Greenpeace members Anais Schneider from Germany and Victor Rask from Sweden had recently returned from a trip to the Arctic where they took part of a protest group with the scope of stopping the deep water drilling executed by Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy. This experience didn’t frighten the two activists as decided to take direct action against Chevron. They literally climbed up the giant anchor chain and suspended themselves in a tent to it with signs that could read “Go beyond oil”. There courageous action is impeding the anchor from being pulled and there it is preventing the ship from going to the drilling site. The actions of the two young activists are not simply a spur of the moment impulsive move, as they are calling upon the North Sea competent authorities in order to take action against the drilling and hopefully ban it. Activist Victor Rask, and occupant of the tent declared:

“UK Prime Minister David Cameron said his government would be the greenest every, but he wont even support a plan to protect our seas from a BP-style disaster. Instead on drilling for the last drops in places like this, the oil companies should be developing the clean energy technologies need to fight climate change and reduce our dependence on oil. In order to shift the oil companies and governments need to ban deepwater drilling. In the longer term we need a permanent shift awat from fossil fuels towards clean energy solutions” (Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/chevron-shetland-stopped210910/).

While the activist’s comments are strongly valid, authentic and in sync with the values defended and represented by Greenpeace, there is no doubt that various other stakeholders and lobby associations are putting a considerable amount of pressure on the Prime Minister in order to force him to consider the economic interests in this situation.  It appears that concealing both opposing points of view is a much harder task than what it seems. BP, the oil company responsible for the greatest catastrophe, is already operating in the area with three oil and gas field they also have further plan to start drilling deeper. The young and courageous Anais Schneider described with frenzy her experience as something incredible:

“It was incredible to climb up the anchor chain, the rungs were nearly as big as I am and Chevron’s drilling ship is one of the biggest things I’ve ever seen at sea. It’s time to go beyond oil. Our addiction is harming the climate, the natural world and our chances of building a clean energy future” (Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/chevron-shetland-stopped210910/).

The infamous duo is also supporting a new initiative called “Go Beyond Oil” (find out more at http://www.gobeyondoil.org/) a call to action brought to you by Greenpeace as a response to the BP oil accident. This call to action is also a way to force people to reflect upon their dependency on oil and the risks it could present for the future of our planet. According to the official website, governments shouldn’t subsidize oil companies, instead they should put money towards the development of a sustainable long-term clean form of energy. Yet, things are not always so crystal clean when it comes to doing the right thing. Indeed Chevron went to court and demanded for measures to be taken against the two environmentalists that now risk to get arrested for their environmentalist act of bravura. Chevron declared that such action is “foolhardy and demonstrates that Greenpeace is willing to put its volunteers at risk to carry out such reckless publicity stunts” (Source: http://www.u.tv/Business/Chevron-wins-court-order-in-bid-to-end-Greenpeace-oil-protest/8295de1d-b600-413f-8a93-e40e0b2a8b39). While this stunt is indeed dangerous, the activists  partly got what they wanted; managing to raise public awareness and getting the media involve on the case.

Greenpeace is a world-respected organization that fights for the conservation of our planet and its wildlife. While the actions of the activists can be somewhat debated, the reflection they propose is a very valid one. Has our dependence on oil gone overboard? What will happen once the planet runs out of oil? Perhaps it is indeed time to focus on cleaner forms of energy.

The attention of the public nonetheless shifted in that direction when in 2002, the World Health Organization described the situation of Bangladesh as  “the world’s largest mass poisoning of a population in history” (Source: http://www.miller-mccune.com/science/charles-harvey-water-detective-20153/). The local population suffered from skin problems and elevated risk of contracting skin, liver or kidney cancer in the next decade. The situation in Bangladesh combined with the American controversies instigated scientists and scholars to investigate further into the question of arsenic and potable water. Charles f. Harvey, an MIT professor, of environmental engineering decided to investigate further into the matter by trying to understand the causes of such a high concentration of arsenic.  After receiving a grant from the National Science Foundation, Harvey, also nicknamed the water detective, decided to focus on the area of Mushiganj in Bangladesh. After various analysis done on location, Harvey discovered that arsenic concentration reached their highest point at a depth of around 30 meters under the ground; “unfortunately, the same level at which many tube well drew their drinking water” (Source: http://www.miller-mccune.com/science/charles-harvey-water-detective-20153/). He decided to ask for the collaboration of his students from MIT in order to solve the mystery.

After numerous observations, Harvey and his staff realized that rice fields where most of the population worked, where filtering arsenic out of the water. After having tested the rice field water, Harvey came to the realization that the water was actually clean. After a chemical analysis of the underground reservoirs, the MIT professor came to the realization that “ water from the manmade ponds was seeping into the ground, carrying organic carbon. Once the organic material was deep underground, bacteria broke it down, usin iron oxide and releasing arsenic. Due to a lack of funding, technical problems and the complexity of the study, it took seven years for the team of experts to come to these useful conclusions.  Harvey’s discovery marks an important step for Bangladesh but could also serve to the sustainable development done in other countries suffering from similar problems. By raising awareness, the water detective also forced the government in Bangladesh to take responsibility and respond to this issue of contaminated water. The country’s financial minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, publicly promised “that his government would the nation arsenic free by 2013” (Source: http://www.miller-mccune.com/science/charles-harvey-water-detective-20153/). While for now this remains a simple promise, for the future there is hope of an actual concrete sustainable strategy.

Charles Harvey, the water detective, proved that with the necessary drive and motivation, a single individual can make a real difference. His contribution is forcing the world of international aid and development to face the water problems in Bangladesh. Harvey is still committed to making a difference in Bangladesh and wants to continues research in order to ameliorate the conditions of the people in Bangladesh.

His studies are driven by fish predation and community interactions as fundamental facets of biology studies.  Fascinated by sharks, he is working hard at studying their behavior in order to come up with ways to protect this already endangered animal. His research currently focuses on anthropogenic impacts on shark population. In collaboration with the Conservation Program at the University of Miami: “assessing the impacts of catch-and-release fishing on elasmobranch species, the analysis of migration and behavior through satellite tagging of hammerhead, bull and tiger sharks” (Source: http://austingallagher.com/Research.aspx). These projects are centered with an analysis of behavioral and physiological ecology techniques.

His previous projects include the stress physiology of Sharks, positive impacts of southern California marine protected areas (MPA) on harvested reef-dwelling fishes and the effects of predator risks, resource availability and conspecific density on the growth of the Atlantic Dogwhelk. In order to better communicate the need to protect the environment and marine creatures, film production is a very strong medium for this young scholar that tell us: “Communicating science is a great way to make an impact, while inspiring people to make a difference themselves. I am driven to reach more people by producing short and full-length educational documentaries for various research projects” (Source: http://austingallagher.com/DocumentaryandFilm.aspx). For this reason, in 2009, Austin launched his own small production where he has worked for professionals, amateurs and well-known clients such as National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. Created by Austin Gallagher,“Inside the Lines” is a film that immerses you into the immense beauty of the marine wildlife on the coast of California. After three months of studying marine conservation biology, the young man spent many hours and days under water shooting footage of the marine wildlife. Despite his amazement, the sea creatures were not at all afraid of the human presence. After more than hundreds of hours spent under water the film produced is worth having a look at.

Recently Gallagher has been working as a research assistant to Neil Hammerschlag, studying the impact of the BP oil spill on sharks. These powerful animals are at the top of the ocean food chain but nobody has even considered studying the impact the oil is having on the sharks. Gallagher reminds us: “if you see a high levels of oil in a shark, you better believe it is in the whole food chain” (Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/06/28/oil.spill.sharks/index.html).

Austin Gallagher is a promising new asset for the world of marine biologist and scholars who are working for the protection of the marine environment and of all its species. He has demonstrated to have great passion, ambition and will as he founded his own production company in order to communicate with films his passion for the ocean and to raise awareness for the protection of the sea life.

“Bottled Water! I have had enough! You have got to tell me what is going on! Where are we?? Why am I SUPPOSE TO KEEP MY VOICE DOWN??! WHO ISN’T SUPPOSE TO HEAR US?? Where is Bamboo???” exclaimed Miss Evian with a very loud and impatient tone of voice.  Well, to tell you the truth, despite all the bad things that have happened to us I am happy Bamboo is out of the picture!! I decided I wasn’t going to tell her the complete truth but I had to tell her something: “Miss Evian, we are hiding in the back store of the superstore, because we are playing a game and the other bottles are not suppose to find us!”. I wonder if she is actually going to buy this lie! Knowing her I doubt it!

Miss Evian replied with an annoyed tone of voice: “First of all stop calling it the “superstore” it is a SU-PER MAR-KET!! It is not such a hard word to remember! Second of all, this game is ridiculously silly! I don’t want to be hiding out in the back store with those annoying bags of flour! I want to be out in the supermarket with mr Bamboo and you have NO RIGHT to keep me away from him!!!! If you don’t let me go right now, I will call the police of the supermarket! Frank the security guard that has arrested that little boy that one time tried to steal a chocolate bar…remember?”

I told Miss Evian to calm down and I decided to tell her the truth. The whole truth! Here I go! Miss Evian, I have got some bad news for you. They took over the shelf. All the rest of us are gone. This is why you have got to keep your voice down, we are the only two plastic bottled water left. If they found us it is over! We need to stay out here until I come up with some sort of plan.

“Bottled Water! WHO TOOK OVER THE STORE?!! WHERE ARE ALL OF OUR FRIENDS? SHOULD I BE AFRAID? replied Miss Evian with an alarmed tone!

TO BE CONTINUED…

This particular water comes from a simple hydrogeological model that is explained on the company’s website: “water is mineralized through contact with the rocks and is heated by geothermal gradient until reaching the spring, where it has the balanced composition of S. Pellegrino mineral water” (Source: http://www.sanpellegrino.com/index.html). As early as the 12^th century the Sanpellegrino sparkly water was used for its apparent healthy properties.  In 1842, the town decided to sell the spring to Ester Palazzolo with the condition that a part of the share would be given to the local citizens so they could have access to the water free of charge.  With thousands of bottles selling around the world, the Italian brand decided to put together mineral water and Sicilian oranges and invented a new soft drink called “Aranciata”. In 1999, the brand became the latest new addition to Nestlé’s bottled water empire. According to San Pellegrino’s latest quality report, the water that comes from the sources is always tested as it enters the plant in order to comply with international standards and with Nestlé own requisites. It appears that “quality first” is the motto of this luxury water bottle as the product is “screened for over 200 possible contaminants annually, even more than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Italian Health Authorities require” (Source: http://www.nestle-watersna.com/pdf/SP_BWQR.pdf).

Stefano Agostini, the president and chief executive officer of Sanpellegrino presents environmental sustainability as one of the main objectives of the company as he declares that the company’s mission is “that of guaranteeing water a future of quality” (Source: http://www.bpcommunication.net/risorse/sanpellegrino.pdf). According to the company’s statements, the firm is involved in various programs of water conservation in order to protect their water sources and to render them sustainable on the longest term possible. Sanpellegrino states the importance of protecting water sources and its surrounding ecosystems. In order to be coherent with the green values advocated by the Italian brand, the company promotes water and education programs for young children in order to raise awareness at an early age about the importance of water conservation. The brand is a promoter and partner of the WET project (Water Education for Teachers) that aims at educating the little and the old about responsible principles of water consumption. In addition, San Pellegrino says that in the last four years, they have reduced by 48% the total water volume they use in the production process. “To reduce the environmental impact, San Pellegrino is investing in rail transport  and also adheres to CONAI the National Packaging Consortium for the disposal and recycling of containers and is developing a careful reduction plan of materials for the packaging of its products” (Source: http://www.bpcommunication.net/risorse/sanpellegrino.pdf). While the company’s website tells us it is working hard at diminishing its packaging waste, it fails to give additional details, concrete actions and examples to illustrate how the brand is really achieving these environmental friendly goals. While details on the company’s concrete actions in regards to green productions processes seem to be somewhat lacking, Sanpellegrino presents a much clearer picture of its involvement in Africa on a water friendly project.

Working with the AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation), the Italian brand has sponsored the construction of a well in Makueni, Kenya and its working with the local population in order to enable a water management training to “teach the local population the proper hygiene and the proper health practices to be adopted” (Source: http://www.sanpellegrino.com/index.html). According to its website it appears that the company is committed to a long-term partnership with AMREF in order to help bring quality water to those who need it the most. With the current controversy against the negative effects of plastic bottled water on the environment, giant companies like Sanpellegrino quickly realized that a strong corporate social responsibility is necessary to the survival of their firm and can only increase the brand’s equity.

The city of Stockholm is a great inspirational town and host of the water event considering that wetlands such as the Lake of Malaren are a centre pillar to the live of the citizens. People swim and fish in the very centre of the city without any risks to their health, thanks to an efficient system of wastewater treatment.  According to the SIWI website, only a couple of decades ago these same waters where highly polluted and toxic. This serves as an inspirational example, emblematic of the need to turn around the water crisis situation that has taken over most countries. During this special week, the event tries to foster analyze the interconnected problems of water related to the sphere of the environment, society, and economics in order to develop a concrete plan of action based on the concrete cases of the past showcases developed at the Water Week events from the past.

Each year, the event covers a specific theme in order to explore with a great depth a particular facet of a water-related issue.

In order to be coherent with the goal and mission of the week, the Stockholm International Institute is working hard at making the World Water Week a sustainable event, offering participants concrete ways to reduce their own impact on the environment. For the 2010 event, the green initiatives will include encouraging people to drink local tap water since “drinking water fountains will be located around the venue for participants to refill reusable water bottles that are included in the conference bags free of charge” (Source: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/green). The town wants to promote its own potable tap water that is of high quality and come directly from the nearby lake Mälaren. In addition, participants are strongly encouraged to calculate their own carbon emissions and are provided with a set of link that present efficient carbon offsetting programs. In addition, all participants will receive a free public transportation pass for the entire week, in order to diminish dependence on cars and taxis and to try convincing people that buses are just as convenient and less harmful to the environment. Another important green initiative launched with the event organizers is the ecolabeled hotels that will be making sure to pamper all the guests with a touch of green attitude. Partner hotels to the conference have obtained “certification to Swan Ecolabel and ISO 14000, Swan is the official Nordic Ecolabel-its stringent standards ensure that a particular product has minimized its environmental impact” (Source: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/green). More concretely, this implies that the hotels give priority to renewable energy sources, sort waste, try to minimize energy consumption, use eco-friendly cleaning substances and pick suppliers with environmental friendly attitudes. While the theme changes every year, each theme is part of a larger issue that is covered for a couple of years. For instance, from 2009 to 2012, the larger theme is “Responding to Global Changes” with a specific outlook at the water quality challenge for the year 2010.  Every country of the world faces water pollution problems with an estimated “two million tonnes of human waste being disposed in watercourses” (Source: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/sa/node.asp?node=472).

According to the website, it is important to identify the source and level of water pollution in order to fully assess the situation and come up with a plan of action. Preventing water pollution is a complicated challenged that needs to cover all the different types of water pollution in order to deepen the understanding of the situation with the hopes to stimulate discussion and change in the mind of decision-makers, business owners and citizens. This world event deserves a world coverage insofar it promises to tackled down one of the most avoidable crisis situations of our era.

At the beginning of the summer, according to the New York Times, the Obama administration has launched a full on civil and criminal investigation into the BP oil spill. This might seem as a desperate attempt for the administration to take full – on action and to respond to the hurricane of bashing public opinion.  Officials said that they were analyzing the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 in order to hold BP responsible for the cleaning and to determine the appropriate penalty for the damage caused to the wildlife and local population. The OPA hopes to help prevent such incidents and/or at least to provide comprehensive guidelines in times of crisis. “A trust fund financed by a tax on oil is available to clean up spills when the responsible party is incapable or unwilling to do so” (Source: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/opa.html). So far, the oil company has always declared that it was taking full responsibility for the cleaning process and was ready to cooperate with the government. Yet, when it comes to funding in order to clean-up the biggest oil spill in American history, the situation seems to be somewhat blurry.

Close to 85 days after the first official report of an explosion, an official communication came and declared the temporary stoppage of the leak. New agencies all over the world spread the news that “BP has been slowly reducing the flow as part of a test on a new cap. Engineers are monitoring the pressure to see if the broken well holds” (Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/bpdot/7893358/Deepwater-Horizon-oil-spill-stopped-say-BP.html). This is perhaps the first real concrete result since the explosion occurred and now only time will tell if the cap will actually manage to hold back the oil without the risk of a new leak.  This is obviously a temporary solution while the giant oil company is drilling two relief wells in order to later pump mud and cement with the hopes of blocking the leaking well for goods.  According to AlJazeera news, at the beginning of the month of August president Obama has declared the Gulf coast safe and said “oil is no longer flowing into the gulf, and it has not been flowing for a month. But I am here to tell you that our job is not finished, and we are not going anywhere until it is” (Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/08/201081418126774839.html). Hotel owners, tour operators and businesses have sent thousands of damage claims to BP reminding the company that the tourism industry has been put on hold because of the spill, during the most lucrative period of the year. According to AlJazeera news, based on reports from American scientists the majority of the oil has evaporated or has been dispersed. These statements seem somewhat as a polish PR move in order to alleviate the pressure and the critiques of public opinion on the Obama administration. Have the damages been overestimated or is the worst of the oil spill really over?

Environmentalists seem to believe that the real long term effects on the environment are yet still impossible to be determined and while the oil spill might be tamed for now, the worst damages are still to come. Oil droplets dispersed in the water could pose a threat to the gulf’s most important fish species. This could pose a long-term threat to the local fish market with health consequences on the population. Only time will tell about the emphasis on the damage. Hopefully this initial milestone will lead the way towards more consistent progress. The media needs to continue to cover the environmental issues in order to raise awareness among public opinion. The ocean still needs our helps and so do all the species that are at risk right now. The cleaning has just begun and all efforts need to continue in that direction at an even greater speed.

Under this brand new initiative, the governments are fully committing to “prepare water plans with provision for the environment, to deal with over-allocated or stressed water systems, to introduce registers of water rights and standards without forgetting the need to expand in the trade of water in order to improve pricing for water storage and delivery” (Source: http://www.nwc.gov.au/www/html/117-national-water-initiative.asp?intSiteID=1).  This plan of action that has been launched a couple of years ago, has forced concrete action, seeing citizens respecting the water use limits and farmers installing drip irrigation systems. Moreover, Australia recognizes the connection between surface and groundwater resources and has pushed forward the need to develop a single management system that connects these two water supplies.  The country desperately needs a common definition of sustainable groundwater extraction rates in order to avoid a situation of over-exploitation that could be disastrous in the near future.  With the recent long running droughts, the need to manage groundwater could be crucial to the survival of ecosystems and human beings. Recent assessments and studies seem to believe that a system that manages the connection between surface and groundwater trading regimes could offer increase results when it comes to water management issues. Only time will tell, if such system will effectively be implemented in this arid yet gorgeous continent.

Governments need to put together a common water management registry database in order to accelerate results and unify all the working resources. With the growth of water trade between states like Tasmania, South Australia or Victoria, these stakeholders have introduced “statutory registers to handle the registration and trade of water access entitlements consistent with the NWI” (Source: http://www.nwc.gov.au/www/html/121-water-markets-and-trading.asp?intSiteID=1).  The National Water Initiative has launched a real urban water reform in order to ameliorate water supplies, encourage trade between the urban and rural sector, encourage and prompt water supply innovation and research and finally reach improved water prices. A considerable proportion of water in urban areas is provided thanks to rainwater harvesting techniques; rainfall is collected and stored in reservoirs where it get purified.  While the rainy season seems to have been taking a break, other option such as re-use, recycling or desalination have been explored. Recycling for non-drinking purposes has been adopted all over Australia and “household recycling of greywater is also increasingly being adopted by Australian residents to provide a constant source during times of drought and water restriction” (Source: http://www.nwc.gov.au/www/html/194-supply-options.asp).

Without those strict measures and innovative research, Melbourne risk to have been completely dry today. The country exemplary forward-looking and efficient attitude has been an inspiration to other areas around the globe suffering from similar problems such as the state of California. This American state is one of the fastest growing in the country, and its residents depend on the Colorado River for potable water supplies. With the population continuously growing, state officials have decided to meet up with experts from Australia in order to gather advice and opinions about launching a similar water initiative.

Every year, in the small village of Taiji in Japan, fishermen chase dolphins into a hidden cove where they get trapped and killed with knives and spears that make them bleed to death. As the sea turns crimson red, the dolphins are put into boats and brought the well-hidden places where they get butchered into pieces.  Some of the dolphins that see their lives spared are captured and sold for an astonishing amount of money to water parks.  “Taiji is regarded as the spiritual home of Japan’s whaling industry. The first hunts took place in the early 1600s, according to the town’s whaling museum, but the industry went to decline after the introduction of a global ban on commercial whaling in 1986” (Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/14/dolphin-slaughter-hunting-japan-taiji). This town is a couple hours train ride from Tokyo, where restaurants serve whale and dolphin meat and where cetacean designs and photographs and designs are splattered all over the town. Locals and fishermen respond to the harsh accusation and critiques of animalists and the international community by saying that for them it is “a legitimate exercise in pest control, blaming dolphins for decimating fish stocks” (Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/14/dolphin-slaughter-hunting-japan-taiji). Every year around 20 000 dolphins are killed, including endangered species, and often these dolphins contain a dangerous amount of mercury that renders their meat highly toxic for human consumption. Corruption and citizens misinformation contribute to this dramatic situation where animals are slaughtered and Japanese citizens get intoxicated because of high levels of mercury. The meat greatly exceeds the norms of Japan’s own health standards yet this doesn’t seem the stop this annual massacre. O’Barry, the trainer of the world’s most famous dolphin, Flipper, became a passionate activist for the free dolphins from captivity cause. He is working hard to launch social awareness campaigns that expose people to the suffering of dolphins in captivity where they are kept in pools that are too small.

The Cove, Oscar winner documentary has contributed to raise world social awareness to this issue that had reminded unknown to most of us. In response to the outrage, the Japanese government put a temporary ban on hunting bottlenose dolphins. This ban did not include other species and types of dolphins and even worst the ban ended up being only temporary.

If you have seen the documentary and want to be part of the solution, you can help get the word out by telling all your friends and family, writing a letter to President Obama, making a pledge, or signing an online petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-the-dolphin-slaughter . WAZA is the world association for zoos and aquariums, as long as Japanese fisherman are paid as much as $150, 000 for a living dolphin, this market of cruelty will never stop.  By putting pressure on WAZA we need to force them to expel the Japanese association of Zoos and Acquariums (JAZA) from their organization. Go sign the petition, it will only take you 2 minutes but each signature can make a difference.  Please go visit http://www.savejapandolphins.org/takeaction.php and find out how you can take concrete action. The next time you are on vacation, if you truly want to be coherent with yourself, refuse to pay money to see a dolphins show in water parks. These beautiful and innocent animals need our help.  Critiquing the actions of Japanese fishermen is easy to do if one doesn’t take action and changes its own behaviors.

Plastic bottles are made from oil, a nonrenewable source and in most cases these bottles are not recycled and are vulgarly thrown in landfill where they can take more than two hundred years to decompose.  Alternative technologies such as bioplastics like Polylactic acid (PLA), a or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), yet the problem is that these new technologies are too costly and are often too slow to decompose. Martin Myerscough, an English inventor and engineer, has come up with a much greener and efficient solution in order to replace milk plastic bottles: a milk bottle that is made from paper, also known as the GreenBottle. “The outer shell is made from paper which can then be recycled, or if left it will just decompose within a matter of weeks. The inner liner, which takes up less than 0.5% of the space of a plastic bottle if dumped in a landfill, prevents liquid from contaminating the paper outer” (Source: http://www.greenbottle.com/about-us/ ). Myersough claims to have had this brilliant idea after his son came home from school one day with a papier-mâché  balloon. He constructed the milk bottle with on outer shell made of recycled paper and implemented a plastic bag to hold the milk. The plastic bag is meant to be recycled and in case it isn’t it still has less plastic than your average plastic bottle, in addition to also holding up less space. The outer shell made out of recycled paper can be recycled once again. The plastic bag needs to be seperated from the bottled in order to be recycled properly. “The manufacturers claim that it has a carbon footprint 48 per cent lower than that of a plastic milk jug” (Source: http://www.greenbottle.com/documents/news/the_times.pdf). This is a simple alternative that every citizen should put into practice to lower their daily water footprint. Retailers and businesses all over Europe have been pressured by the European Union and the Department for Environment, food and rural affairs in order to diminish packaging and therefore the quantity of waste that is produced.  The first 50 bottles put on the shelves of a Lowestoft store where sold in one hour on their first day in the store.  Customers all over the world have an increased awareness to environmental issues and the numerous damages caused by plastic bottles. The GreenBottle alternative works because it is a simple alternative that isn’t forcing customers to comply with many compromises or switching costs. Indeed, after having reached an agreement with Asda (british supermarket chain retailer), for Lowestoft stores, to sell the milk paper bottles at the same price as conventional bottles. Even the cardboard bottles cost “around 30% more to produce than plastic bottles, Mr Myerscough believes the price will even out when they get to higher production runs” (Source: http://www.greenbottle.com/documents/news/independent.pdf ). If this new paper milk bottle is as popular as they hope, Asda is hoping to launch them nationwide “in an attempt to cut the three-million tons of plastic that is thrown away in the UK annually” (Source: http://www.greenbottle.com/documents/news/independent.pdf).

The GreenBottle is a long-term sustainable green alternative that will hopefully spread all over Europe and eventually in the United States. This is a simple alternative in order to large quantity of un-recycled plastic bottles. The bottle has been designed in a simple way in order to be torn apart so that you can easily and quickly separate the paper to be recycled and quickly place it in the bin. This environmental friendly milk bottle is compostable and biodegradable and the hope for the future is that such similar invention should be applied to water bottles and all other sorts of plastic containers.