NY Times: How Green Is My Bottle?

How Green Is My Bottle?
April 19, 2009 By DANIEL GOLEMAN and GREGORY NORRIS

Earth Day is this Wednesday, and all things “green” will be celebrated. But it’s worth asking: how environmentally friendly are “green” products, really? Consider, for example, this paragon of eco-virtue: the stainless steel water bottle that lets us hydrate without discarding endless plastic bottles. Using a method called life cycle assessment, we have evaluated the environmental and health impact of a stainless steel thermos — from the extraction and processing of its ingredients, to its manufacture, distribution, use and final disposal. There were some surprises. What we think of as “green” turns out to be less so (and, yes, sometimes more so) than we assume. read more

Blog of the day: Eco Yogini

posted by ebeans

“Because off the mat, into the world” also includes what yoga mat you’re on, where it’s from and where it’s going…

“Water Bottles; Eco and Ethics” from Eco Yogini

Ugh, drinking water has been SO difficult! I gotta say that unlike some fantastical water-drinkers out there, I have to almost have a water-drinking schedule in order to get that stuff into my system.  But I do it, as water is essential. 98.73% of the molecules in our bodies are made of water. In order to survive human beings need water, it is the basis for life itself.

As yogi/ni’s and individuals who are mostly physically active (ok, so really yoga is IT for me!) we drink a LOT of water and increasingly water is becoming a commodity to buy and sell in our global community. In 2005 in Canada bottled water consumption was an estimated 60 litres per person with sales worth 652.7 million! That’s a LOT of plastic. The US is the top consumer at 33.4 BILLION litres a year- in Toronto alone an estimated 100 million bottles are thrown out a year with only 65% being captured by recycling programs (cbc). From my previous post here we know that plastic lasts a loooong time. This plastic can leach harmful chemicals and additives into the water that you drink while working out or practicing yoga to be healthy (hmmm).

So that’s the environmental perspective, but what about the human essential right to water? read more