Message in a Bottle?

The environmental impact that bottled water creates is so unnecessary especially in countries like Australia where potable tap water is so readily available. I personally prefer not buy bottled water as I think it is a waste of money and quite enjoy the taste of tap water however looking around my room I can see at least five empty water bottles left over from times I forgot to pre-pack my own water.

Empty water bottles are able to be recycled and be reused to make more bottles but the process still uses a large amount of energy. A large amount of water bottles consumed in this country end up in landfills rather than recycling plants. There is not always a recycling receptacle available for people disposal of bottles so naturally people use the closest rubbish bin or if they are an inconsiderate litterbug they leave it anywhere. Out of sight out of mind I guess.

The NSW town Bundanoon is the first town in Australia to ban the sale of bottled water. Local businesses stopped selling bottled water and water fountains were installed in the town. This is proof that Australians are realising the impact of bottled water and that there are other solutions to the problem. I must admit though I think banning bottled water would be a bit intense if the whole country got behind it. Imagine if the police had to do bottled water raids on the local IGA due to bootlegging. It would be a bit silly billy. Bundanoon is not the only town taking initiative drinking fountains and recycling vending machines are becoming more and more common as time goes by.

All over the world discarded empty water bottles plague the streets but even more so in developing nations. The lack of clean drinking water and the cheap price of bottled water create a lot of discarded PET bottles. I once read in a travel guide for South-East Asia a suggestion to collapse your bottle before throwing it away to minimise the space it takes up in the tip which is a valid point but wouldn’t it be even better if the suggestion wasn’t necessary? With a little Iodine tablets could be used instead of bottled water. However I must admit I am the worst offender with bottled water when I travel, I just hate being parched! But if I actually took stock of the damage I was doing to somebody else’s country I wouldn’t be so lazy and I would treat the water. Hopefully if I travel again it will be something I put in practice.

In summation I think in Australia most of the time buying bottled water is needless as we have great source that is cheaper for the individual and the environment. However there are times when you’ve forgotten to bring your water bottle and buying one is a favourable option.

Dome 1.6Lt Kettle

Eco-redesign

1.6Lt Kettle

We dismantled a plastic kettle and calculated it’s environmental impact through GreenFly Online.

The product being manufactured in China results in transport having a large environmental impact and the everyday use creates great use of water and electricity over time. The heating element is the subassembly that has the greatest footprint due to it’s weight and manufacturing process.

This project gave great insight in to how much impact a simple household kettle can have, I would hate to think what the environmental impact larger appliances would.

Members of the Dome Team

http://jonathanbiet.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.emilysoares.blogspot.com/ 

http://gsides3221.blogspot.com/ 

http://ides3221-charmainechen.blogspot.com/ 

Recycling

Watching “Giving Packaging a New Life” by Duales Systems of Germanys gave me great insight into the world of recycling. I had no idea how complex and advanced the recycling process is. In my mind I thought it would be two chaps sitting next to a conveyor belt sorting it by hand. I didn’t realise there was such a mechanical involvement.

And considering the video is a fair few years old I bet the sorting and processing machines are now a lot more efficient. It’s crazy to think that an infra red scanner can determine the type of plastic and sort it. I truly hope that these machines are implemented in countries other than wealthy European nations.

I was really happy to see what the recycled matter gets used for, I didn’t realise it would be used for anything other than low grade manufacturing. It also makes me realise that as a designer there is a great responsibility to create products that can be easily recycled so they don’t make a great contribution to landfill.

Recycling has definitely come a long way in Australia in the past few years. I remember when I was knee high to a grass hoppers eye; we didn’t have a recycling collection service in Griffith. My dad being the eco-warrior that he is used to collect papers, bottles and cans and take them to the recycling depot every Sunday. He would always persuade my sister and me into helping him with the promise of an ice cream. A couple of years ago the local council introduced a fortnightly recycling collection service which has really improved locals attitudes towards recycling however it was the end of the Sunday ice creams.

Ecological Footprint

My carbon footprint rating is rather higher than the average. I would love to substantially lower it however living in a house of four students with very limited income it is quite difficult. Being from rural New South Wales I drive a lot more kilometres than the average Sydney sider which can’t really be done on public transport as it is quite sparse and inconvenient and flights home are quite expensive. However there are things I can do like conserving energy by taking shorter showers and making a conscious effort to turn off unused lights and appliances. When I have a full time job I will be much more active in lowering my carbon footprint.