A long overdue roundup of trash in the news:
One of my favorite things about working in Ethiopia this week has been enjoying the lovely local mineral water. At home, I’m an advocate of tap water and DIY bubbles, but on the road when unknown organisms are a fear, it’s really nice to see water that is a) local, b) delicious and c) bottled in glass. Mmm, Ambo.
Ambo Water from Ethiopia
Consider this a second reminder to watch The Story of Bottled Water.
And to read Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.
Both gems.
Another gem from the creator of The Story of Stuff. via EcoLibris.
Just stumbled across this badass anti-bottled water campaign featured on Cool Hunting. If the water companies can twist the truth, environmentalist might just twist it back. Only with more style. Click through for the full CH post. This is my favorite.
Tappening campaign
Swedish Public Radio reports today that with the use of a new filter and new methods (such as taking surface water – plastic floats), a research team has found large amounts of plastic fibres in watercourses in Sweden. With previous findings being between 1 and 20 fibres per cubic meter (approx. 35 cubic feet), the preliminary results of 10,000 fibres per cubic meter are alarming, to say the least.
The research team is currently working on a theory which explains the existence of such high quantities with rubber tyres and synthetic clothes, giving off the fibers. Regarding natural clothes (cotton etc.), they too come steeped in plastic fibres these days, says Fredrik Norén, part of the research team. (Which incidentally is why I wash new clothes before I wear them, letting the big machines at the local laundromat worry about the problem…)
The clothes theory gives a troubling insight into exactly how much plastic we use these days, and for what. It also pushes us to ask “why though?” Any takers on that, feel free to post comments. When the research project is finished, I hope to follow this up.
[As a side note for the linguists out there, can you tell where in this post you find UK English? I had fun writing this up.]
Thirteen thousand, six hundred and ninety-nine people die each day from preventable diseases related to water. Artist Christine Destrempes decided to represent this daily loss of human life by stringing together 13,699 clear plastic bottle caps and arranging them in a powerful installation.
13,699
According to the artist:
The choice of using plastic bottle caps calls attention to other related environmental issues surrounding bottled water, such as privatization, depletion of aquifers, the environmental impact of plastic waste, the use of fossil fuels in making plastic, the carbon footprint of shipping bottled water, and the leaching of plastic into our water sources. Purchasing bottled water turns a basic human right into a commodity, affecting access for people in developing countries, as well as here in the United States.
Photos of the actual installation are available here. Thanks to Elizabeth Royte—author of the must-read Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It—for the informaiton on this project.
Girls selling water and corn by the roadside in Northern Malawi/Leila Darabi
Summertime. It’s hot and more conscious of my need for water. I suspect I’m not alone in this heightened awareness. For one thing, I’ve been seeig more water stories lately. For staters, some group is building swimming pools out of dumpsters in Brooklyn. Amazing.
Also, I read this morning that a town in Australia has plans to become the first municipality to ban plastic water bottles. They’re pissed about a big water company coming in to drain their resevoir and are fighting back with this piece of legislation.
And in London, I read in this article found via Elizabeth Royte’s blog, the council of Hackney has bought enough bottled water from the fairtrade company Thirsty Planet—which donates a portion of sales to water access in Southern Africa—to build a water pump in Malawi. As Royte points out, charity bottled water is a bit deceptive. The council of Hackney could always have served tap water at meetings and sent money not spent on bottled water directly to Malawi. Agreed.
This week in trash news:
Cardboard surfboard frame via MAKE
This week around the garblogosphere:
A group of scientists wants to get to the bottom of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The AFP reports that the great swirling mass of plastic and other trash between Hawaii and mainland US will be the destination of a 50-day expedition from San Francisco to the Eastern Garbage Patch and back.
Underwater trash photo via RedOrbit
The scientists will take special nets with them designed to scoop up samples of even the tiniest plastic debris and will treat their voyage to the vortex of plastic beneath the sea like a journey into space.
According to RedOrbit:
The United Nations Environment Program has estimated that some 13,000 pieces of garbage exist in every square kilometer of the ocean, but the issue becomes magnified in these ocean vortexes.
Leaders of the trip said the particles have composed a toxic gumbo that threatens the wellbeing of fish in the region.
“That means the little piece of plastic the fish eats is actually a little toxic bomb,” said Doug Woodring, an entrepreneur and conservationist who lives in Hong Kong and will lead the expedition.
everydaytrash 