Here, we are contemplating the Arctic Ice melting, where scientists once predicted the Arctic would be ice-free by the end of 2030 but they had to revise their estimate according the rapidly growing global warming and decided that it will be ice-free in 2013 which is 3 years away from now.

The Arctic region is the area around the North Pole, essentially an ocean surrounded by land.  The Arctic is home to an array of plants, animals, and people that survive in some of the most extreme conditions on the planet and that are uniquely adapted to such conditions.  The Arctic region is home to almost 4 million people. The Arctic includes Greenland, Iceland, and the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Russia, and the United States. Economically, the region depends largely on natural resources, ranging from oil, gas, and metal ores to fish, reindeer and birds. Recently, the tourism sector has also grown in many parts of the Arctic

Arctic wildlife resources such as seals, reindeer, birds and fish have long been sold on world markets. Arctic seas contain some of the world’s oldest and most productive commercial fishing grounds, which provide significant catches for many Arctic countries, as well as for the rest of the world.

Moreover, the Arctic has significant oil and gas reserves, and the mineral reserves in parts of Russia and Canada provide large quantities of raw materials to the world economy.

The melting of the Arctic will impact other areas of the globe even more than we expected, as in my previous post the melted ice will change sea levels, living organisms in the ocean, more endangered species,  ocean circulation patterns and water supplies, as well as release additional greenhouse gasses.  Many species from around the world migrate to the Arctic in summer and depend on it for breeding and feeding, this will be altered significantly.  The expansion of the forests will also reduce the

Expansion of the forests towards the North, for instance, may reduce the size of breeding grounds for hundreds of millions of migratory birds and can loose more than 50% of their breeding area during this century, including several globally endangered seabird species.

The WWF’s assesses that by 2010the sea levels will rise more than 1 meter which is twice the amount predicted in 2007 where 25% of the whole world population will be affected to sue to the corrosion of the coastlines.  We know now that Human beings have reversed a cooling trend with greenhouse gas emissions, and the Arctic has reached the warmest temperature it’s seen in 2000 years as per a study done by the BBC.   The research found that the Arctic region cooled at a rate of 0.2 degrees Celsius per 1000 years till almost 1900 where warming took over, then reversed the cooling to warming up to 1.2 Degrees C since then. This warming effect has been on the rise in the last 10 years.

What is not known yet but predicted is when will we see a an ice-free summer in the Arctic region, some expeditions confirm that they found hundreds of miles of 50cm thick ice called “Rotten ice” though it makes navigation easier for the ships.  It might be hard to believe after the stormy winter we went through in the US that the Ice is melting, but the rise of temperatures found to be 5 degrees higher than average; is to blame for this.

The higher temperatures prevent the formation of Ice in the winter as it helps slowing the ice growth.

Currently ice covers 2.03 million square miles; last year’s sea ice coverage, 1.59 million square miles, set the record. In the past ten years Arctic sea ice has declined 10 percent.  Climate change is happening so fast that new data show that the thickness of Ice in the Arctic region has declined as much as 19% and is storing more carbon.

Now, the most prominent factor that decides the temperature of the Arctic is, YOU and ME and each one of us.

Till nest post

Sahar Andrade

Sahar Consulting

www.saharconsulting.com

www.linkedin.com/in/saharconsulting

www.facebook.com/saharconsulting

www.twitter.com/saharconsulting

Global Warming, Climate Change, Global climate change, are all terms describing the strange trends in our Climate seen lately and observed as Global temperatures rising in concert with increased greenhouse gas emissions.  We are seeing a lot of changes as in global temperatures rises, It snowed in Washington, but rained in Vancouver at the Olympics, Australia is suffering from water droughts for the last 15 years.

How is it called doesn’t really concern me what concerns me are the manifestations that have been discernible as:

 1-     Glaciers melting

2-     Economic Consequences as result of hurricanes and cyclones

3-     Water drought and increased heat waves

4-     Famine

5-     Endangered species

6-     Vanishing tropical forests

7-     Spread of diseases

8-     Ocean acidification& Oxygen depletion in oceans

I will be discussing these effects one by one in successive posts, to today in my first post of the series, I will start by the Glaciers Melting process and where they are happening.

Please watch this video from NASA about global warming, melting ice and raising sea levels

http://bit.ly/globalwarmingsigns

Melting of the Polar Ice Caps has been observed closely as with it an avalanche of dangers will be triggered.

1-     If the glaciers melted now, the sea water will rise about 230 feet (National Snow and Ice Data Center). There is almost 6 million cubic miles of water in glaciers, snow and ice caps.  The rising oceans could swallow some coastal areas and low-lying islands.

2-     Ice caps are formed from fresh water that can desalinate the ocean thus throwing the global eco system out of rack.   Where organisms like fish, coral reefs and all other presence in ocean can vanish.  Fisheries will be affected, including of wild salmon, trout and ocean fish as many rely on the cold water for breeding and food.  On top of that desalinization can affect the ocean currents that regulate temperatures.  It is a blessing in disguise though as it can slow some of the other effects of global warming in that area.

3-     Several species of animals will be endangered in the Arctic circle as the temperature rises and the landscape changes

4-     Currently, the sunlight rays are reflected by the white color of the icecaps to the space hence adding to the cooling of the Earth, if the ice caps are melted the only reflecting surface left will be the Ocean which is darker in color.  Darker colors absorb the sunrays and do not reflect them adding to the warmth of the Earth.

5-     Global glacier surface has shrunk by half, less melting water from glaciers in the summer means more drying of rivers and streams, needed for irrigation, and drinking water. 

It is unclear of the melting of the glaciers has reached a point on no return.  A positive feedback effect occurs where Glaciers are supplying oceans with their fresh water, and in the process, methane gas (Huge deposits of methane gas are trapped in ice crystals under the ocean) is released in the atmosphere which can further speed up global warming or climate change.  

In my series we will discuss the effects of melting glaciers by geographical region and its effect on the surrounding areas.

Till next time,

Sahar Andrade

www.saharconsulting.com

www.linkedin.com/in/saharandrade

www.twitter.com/saharconsulting

www.facebook.com/saharconsulting

Going Green, Environment,

Going Green:

Green is not a fad and is not going away anytime soon. But your product or service will if it doesn’t stand out from the green clutter. It’s simple, but not easy.

The bottom line is that it’s not good enough anymore to just be green; you have to be GREAT. Great products have to deliver beyond expectation.  Many business owners, think that using green methods to market a company might be too expensive, but it is actually  the opposite as you will end up saving money on the long run.

Green product:

A green company should evaluate if their Green product is unique, or if their Green services exceptional, are they original.  Businesses in general need to be positioned properly using their brand specially Green companies need to better package their branding and marketing efforts by creating and communicating their Unique Value Proposition or (UVP) properly to highlight how their products/ services:

1. Do a better job than the next green business
2. Does save money
3. Is efficient with less ecological impact

Average consumers are starting to suffer from “green fatigue.” They can’t understand why they have to pay a lot more for ecologically friendly products or services. 

Your green message need to be translated to help creating sales, by showcasing how your products/ services are not only crucial to the environment but to the fate of the population and their children and grand children.

It is important to realize that your customers involved in the green are not involved to the same degree but they rather coexist in different tints of green.

• Pale Green:  They will buy Green products or apply Green principles only of it matches their budgets or their life styles- around 16% of the total US population
• Medium Green: They embrace the Green concepts only if it makes sense to their lifestyles and they can see immediate results.  Effectiveness is key to their embracing green.
• Dark Green: The great believers in Green, they are green no matter what and no matter how much it can or will cost them – around 19% of the total US Population

The biggest portion that needs to be targeted and catered to is the “Medium Green” as they can easily be swayed to be advocates for Green.  The older the age (55 and over) is the more they are inclined to buy Green products.

Look for Marketing companies or consultants that put your best Green foot forward educating people on how your products/ services are not only good for the environment but also good to their pockets and will save them money. 

Full green marketing campaigns with media kits, multiple press releases, E-newsletters, e-brochures and regular brochures, website content, and electronic press kit can be launched paperless. 

 Going green should mean business sustainability as well as sustainability of natural resources. Some money saving marketing tips that also help preserve natural resources:

• Avoid as much as possible printing literature and save money by emailing PDFs or e-documents. PDFs and e-documents are easy to update, while 4-color printed sell sheets beside being expensive are outdated as soon as any information changes as phone numbers, prices, addresses, or new technology is to be considered.
• Use e-newsletters instead of a printed newsletter. These can also be stored on your website and can also helps your search engine optimization by allowing Google spiders to crawl your website for keywords and relative content.  So not only you save money by not printing, transportation, storing and mailing your oriented materials but you also helped save the environment by reducing the carbon footprint in the planet.  E-mailing your documents and newsletters require an opt-in mailing list not to be considered spam.
• Use Social Media Marketing to build your network and increase your mailing list eliminating the need for filing, sorting and cataloging business cards from networking meetings.
• Use your website as an online guide, create a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your website to decrease unnecessary phone calls and help with search engine results as well.
• Add your pamphlets, manuals as e-documents that are downloadable on your website.
• Create a follow-up form on your website, and ask your audience to opt-in to receive your news online periodically.

We (at our company) decided to be part of the green revolution to save our planets so we provide green alternatives for marketing materials including PDFs from the website or print on demand sales materials. We use 100% recycled paper products and special “green” inks that are ecologically safe.

Going Green should be each one of us mission in life, every little effort can help, not only better our lives but the lives of our children and grand children.  We don’t own the planet we are merely leasing or using it, so we need to maintain it or make it better for future generations.

Cheers,

Sahar Andrade

www.saharconsulting.com

www.saharconsulting.wordpress.com

www.linkedin.com/in/saharandrade

www.twitter.com/saharconsulting

In this post we discuss how to collect Gray Water, what to do with it, what to be considered and when not to use it.

Collecting and Recycling Gray Water

Collecting one drop of water at a time

Few tips on how to collect gray water and recycle it:

• Before dispensing of your pet’s water bowl, think about watering your plants with it
• Same for your fish tank water except that the fish tank water is rich with nitrogen based nutrients from the fish waste
• Window A/C unit water condensation can be collected by simply placing a bucket under the system
• Outdoor A/C units produce between 10-15 gallons of water condensation on a hot day which can be used for irrigation by using simple water collection kits available in stores
• Bath water is one of the best sources for gray water, a system for recycling has been developed by using a hose and suction to draw off the water into an outside tank and used for local watering
• Clothes washer water: easy to collect as most washers have an drain pipe at the back, water can be placed in collection buckets to be used later on.  It is a bit tiring as the buckets have to be watched as they don’t get filled and spill

It is advisable to collect only as much wastewater as you will need to meet the water requirements of your garden. The rest should go into your sewer or septic system

A filter should always be used either homemade or industrial to remove the debris from the water

There are some professional collection systems for gray water but they do require extra plumbing and they do cost a bit of money.  The gray water recycling principle should definitely be adopted by commercial applications for large –scale buildings where showers and toilets are being used constantly- recycling gray water will be cost-effective, best example for an applicable business is “Car Wash” businesses.  Washing a car at a Car washing facility is better for the environment as it uses less water (45 gallons/car versus 80 to 140 gallons if washed at home) and the chemicals and detergents are dispose doff in accordance with local regulations rather than going to the sewer at home

 The advantage to install a gray water recycling system is a dramatic reduction in water use, especially if gray water is used to flush the toilet thus saving money and help recharging groundwater.  Suggested water for irrigation is ½ gallon of gray water / SQ FT/ per week for a well drained garden soil.  Gray water could save 6.6 billion gallons of water everyday

Drop of Water

 When not to use Gray water:

• In some regions use of gray water is legally banned and requires going through a set of permits.  In some regions the regulations are ambiguous like in California where gray water is banned but you get a tax credit if you use it?
• Not enough space: Where there is no yard or it is too small, when houses are close to each other
• Access to plumbing is difficult will not be cost effective
• In very wet areas where gray water will have no value
• Soil that is impermeable or require special adaptation i.e. extra expenses
• Health concerns though the health threat from gray water has proven to be insignificant
• Inconvenient where the systems are very expensive or require major remodeling

 Here are some points to consider when using a gray water system:

• Add Nitrogen to the gray water as it lacks it
• Do not store “treated” gray water in a holding tank, lagoon or pond for future use as it supports the growth of microbes that can be dangerous
• Don’t let pets drink from the gray water
• Use a filter to remove hair and other particulates to prevent clogging
• Irrigation needs to be below soil or mulch and not to drain atop bare ground
• Do not use unsealable, unvented containers for your gray water filter basin tank which has to have easy access to them
• Do not leave PVC pipes exposed to sunlight – UV damages as they create toxic smoke in a fire
• Fresh air ensures good system health
• Spread your gray water around the property; don’t always dump it in the same spot.

 Placing gray water recycling systems in homes can be cumbersome and expensive, but when constructing new homes it should be considered, as it is easier to apply and construct

 Cheers,

Sahar Andrade

Columnist at the “Eco-Chamber”

www.saharconsulting.com

www.linkedin.com/in/saharandrade

http://www.ecochamber.com/category/columnists/sahar-andrade-columnists/

Drought

 The households in the US use an average­ of 400 gallons of water per day . So conserving water by cutting down on the water usage sounds like a great idea.

Here below are some examples of the amount of water we use everyday. So how much can we actually save?

 IN CA, bans have issued on outdoors watering to cut it by as much as 20 percent. 

Solutions for cutting the usage of water can be:

• Running the washing machines only with full loads
• Take shorter showers
• Sweeping the driveways instead of watering

If applied this will conserve an average of1000 gallons consumption/ month. 

One of the solutions proposed is “Graywater Recycling” (Graywater is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic practices like dishwashing, showering, laundry any water usage in the houses except the toilet water and comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater)  to be used for functions as flushing toilets, watering plants.  The good news is that gray water is easy to treat, it’s becoming increasingly popular for people to collect and reuse in their own homes.

It is mostly used to water plants, 2007, EPA announced that irrigation water is 15% of total water consumption in the United States , the same kind of water we consume for human drinking, places like Golf courses consume way more water

But it is important to note that Graywater is not benign as it contains certain degree of contamination that might/will cause sickness or malaise of used by humans.

• Dishwasher water can contain some rotten food particles,
• Washing machines Graywater can contain:
  1. Useful components like phosphorus and nitrogen used in fertilizers
  2. Harmful components as Bleach which is a hazardous chemical
  3. Sodium salts used as softening agents in some products.  These salts are toxic to the plants as they poison the soil (this can be avoided by alternating watering Graywater and fresh water or spreading gypsum (calcium sulfate) over the soil at a rate of two pounds per 100 square feet about once a month)

• Bath water contains:

1.     Soap that is less harmful since you use it on your own skin which makes bathwater the better water for Graywater plant watering

2.     Fecal matter and dead skin cells

3.     Gray water is alkaline-rich, it’s not suitable for use in watering acid-loving plants

 In some states it’s not legal to collect and use gray water, and in others it’s necessary to obtain permits and observe restrictions first.  In some states it is required that the gray water systems remain entirely underground and irrigate plants directly at the roots, using the flood method or drip irrigation systems. So it is advisable to use gray water only for the ornamental plants and lawn and not even spraying or misting it on fruit trees, vegetables or root plants consumed by humans as the roots absorb the harmful components of the gray water. Gray water should be irrigated only on flat ground and avoid steep slopes where runoff into other yards could be a problem

 In my next blog (part 2) I will explore how to collect and recycle Graywater

Cheers,

Sahar Andrade

Sahar Cosulting

www.saharconsulting.com

www.linkedin.com.in/saharandrade

Columnist at EcoChamber

http://www.ecochamber.com/category/columnists/sahar-andrade-columnists/

I read recently an article that raised more my worries about “Climate Change”& “Global Warming”; it was about the citizens of a small coastal village of “Newtok, Alaska” voting to move their village nine miles inland because melting ice shelves made their present home too risky.

Global Warming is the most threatening factor to our planet and our lives, it is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation.  Most of the temperature increase is “very likely” due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations which trap energy in the atmosphere, bringing intense longer heat waves, greater summer cooling costs, more frequent ozone alerts, more frequent droughts, severe storm and erosion damage, and will counteract the benefits of soil moisture due to the warming climate for agriculture

As the global climate change and continues to warm, The effects of Global Warming will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, likely including an expanse of the subtropical desert regions.  Other likely effects include Arctic Shrinkage and resulting Arctic methane release (release of methane from seas and soils in permafrost regions of the Arctic), shrinkage of the Amazon rainforest, increases in the intensity of extreme weather events, changes in agricultural yields, modifications of trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and changes in the ranges of disease vectors and an invasion of various warm-climate crop pests and pathogens

global warming

The planet we live on has been getting sick.  We can not set aside anymore the depletion of natural resources as our planet has a limited amount.  We can not leave it to the next generations to challenge pollution, depletion of natural resources, global warming; we need to preserve the foundation of a good standard of living in saving clean air, water, fuel sources and soil.  To start, we need to watch what we are throwing away everyday as the household batteries and electronics which often contain dangerous chemicals that may pollute the groundwater which in turn can contaminate our plants/ vegetables and even tap water. The risks to human health are tremendous.  Each time a car, home appliance, or light bulb is purchased, a decision is made that has a small influence on climate change. But many small decisions, done in multitudes of billions of people, the effects become overwhelming.

Humans are challenged to find a set of policies, practices, and standards of behavior that provide long-term economic opportunities and improved quality of life around the.  The involvement of governments around the world will be imperative, to include decisions about the best ways to reduce a country’s carbon emissions and where to invest funds in research on alternative energy source.

But if change can happen, and if we are to reverse the effects of Global warming that are supposed to be irreversible in 10 years from now, it needs to start by and from each one of us.  We need to realize that our daily simple buying decisions affect the whole world.  We need to start caring and be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.  It is up to us, it is up to you and me to start our first steps, and push our governments to intervene in saving the planet.

Cheers,

Sahar Andrade

www.saharconsulting.com

www.linkedin.com/in/saharandrade

EPA fails to inform Public about Weed-Killer in drinking water

I came across a very disturbing article this morning while reading the “Huffington Post”

EPA failed to let us know “US” the public that a may be hazardous material is added to our drinking water

We are thinking about a thousand innovative ways on how to recycle plastic and how Plastic recycling is affecting our environment so we are not buying or at least diminishing buying bottled water so we will not add to the landfills of waste, and here is EPA “Environmental Protection Agency” and the emphasis is on Protection fails to bring to our attention that a Weed-Killer i.e. chemicals are added to our day to day drinking water.

The Weed-Killing chemical is “Atrazine” and it has been found that records that tracked the amount of the weed-killer Atrazine in about 150 watersheds from 2003 through 2008.

While EPA claims that the amounts used didn’t exceed the federal safety limits. I wonder so why we were not informed about it, so we can make a consciousness choice of using that water or finding other alternatives

Atrazine is an herbicide that does not occur naturally. Pure Atrazine is an odorless, white powder that is not very volatile, reactive, or flammable and that will dissolve in water.

Atrazine is used to kill weeds, primarily on farms, but has also been used on highway and railroad rights-of-way. The EPA now restricts how Atrazine can be used and applied; only trained people are allowed to spray it.  (As per the ATSDR homage: Agency for Toxic Substances & Diseases Registry) this is the link to their website:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=59

So again I wonder if the EPA has restricted the use of Atrazine why is it used and has been used in our drinking water for the last 5 years

What alarms me are the Health Effects caused by Atrazine? (Published on the EPA website)

• Short-term: EPA has found Atrazine to potentially cause the following health effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level)  for relatively short periods of time: congestion of heart, lungs and kidneys; low blood pressure; muscle spasms; weight loss; damage to adrenal glands.
• Long-term: Atrazine has the potential to cause the following effects from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: weight loss, cardiovascular damage, retinal and some muscle degeneration; cancer.

http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/contaminants/dw_contamfs/atrazine.html

Atrazine also is a known endocrine disruptor that affects hormones in both humans and animals. It has been also tied to poor sperm quality in humans and hermaphroditic amphibians.  Some scientists are worried about exposing children and pregnant women to the pesticide, as small doses could impact development of their brain and reproductive systems.

I am attaching a link to the summary of a report about the subject prepared by the NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) so you can make up my own mind

http://www.nrdc.org/health/atrazine/files/fatrazine.pdf

The advice given is if you are concerned about this, you should install a water filter in your house that such as one that fits on the tap.

Now I have few questions:

• Will it be safe even if we use the water filter
• Why we were not as consumers informed about something that affects our lives, our health and our reproduction cycles
• We are trying to save and protect the animal species or extinguish them like in this case the Amphibians
• Should we or shouldn’t we use bottled water, but wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of handling the plastic recycling as not to affect our environment

I am really puzzled and worried, your comments are welcome.  For the record the Pesticide has been totally banned in Europe

Video Credits go to “Huffington Post”

Sahar Andrade

Guest Blogger at “Eco-Chamber”: www.ecochamber.com

www.saharandrade.com

www.linkedin.com/in/saharandrade

The recycling industry that has been growing for the last 30 years, was hit hard as did all the other industries by the economic turndown, due to the decrease demand from China, the good news is that it is on its way to balance itself out.

Recycled plastics have stayed in demand as they do a better job for less money than other materials. Also new technologies can better recover polymers from plastic now.

Some companies are starting to recover value from what we call “Unusable plastic” by separating plastic mixed together, of different colors, mixed with non-plastic material, and from contaminants.

Another form of plastic that was hard to recycle is the “Rigid Plastic” like the peanut butter containers, pallets, crates, 5-gallon buckets, or the Bleach bottles, they are molded plastic packages that maintain their shapes even when they are empty.  Rigid plastics as all plastic materials are broken down by resins and categorized as single or mixed resins. 44% of rigid plastics are made from polyethylene, while 38% are polypropylene.

The good news is that nowadays, 28 of the 100 largest cities in the U.S. mostly in the West Coast collect rigid plastics in their curbside programs, 12 collect only all bottles and containers, and 16 collect all kinds of rigid plastics like toys.

Plastic recycling is based on a resin identification code which made it complicated for normal consumers like you and me to understand and that is why it is receding from the world of plastic recycling, and is shifting to all what we have to know is that our plastic products or packages can be recycled as in many communities like the District of Columbia and three major surrounding areas: Arlington County, Va., Montgomery County, Md. and Anne Arundel County, Md. Many cities and towns in California are also adopting this method of collection, almost 60 percent of California’s collection programs accept “all bottles and household containers.”

Sutter Homes Winery is now using PET bottlesfor all of its 187-mL wine bottles sold in the U.S, they are using it for all wines that to be consumed within 1 year because of the oxidation factor being in a plastic bottle, the company expects to cut greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the bottle by 29 percent, as PET bottles use less greenhouse emissions due to their light weight.  The Foster’s Group based in Australia is thinking as well to do the same shift from glass bottles to plastic bottles

One of the amazing stories about using the recycled plastic is the New Jersey Pine Barrens 56-foot-long bridge totally built from recycled plastic, its lifespan is expected to be 40 years and it can support 36 tons.  Plastic lumber is actually one of the more common products created from recycled PET, the material used for most plastic bottles, recycled plastic has been molded to beams obviously lighter and more flexible than the wood ones which reduces the ecological footprint, while using less energy in manufacture.

The more the recycling process is simple the more people will use their recycle bins more and more, so please recycle as much as you can, we can build strong bridges from recycled materials and who knows what else in the near future.  Help save the planet

 Cheers,

Sahar Andrade

www.linkedin.com/in/saharandrade

www.saharconsulting.com

 Environment is highly affected by recycling which is becoming more and more a daily part of our lives, if we want to help in cleaning the environment and become a part of the solution rather than being a part of the problem. Solid waste generation has increased from 3.66 to 4.62 pounds/ per person/ per day between 1980 and 2007, but also recycling increased from 10% in 1980 to more than 33% in 2007.  According to the EPA, plastics accounted for 12.1 percent of the 254 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2007 of that, only 6.8 percent was recycled.

Plastic recycling affecting the environment

1st City to ban Plastic water bottles:

A couple of weeks ago, the town of Bundanoon, about two hours south of Sydney, Australia, has banned the sale of plastic water bottles.  Merchants are offering alternatives to their population for reusable water bottles, as charging them a small amount to fill their reusable water bottles with purified water, or to offer the reusable bottles at the same price of the disposable ones. Banning the plastic bottles will reduce the fossil fuel energy consumption of petroleum and natural gas, used to manufacture PET (Form of plastic found in water bottles packaging).

styrofoam recycling affecting the environment

 1st city that could have banned using Styrofoam:

While California has shut down the proposition to ban using Styrofoam for fear of loosing more jobs in the state, if this bill would have passed CA would have been the state to ban Styrofoam foam containers The reason that Styrofoam is bad for our environment is made from Expanded Polystyrene which is an end product meaning it can be only be recycled to more Styrofoam, the good news is that a bacteria found in beetles can break down Styrofoam into smaller pieces (Not decompose it).

 Other good news is that the State might have not passed the bill but there are more than 20 cities in CA banned Styrofoam food containers.

Next blog will be discussing the future of plastic recycling

Sahar Andrade

www.linkedin.com/in/saharandrade

Twitter:@saharAndrade

www.saharconsulting.com