You Can Change the World: The Kids' Guide to a Better Planet
water bottles
it’s strangE just how many bottles of water we buy each year even though we have access to clean tap water Bottled water first came to America in the 1970s At the time no one actually believed people would pay for bottled water when they could get it for free But incredibly they did Now each year Americans buy about 700,000 tons of plastic drink bottles yet we recycle fewer than one in four of those bottles We can do better than that Instead of buying your water in a plastic bottle get a reusable water bottle such as a stainless-steel bottle These are available in a range of colors sizes and patterns and will last you a long time Alternatively you can start by reusing bottles you already own Every minute more than a million bottles of water are bought worldwide FACT FACT Every year around thirty-eight billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills in the United States alone
ORGANIZATION EARTH BOTTLES Danni Carr is a musician and mother of two who started a business called Earth Bottles in 2014 to help try to stop the rising plastic issue in its tracks Driven by a passion to do something about the single-use plastics that had begun to pile up in her environment Danni and her husband musician Ash Grunwald work together to encourage people to eradicate plastic from their lives also partnering with the Clean Coast Collection to fund beach cleanups around the world Along with their faux-timber drink bottles Earth Bottles now have stainless steel straws coffee cups thermoses and shopping bags What are your top tips for kids who want to quit plastic What are your top tips for kids who want to quit plastic 1 Ask Mom and Dad to make your school lunches plastic-free They can use a reusable lunchbox beeswax wraps if anything needs wrapping and lots of fresh yummy food Always pack your reusable water bottle 2 Try having a plastic-free birthday party You could use bubbles instead of balloons plastic-free party bags and cook some easy recipes with Mom and Dad for treats rather than buying food packaged in plastic Ask your friends to bring plastic-free gifts 3 Remind Mom and Dad every time you go out to pack your reusable bottles and straws and to pack your snacks into a reusable lunchbox 4 Choose plastic-free toys Things like books board games wooden toys or balls and outdoorsy things are great options instead of toys made from and packaged in heaps of plastic
TIP You can also buy reusable milkshake and juice cups which you can take to cafes or fill with your own homemade drinks
