BACKGROUND TO THIS PROJECT
Early in 2011 SGHS applied for a grant from the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage. The grant, if achieved, will allow us to begin phasing out our use of plastic water bottles. The phase out will include an education campaign about the environmental and health impacts of plastic bottles; and provision of infrastructure for alternatives. If we receive the grant, our 150 new Year 7 students will be given a specially designed stainless steel water bottle to celebrate the project. All members of the SGHS Community will be able to order our specially designed bottles. The grant however was denied but this will not stop us from trying to implement our plans to replace plastics with stainless steel bottles.
After discussion, we plan to purchase a range of bottles varying in design and possibly size, to give the school community a range to choose from. Right now we are contacting Cheeki, a stainless steel bottle brand, and inquiring about the possible price to purchase the bottles. We also plan on asking SRC representatives to ask their classes about their interests in the bottles and who would be willing to purchase them. If successful and collaboration with the company is completed and the plan goes through the bottles will be handed out on the upcoming Green Day. We also plan on giving some bottles as prizes for other activities to advertise the initiative.
Photos of available bottles have been distributed to all classes and staffrooms through the SRC in the last week of Term 1 2012. Students and staff are to indicate the bottle(s) of their choice. Payment is to be made to the front office by the end of Week 2, Term 2.
Update: Cheeki has replied with information about the prices.
Cheeki Range
|
Qty |
Item |
Price Per Unit |
|
100 – 200 |
500ml Cheeki Premium Grade 304 Stainless Steel Bottle |
$6.00 |
|
100 - 200 |
750ml Cheeki Premium Grade 304 Stainless Steel Bottle |
$6.30 |
500 mL designs:
750 mL designs:
Unbranded Cheeki Bottles:
|
Qty |
Item |
Price Per Unit |
|
100 – 200 |
500ml Unbranded Cheeki Silver Stainless Steel Bottle – Grade 304 |
$5.50 |
|
100 - 200 |
750ml Unbranded Cheeki Silver Stainless Steel Bottle – Grade 201 |
$4.00 |
|
100 - 200 |
750ml Unbranded Cheeki Silver Stainless Steel Bottle – Grade 304 |
$5.70 |
500 mL designs:
750 mL designs:
More 500 mL designs at: http://cheeki.net.au/Products/500mlWaterBottles.aspx
More 750 mL designs at: http://cheeki.net.au/Products/750mlWaterBottles.aspx
LINKS THAT TALK ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF PLASTIC BOTTLES
http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Whatelsewesupport/bottled-water.html?kw=plastic%20bottles
http://www.cleanup.org.au/PDF/au/clean_up_australia_bottled_water_factsheet.pdf
http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Whatelsewesupport/container-deposit-legislation.html
POSSIBLE PHOTOS TO BE USED FOR CAMPAIGN
I just found this photo. For those of you who don't know, this is Darren Criss from Glee. He is really famous and I know a lot of people at my school (including myself) love him. I'm not sure how clearly the photo is showing up here, but it shows Darren holding a sign that says 'I pledge to use a reusable water bottle.' I just thought this might be useful for publicity for our campaign. - Elysha
From http://www.purastainless.com/environment/:
The impact of the bottled water industry is nothing short of staggering and represents the worst in conspicuous and unnecessary consumption and all in the name of convenience. The facts are nauseating so read on at your own risk:
- 38 billion water bottles end up in landfills every year; enough if laid end-to-end to circle the globe 150 times... EVERY YEAR!
- It takes up to 1,000 years for disposable plastic water bottles to decompose
- Each bottle of water requires 3 to 5 bottles of water to produce
- Each bottle of water requires ¼ of a bottle of oil to produce
- 714 million gallons (17 million barrels) of oil are consumed each year to produce disposable plastic water bottles
- The oil used to produce disposable water bottles could be used to power 1 million cars for 12 months
- Interestingly, approximately 25% of bottled water is actually municipal water (ie tap water) that has been treated (reverse osmosis, deionization, etc) and packaged disposable plastic bottles
- In the US alone 2.5 million tons of CO2 were produced by the manufacture of 30 billion liters of bottles water in 2006. These numbers are expected to increase by 51% by 2011!
Needless to say, the bottled water industry is impacting our environment in the most insidious ways imaginable... from the wasteful use of natural resources to non-organic trash to air pollution... and isn't it a bit ironic (and sad) that much of this water is no better or pure than that available from our kitchen taps.
Fortunately, it is amazingly easy and cost effective to be a good steward of our planet. Carry and use a Pura Stainless bottle and forevermore bypass the bottled water aisle at your local store, decline the bottle of water at your next meeting, and stop carting around cases of bottled water in your trunk. Your planet will thank you... and so will your grandkids!
Also some benefits include:
Durability
Stainless steel water bottles are more durable than plastic water bottles. As a result, stainless steel water bottles can be used over and over again for a longer period of time. People who enjoy many outdoor activities do not have to worry about their stainless steel water bottles from being damaged while traveling or due to prolonged usage. So while stainless steel water bottles may initially cost more than other types of plastic bottles, the fact that they last longer would actually save you money in the long run.
Free of chemicals
Keeping liquids for long periods of time in plastic water bottles would cause the liquid to absorb certain types of chemicals found in the plastic bottle. This process is further heightened when the plastic water bottle is exposed to heat and sunlight, which often happens when you go outdoors because the sunlight and heat softens the plastic. While the chemicals absorbed may be minimal, long term ingestion of this have been reported to cause certain ailments in the body to occur. Stainless steel water bottles do not soften when exposed to heat and sunlight. As a result, the possibility of you ingesting any harsh chemicals from stainless steel water bottles is minimized, if not eradicated.