worth watchin (story of stuff by Annie Leonard)

[smokey]

i received this by e-mail and it was interesting and worth to watch so give it a try it is 20 min.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

 

[KMG365]

There was a lot of interesting information but, unfortunately, some of the "facts" presented were misleading, one-sided or just plain wrong (e.g. some of her comments about computers).

A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary that claimed that recycling caused more harm to the environment than just throwing everything away - with the exception of aluminum cans - and making new product each time. Apparently, if the documentary is to be believed, we have ample room for landfills and, once covered with dirt, the landfill can, in the future, be turned into beautiful parkland.

The show went on to say that because thousands of trees are planted to be later processed for paper that we actually have more trees on the planet now than we've had for a very long time.

I'm really not sure which side is correct. Most likely, the truth lies somewhere in between the two extremes. As long as both sides in this debate remain intent on demonizing each other and manipulating the truth for their own purposes, we will never really know where we stand.

With possibly our very future at stake, why is it still so hard for people to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

 

[Fidget]

What I can't figure out is all the healthy save-the-planet people drinking 6 bottles of water a day from small containers that all have to be dumped somewhere when they have perfectly good water in the tap. My 2 liter pop bottle and 4 liter milk jug empties take up so much room in my apartment in a short time..... I'm just one person, imagine what people are discarding hoping it disappears.

 

[jorats]

This was very interesting. It's true that we are brainwashed into buying more.
But I have to say, my electronics last a heck of a lot longer than 6 months.

On a good note, the Rat Shack is on a totally green server! :thumbup:

 

[KMG365]

What I can't figure out is all the healthy save-the-planet people drinking 6 bottles of water a day from small containers that all have to be dumped somewhere when they have perfectly good water in the tap.

Exactly. More and more evidence shows that tap water is often as good, if not better, than bottled water. It makes far more sense and is much cheaper to use refillable bottles and fill them with water from the tap.

This article was posted a couple days ago on CTVOttawa.ca.

Bottled water harming the environment

It's a $50-billion industry worldwide, and many say it is having a needlessly negative impact on the environment.

Today, almost 20 per cent of Canadians rely on bottled water, according to one organization trying to break them of the habit.

"The bottles are made of crude oil, and then the transportation of the bottles involves the production of more crude oil and green house gases. This is pretty significant when you think some bottled water travels across the province, and across the country," said Andrea Harden, the Polaris Institute's bottled water campaigner.

Then, after one use, the bottles go to either landfills or are recycled, which is paid for by municipal tax payers.

Many consumers believe bottled water to be better than tap water. Harden says, don't be so sure.

"The City of Ottawa tests its water quality 125,000 times a year. Based on comments by a Canadian Food and Drug Agency, bottling plants are government inspected on average every three years," she said.


City needs to step up

Polaris has asked the City of Ottawa to join other cities in stopping the flow of bottled water at their own events and meetings.

The alternative is non-plastic, re-usable containers, preferably metal, filled with tap water.

"It's a classic case of an environmental issues that has so many implications. So when the city considers it, we will bring it to our environmental working group which includes the medical officer of health because there are certainly health issues," said Nancy Schepers, Ottawa Deputy City Manager.

However, the city has not set a date to start moving on that issue.


The new 'SUV'

But more people are catching on that bottled water is wasteful and not really necessary.

"In many ways, bottled water is becoming the SUV of the environmental movement. People are catching onto it and beginning to say, 'look we have to put an end to this and stop this,'" said Tony Clarke, author of Inside the Bottle.

When his book was released several years ago, no one was really paying attention.

But now, bottled water sales have stalled and may be in decline because of the bigger environmental movement.

"People started to make the connection between what they could do in a positive way and plastic bottles became a very real concern," said Clarke.

But there is still a long way to go.