mother earth.