As of right now,there is much wrong with the world. Wars are being fought, crime, rape and racism are still undoubtedly alive. This upsets countless people, movements have been made while others brawled back. With much crisis going on, numerous people seem to forget where it is all happening; Earth, mother of all things. Species whom have been around longer than humans are impelling extinction, the polar ice caps are melting, and landfills are overflowing. It is a terrifying thought to consider that the ones at fault for all of this is mankind. Each individual has a role in addressing environmental sustainability, and most are not doing their part.
The majority of people appreciate bottled water as it is healthy and ideal to transport
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Complications begin when plastic becomes involved. “Manufacturing, transporting, and refrigerating the more than 40 billion plastic bottles of water consumed annually in the U.S requires the equivalent of more than 50 million barrels of crude oil.” (Janet Larsen,”Is Bottled Water a Good Idea?”) Consequently, the conflict continues to worsen. The majority of the water bottles end up in waterways and overflowing landfills, harming ecosystems despite their complete recyclability. Thus, further proving that each individual plays a role in the sustainability of the Earth, because one person on their own cannot accomplish an effective change. Resolving the conflict of water bottle overflow involves the people who consume them to begin recycling them or more appropriately, to begin using a refillable water bottle, a much better eco-friendly …show more content…
However, there have been attempts to stop this. The United States is the only industrialized country who does not have an international treaty which makes it illegal to export or traffic toxic e-waste. The idea is to stop dumping e-waste on the world’s poorest, poverty struck nations and to work towards safer waste management within the country. The European Union provides a model for industrial regulation, hoping that the burden of the e-waste would be put on manufacturers instead of the consumers. On the other hand, a more fitting choice would be to begin manufacturing the devices with an end of life plan. As of right now cell phones are designed to make disassembly difficult. Instead, ideas have been proposed to sell the devices with prearranged disposal service or to allow users to exchange their old phone for a new one instead of throwing them away improperly. With the idea in mind that individuals play a role in environmental sustainability, this provides incentive that people would be more interested in trading in their old phones for new ones while saving the earth at the same
Another way bottled water is the way to go is because it helps aid in healthy choices. In the article, “Grab the Bottle”, it states that “bottled water has helped consumers choose to drink more water because it presents it in a convenient way (Giroux). In many cases, consumers buy more objects that appeal to the eyes. Bottled water comes in different sizes and shapes. What is trending in society, the public wants automatically. In the article, “Comment-Soft Drinks and Water- The Future of Bottled Water”, he told that “attractive packages alone can make us feel that what we are drinking is beneficial” (Rowlands). Trendy shapes, sizes, and colors are what the public is drawn to. If a consumer sees a unique water bottle in the store, he or she will buy that because it’s trendy and popular in society.
Many of people have not realized that the creation of bottled water affects our environment. The production of water bottles requires a large amount of water plus the water that is needed to fill the bottle. Considering there is a shortage of water in several places, water should be better handled and not wasted on plastic bottle making. Of the eighty million single serve bottles of water consumed daily, thirty million ends up in landfills (Soechtig, 2009 qtd. in “Bottled Water: The Risks to Our Health, Our
One reason that I believe bottled water is not suitable to give to everyone in the school, is because it causes a lot of environmental problems. According to The Story of Bottled Water by Annie Leonard, “Each year, making the plastic waste bottles used in the U.S. takes enough oil and
Obsession may be the word used to describe American’s outlook towards bottled water. Many people buy it without thinking twice while others are thoughtful about the product. However, the use of bottled water establishes a challenge worth a discussion. As Susan Freinkel and Peter Gleick illustrate in their books, the use of plastic bottled water has birthed several consequences, which are not only economic but also environmental.
The world is very fast pace, we are constantly on the go, barely having enough time to enjoy life. Staying healthy is very difficult. In this aspect bottled water is of a greater value, since bottled is in a portable state it is therefore easier to take with you. “You can purchase these bottles anywhere anytime conveniently.”(Bottled Water Pros) Some form or type of bottled water can be found at any establishment. This is useful if you are at your job force, working out, or on a trip. Bottled water can be taken on the go and bought anywhere, where tap water is only at your house.
One of the largest issues with bottled water is that, water bottles can help contribute to the cause of many problems in the environment. It can cause pollution because many don’t recycle their water bottles. In fact, according to Jennifer Gitlitz, the research director for the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), “86% of the water bottles sold are wasted: landfilled, incinerated, or littered.” Furthermore, the CRI keeps track of how many bottles and cans go into landfills around the year and in this year only 64 million bottles and cans have be thrown into landfills. When these recyclable items go through landfills it just creates more and more pollution. Yes, we can limit this but we can never completely eliminate it unless we get rid of the bottle that is causing it. Eliminating these bottles
Bottled water has been around for years upon years, but certain people want to it to be banned. Bottled water is durable, portable, and convenient. Bottled water can be stored right about anywhere in a household, if you are in need of water when on a road trip it most always is available in almost every store you visit. Going on a hike or camping bottled water is something that is easy to carry and it’s easily portable,
Access to safe, clean drinking water is certainly one of the most obvious things that humans need for their survival. One of the ways that current companies have sought to meet this need is through the production and distribution of convenient, disposable water bottles. However, the often underestimated, and in some cases unknown, environmental impacts of producing disposable water bottles is truly a predicament worth consideration. In fact, it is a problem that is so big that I myself would be willing to buy less, or even cease buying, bottled water.
“One of the biggest challenges facing the bottled water industry is how to respond to the environmental claims levelled against it” (Grocer). Every time someone throws a bottle away, they have taken up more space in a landfill for the next four hundred fifty to one thousand years. Besides the long decomposition rate, water bottles are the cause of several more environmental issues. Overfilling landfills, health hazards caused by refilling, and the economic stresses due to the constant and inconvenient repurchasing are just a few of the negatives water bottles have on us. These plastic pollutants are doing more harm to both the environment and their users than good.
Let's be honest, every single one of us in this room has used a plastic water bottle in our lives. However, they are not always the convenient and safe way to quencher thirst. Bottled water isn't as pure and clean as we think. In the 2009, the Government Accountability Office stated that tap water is more strictly regulated by the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency while bottled water is less regulated by the FDA, Food&Drug Administration. In fact, the EPA has the power to require water testing for tap while the FDA often cannot test the bottled. There have been many counts of finding arsenic in bottled water that can cause abdominal pain, heart disease, numbness and cancer. Tap water costs about one tenth of a cent for a gallon while
In America in 2014 the bottled water per capita consumption was up to 34 gallons (“Per Capita Consumption…”). The sales volume growth of bottled water was also up to 7.2% in 2014 the highest it's ever been (“Sales volume growth…”). So it is no surprise that the majority of Americans prefer bottled water including myself. Bottled water is better than tap water because it is more convenient, healthier, and it’s been a lifesaver for disastrous situations all over the earth. Because we all need water to live it’s important that everyone is informed about what kind of water they are putting in their bodies. These are just a few reasons as to why bottled water is better than tap water.
According to Hannah Ellsbury (2013), “The energy squandered on using bottled water would be sufficient to power a hundred and ninety thousand homes”. In 1621, the idea of bottled water first originated in the United Kingdom. Therefore, global consumption of bottled water reached seventy-four and seven billion gallons in 2014. The largest consumer in the world of bottled water is U.S. comes next Mexico, China, and Brazil. Some individuals argue that drinking bottled water has many risks in different aspects. However, this paper argues that people should not only drink bottled water.
Bottled water is commonly more available to the people. For example, when going on vacation and having to drive for over ten hours or more, people will get thirsty and tap water is not available in the car. A few families bring a cooler with bottled water in them so that they can have water available when anybody wants a drink. To
Today, most young people are either on their way to their next class or rushing to work. This generation is on-the-go and, for some reason, always trying to be the best they can be. Their best can mean staying hydrated and over using plastic water bottles to do so. Plastic bottles are so convenient for a generation on-the-go and in no time the landfills will be full of these plastic demons. These young “on-the-go” people can contribute to stopping this in one simple step and it is to stop using them. Even though that is better said than done, it can be so easy to do it and the solution may be a past trend. The new generation is all about “upcoming” trends and staying up to date, so why not bring back a trend that is perfect for the environment. For example, a while back it was so trendy to use these insulated cups, they came in various colors and you could decorate them. These cups were used for about everything like to drink coffee, water, or etc. Using these cups is just as easy as walking to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water so why not go for the refillable cup that will help everyone do their part in changing the world. There are so many other non-plastic solutions to avoiding water bottles, but if the younger people can find a way to relate it to the way
Today plastic water bottles are putting a strain on the environment and highlighting their wasteful properties. A study by Brita, a water filtration company, shows that “Americans discard 38 billion plastic water bottles a year, and it takes 1.5 billion barrels of oil to produce them” (York 2). The amount of oil that is being used to produce the plastic of bottled water can be used elsewhere like gasoline for cars and electricity for homes. Even though the plastic from bottled water is recyclable, The Container Recycling Institute (CR1) states that “eight out of 10 water bottles end up in landfills” and end up being washed into streams and oceans (Knopper 36). CR1 also states that “only 14 percent of plastic water bottles purchased annually in the U.S. are recycled” (Burbank 23). This study produced by CR1 proves that people still are not recycling their bottled