Recycling and Reusing products-Artist Statement

I chose the topic about recycling, reusing reusable products and making something new. I have a passion for this topic because I would like to make our community aware of why we should recycle and reuse recyclable products. My film is focused on showing people what they can do to make a difference in their community. I most amazed by that out of 25 billion single-serving, plastic water bottles this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill. (Container Recycling Institute).

This shows that the need for recycling is being ignored by a large portion of our population. We all need to focus on reusable and recyclable products if we are to maintain our earth and our natural resources. If we don’t we will end up buried in our own trash.

Based on my research, most of the facts are undeniable. If all U.S. households installed water-efficient appliances, the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $18 billion dollars per year! (Environmental Protection Agency) Letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours. (Environmental Protection Agency) Electricity production is the leading cause of industrial air pollution in the United States, and is responsible for 40 percent of the nation's carbon emissions that contribute to global climate change. (Worldwatch Institute, 2007) Americans go through 25 billion plastic bottles every year. Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. (Earth 911)

Annotated Citations

The global consumption of bottled water reached 154 billion liters (41 billion gallons) in 2004, up 57 percent from the 98 billion liters consumed five years earlier. Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand for bottled water is increasing—producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy. Although in the industrial world bottled water is often no healthier than tap water, it can cost up to 10,000 times more. At as much as $2.50 per liter ($10 per gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline.

The United States is the world’s leading consumer of bottled water, with Americans drinking 26 billion liters in 2004, or approximately one 8-ounce glass per person every day. Mexico has the second highest consumption, at 18 billion liters. China and Brazil follow, at close to 12 billion liters each. Ranking fifth and sixth in consumption are Italy and Germany, using just over 10 billion liters of bottled water each.

To produce plastic water bottles, it takes the amount of fossil fuels to produce energy for the making of plastic water bottles and to create plastic is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is derived from oil. Producing water bottles meet the Americans’ demand that requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.* Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.

Americans will buy an estimated 25 billion single-serving, plastic water bottles this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill.
-- Container Recycling Institute

If we can recycle more, it can save enough energy to light a light bulb to run for almost four hours or run your television for three hours. Making new products takes more resources, and energy than to recycle our products that we already have. 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one single can using virgin materials. Throwing a single aluminum can into the garbage can waste as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline.

The owner of Cagoule Fleece Company has agreed to showcase his company one of his products is called BottleFleece™, and it is made from 85% post-consumer recycled fibers obtained from plastic soda bottles and postindustrial waste.
"Our Material ". Cagoule Fleece . 2009 NOV. 09 .

Estimates of water use in the United States indicate that about 408 billion gallons per day (one thousand million gallons per day, abbreviated Bgal/d) were withdrawn for all uses during 2000.

We all can reuse our water or cut down our water shortages to conserve our drinking water.
Solutions:
-Use our shower water for plants
-Dish water for plants

Once bought, an estimated 21% of annual clothing purchases stay in the home, increasing the stocks of clothing and other textiles held by consumers, according to Recycling of Low Grade Clothing Waste, a September 2006 report by consultant Oakdene Hollins. The report calls this stockpiling an increase in the "national wardrobe," which is considered to represent a potentially large quantity of latent waste that will eventually enter the solid waste stream. According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year, and clothing and other textiles represent about 4% of the municipal solid waste. But this figure is rapidly growing.

There are three solutions to recycle clothes: it can be resold by the primary consumer to other consumers at a lower price or exported to other countries, or it can be chemically or mechanically recycled into raw material for the manufacture of other apparel and non-apparel products.

Sources:
Emily and Janet, Arnold and Larsen. "BOTTLED WATER: Pouring Resources Down the Drain". Earth Policy Insitutute . 2009 NOV. 09 .

Emily and Janet , Arnold and Larsen. " Bottled Water: Pouring Resources Down the Drain ". Earth Policy Insitute . 2009 NOV. 09 .

Hutson, Barber, Kenny, Linsey, Lumia and Maupin , Susan S. , Nancy L. , Joan F. , Kristin S. , Deborah S. , and Molly A. . "Estimated use of water in the United States in 2000". U.S. Geological. 2009 NOV. 09 .

Luz , Claudio. "Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry". Environmental Health Perspectives. 2009 NOV. 09 .

Collin , Dunn. "Does Recycling Really Make a Difference?". Planet Green. 2009 NOV. 09 .