3 ms·

Let's talk personal responsibility and what we can change. What percent of readers of this site drank water from a plastic bottle in the past, say, 24 hours? .

by spodek 10y ago

Let's talk personal responsibility and what we can change. What percent of readers of this site drank water from a plastic bottle in the past, say, 24 hours? ... in places with potable tap water making bottles unnecessary... Or nalgene containers... Or soda, juice, etc in bottles... I recycle what I can, but I've taken to treating recyclables as landfill garbage, since most of it ends up there, which means I avoid consuming it as much as practicable. The more I do it, the easier I find consuming less without any loss of happiness. Actually, less stuff has increased my happiness. Someone will inevitably write that consuming less won't make much difference. Well, why not do it to improve your life anyway?

enugu 10y ago
I remember reading a book by British energy person on renewables who talked about importance of 'order of magnitude' calculations and how switching off cell phone chargers is not the way to campaign for energy savings. So, yes getting past the plastic problem is super important. But our solution has to match the scope of the problem. Personal responsibility, reducing consumption is good, but that shouldnt come in the way of thinking in terms of systems. Typically, the conversation moves away from a focus on the issue to an evaluation of ourselves and others. Some countries have packaging free supermarkets. There are biodegradable alternatives to plastics which keep being proposed but havent become popular for whatever reason. Discussing that would be a good place to start. Funding research or entreprenurship would be a great approach.
- rtpg 10y ago
  the power of the personal responsibility reasoning is that it's viral in two directions, and lays the infrastructure for executing on the results of systemic thinking. It makes you think more broadly about how your lifestyle is contributing to waste (so, you start thinking not just about bottles but about your car). So now you're considering more things. It also can affect people around you who see you making these decisions. You buy an electric car because "hey I rarely drive more than 50 miles", and more people will think about it. You get tap water, etc. The problem with systemic thinking is that the process usually starts with "how do we continue the same lifestyle we have". Real gains come from changing how we live our life, and that requires convincing people. For example, talking about how higher density housing allowing for less car usage first requires convincing people around us to accept higher density housing. Packaging-free supermarkets do not work in a universe where people don't care about their personal contribution to pollution, especially given that the packaging-free places are more expensive.
- spodek 10y ago
  The book is Sustainable Energy Without The Hot Air, a free download from http://withouthotair.com http://withouthotair.com. An excellent resource. I agree with avoiding packaging and more. Since I started avoiding food with packaging, I've reduced my landfill garbage to having to empty my household garbage two or three times per year. With an increase in deliciousness, convenience, and saving money. Here are a couple posts on it, for those interested: http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally-produce-less-waste http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally... These small practices contributed to a bigger practice of not flying for a year (and counting): https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.html https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.ht... so discovering the joys and rewards of consuming less have compounded, at least in my experience. I'm also teaching a course in systems thinking, always seeking ways to apply more.
pitaj 10y ago
Forget about Nalgene containers. Just reuse your old plastic water bottles. Then you don't have to worry about washing or anything.
- reitanqild 10y ago
  This is what I do: I rarely by bottled water but when I do I keep that bottle for a while to refill and have water in my office. I then recycle them (you pay a few cents extra for new bottles around here and get it refunded if you return the bottles).
- sdrothrock 10y ago
  Not recommended due to bacterial growth: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12353459 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12353459 Also, if you decide to wash with hot water or a dishwasher, BPA is an issue as well. A Nalgene bottle in lieu of PET bottles is probably safer and more durable in the long run.
rimliu 10y ago
How do I carry my tap with me?
- NoGravitas 10y ago
  Ideally, with a stainless steel water bottle. Nalgene water bottle a close second.
sn9 10y ago
I bought a steel Kleen Kanteen several years ago and haven't had to purchase a plastic water bottle since. I just refill it. It's food grade steel so I've never actually had to clean it. I honestly can't imagine how much plastic I've avoided purchasing because of this simple investment, not to mention how much money I've saved.

by spodek 10y ago

enugu 10y ago

I remember reading a book by British energy person on renewables who talked about importance of 'order of magnitude' calculations and how switching off cell phone chargers is not the way to campaign for energy savings. So, yes getting past the plastic problem is super important. But our solution has to match the scope of the problem. Personal responsibility, reducing consumption is good, but that shouldnt come in the way of thinking in terms of systems. Typically, the conversation moves away from a focus on the issue to an evaluation of ourselves and others. Some countries have packaging free supermarkets. There are biodegradable alternatives to plastics which keep being proposed but havent become popular for whatever reason. Discussing that would be a good place to start. Funding research or entreprenurship would be a great approach.

rtpg 10y ago
the power of the personal responsibility reasoning is that it's viral in two directions, and lays the infrastructure for executing on the results of systemic thinking. It makes you think more broadly about how your lifestyle is contributing to waste (so, you start thinking not just about bottles but about your car). So now you're considering more things. It also can affect people around you who see you making these decisions. You buy an electric car because "hey I rarely drive more than 50 miles", and more people will think about it. You get tap water, etc. The problem with systemic thinking is that the process usually starts with "how do we continue the same lifestyle we have". Real gains come from changing how we live our life, and that requires convincing people. For example, talking about how higher density housing allowing for less car usage first requires convincing people around us to accept higher density housing. Packaging-free supermarkets do not work in a universe where people don't care about their personal contribution to pollution, especially given that the packaging-free places are more expensive.
spodek 10y ago
The book is Sustainable Energy Without The Hot Air, a free download from http://withouthotair.com http://withouthotair.com. An excellent resource. I agree with avoiding packaging and more. Since I started avoiding food with packaging, I've reduced my landfill garbage to having to empty my household garbage two or three times per year. With an increase in deliciousness, convenience, and saving money. Here are a couple posts on it, for those interested: http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally-produce-less-waste http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally... These small practices contributed to a bigger practice of not flying for a year (and counting): https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.html https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.ht... so discovering the joys and rewards of consuming less have compounded, at least in my experience. I'm also teaching a course in systems thinking, always seeking ways to apply more.

pitaj 10y ago

Forget about Nalgene containers. Just reuse your old plastic water bottles. Then you don't have to worry about washing or anything.

reitanqild 10y ago
This is what I do: I rarely by bottled water but when I do I keep that bottle for a while to refill and have water in my office. I then recycle them (you pay a few cents extra for new bottles around here and get it refunded if you return the bottles).
sdrothrock 10y ago
Not recommended due to bacterial growth: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12353459 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12353459 Also, if you decide to wash with hot water or a dishwasher, BPA is an issue as well. A Nalgene bottle in lieu of PET bottles is probably safer and more durable in the long run.

rimliu 10y ago

How do I carry my tap with me?

NoGravitas 10y ago
Ideally, with a stainless steel water bottle. Nalgene water bottle a close second.

sn9 10y ago

I bought a steel Kleen Kanteen several years ago and haven't had to purchase a plastic water bottle since. I just refill it. It's food grade steel so I've never actually had to clean it. I honestly can't imagine how much plastic I've avoided purchasing because of this simple investment, not to mention how much money I've saved.