October 11, 2010

By: Karen T. from Philadelphia, PA
Comments: 36

Posted By: Karen Thomas
On: 5/5/2008 12:39:25 PM

Anyone thinking about having kids come up with replacements for those horrible plastic drink bottles? If people figure out alternatives for containing and transporting liquids, we could eliminate much of our trash and deal with the risks of toxicity from plastics. I recently watched a movie on Sundance Channel where an architect in New Mexico used bottles, both plastic and glass, to build houses that were passively heated, cooled, and lighted.

Posted By: Brittain Villaflor
On: 5/5/2008 4:42:18 PM

The water bottle issue seems to be a big one. I wonder if kids could start by thinking way back to the Pre-80's when Evian was considered something only well-off people drank and paying for water seemed like a joke. They could survey "older" people and ask them how they used to deal with the issue of transporting water. It is such a difficult question to tackle but definitely a worthy one.

Posted By: Nancy Gerber
On: 5/5/2008 10:00:59 PM

Water bottles are everywhere; it would be good for kids to consider alternatives. I am an older person and I don't recall being that thirsty; we just used glasses, paper cups, and drinking fountains. We took canteens camping. My elementary aged students are about to address the issue of bottled water and waste. I think I'll ask them to consider behavior changes as well alternative ways to carry or obtain water. Maybe they could design a paper container if it needs to be disposable; like juice boxes. What could they put on them to make them attractive? I hope your students are innovative.

Posted By: Elizabeth Roszak
On: 5/8/2008 4:20:13 PM

I always thought water from an old glass jelly jar of my grandparents was the best tasting water ever! I did spend a lot of time being thirsty on road trips because my parents didn't let us drink from glass bottles while riding(we might have hit a pothole and I might have knocked my teeth out with the glass container!) so I thought plastic bottles/cups were the greatest invention ever! Now we use metal water bottles for carrying our water in my household but I still worry that someone might get their teeth knocked out like the glass containers potentially could. Paper works but how could a resealable lid be made? Could it store water for a long period of time? What kind of wax or coating could be used to make it more water proof? I just noticed that my wax paper is certified kosher-what kind of animal product is used on it that it's kosher? I never noticed that before. hmmm...

Posted By: Karen Thomas
On: 5/11/2008 8:50:26 AM

I fill up my reusable water bottle at the sink in the lab room where I teach several times a day. When my students see this, they often remark how I'll become poisoned by drinking tap water. To them I reply quickly that I've been drinking tap water my entire life and, so far, I'm still around to teach them things. Also, I remind them that I probably have saved several thousand dollars since the dawn of the bottled water craze by not indulging! Every year I've used a water testing kit to prove to students that our tap water is as clean if not cleaner than some bottled water products. In fact, some of the "spring water" products have levels of bacteria that are much higher than tap water. I also use these moments to remind them that the bottled products that they mostly drink are plain old tap water (think Dasani, a Coke product) but with sugars and flavorings added, with high fructose corn syrup being the worst of the worst. Save your money for college, I add, just drink tap water!

Posted By: Jacalyn Moss
On: 5/12/2008 12:17:41 AM

I've noticed more and more people are now drinking tap water in reusable water bottles. Education geared toward young children is the key to getting people to rethink the disposable water bottle issue. Designing kid-safe reusable water bottles and marketing them as not only cool to own but helpful to the environment would go a long way in changing this planet for future generations.

Posted By: Cynthia Eaton
On: 5/12/2008 3:35:53 PM

After Design for the Other 90% I have found the notion of water in plastic bottles for sale unconscienable for a number of reasons. I started a very basic recycling program at my middle school this past fall and a number of young eco-warriors have take over. Chris Archer from Seattle has an amazing site that illustrates visually the amount of comsumption and waste (many products!) that graphically illustrates what we are up against globally. I have an information board filled with facts and some of Archer's images that have been very persuasive! Some students are even bringing lunches to school in retro lunchboxes. Way COOL! Cynthia Eaton Spokane WA

Posted By: Kelley Oxley
On: 5/12/2008 11:58:35 PM

The water bottle controversy is a sticky situation and the media, at times, does not seem to help. Many students have told me that they saw on TV that you could get cancer from reusing water bottles! AH! And just recently, they released the tap water in the Los Angeles are contains an excessive amount of Naproxin which is a drug meant to help with inflammation. I think we need support in separating fact from fiction. I'd love to see high school students research these issues and create a mini video that answer many of these concerns.

Posted By: Jesse Todd
On: 5/18/2008 11:43:55 AM

Karen, as you know, I always have a bottle of water with me. Your unit has inspired me to conserve by finding an alternative to the plastic bottle. There are studies that argue that Nalgene (and other polycarbonate) bottles leach bisphenol A into your water. As a result of this study, Nalgene will be pulling these bottles off the shelves and there are a number of companies producing re-usable stainless steel bottles (similar to canteens but more chic). I agree, Kelley, that it would be great to have students research these issues. Here are links for some of those stainless steel bottles: https://www.mysigg.com https://www.kleankanteen.com

Posted By: Karen Thomas
On: 5/18/2008 5:01:32 PM

This discussion is great because now we're talking about clean drinking water. i also saw the news piece about prescription drug residue in the drinking water of many cities in the U.S. We've done a great job at cleaning microbes from water, but the drug issue is an entirely different "animal". Let's keep an eye on this problem to see how government agencies approach it. There may have to be restrictions on disposal of unwanted drugs in sewage systems by hospitals and nursing homes, which has been cited as the culprit. Testing water periodically for drug levels will also be required to make sure water is safe to drink.

Posted By: Aisha Madhi
On: 5/20/2008 2:57:00 PM

Jesse, your comment on the recent controversy on bisphenol A is especially timely. Canada recently banned plastic baby bottles that contain this harmful chemical agent due to its harmful longterm effects. For new moms, you should know that some companies like Playtex have announced plans to stop producing plastic bottles made with BPA, while other companies, as well as the FDA, are still slow to acknowledge the risk of such products. Aisha Philadelphia, PA

Posted By: Aisha Madhi
On: 5/20/2008 2:59:44 PM

Karen, I read your recent post with great interest. What processes are used to filter out traces of prescription drugs? I am fascinated with the concept of water filtration because it seems that there are so many possible elements that can be absorbed in water and I wonder about the efficacy of municipal agencies in addressing this broad issue. Aisha

Posted By: Jeri Schmenk
On: 5/21/2008 8:39:51 PM

Whatever happened to the trusty old thermos? I know they leaked at times (I could never get mine on tight enough) but it seems like maybe we were on to something there. Reusable, insulated, small enough for a lunchbox. What more could we ask for?... unless of course they were made of that same dangerous plastic banned in Canada.

Posted By: Jacqueline Taylor
On: 5/25/2008 4:09:17 PM

How very timely as I was flipping through the channels on television earlier today, I encountered one of the major shopping channels selling a stainless steel thermal drink cup with a leakproof top that dispensed only as much liquid as one wanted and then vacuum sealed it from leaking. This is a sign of the times that we are in. Someone quickly took a need and reinvented an old product with a new twist. Jacqueline Taylor, New Orleans, LA.

Posted By: Judith Jastal
On: 5/27/2008 3:24:51 PM

I saw this same selling spot. It's great that companies are coming up with viable alternatives to the plastic bottle, thereby eliminating tons of waste materials. I distinctly remember drinking tap water from an old jelly glass that tasted just fine. An added bonus was the cartoon characters that adorned the glass. Another bonus -- I grew up in NYC, where they have the world's best tasting water.

Posted By: Elizabeth Roszak
On: 5/28/2008 10:34:46 AM

My dad took away my cool jars with the cartoon characters on them-he said there was lead in the paint-wow, was he right. They were recalled a few months after he took mine away. It seems that everything is bad for human use! How do you know what to drink from? NYC does have good tap water. I was prepared for stinky river water like we have in Minneapolis but NYC water was fine. What are other nations doing about filtering water?

Posted By: Elizabeth Fletcher
On: 5/28/2008 4:52:41 PM

It would be a great idea for students to come up with reuseable containers that meet 21st century requirements -OR- ways to recycle used bottles. P.S. Remember glass soda bottles, what happened to those?

Posted By: Kevin Loria
On: 5/30/2008 10:59:53 PM

I think most of those glass bottles are in antique stops...although we were recycling by using them to launch "bottle rockets," right boys?...seriously, making stuff from the bottles were elementary art staples for me. But, as for complete replacements for the bottles, looking to the past may be the answer, like bladders and gourds (Youknow...like cucumbers and squash, you'd hollow them out for bowls, cups, or bottles).

Posted By: Aisha Madhi
On: 6/1/2008 12:40:30 AM

I love that idea! I think the process would also help students understand how materials have been consumed from a historical perspective. Students would also enjoy the experience of creating DIY household objects. Aisha Philadelphia

Posted By: Jesse Todd
On: 6/7/2008 3:29:48 PM

I ended up purchasing a Sigg bottle. It is made of aluminum, which means that in addition to being reusable, is also recyclable in case it gets too beat up after years of use. Again, it could be interesting for students to investigate whether potential health risks could arise with this type of bottle. Jesse Todd