"I recently switched to Solo cups to help save water. I give my kids each a new one at the beginning of the week and at the end of the week, they toss them out. This helps save water from washing cups and glasses each day. It works great as long as the kids write their name on the solo cup and don't just keep taking new ones."
This was told to me by someone I know and I didn't have the heart at that moment to explain the issue with this well-intended idea to save water.
I don't have all the answers. There are people who are much further along in their journey of less waste than my family, but to the best of my knowledge, this is the opposite of how you should save water.
Water should be used wisely and not wasted. Most people think of "wasting water" as using up a source of something that is finite. The Earth contains roughly 326 million trillion gallons of water. It always has and it always will. It's always the same amount, it's really that it just gets moved around if you will. Almost all of that 326 million trillion gallons is brackish or salt water, and not fit for human consumption. So to be exact, the wasting of water is really that you are wasting all the energy and effort that went into making that water drinkable and/or safe for humans. This is, perhaps, an oversimplification on my part, but the result is the same.
Solo cups are made from polystyrene. Polystyrene is better known as Styrofoam. These cups undergo a different manufacturing process and are thin and smooth, unlike the thick soft Styrofoam you are most familiar with. Polystyrene is a very toxic plastic that is not biodegradable. Since it is intended as a single-use product, subsequent uses cause it to break down on a molecular level. This makes it even more toxic and unstable.
There are so many ways to save water. Sadly, buying and tossing Solo cups is not one of them, no matter how well intended. It's much better for you and the environment if you use and wash a glass or stainless steel cup instead of using a "disposable" one.
Want to save on water use?
*Skip the tub and take a shower.
*Take a shorter shower.
*Water your lawn less.
*Use the short cycle when washing clothes.
*Set your dishwasher to the quick cycle.
*Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth.
*Fill the dog bowl or water plants with water you would otherwise dump down the drain.
Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?
I'd love to hear from you!
Email me at Mrs.Stebber@gmail.com or comment on the blog
No comments:
Post a Comment