Life Without Plastic Blog

Want to Make Money with your Used Plastic Water Bottles? Go to Germany

Jay and I are just returning from a trip in Europe and I was extremely impressed with how green this country is. Not only is it literally green from all the forests they grow all over the place including lush abundant green trees and bushes along the highways, but their environmental policies are so far ahead of our own here in North America. Solar panels and windmills are everywhere. Countless individual dwellings have their own solar panels and generate their own electricity, thanks to a governmental policy that will pay back homeowners more money for the electricity they give back to the grid than what they have to pay from the grid to get electricity, so it is easy for Germans to reduce their electricity bills down to zero. I was already very impressed with the green German way of life which is so ingrained in the mainstream culture, but when a cashier at a local convenient store told us we could bring back for 25 cents the  plastic water bottles we had bought (as you can see, we are far from perfect on the plastic consumption front) -- we were flabbergasted. Way to go! I wish we could do the same here!

- Chantal

Help Stop Plastic in the Sea - Support the Algalita JUNKride

It outnumbers surface plankton by 6 to 1 in parts of the world's oceans, including the North Pacific.  It suffocates sea turtles from the inside out after they have ingested it thinking it is food.  It releases numerous toxic synthetic chemicals into the oceans.  Yes, plastic. 

If plastic pollution in the oceans is an issue that interests you or one you don't know anything about, I would strongly suggest checking out the website of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation based in Long Beach, California.  The innovative studies being done by Captain Charles Moore and his committed team place them at the vanguard of marine pollution research - and the results they regularly document are alarmingly eye-opening. 

And now some Algalita staff are going to new lengths to raise awareness about the ocean pollution problem... here are some details from the Algalita website:  Traveling by bicycle, Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins will make their way from Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico.  Along the 2000 mile coastal route samples of plastic debris collected from the NPSG will be given to legislators, educators and organizations--sharing Algalita’s research and education programs with 1000's of people.  The 10 week cycling/speaking tour will begin on April 4th and end on June 25th 2009.

Visit www.junkraft.com for the official calendar of JUNKride. Help support the project by sharing information about this project or donating to the project today!

- Jay