Ok, so everyone is familiar with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a mess down there, and unfortunately, as bad as this oil spill is, there are other spills happening right now around the world. Take Nigeria for example, according to a recent New York Times article, that country has dealt with an oil spill as bad as the Exxon Valdez spill every year for the past 50 years, and currently the children of this African nation swim in oil polluted waters, and unlike Gulf Coast residents, Nigerian people don’t receive much support or relief from their national government.
It’s sad to see where greed can lead, and I’m not just talking about Big Oil and corrupt governments. It’s unbelievable to me that Gulf Coast residents are eager to begin new offshore deepwater drilling when their outcry regarding what BP has done to our ecosystem and our wildlife and wetlands has been so loud. It’s also amazing to me that Governor Bobby Jindal can decry that President Obama has a disconnect with the people because he imposed a six month moratorium against any new deepwater drilling. Bobby Jindal claims this act on the measure of safety will have a devastating consequence on the economy because nearly 20,000 jobs will be impacted by this decision. Jobs can be found elsewhere, but another oil spill could impact our oceans and beaches and marine life for decades to come. Besides, thanks to President Obama, those Gulf Coast folks now have money coming in from BP to help until more jobs can be found.
Regardless of all of this political mess and nonsense, the problem that we are facing as a people is that we are continuing to destroy our planet and our natural resources with our excessive demand for materials that we really don’t need. For example, take water bottles. I have a beef of late with these plastic made from petroleum convenient things. I use to be a big advocate of them, buying them by the case loads, in an effort to get those around me to drink more water to forgo sugary drinks and soda. But now, I see where I have erred in my purchasing power. Plastic water bottles are made of oil and other chemicals. They are not biodegradable and will sit in our landfills for centuries to come. Needless to say, plastic water bottles may be around longer than humans and cockroaches, even if our earth finds a way to survive us.
Not too long ago, I decided to invest in a stainless steel water canteen. It’s reusable and better for the environment. Every night before I go to bed, I wash my stainless steel water bottle and fill it with tap water from the sink and stick it in the fridge. In the morning, my water is nice and cold, and I throw it in my lunch bag and I’m good to go. I recommend that all my loved ones and friends and readers find a way to invest in a stainless steel water bottle. You may be looking at $15-25 out of pocket, but you’ll be saving loads of money in the long run, and Mother Earth will be happy to know that you care.
Now, before you run to Target or Wal-Mart to make your purchase, you may want to be aware that you’ll find another type of metal water bottle on the shelves too, and that would be aluminum, which looks to be a little cheaper than stainless steel. But to be on the safe side, I would stick with stainless steel. From what I’ve read, aluminum could build up in your body and lead to all sorts of health problems. Also, some aluminum water bottles have been known to be lined with plastic, which defeats the purpose of a metal water bottle. So go with stainless steel, and make sure, there’s no white lining. Shoot, I’ve come to enjoy that cool refreshing metallic aftertaste from my water canteen.
Also, on a side note, I’ve decided to park my car, as much as possible, especially on the weekends. I’m sure I don’t need to go into details as to the reasons why. So what do you plan to do, to make sure that your children and their children have a clean and healthy planet to come home to?
It’s sad to see where greed can lead, and I’m not just talking about Big Oil and corrupt governments. It’s unbelievable to me that Gulf Coast residents are eager to begin new offshore deepwater drilling when their outcry regarding what BP has done to our ecosystem and our wildlife and wetlands has been so loud. It’s also amazing to me that Governor Bobby Jindal can decry that President Obama has a disconnect with the people because he imposed a six month moratorium against any new deepwater drilling. Bobby Jindal claims this act on the measure of safety will have a devastating consequence on the economy because nearly 20,000 jobs will be impacted by this decision. Jobs can be found elsewhere, but another oil spill could impact our oceans and beaches and marine life for decades to come. Besides, thanks to President Obama, those Gulf Coast folks now have money coming in from BP to help until more jobs can be found.
Regardless of all of this political mess and nonsense, the problem that we are facing as a people is that we are continuing to destroy our planet and our natural resources with our excessive demand for materials that we really don’t need. For example, take water bottles. I have a beef of late with these plastic made from petroleum convenient things. I use to be a big advocate of them, buying them by the case loads, in an effort to get those around me to drink more water to forgo sugary drinks and soda. But now, I see where I have erred in my purchasing power. Plastic water bottles are made of oil and other chemicals. They are not biodegradable and will sit in our landfills for centuries to come. Needless to say, plastic water bottles may be around longer than humans and cockroaches, even if our earth finds a way to survive us.
Not too long ago, I decided to invest in a stainless steel water canteen. It’s reusable and better for the environment. Every night before I go to bed, I wash my stainless steel water bottle and fill it with tap water from the sink and stick it in the fridge. In the morning, my water is nice and cold, and I throw it in my lunch bag and I’m good to go. I recommend that all my loved ones and friends and readers find a way to invest in a stainless steel water bottle. You may be looking at $15-25 out of pocket, but you’ll be saving loads of money in the long run, and Mother Earth will be happy to know that you care.
Now, before you run to Target or Wal-Mart to make your purchase, you may want to be aware that you’ll find another type of metal water bottle on the shelves too, and that would be aluminum, which looks to be a little cheaper than stainless steel. But to be on the safe side, I would stick with stainless steel. From what I’ve read, aluminum could build up in your body and lead to all sorts of health problems. Also, some aluminum water bottles have been known to be lined with plastic, which defeats the purpose of a metal water bottle. So go with stainless steel, and make sure, there’s no white lining. Shoot, I’ve come to enjoy that cool refreshing metallic aftertaste from my water canteen.Also, on a side note, I’ve decided to park my car, as much as possible, especially on the weekends. I’m sure I don’t need to go into details as to the reasons why. So what do you plan to do, to make sure that your children and their children have a clean and healthy planet to come home to?
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