Plastic waste
&adventure is against plastic waste. Plastic waste in traveling tours comes mostly from bottled water one can purchase anywhere.
Croatia is still one of the only countries in Europe to have a supply of good tap water for drinking, but it is our challenge and mission to preserve the waters for future.
Most people buy bottled water which has huge environmental impacts as well as being expensive and possibly unhealthy. What to do?
We provide stainless steel or PBA water bottles to our travelers. But if you are traveling on your own, you might consider few interesting facts from this blog. It is not really the case that you would need more than a water bottle while traveling in Croatia, but we share the general info on clean water from TAP project.
Why bother?
Better for the environment
· 24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles.
· Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting.
· 90% of the trash in the ocean is from plastic waste.
· Eighty-six percent of single-use plastic bottles become landfill or litter in the US.
· PET is made from crude oil. PET bottles produce toxic emissions at rates of 100 times that of glass.
Cheaper
· Bottled water can cost as much $10 per gallon. We are paying 2 to 4 times the cost of gasoline for a product that is virtually free.
· If tap water cost the same as the cheapest bottled, monthly water bills would come to $9,000.
Healthier
· Antimony, which is found in PET plastic bottles, in small doses can cause dizziness and depression; in larger doses it can cause nausea, vomiting and death.
· This is increased by storage in heated areas. Where was your bottle of water before you got it?
Do the math
In the first two months of 2012, 8.1 million U.S. citizens traveled abroad according to data released by the U.S. Office of Travel & Tourism Industries.
8.1 million travelers over two months =48.6 million a year (estimated).
3 bottles a day for one 2 week trip= over 3.4 billion plastic water bottles used.
Reuse bottles at home as well
Three corporations dominate the bottled water market in the US. Pepsi has 13% of the market and Coke has 11%, both of which resell treated tap water, by putting it through an energy intensive process called reverse-osmosis. This process takes more energy than turning seawater into drinking water.
San Francisco’s tap water comes from Yosemite National Park and is so pure the EPA does not require it to be filtered. A bottled of Evian water at $1.35 could be refilled with San Francisco tap water once a day for over ten years before the cost would total $1.35.
Travel prepared to clean your own water or use water in containers provided by hotels and operators if they have it.
Why?
· To avoid creating a trail of plastic waste everywhere you go
· To ensure the safety and supply of your water
· To save money and time
It’s easy: There are many bottles you can choose from. We love Liberty Bottles.
There are also many ways to clean your water which fall into three categories: electronic, chemical and mechanical.
You can purchase on the TAP website.
Example of electronic: STERIPEN
A small light weight device that cleans the water with ultra-violet light. One Steri-PEN cleans 8,000 bottles of water. One charge of the battery will last for one 10-14 day trip. The technology is proven and safe.
Cost: $65-140
Cost per bottle of water: .01cents
Example of chemical: POTABLE AQUA TABLETS
Proven effective and simple to use. Takes about 35 minutes to take effect.
Cost: $6-8 per bottle of tablets
Cost per bottle of water: .27 cents
Example of mechanical: GRAYL- The Water Filtration Cup
Works like a coffee press for 16oz of clean water in 15 seconds. Easy to use – no sucking or squeezing, pumping or batteries. Filters flavor, odor, particulates and many heavy metals (i.e. lead, arsenic, chromium) and chemicals (i.e chlorine, benzene, chloroform) plus 99.99% of bacteria (i.e E.Coli, Salmonella) and 99.94% of protozoa (i.e Cryptosporidium, Giardia).
Cost: $69 for the cup and $39 for a purifier attachment
Use Promo code GRAYL-LOVES-TAP and Grayl will donate 5% to TAP.
For more information go to TAP website. Please consider signing the pledge not to use plastic water bottles while traveling. Be the change you want to see in the world.