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July 26, 2007
Green living: Campaigns against plastic water bottles
By ALYSON WARD, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Disposable plastic water bottles: very 2006.
Single-use water bottles are falling from fashionable to frowned-upon. The drink-and-toss containers are getting slammed — and banned — by environmentalists and people who worry about oil dependence and global warming.
It’s not just the plastic, which, yes, can be recycled. Although according to the Container Recycling Institute, eight out of 10 bottles aren’t. It’s the fossil fuels that are used to make and transport those plastic bottles. Every year, making water bottles for the United States requires more than 1.5 million barrels [Correction: 15 million barrels] of oil, according to the Earth Policy Institute. That’s enough energy to fuel 100,000 cars.
Last month the mayor of San Francisco banned disposable water bottles in municipal offices.
A campaign called “Refill Not Landfill” is urging us all to sign a pledge that we’ll go without water bottles for a week, a month or a year.
Full disclosure: The campaign was launched by Nalgene, a company that makes reusable polycarbonate bottles. Proceeds from campaign bottle sales go to renewable-energy projects.
If the anti-bottle bandwagon succeeds, it may not be long before the ubiquitous bottle of Evian or Dasani will be a relic.
Taking its place? The reusable bottle, which you can fill and refill with tap water.
Better bottles
Here are three reusable water bottles you can find now. All three are recyclable and designed to be safe for continued use.
- Polar Bottle
Dishwasher-safe. Insulated to keep water cold.
Cost: About $10
Get it: Sporting goods stores, cycling stores.
- Nalgene polycarbonate bottle
Dishwasher-safe. Made with a polymer that keeps your water from tasting and smelling like plastic.
Cost: About $10
Get it: nalgene-outdoor.com and sporting goods stores.
- Sigg bottle
Made of stainless steel with a lining that resists bacteria growth.
Cost: $15 to $25
Get it: mysigg.com and sporting goods stores.
http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/206090.html
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