A Solid Dose of Science

In late 2009, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality released a Life Cycle Assessment of Drinking Water Systems: Bottled Water, Tap Water, and Home/Office Delivery Water. The report is 500 pages of pure, awesome, straight-up science. I was recently introduced to this study in a workshop called Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Zero Waste Strategies to Improve Your Bottom Line through the University of Oregon’s Sustainability Leadership Program. It was taught by none other than Dorothy Atwood, an Associate at Zero Waste Alliance. Dorothy and her friends at the Zero Waste Alliance beautified the results of DEQ’s study and transformed them into pretty, easy-to-decipher graphs. These graphs illustrate the different impacts determined by your choice between drinking out of a disposable plastic water bottle or a reusable drinking container.

This first graph shows a very minimal difference in impacts between recycling a one-time use plastic water bottle and throwing it away. This is not an anti-recycling graph - this is a realistic look at plastic recycling in Oregon.

This graph clearly shows the best possible choice: tap water in a reusable drinking container.

This graph is a big part of why I do what I do at Trash for Peace. Recycling is not the answer. Recycling is a last resort; implemented when good planning and design are absent. Tap water is the way to go, and reusable containers solve some significant problems. Unfortunately, making the best choice in terms of negative impacts will get a little harder.

This controversial local story (Portland Votes to Add Fluoride) was echoed nationally (HuffPost reports) as Portland surrenders its title as the biggest U.S. city to not fluoridate its water.

Fluoridated tap water has the potential to justify one's decision to choose bottled water - despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that reusable containers and tap water are superior. Protect your ability to make informed choices at: Don't Fluoridate Portland's Drinking Water.

- Andrew Judkins

Gear Up! Sustainably, of course.

School has started and schedules have changed but it's never too late to make your routine a bit more sustainable! The TfP team has gathered resources for you to make the switch easier. So cross off plastic sandwich bags and plastic water bottles from your shopping list and let's go green!

First up: Reusable Sandwich Bags

These can be found very easily online by typing reusable sandwich bags into your search for multitudes of sites for reusable food bags with different features. But if you are interested in staying local for all you Portlanders, we found handmade bags by Kim at Simply Practical at etsy.com. The bags come in awesome fabric patterns, perfect for individual personality. Check out more of her creatives here.






Next up: Reusable Water Bottles

These can also be found very easily! They are at every grocery store and super store, they are at sporting and recreational equipment stores, and they are in even in any type specialty shops featuring foods, drinks or sustainable products, literally everywhere. There is no excuse! And we all know that tap water is just as good and even more regulated than the water that is poured into plastic bottles. So get yourself one! HuffPost Green breaks down different reusable water bottle brands here.



And lastly, if you are still looking for some last-minute school supplies, the Center for Health, Environment and Justice has created a Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies. Learn about PVC and why you should shop for PVC-free items, such as bookbags, binders and lunchboxes. You can find the PDF document here.

Reasons to celebrate: friends, family and summer!

Ah summer days in Portland just fly by way too quickly. The TfP team recently took a short hiatus to enjoy the sunshine, go play outside and relax on patios with friends. Feeling refreshed and energized, the team is back together and ready to get back in action, this time with our recently tanned faces. We couldn't resist soaking up more sun time by planning a small fundraiser potluck with our closest friends and family. We truly have an amazing set of volunteers who are supported by some pretty awesome people and just wanted to say thank you. So THANK YOU all for your support! We sure do appreciate it. :) Check out some photos from the lovely afternoon.

Our fabulous creatives, Kendra and Caitlin converted our bins to tables for our products and room for plates and drinks.

Delicious food was tasted and drinks were poured (including Caitlyn's famous horchata, yum!), and cornhole was set up in the backyard.

What awesome friends we have.

And awesome family!

A beautiful summer day.