Ditch the Plastic Bottle

It doesn’t seem to be that long ago that we were urging everyone to buy bottled water- Oh my what fools we were!! Obviously, since we have all become enlightened about the destruction plastic is causing to our oceans, the tune has changed. “Ditch the plastic bottle”, seems to be the song most sung in schools, offices and every social media platform.

Why The Change of Heart?

We all say we know why plastic is bad for the earth, but how many of us actually know to what depths it goes? You would need to have been living in a bunker for the past 18 months to have missed the harrowing images of oceans covered in miles of plastic debris. But did you know that plastic has detrimental effects on our health too. The BPA chemical (bisphenol A) has been used in the production of plastics since the 1960’s and often comes into direct contact with food via inner coatings of cans and jar lids, plastic bottles and food containers. Although there are many products that are now being produced without BPA’s it’s important to remember that not everything has. You may also be still using plastic that was made before BPA awareness.

Right now take a look around your kitchen or office and notice how many types of plastic there are:-

• drink bottles
• take away cups and wrapping
• straws
• plastic bags
• food wrappers,
• single-use coffee pods
• disposable cutlery
• food containers (yogurts, coleslaw, microwave dinners)

These are all examples of single-use plastic and as unrealistic as it is to remove ALL plastic from our lives there are significant changes that we can make today!

Re-usable Water Bottles

A few years ago it was expected that children take a bottle of water into school with them everyday. This stemmed from research done around hydration and concentration levels:

It boosts learning

• The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep well hydrated throughout the day.

• When we are thirsty, mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by about 10 per cent. Pupils concentrate better because they are not distracted by the effects of dehydration such as thirst, tiredness and irritability.

• Children will achieve more when both their health and learning needs are met. Ensuring free access to water and promoting a regular water intake throughout the school day is a vital role for schools in promoting health and providing a healthy learning environment.

and so schools and nurseries encouraged every child to hydrate throughout the day. Although this was a wonderful idea and helped children focus and make teachers day go more smoothly it became a sea of empty/half empty plastic bottles at the end of each day. All of these bottles destined for the oceans.

Luckily the tide seems to have turned towards re-usable bottles and in particular aluminium ones. Children seem to like that the water stays cool throughout the day and with a fab image of them as a Superhero, Ballet Dancer or Super striker footballer there’s no more ‘lost water bottles’.

So don’t just help the planet, help your child bring the right water bottle home with a personalised aluminium bottle that has their face and name on it.

Save the oceans and give someone a Giggle.

Image by Matthew Gollop  from Pixabay