CUTE BABES SHOW THE WAY!

Posted by Unknown On Tuesday, January 5, 2010 12 comments
When I graduated decades ago :-), I first worked as a writer with an environmental NGO. Then, my colleagues were completely sold out on campaigning to defend the environment and many other issues. Since then, I have been a greenie and am most concerned about the many environmental threats that we face today, one of which is the impact of the bottled water industry.

Even in Penang where I live, it is a well known fact that waste management is a serious problem. Landfills have grown to monstrous sizes while recycling remains a rare habit. If you were to look at any rubbish dump, you can see the number of plastic bottles discarded by consumers!

According to Wikipedia:

The global bottled water market valuation grew by 7% in 2006 to reach a value of $60,938.1 million. The volume of bottled water grew by 8.1% in 2006 to 115,393.5 million liters. In 2011, the market is forecast to have a value of $86,421.2 million, an increase of 41.8% since 2006. In 2011, the market is forecast to have a volume of 174,286.6 million liters, an increase of 51% since 2006.

The global rate of consumption more than doubled between 1997 and 2005.

The major criticism of bottled water concerns the bottles themselves. Individual use bottled water is generally packaged in Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). According to a NAPCOR study, PET water bottles account for 50% of all the PET bottles and containers collected by curbside recycling, and the recycling rate for water bottles is 23.4%, an increase over the 2006 rate of 20.1%. PET bottled water containers make up one-third of 1 percent of the waste stream in the United States.

The International Bottled Water Association also reports that the average weight of a plastic bottle water was 13.83 grams in 2007, compared to 18.90 grams in 2000, representing a 26.7% decline. Pepsi-Co has since introduced a bottle weighing 10.9 grams and using 20 percent less plastic, which it says is the lightest bottle of its kind that is nationally distributed.

An estimated 50 billion bottles of water are consumed per annum in the US and around 200 billion bottles globally.

Bottled water processed with distillation or reverse osmosis lacks fluoride ions which are sometimes naturally present in ground water. The drinking of distilled water may conceivably increase the risk of tooth decay due to a lack of this element.

According to a 1999 NRDC study, in which roughly 22 percent of brands were tested, at least one sample contained chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits. Some of the contaminants found in the study could pose health risks if consumed over a long period of time. However, the NRDC report conceded that "[m]ost waters contained no detectable bacteria, and the levels of synthetic organic chemicals and inorganic chemicals of concern for which were tested were either below detection limits or well below all applicable standards." Meanwhile, a report by the Drinking Water Research Foundation found that of all samples tested by NRDC, "federal FDA or EPA limits were allegedly exceeded only four times, twice for total coliforms and twice for fluorides." CLICK HERE to read more.
Allaboutwater.Org has this to say:

Besides the sheer number of plastic bottles produced each year, the energy required to manufacture and transport these bottles to market severely drains limited fossil fuels. Bottled water companies, due to their unregulated use of valuable resources and their production of billions of plastic bottles have presented a significant strain on the environment.

The authors of the WWF report suggested that water bottles be washed and reused in order to lessen their negative impact on the environment. Unfortunately, reusing plastic bottles further compromises the quality of the water, due to the fact that more and more phthalate leaches its way into the water as the bottle gets older. In another suggestion, the authors recommended that bottled water companies use local bottling facilities in order to lessen fuel expenditures for transportation needs. Regrettably, local bottling further compromises water quality due to the reduced health standards for in-state bottled water production and consumption. It seems there is no feasible solution to this problem. The bottled water industry causes a severe strain on the environment, but solutions to this environmental damage significantly lessen the quality of water in the bottles. CLICK HERE to read more.

Incidentally, Bundanoon in New South Wales has voted overwhelmingly to ban the sale of bottled water over concerns about its environmental impact. Click here to read more.

So the next time you want to buy bottled water, think again carefully. Try to bring along your own water bottle from home and love the environment by not buying bottled water unless it is absolutely necessary.

Here's a video clip to make your day. Enjoy! I really love it and wonder if I grooved like that as a baby haha! I bumped into it while visiting one of my reader's blog. Take care and have a nice day.

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12 comments to CUTE BABES SHOW THE WAY!

  1. says:

    QQ OMG, how can one possibly control or handle such hyperactive babies???

  1. says:

    Unknown Hi QQ

    I know!! I have watched this video so many times...Hope you enjoyed it.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    JournoDownUnder Dear Masterwordsmith,
    Stumbled upon your blog accidentally. I'm glad you mentioned Bundanoon. I applaud the tenacity and strength of their city council. Do you know that bottled water is more expensive than beer in Australia? Ridiculous, eh? I'm one of those rare ones who carry a thermos everywhere. Have always preferred home brewed green tea than any other stuff. Yeah, can't afford Evian all the time, mate.

  1. says:

    Village Boy Mankind will not live peacefully and happily if the physical world that we live in is not a healthy environment or eco-system that supports the healthy living of all creatures, including us!

    Sad to say, our world is being plundered to a parlous state that almost can no longer support healthy lives.

  1. says:

    stephen I think food waste from coffeeshops, hawker centres and push cart stalls is a more serious issue.When you are free,take a look at the drains in the surrounding vicinity.They are choked with food waste and grease.Hawkers are wantonly throwing their waste into the open drains and clogging them up.And it will get worse as more food centres open.
    There doesn't seem to be a concerted effort to address this issue.

    One thing I have to agree with TDM is the moniker he placed on penang- Pulau Pinang Darul Sampah.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear JournoDownUnder

    Thanks for visiting my blog and for sharing your views and experience. I also carry bottles everywhere I go. I have only bought Evian once in my life - when I was in Paris...and that too because Evian is cheaper there.

    I also applaud the stand and courage of the Bundanoon city council. Most exemplary move for all to follow.

    Take care and do keep in touch. May you have a wonderful 2010!

    Shalom

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Village Boy,

    Thank you for being an environment-conscious citizen.

    It is sad that despite being entrusted with the beautiful environment, man is doing his best to destroy it...

    We have to play our part to preserve our environment so that our children have a world that they can love and continue to preserve.

    Take care and have a good day.

    Best wishes,
    mws

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Stephen

    What you said is true for many hawker centres in Penang. Enforcement is weak and the will to keep a clean environment even weaker!

    Sometimes, I am so ashamed of the filth around and how the pearl has lost its shine. Actually, the worst place I have seen is at Chow Kit area and that too is largely due to illegal immigrants. I am baffled as to how the authorities concerned do not do much there either.

    That is the problem in Malaysia - poor enforcement and legislation.

    Take care and have a good day.

    Warmest wishes
    mws

  1. says:

    stephen I lay the blame squarely on the chinese.The other races are responsible too but the chinese take the cake.In their all encompassing quest to make money,they have ignored the environment.They will add melamine,boric acid,growth hormones,plastic,antibiotics, etc to the food they sell and their lack of hygiene has caused outbreaks of disease..

    No doubt a lot of chinese are involved in environmental issues, but for the business people,they will not bat an eyelid if they pollute or poison-leave it to the next guy to clean the mess up.

    Look at China and anywhere the chinese are (one shop was selling human meat from cadavers cooked into meat buns!)and look at all the enclaves where the chinese do business in Malaysia.

    The only way to get them in line is to kick them in the pocket.I am chinese BTW.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Stephen

    You have hit the nail on the head and I agree with your observations. It is scary how even ikan bawal putih may not be safe for consumption these days because of the chemicals that they spray on the fish just to make it look fresh! Let's not forget the chemicals they put into noodles and of course the use of plastic bags/styrofoam/polystyrene boxes for packing hot/oily food which affect us in more ways than we know.

    My friends who are working in China often tell me that they dare not buy the stuff sold by the hawkers for one does not know what sort of meat is used - like what you mentioned! Even the coloring used for some sweets etc could be banned substances as well.

    Such a sad state of affairs - all because of man's greed...

    Sighs..

    Thanks for sharing, Stephen. Take care and have a good day!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Anonymous ( copycat )
    : " Father, wat else you do ah other than preaching, worshipping & praying ? "
    : ' nun, nun ....oops none, none, none !'

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anonymous @ 5.08 p.m.

    LOL!!! Very witty of you...Thanks for sharing! Have a lovely evening.

    Cheers

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