Posts Tagged ‘water bottles’

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We Live In A Single Serve Society Thursday, June 17th, 2010 Walk into any school lunchroom (well, school is over now) or summer-camp cafeteria and what do you see?  Single serving containers!  Everything, unfortunately, comes single-serving: utensils, yogurt, cheese, crackers/chips, popsicles, juice/water, I can go on and on.  But this is not limited to the children’s arena.  In offices or at home, too, you can find a plethora of single serving food and drinks. Oatmeal, coffees (Starbucks VIA ready Brew) or coffee pods that you (yikes!) throw away.  At least compost, please. How about Crystal Light’s single serve powders that I’ve seen people empty into their plastic water bottles.  Now that’s a double eco-whammy!  Don’t get me started on the condiments. The one single serving product I remember vividly as a kid: mini cereal boxes.  Not only are most of these horridly unhealthy (that’s a whole different blog), but they sit right beside their larger counterparts on the grocery store shelves.  Talk about a marketing ploy: what kid wouldn’t want that cute mini box of Fruit Loops?  I have seen large platters of these stacked boxes, in neat pyramids, I might add, at hotels as part of the free continental breakfasts. I find it surprising that these single-serve products are not only still here, but more and more seem to be available.  As consumers, we are growing more concerned about the environment and demanding more eco-friendly  products and packaging.  To many of us, then, it’s a no-brainer.  Single-serving products are more expensive and use more packaging which is therefore, wasteful.  Corporations, though, always feel the need to be one step ahead of its consumers. With obesity on the rise, these “single servings” are supposed to help with portion control.  Wouldn’t you think purchasing a larger container of yogurt (cheaper) and using a reusable container (better for the environment)be the better choice? Unfortunately, in the fast paced world that we live in, the battle of convenience often trumps the opportunity cost and that’s sad.  Here are two blog posts that I found interesting about single serving products. Fake Plastic Fish Growing a Greener Family Tags: eco-friendly, green ideas, green tips, single serve, single serving, VIA Ready Brew, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

A Question For You Thursday, February 11th, 2010 Earth Promise would like to hear from you: “What do you do on a daily basis to help eliminate waste and to protect your environment?” Tags: change, changes, climate change, earth promise, earthpromise, environment, environmental, environmental footprint, environmental issues, global warming, green, green changes, green living, recycle, recycling, reduce, reuse, the onion, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

FLOW:For Love of Water Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 “This notion that we will have water forever is wrong” “It’s not a democratic issue; it’s not a republican issue; it’s a people issue…” “CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?”   FLOW (For Love of Water), a poignant documentary that opened back in 2008, is now available on DVD.  FLOW highlights not only the impoverished nations and the corporate take-over of their water systems, but  also the effects it has on wealthy nations.  Access to clean drinking water needs to be (again) everyone’s fundamental right.  Unfortunatley, still today people are being told that water is “safer” if bottled (by the big corporations).   Irena Salina, a French native and documentary filmmaker, builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.   To learn more about Salina’s inspired, yet unsettling documentary, visit http://www.flowthefilm.com/ To watch the tailer, click here Tags: bottled water, carbon footprint, change, changes, clean water, climate change, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, FLOW, flowthefilm, global warming, green, green changes, green company, green living, green practice, green practices, green tips, water, water bottles, water conservation, water pollution Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

World Water Crisis Thursday, January 21st, 2010 It is so easy to take everyday essentials for granted:  I am fortunate to be able to wake up in my own bed, with a roof over my head; there is fresh food in my refrigerator and I have plenty of clean water to drink and bathe with.  As of recently, we are reminded daily (hourly?!) of these necessities to live; especially following the shocking earthquake that has turned Haiti upside down.  (The other day Earth Promise posted  how we can help Haiti after the devastating earthquake that occurred.) Let’s take something as indispensable as water, whether it be for drinking or bathing.  I was listening to NPR early this morning and one company, Shelterbox.org, sponsored by service clubs such as Rotary Clubs, has been sending large sealed boxes containing various contents (depending on the disaster ) to Haiti. The Shelterboxes are providing Haitians with such items such as tents, blankets, mats and water purifying tablets.  Although each item included in the Shelterbox is greatly appreciated and used, the water tablets are invaluable. “water purification tablets or a water purification kit; and one 5 gallon flat-pack water container (Each tablet will purify a full container of water providing 1,800 gallons of clean drinking water which should be sufficient for a family of ten for up to three months).” It is difficult to fathom that a first world countries’ water supply is waning.  It is easy to push these gloomy thoughts to lesser developed countries, like Haiti, Africa, or India.  Although we constantly hear that three quarters of the earth’s surface is covered by water, you would think the process of the water cycle would allow the balance of water on the earth to remain constant.  The big problem is that we are consuming and utilizing water faster than Mother Nature can replenish for us. Over the past years, the environmental movement has focused more on the emissions of greenhouse gasses, air pollution, pesticides in our food, and trying to eliminate plastics from our daily routine compared to our dwindling water supply.  But if you do some research, water is inextricably linked to all of the above.  We need to stop using more water and take the time to figure out how to use less. Here are some water crisis activists that we admire.  Some have even been featured on our Earth Promise blogs and interviews: Christopher Swain,  who is creating a healthy ocean planet through education.   Change Agent, Denise Russo produces events and concerts that raise $$ and awareness for the global water crisis. Alexandra  Cousteau “a globally recognized advocate on water quality and policy, continues the work of her renowned grandfather Jacques Yves and father Philippe Cousteau. At 32, she has already mastered the remarkable storytelling tradition handed down to her through the generations, and has the unique ability to draw audiences into the weighty issues of policy, politics, and action.  Alexandra is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and a CNN International Principal Voice, a graduate of Georgetown University, and a lifelong explorer and activist. She established Blue Legacy in 2008, an organization dedicated to inspiring people around the world to take action on critical water issues.” A young student from Dubai International School travelled to the India-Bangladesh border to raise awareness about water conservation.   He made a short video clip illustrating, via photos, the devastating effects of un-sanitized water.  His goal is to make people empathize through his captivating photography.  He states, “They bathe, they drink, they excrete and they urinate in the exact same pond or lake…” Unfortunately, the photos this young student took could have been in any one of the many poor countries in the world.    It is time to truly look at how we use (or shall I say, waste?) water.  How long are we in the shower?  By now, it should be second nature to brush our teeth without the faucet running.  What do we do with that half consumed water bottle?  Are your sprinklers on a timer? Try to imagine your life without a clean water supply: how will you flush your toilets, bathe, wash dishes, water your plants? Earth Promise offers a plentitude of simple ideas  on how you can reduce your water consumption. But more needs to be done.  The disaster in Haiti has given a new focus to our water crisis. Time to do your research: not only make an effort to lessen your water consumption but see how you can participate in creating safe water supplies in developing countries.   Below are some sites that offer such information:   Global Water   The Water Project Water Missions International   Charity: Water Tags: air pollution, american red cross, AmeriCares, carbon footprint, change, changes, clean water, climate change, Direct Relief International, Doctors Without Borders, donations, earth, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, earthquake, eco-friendly, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, global warming, green, green changes, green company, green living, green practice, green practices, green tips, greenhouse gasses, haiti, helping haiti, International Medical Corps, Operation USA, renewable energy, Save the Children, Shelterbox, sustainable, The Salvation Army, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, water bottles, water conservation, water pollution, World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be? Thursday, January 21st, 2010 We usually do not simply copy and paste an article at the Earth Promise blog but today has to be an exception.  The Onion posted a story that fits in perfectly with what Earth Promise is about.  Yes your little action does make a difference.  Thanks to the Onion for this one.  Enjoy!   ‘How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be?’ 30 Million People Wonder WASHINGTON—Wishing to dispose of the empty plastic container, and failing to spot a recycling bin nearby, an estimated 30 million Americans asked themselves Monday how bad throwing away a single bottle of water could really be. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” thought Maine native Sheila Hodge, echoing the exact sentiments of Chicago-area resident Phillip Ragowski, recent Florida transplant Margaret Lowery, and Kansas City business owner Brian McMillan, as they tossed the polyethylene terephthalate object into an awaiting trash can. “It’s just one bottle. And I’m usually pretty good about this sort of thing.” “Not a big deal,” continued roughly one-tenth of the nation’s population. According to the inner monologue of millions upon millions of citizens, while not necessarily ideal, throwing away one empty bottle probably wouldn’t make that much of a difference, and could even be forgiven, considering how long they had been carrying it around with them, the time that could be saved by just tossing it out right here, and the fact that they had bicycled to work once last July. In addition, pretty much the entire states of Missouri and New Mexico calmly reassured themselves Monday that they definitely knew better than to do something like this, but admitted that hey, nobody is perfect, and at least they weren’t still using those horrible aerosol cans, or just throwing garbage directly on the ground. All agreed that disposing of what would eventually amount to 50 tons of thermoplastic polymer resin wasn’t the end of the world. “It’s not like I don’t care, because I do, and most of the time I don’t even buy bottled water,” thought Missouri school teacher Heather Delamere, the 450,000th caring and progressive individual to have done so that morning, and the 850,000th to have purchased the environmentally damaging vessel due to being thirsty, in a huge rush, and away from home. “It’s really not worth beating myself up over.” “What’s one little bottle in the grand scheme of things, you know?” added each and every single one of them. Monday’s plastic-bottle-related dilemma wasn’t the only environmental quandary facing millions of citizens across the country. An estimated 20 million men and women wondered how wasteful leaving a single lightbulb on all night really was, while more than 40 million Americans asked themselves if anyone would actually notice if they just turned up the heat a few degrees instead of walking all the way downstairs and getting another blanket. Likewise, had they not been so tired, and busy, and stressed, citizens making up the equivalent of three major metropolitan areas told reporters that they probably wouldn’t have driven their minivans down to the corner store. “Relax,” thousands upon thousands of Americans quietly whispered to themselves as they tossed two articles of clothing into an empty washing machine and turned it on. “What are you so worried about?”  http://www.theonion.com/content/news/how_bad_for_the_environment_can Tags: change, changes, climate change, earth promise, earthpromise, environment, environmental, environmental footprint, environmental issues, global warming, green, green changes, green living, recycle, recycling, reduce, reuse, the onion, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Wrap-n-Mat Gets a Thumbs Up! Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 For as long as my girls have been in school, I (on occasion they, too) pack their lunches.  Over the years, I have purchased diverse types of reusable containers and yes, I’ll admit, even used the Zip Lock baggies.   The first of my reusable purchases was this fabulous cube-like contraption from the Container Store called the Klip Lunch cube . I bought mine over 4 years ago, which only came in a clear color.  Now you can choose from a variety of colors and it touts that it is BPA free.  It is a bit bulky, so finding the right lunch box can be a challenge.  Also, with the worry regarding plastics, this may not be an option for you.   I have done some hands-on research and used a myriad of bags, containers and water bottles for my girls’ lunches.  Back in August of this year, I blogged about Zero-Trash Lunch Concepts  and was intrigued by the Wrap-n-Mat.  Wrap-n-Mat  is just what is says: a reusable place mat that doubles as a wrapper for your food.  Sometimes even the small reusable containers may be too cumbersome in your child’s lunch bag.  This money-saving, washable food wrapper is perfect for those multi-portioned lunches.   I contacted the company as I wanted to test out their wares.  Quickly, I was mailed one eco-designed wrapper, perfect for sandwiches and one dark green pouch  ideal for snacks such as pretzels, crackers, or an apple.  Both Wrap-n-Mats are lined with a clear plastic barrier to keep the cloth from getting soggy and  the site claims “that (the mats)clean up completely without any fabric weave or pores that can harvest bacteria.”  My girls were excited and began to squabble over who was getting what wrapper in their lunches.  Since my older daughter was an avid peanut butter-banana-and honey sandwich eater, she was the lucky winner of the larger sandwich wrapper.  It was easy to fold:  fold both sides in, then fold the bottom up and seal with the Velcro.  My younger daughter liked the idea of using pretzels for her Wrap-n-Mat Pouch since the website uses them in their demonstration.  The closing was not as easy.  According to the presentation on the site, the sides are to fold in forming a nice pouch, where no small snack pieces can escape.  Mine left small gaps at the bottom corners.  No matter how I tried to refold it, it wouldn’t close completely.  We opted to use it for an apple.  The Wrap-n-Mat Pouch can be used for smaller sandwiches or larger snacks, but for items such as oyster crackers or goldfish crackers, this may not be the best item to use. Clean up was easy!  The few crumbs (and crust) left in the Wrap-n-Mat were tossed (into your compost if you have!) and then with a wet cloth wiped clean.  Viola! My girls and I really love the Wrap-n-Mat.  Not only is it perfect for school lunches, but also for the beach, picnics or wherever you bring your lunch or snacks.  This dual purpose product (reusable food container–good for the earth and placemat—good to keep germ-free) is perfect.  What a safe feeling knowing your child’s lunch is not sitting directly on his/her desk or lunch table! For more information, visit Wrap-n-Mat Tags: BPA free, carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, earth, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, energy, energy efficient, entrepreneur, environment, environmental, global warming, green, green changes, green claims, green company, green living, green practice, green practices, green tips, lunch, money-saving, placemat, renewable energy, reusable, sustainable, waste, waste-free, water bottles, zero-waste, zip lock Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Basic Human Right in a Bottle Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 It is frightening to think that one individual in the FDA is in charge of overseeing all regulations for bottled water in our country.  Environmental documentary, Tapped, from director Stephanie Soechtig, combines maddening and excellent footage. From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car and I.O.U.S.A., this film focuses on the disconcerting water bottle industry.  Soechtig scrutinizes the production of  our bottled ”basic human right” and its devastating effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil. Be sure to watch the trailer and let us know your thoughts on the bottled water industry. Tags: carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, conservation, earthpromise, eco-friendly, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental footprint, environmental movement, global warming, green, green economy, green future, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, Stephanie Soechtig, sustainable, water, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Disney’s Got The Power Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 “Help Save the planet, one drop at a time!  Just imagine what we can do, send it on….” These inspirational words and lyrics are the quintessential mantra from Disney these days.  A small scale, tweeners Band-Aid-esque group (remember, We are the World?) has been formed, called, Disney Friends for Change: Project Green.  Their environmental message, via song (Send It On) is the eco-zeitgeist.  Disney knows what it’s doing.  They have the ideal captive audience using their most popular talents.  Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez are the star power behind this green initiative.  Using all media forms to invite young people to make a difference, Disney Friends For Change can be seen and heard on Disney Channel, XD, Radio Disney Channel and Disney.com. So what is this tweener’s green initiative all about?  It is a new program that encourages kids to pledge to change their daily habits to help the environment.  It’s quite simple: you go to the site , register and make pledges (or promises) to make our earth a better place.  Hey, if these hip youngsters are doing it, why not you?!  At least that is Disney’s thought process.  The pledges to choose from are under specified headings: climate, water, waste, and habitat.  After making your initial “pledges,” kids can  then “Send it on” (to other friends to spread the word.)  Disney’s Worldwide Conservation Fund receives 100% of the proceeds when people purchase  the song, Send It On through iTunes. As well as learning bits of environmental information and tracking their pledges, kids can have a voice by deciding how Disney will donate one million dollars to charitable environmental projects.  So far to date as a result of their votes: • $100,000 will help protect arctic wildlife, including polar bears, from the effects of climate change (to be implemented by Wildlife Conservation Society). • $50,000 will be contributed to the Children’s Forest in Los Angeles, where kids can help plant new trees (to be implemented by San Bernardino National Forest Association). • $50,000 will help protect endangered tropical forests in the Philippines (to be implemented by Birdlife International and its partner, Haribon). • $25,000 will be donated to help end deforestation and introduce fuel efficient stoves to protect local habitats in Rwanda (to be implemented by CHF International). • $25,000 will go towards helping end the deforestation in Central Mexico’s Oyamel forest (to be implemented by ECOLIFE Foundation). • $10,000 will help replant trees in wildfire-damaged Florida state forests (to be implemented by Arbor Day Foundation). If spreading environmental stewardship utilizing top talents helps the planet, then Disney’s doing a good job. Come to Earth Promise, a grown-up version, to make your promises (pledges)!!! Tags: carbon footprint, change, changes, children, climate change, conservation, Demi Lovato, design, disney, Disney Friends for Change, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, education, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental issues, environmental movement, global warming, green, green changes, green effect, green hour, green impact, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, habits, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, outdoors, pledge, recycling, recycling bins, Selena Gomez, tree hugger, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

It’s All In The Design Thursday, May 21st, 2009 After a full school year of starting up the Environmental movement at my daughters’ elementary school, I must say it wasn’t so bad.  We had some bumps in the road, but overall I think the school has definitely shown its true “green” color.  The biggest mission was the logistics of the recycling:  how the students would carry the classroom bins to the end dumpsters; making sure the students and faculty understood what can and cannot go into the recycling bins, etc. The bi-weekly pick-up worked out well:  the after-care students emptied each classroom paper and plastic (only water bottles) bins into larger rolling bins.  The trouble began at the school events, i.e. carnivals, bingo nights.   Placing the large recycling bins throughout the courtyard along with colorful instructional signs placed above the bins, people still tossed their garbage (paper plates, food, etc) into recycling bins.  With the large chasing arrows adorned on the side, the bins surprisingly turned into regular trash cans.  This ruined the contents for recycling.  We thought these large bins were completely obvious; but we were wrong.  Short of having “recycling police” stationed at each recycling bin, we decided for the next large school event to change the design.  We duct taped the bins closed and drilled large holes (just the right size for water bottles and soda cans) into the sides and top.  Viola!  Problem solved!  The recycling at the final Family Fun Night at the school was a huge success.  According to Tree Hugger, People fail to recycle for a number of reasons, including misinformation and forgetfulness; however, it is also a design problem. My coauthor Michelle Verges and I were talking over the phone about why everyone says they recycle, but if you look around, there is a lot of recyclable material in trash cans. We then went around looking through different kinds of recycling bins and trash cans, examining their contents. We began noticing a pattern: Regardless of the receptacle’s label, recycling bins with little holes in the lids contained recyclables and almost nothing else, while those that lacked those holes were basically used as trash cans. So we carried out a study having recycling bins in one building either with or without the hole, and found that the presence of the hole increased the recycling rate by 34%, which is an enormous increase. What do the recycling bins look like around the world?  Are their designs more successful?  Tree Hugger  has a great slideshow taking us on a virtual eco-trip around the world.  Here you can see the other types of recycling bins used.  Each picture is accompanied by a design-value comment. Design is a huge factor when it comes to recycling more efficiently.  Obviously, educating your audience is just as important.  Please leave a comment, as we’d love to read about your ideas on how to entice people to recycle more effectively. Tags: carbon footprint, change, changes, children, climate change, conservation, design, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, education, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental issues, environmental movement, global warming, green, green changes, green effect, green hour, green impact, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, outdoors, recycling, recycling bins, tree hugger, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Water Bottles: Bad for Our Planet, Bad for Our Body Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 We’ve been flooded with information about the how’s and why’s single-use plastic water bottles are outright terrible for our planet and our bodies: ·         Fastest growing section of beverage department ·         (Many) end up in landfills ·         They are shipped either from overseas or just across our own country (burning fossil fuels and diesel fuels).  All this travel to simply get our fill of H2O; something that we have access to right nearby! ·         This, then, causes our gas prices to rise.  Creating and shipping plastic water bottles generates a demand for oil and thus depletes our oil reserves. ·         The estrogen (female sex hormone)-mimicking toxin is found in these deposable bottles.  What should be done? Start by promising  to curb your bottled water purchases.  Also, make a promise to drink tap water when dining out when possible as opposed to bottled water.  Small changes like these, then, will halt the amount of estrogen-like pollutants entering your body. (At least via water bottles!) Below are some great scientific sites that provide detailed data regarding hormones found in plastic water bottles: The report in The Globe and Mail reveals the “consistent contamination of bottled water with a hormonally active substance leaching from PET, one of the world’s most popular packaging materials. The plastic is also used for soft-drink bottles and a host of other food and beverage containers and is identified by the recycling-industry symbol of the numeral “1″ encased in a triangle.”  Science News reports about a water bottle study done at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt.  Scientists conducted research on mud snails, animals highly responsive to female hormones.  Their results were astonishing: a production of up to twice as many embryos.  Be sure to read the article in its entirety. All this news is outright frightening.  I thought #1 was one of the good plastics?!  How to remedy the situation?  Carry your own non-toxic plastic water bottle, but be wary of the bottle you choose.  Or, avoid plastic altogether and purchase glass bottles to refill and stainless steel ones to tote around. Earth Promise has many eco-friendly living tips that make a big impact…for the Earth and your body.   Tags: beverage, body, carbon footprint, change, changes, earth, eco-friendly, environment, estrogen, fossil fuels, green changes, green living, green my home, green practice, green practices, green promise, green tips, holiday green changes, landfills, mudsnails, PET, planet, plastic, plastic wter bottles, recycle, recycling, reduce, science, water, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

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