The Ban On Microbeads

Attention is needed regarding the ban on microbeads. Here's an important article from Ban The Bottle:

THE BAN ON MICROBEADS – WHY IT MATTERS AND WHY IT’S STILL NOT ENOUGH

“Everyone can visualize floating plastic water bottles, but it’s harder to envision the damage these smaller pieces of plastic can cause.”

That’s a quote from David Andrews, senior scientist at Environmental Working Group, in an article on Huffington Post.

And it makes you think. Plastic is ubiquitous in our day-to-day lives, and even more so in our waste – even in the water we’re sending down the drain. Microbeads – those tiny plastic particles marketed as exfoliants in everything from face scrubs and hand soaps to body washes and toothpastes – take a huge environmental toll. Polyethylene microbeads neither disintegrate nor biodegrade – they just pile up in our waterways and our oceans, destroying coral populations that ultimately ingest them.

The United States took a step in the right direction last December when President Obama signed a bill forcing companies to remove microbeads from rinse-off cosmetics by the middle of 2017. Unfortunately, specific wording in the Microbead-Free Waters Act leaves quite the loophole for companies that use microbeads in products left on the skin. And even worse, identifying these companies is next to impossible.

As places like Australia and the United Kingdom begin their own campaigns to ban microbeads, they’re taking careful notes. Activists in these areas are pushing for bans on any products with microplastics that wash away down the drain, a much more generous description.

On American soil, the smartest next step may be a right-to-know bill, which would force companies to disclose their ingredients.

Read more here: https://www.banthebottle.net/articles/the-ban-on-microbeads-why-it-matters-and-why-its-still-not-enough/

Water Grabbing In Canada

Here's an article about residents fighting a battle with Nestle over water rights to an artisanal spring water well.  Read the full article at the link below to see how the town was outbid by Nestle in its battle to protect its water.

Canadian town steams over Nestlé bid to control local spring water well

Nestlé Canada currently has permits that allow it to extract up to 4.7m litres
of water a day from sources in Ontario. Photograph: Don Ryan/AP

"A small town in Ontario, Canada, has prompted fresh scrutiny of the bottled-water industry after its attempt secure a long-term water supply through the purchase of a well was outbid by the food and drinks multinational Nestlé.

When authorities in Centre Wellington, population of about 30,000, learned that Nestlé had put a bid on a spring water well in their region, they scrambled over the summer to counter with a competing bid. The goal was to safeguard a water supply for the township’s fast-growing population, Kelly Linton, the mayor, told the Guardian. “By 2041, we’ll be closer to 50,000 so protecting our water sources is critical to us.”"

Read the full article here from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/24/canada-nestle-water-well-bid-centre-wellington

All The Water We Can't Drink

Thanks to Flying Dutchman for this artwork.
http://dutchiefd.deviantart.com/art/Dirty-Water-Illustration-284506880

Posting this here today as I'm working on a paper entitled, "All The Water We Can't Drink." Issues related to potable water need to be addressed, yet even here in the United States, cities like Flint, Michigan show us how little regard is given to ensuring that we have access to clean water. Governments around the world fail on all levels to ensure this human right. Some people even argue whether or not access to water is a human right.

Too many of us are not paying attention to the coming water crisis. It reminds me of why I started this blog in the first place. If we don't occupy our water rights, we stand to lose them to greedy corporations and governments that aren't looking out for our best interests.

Make today the day you're going to start talking to family and friends about conserving water and treating it as the most precious natural resource that it is.

Join your local water activist group and participate in their activities. Remember, the water you save may be your own.