Learn about the effects of plastic on our natural environment
Wean yourself from the bottle and do the world a world of good!
The public is becoming more and more aware of the detrimental effects of plastic on the environment.  Unfortunately, the bottled water industry has exacerbated the problem immensely with a steady stream of plastic bottles adding to landfill, fuel intensive recycling, and ultimately to a giant mass of plastic in the pacific ocean, twice the size of Texas, which is slowly degrading, blocking the sun and suffocating plankton and hence the source of food and life for all ocean creatures. 

Articles and Information On Plastic Reduction Efforts
Article about the disappearance of public drinking water fountains: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gleick/detail?entry_id=72937

Book: Bottled and Sold: http://islandpress.org/bookstore/detailsfad4.html?prod_id=1858

French Drinking Water Fountain: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/09/22/am-french-fountain-delivers-sparkling-water/
Forum: More Bad News on BPA?
Listen to this KQED discussion on BPAs with Dave Iverson.
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201109160930

Baby bottles Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly used in household products, can interfere with the effectiveness of drugs used to fight breast cancer, according to a new California Pacific Medical Center study. Find out about the new research and a proposed California ban on BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups manufactured or sold in the state.

Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
  • Victoria Colliver, health care Reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle
  • William Goodson M.D., senior clinical research scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. His specialty is cancer surgery.

Test Your Knowlege of Plastic
  • US Citizens buy an estimated:_____  plastic water bottles every year.   A: 29.8 Billion B: 1 million C: too many
  • More than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a plastics recycling program through curbside or community drop-off centers.  A: 20%  B: 80%  C: Not enough
  • Nearly ___  bottles will end up in landfill.  A: 8 out of 10  B: 2 out of 10   C. Too many!
  • More than  ____  bottles end up in landfill every year in California alone.   A. 1 Billion (more than 3 million per day)   B. 1 million   C. Too many!
  • It is estimated that the production of plastics accounts for ____ 4 percent of the energy consumption in the U.S.
  • Less than 1 percent of all plastics is recycled. Therefore, almost all plastics are incinerated or end up in a landfill.
  • Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to _____ light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours.
  • The average US Citizen consumes _ gallons of bottled water per year.
  • The percentage of plastic recycled vs. plastic consumed is ___
  • ____ pounds of plastic were recycled in 2008.
  • ____ pounds of plastic were discarded and eventually went to pollute our oceans. 
  • Plastics are made from : Natural gas
  • Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves ___ 7.4 Cubic Yards of land fill space. 

If you guessed 'C' on all answers, you got them all right!
Check your Answers here:   earth911
Learn how to reduce your Plastic Footprint: Plastic Manners
(Warning, this information may disrupt complacency, may raise your ire, and may instigate activism. We hope so!)

The Plastic Gyre in the Pacific Ocean
Read about the great plastic garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
Track the Plastiki Expedition! documenting the plastic island.  http://www.theplastiki.com/trackplastiki/
Listen to Michael Davis on Ron Owens show about bottled water.
Read about State of California Bottled water woes here, put out by the State's Department of Conservation: 
http://www.consrv.ca.gov/index/news/2003%20News%20Releases/Pages/NR2003-13_Water_Bottle_Crisis.aspx