There was a time when bottled water took the world by storm, and everyone was being seen holding a bottle of water rather than a can of a coke. The world was changing and people were making healthier decisions about what they put in their body. The choice  has now shifted, not between sugared drinks and bottled water, but between bottled water and purified or filtered tap water. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all for replacing sugary drinks and sodas withpurified or filtered water and I also think it’s a great direction we have all moved in health wise, but stop and think what this is doing to the environment.
I know you’re probably sitting there thinking yeah yeah, I have heard all this before.
But have you really heard this before?

The devastating effects plastic is having on our environment.

Aussies spend more than half a billion dollars on bottled water and end up recycling only 36% of their plastic bottles. Our oceans are becoming more and more congested with billions of plastic bottles and packaging with 80% of our plastic waste ending up in our ocean.  More than half the damage could’ve been reduced if everyone stopped buying bottled water and drank purified or filtered water from their tap.

All around the world, countries are starting to put their ‘green’ foot forward and take action in reducing their plastic footprint.  Check out how parts of the world are doing their part to contribute to a cleaner plastic free environment…

Clockwise: Bundanoon Town, University of Sunshine Coast phasing out plastic bottles, vending machine in Turkey feeding a stray dog, man recycling plastic bottle as payment in China.

• The world’s first town to take a stand and ban bottled water is located in our very own backyard, Australia. The town of Bundanoon in NSW, has decided on its own to neither sell, nor giveaway, bottled still water, within the town precinct. Businesses have available for sale reusable drink bottles and chilled filtered tap water, whilst both free filtered water stations, and water fountains or ‘bubblers,’ provide for the general public.  Read more here

• In China, the installation of recycling machines which accept plastic bottles as payment recently debuted in busy subway stations in Beijing.Read more here

• In Turkey, one innovative company has created a vending machine that works with the environment where the machines release food and water for the city’s stray dogs in exchange for recycled plastic bottles. Read more here 

• San Francisco has made a step towards ‘greening’ their city, with a recent law to ban the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owned property.Read more here

• Concord, Massachusetts has become one of the first communities in the USA to ban the sale of single-serving plastic water bottles. It is unlawful to sell non-sparkling, unflavoured drinking water in single-serving bottles of 1 litre or less in the town. Read more here

• The University of Canberra has a total ban on bottled water from its campus. It’s believed to be the largest ban of its kind in Australia. Organisers say the ban will potentially stop 140,000 plastic bottles from being sold annually. Read more here. University of Sunshine Coast is also following suit and soon to become the second university in Australia tophase out plastic bottles by 2015. Read more here

Our animals living with the effects of our plastic waste.

Plastic travels long distances! The plastic debris in the area popularly knows as Great Ocean Garbage Patch has increased by 100 times in the past 40 years.  The patch is estimated to be at least 700,000 square kilometres and is located in the North Pacific Ocean.  Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Institute in California says marine life is feeding on the garbage patch, effectively putting organisms of the ocean on a plastic diet. “35 per cent of the fish that we caught out there had an average of two pieces of plastic in their stomach,” he said.  Source: http://www.abc.net.au/

If everyone in the world started to do their part for their environment, then we can start to fix up the mess we have already created. We can all take part and move forward in the world by taking some small steps towards the reduction of plastic waste and becoming more green.

What can we do to reduce our plastic footprint?

1. The best thing is to avoid bottled water
2. Stop using plastic water bottles
3. Install a water purifier
4. Stop using plastic grocery bags
5. Start using reusable containers
6. Recycle!  In those instances where you must use plastic, please make sure to recycle it.

We all have to live in this world, so why not keep it beautiful. We have a range of alternate products as below that can help you make a difference to the world. Buying yourself a good drink bottle and filling it up with purified water is just one of the ways that we can help save our world.
• Counter Top Water Purifier
• Single or Twin Undersink Water Purifier
• Reverse Osmosis
• Stainless Steel Drink Bottle – BPA Free

Clockwise: Reverse Osmosis, Stainless Steel Drink Bottle, Counter Top Water Purifier, Twin Undersink Water Purifier. 

References:
http://www.rapmonth.org/the-facts
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-16/pacific-garbage-patch/5525658
http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/
http://oceancrusaders.org/crusades/plastic-crusades/plastic-statistics/