Bottled Water Is Evil

water bottles (photo by Trinitas Imaging / Ooodit)

USA Today – Thirst for bottled water unleashes flood of environmental concerns

The problem isn’t the water, it’s the use of resources. It takes a lot of oil to make all those little bottles and ship them, sometimes halfway around the world.

Plastic water bottles produced for U.S. consumption take 1.5 million barrels of oil per year, according to a 2007 resolution passed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. That much energy could power 250,000 homes or fuel 100,000 cars for a year, according to the resolution.

Cornell University professor and environmentalist Doug James said the irony of bottled water is that it’s marketed as clean and healthy when its production contributes to unnecessary environmental degradation.

“Take Fiji water, for example,” he said. “A one-liter bottle is taken out of the aquifer of this little island, and shipped all the way across the world, producing half a pound of greenhouse gases just so you can have this one-liter bottle of water.”

Professor James found that of the 30 billion plastic water bottles sold in the United States in 2005, only 12 percent were recycled. That left 25 billion bottles landfilled, littered or incinerated.

Stop buying bottled water and reuse the ones you already have!

Newspapers Are Obsolete

With TV, radio, and internet access at home, at work, and on mobile phones, what is the point of newspapers? If people want the latest headlines, sports scores, stock prices, and sales, they can turn on the TV, turn on the radio, or visit Yahoo!, CNN, ESPN, or Amazon for free. Yet, millions of people across the U.S. still spend 50 cents every morning to carry around 100-page newspapers, read day-old information, and get ink all over their hands. It doesn’t make sense. The majority of newspaper content is useless advertisements anyway.

Do most individuals use newspapers to sell things anymore? No, they use eBay, Amazon, and Craig’s List. Do they use newspapers to look for jobs anymore? No, they use HotJobs, Monster, and Craig’s List. Even the New York Times crossword puzzle can be downloaded and printed on demand.

Fifty years ago, newspapers were great. They were 1958’s equivalent to the internet. They allowed everyone to have fast access to information, but fifty years later, with our modern alternatives and environmental awareness, do we really need to keep wasting tons of paper, ink, and energy printing newspapers 365 days a year?

Ed Begley, Jr.

Ed Begley, Jr.

Ed Begley, Jr. is an actor and environmentalist. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the TV show St. Elsewhere and has starred in several movies, including Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). He starred in his own environmental reality show Living with Ed on HGTV in 2007 and released his book Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life in February 2008.

On Sunday, April 27, 2008, Ed Begley, Jr. made a keynote speech at the PSEG Global Green Expo 2008 in Jersey City, NJ. Afterwards, he let us take a picture with him and granted us an interview, which we featured in episode 101. Thanks!

discussed in episodes 99 and 101

Ted Danson

Ted Danson

Ted Danson is an actor and environmental activist. He is best known for his role as Sam Malone on the TV show Cheers and has starred in several movies, including Creepshow (1982), Three Men and a Baby (1987), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), Made in America (1993), and Getting Even with Dad (1994). He cofounded the American Oceans Campaign in 1987 and is a board member of Oceana.

On Saturday, April 26, 2008, Ted Danson made a keynote speech at the PSEG Global Green Expo 2008 in Jersey City, NJ. Afterwards, he let us take a picture with him and granted us an interview, which we featured in episode 101. Thanks!

discussed in episodes 7, 9, 40, 49, 99, and 101

Episode 101: Sunday, May 4, 2008

The Paunch Stevenson Show episode 101

We interview Ted Danson and Ed Begley, Jr. at the Global Green Expo 2008 in Jersey City, NJ!

In this episode:

  • TV newscasters (Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and Peter Jennings),
  • Pat O’Brien,
  • the PSEG Global Green Expo 2008,
  • a summary of Ted Danson’s keynote speech,
  • Oceana (www.oceana.org),
  • ocean trolling,
  • fish contaminated with mercury,
  • fake Duracell batteries,
  • the pointlessness of autographs,
  • our interview with Ted Danson,
  • the Paunch bad luck,
  • Ed Begley Jr. (www.edbegley.com),
  • a raw sewage backup in Greg’s basement,
  • our interview with Ed Begley Jr.,
  • Fixing the Planet (www.fixingtheplanet.com),
  • The Paunch Stevenson Show All-Stars,
  • a summary of Ed Begley Jr.’s keynote speech,
  • recycling and simplifying our lives,
  • consumerism,
  • Rob’s computer mouse problem,
  • gardening,
  • standby power,
  • reusing grocery bags,
  • the lack of environmentalism in TV shows and movies,
  • and Autograph magazine’s list of the best and worst Hollywood autograph signers.

Photos, video, and additional audio from the expo:
Ed Begley and Ted Danson Global Green Expo 2008 Keynote Speeches

Download this episode:
59 minute MP3 file – 27 MB (right-click to save)

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