Plastic Bottles & Hopeful Future

-- Quote of the Day --

“Mankind has a genius for survival, often only manifested at the eleventh hour.
Now is the time when we must act together to avoid the catastrophe of climate change.
Saving the rain forests will be an essential first step.
Deforestation is one of the largest contributors to climate change.
Rain forests provide countless services to humanity, often unnoticed.”

~ The Prince of Wales

-- Bottled Water --

There are numerous environmental concerns with bottled water: the production and consumption of bottled water consumes energy, pollutes the environment, and contributes to global warming. Producing the plastic bottles uses energy and emits toxic chemicals, environmental implications of bottled water. Transporting the bottled water across hundreds or thousands of miles spews carbon dioxide into the air, complicating our efforts to combat global climate change. And in the end, empty bottles are piling up in landfills.

* Source for statistics below: TakeBackTheTap.org

• Worldwide bottling of water uses about 2.7 million tons of plastic each year.

• In the US approximately 86 % of used plastic water bottles end up in the garbage, instead of the recycling bin (about 2 million tons of PET plastic, annually)

• Plastic bottles of all types and sizes are often incinerated, due to their high BTU content, which releases toxic byproducts - such as chlorine gas and ash that is laden with heavy metals.

• Manufacturing the 28.6 billion PET water bottles in the United States requires the equivalent of 17.6 million barrels of oil.

• Bottled water costs hundreds or thousands of times more than tap water.

• Manufacturing the 28.6 billion PET water bottles in the United States takes the equivalent of 17.6 million barrels of oil - enough to fuel more than one million cars.


Alternatives include installing a water purification system in your home and office coffee room areas for drinking purposes only. These come with a special tap that helps people remember to use that water for beverages only... not for hand washing or other purposes, since the city water is still available. Encourage employees to bring a reusable glass and coffee cup of their own - they can keep it in their desk to avoid others using it, if that is a concern. Or the business can provide reusable drink holders for the office use.

We have purchased several reusable drink bottles that are refilled and taken with us everywhere we go. This helps us avoid purchasing calorie laden beverages, wasting away our budget and creating more waste. At the same time, we know the water we are drinking is from a safe source (not all "spring water" is tested appropriately) and that it is being held in a safe container (some plastics will leach into water). Plastics numbering 2, 4 and 5 are said to be healthier than others.

For more information about plastics and other toxins in everyday products, check out the following interview: Toxins in Every-day Products, with Teresa Holler

-- Authors Read Radio --

Irene Latham is our guest of the day on the Authors Read radio program. She is a poet and novelist focusing on heart-touching tales of unexpected adventure. Her debut mid-grade historical novel Leaving Gee’s Bend is set in Alabama during the Great Depression

Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca