Reducing+Plastic+Waste+Through+Reusable+Water+Bottles

= A Small Step in Consumption Toward a Better Environment = = REVISION DATE: June 3,2010 =

= ABSTRACT =

This Year in Health we read the book __Serve God Save the Plane__t by J. Matthew Sleeth. As I read this book I began to learn more about how environmental concerns should be a part of our walk with Christ. I wanted to find a way that our small, Christian school could take a small part in the effort to be come more environmentally friendly. Mrs. Guadagno and my mom were talking about how during school lunch we use so many disposable drinking containers and how much we waste during the weekend of the Empire State Youth Seminars. They brought up the idea of trying to get reusable water bottles, rather than using disposable bottles as a way to be more conscious of our environment.

In Genesis 1:26-31 it says "26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Subdue: A primitive root; to tread down; hence negatively to disregard; positively to conquer, subjugate, violate:bring into bondage, force, keep under, subdue, bring into subjection.) (Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary) 29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

I believe that because God put man in place to rule over the earth it is also our responsibility to care for the earth. God created the earth and as believers I believe it is our duty to rise up and care for the earth. As a group, Christians are sadly lacking in their efforts toward conserving resources. The idea of living a more green lifestyle is rarely mentioned in Christian social circles. I think this is something that seriously needs to change in our lives. Our thought need to move from what is comfortable for us and move toward what is best for the creation God has placed us over. This is not an easy thing and it takes a huge amount of effort when we live in a consumer society bombarded by things that hinder this effort. My challenge is not to make a huge leap or bound for the environment or to sell your soul to the cause, because the highest priority is your relationship with God and that your relationship is not hindered by causes you support. But my challenge is this, to rather than using plastic, disposable water bottles, to buy one, reusable water bottles that you can continue to use.

Many see price of a reusable water bottle as an issue, but try to look at it this way, if you go to an average convenience store or super market in the area you will pay $1.50 or more for any 20 oz. drink in a disposable bottle. You drink whatever happens to be in the bottle, throw it away and that's the end, but if you choose to buy a high-quality, stainless, bpa free water bottle for $15-$20 (the cost of just 10 disposable beverages) that water bottle can be used over and over generating absolutely no environmental waste.

= PROCEDURES =

 1. Find the price of making custom water bottles to give to all TCA students and the people attending the Empire State Youth Seminars as a more environmentally friendly way to drink water. 2. Ask Mrs.Guadagno and Mr.Hostter what they think about getting stainless steel, bpa free water bottles for the school. Write a letter to the Empire State Fellowship coordinators proposing the cost of buying stainless steel, bpa free, reusable water bottles with a logo for the seminar along with the information about the positive environmental impact of using reusable water bottles and the negative environmental impact of using disposable water bottles. 3. Look into the time it takes for the disposable liquid containers to decompose and find out what kind of ways they are used if they are recycled; find out if they really are recycled entirely.

= MEASUREMENTS =

SIGG Water Bottles will cost approximately $22.00 with a logo and name imprinted.

SIGG Water Bottles are a stainless steel, BPA free variety of water bottles that are available to be made with a custom design for customers who have a desire to purchase these. USA domestic custom orders can take anywhere between 3-5 weeks from final submission of order. Personalized laser engraving of these products is offered directly vie a third-party vendor, Greensender.com.

Greensender Pricing Sheet Why Choose SIGG for Custom Bottles? - Swiss Quality - 100 years of Swiss heritage means quality, safety and environmentally friendly production practices standing behind each bottle. SIGGbottles are manufactured in our own factory in Switzerland, made from a single piece of pure aluminum that ensures leak proof performance and extreme durability. - Ecological meets - In our current economic climate, purchasing reusable bottles for your company or organization saves money over purchasing bottled water. A win-win for both the environment and your bottom line.

= FINDINGS =

Mrs. Guadagno felt that the water bottles would be a good, ecological fund raiser for the school, but she did not think they would be practical for the youth seminars because of the cost.

"One Million people around the world so not have access to clean water," this is a sad statistic when you look at the fact that Americans not only have clean tap water but we also have a desire to drink bottled water, which in many cases can be simply bottled tap water. Bottling water is an extremely costly processs, this includes the movement of bottled water. "It takes 15 million barrels of oil per year to make all of the plastic water bottles in America, according to the Container Recycling Institute. Sending those bottles by air and truck requires even more fossil fuel." Although many think they are disposing of their water bottles property "8/10 water bottles end up in the land fill" and once they are in the land fill "It takes 1,000 years for plastic bottles to break down, CRI estimates".

For More Information about the positive effects of using reusable water bottles and other areas in which to reduce your environmental footprint go to [|Tappenings.com]

=Letter to the Empire State Fellowship =

Dear R. Craig Golden, I am currently preparing to finish my Senior Year at Tabernacle Christian Academy, and I attend Tabernacle Baptist Church where the Empire State Youth Seminars have been held for a number of years. This past year when I was at the seminar I noticed the large amount of waste from plastic and aluminum containers that were used. I began to wonder if buying reusable water bottles for the conference rather than t-shirts in order to be more environmentally conscious would be a possibility. My thoughts were implemented to action when I began to do research about the cost-effectiveness and environmental effects of using reusable water bottles as part of my Senior Health Project after reading a book entitled,__Serve God Save the Plane__t by J. Matthew Sleeth. As I read this book I began to learn more about how environmental concerns should be a part of our walk with Christ. I wanted to find a way that our small, Christian school could take a small part in the effort to be come more environmentally friendly. I think this could also be implemented at the Youth Seminars. In Genesis 1:26-31 it says "26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Subdue: A primitive root; to tread down; hence negatively to disregard; positively to conquer, subjugate, violate:bring into bondage, force, keep under, subdue, bring into subjection.) (Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary) 29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

I believe that because God put man in place to rule over the earth it is also our responsibility to care for the earth. God created the earth and as believers I believe it is our duty to rise up and care for the earth. As a group, Christians are sadly lacking in their efforts toward conserving resources. The idea of living a more green lifestyle is rarely mentioned in Christian social circles. I think this is something that seriously needs to change in our lives. Our thought need to move from what is comfortable for us and move toward what is best for the creation God has placed us over. This is not an easy thing and it takes a huge amount of effort when we live in a consumer society bombarded by things that hinder this effort. My challenge is not to make a huge leap or bound for the environment or to sell your soul to the cause, because the highest priority is your relationship with God and that your relationship is not hindered by causes you support. But my challenge is this, to rather than using plastic, disposable water bottles, to buy one, reusable water bottles that you can continue to use.

Many see price of a reusable water bottle as an issue, but try to look at it this way, if you go to an average convenience store or super market in the area you will pay $1.50 or more for any 20 oz. drink in a disposable bottle. You drink whatever happens to be in the bottle, throw it away and that's the end, but if you choose to buy a high-quality, stainless, bpa free water bottle for $15-$20 (the cost of just 10 disposable beverages) that water bottle can be used over and over generating absolutely no environmental waste. There are many options for reusable water bottles. Customized water bottles can be ordered from a number of companies. SIGG is a company which offers high-quality customized water bottles through a third-party vendor Greensender.com. Many less expensive, plastic water bottles are also available if the price of a SIGG bottle will not work for the budget of the Empire State Youth Seminars.

For more information about my project and information related to reusable water bottles and plastic conservation, you can look at the wikispace created by my Health Class. The address is: http://tcahealth.wikispaces.com/Reducing+Plastic+Waste+Through+Reusable+Water+Bottles

1726 Union Center Highway Endicott, NY 13760 Phone: 607-748-0860 E-mail: cgolden@esfrbc.org
 * Address of State Representative:**
 * R. Craig Golden**

=Sources=

code Knopper, Melissa. "Backlash." //E Magazine// May-June 2008: 37-39. Print. code

Mr.Janine Guadagno

The Bible, The New International Version

code Sleeth, Matthew. //Serve God Save the Planet//. N.p.: Chelsea Green, 2006. N. pag. Print. code