Op/Ed: Tapped review

I never thought that taking a required science class would ever affect me as much as it did.

As I sat in Honors Biology, my class watched the documentary Tapped, an exposé about the bottled water industry and how the effects of the superior use of plastics and the chemical BPA that is found in plastics, affect our bodies and the environment.  

This film we watched over the course of three class days and it both purely disgusted me and thoroughly fascinated me. It touched base on how deceiving the bottled water industry is and how humans are better of drinking tap water, instead of the chemical and bacteria-ridden water that is supposedly “pure and filtered.”

There is so much speculation regarding the topic, but if you were to ask me, there is one truth: climate change is very, very real and is happening very, very fast.

I’ve always loved the environment but within that last couple of months, I have taken a personal interest in it, creating a drive I don’t think I would be able to cut off with a clear conscience.

People today tend to go towards whatever they find most convenient. And laying on a beach while on vacation that contains more plastic shards than sand or seashells. People today don’t care about the ice caps melting because they want to stay in the sun. [elaborate]

In reality, according to Tapped, there is forty-six times more plastic in the oceans than plankton. 29 billion plastic water bottles are consumed each year, with the devastating fact that only 20 percent of these entirely disposable items are being recycled. According to Grist magazine, Americans throw away an average of 425 cans a year, which is twice as many as we recycle. Transporting water uses millions of gallons of oil alone. This is just the start.

Not only does the use of these plastics harm the environment on a catastrophic level, but we as humans are polluting our own bodies by putting these chemicals to our lips and letting our precious water sit in them.

As of the documentary in 2009, water bottle companies did not have to put down the origin of their plastics and water on their labels. In result of this, these companies have been able to trick consumers into thinking their water is “ultra-purified” and healthier than other waters. In reality, the water can be ridden with harmful bacterias.

In addition to the deceitfulness of the water itself, the plastics used for the production of disposable waters, contain destructive chemicals such as Bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical compound that is known to seep into food and beverages, especially in heat. BPA is concerning due to its effects to the brain behavior and its extreme risk of malfunction in fetuses, infants, and children.

To go more in-depth, science has shown BPA producing very negative outcomes within humans. It can lead to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, ADD and ADHD, hormone in balances and the list goes on and on.

It is saddening our Earth is depleting as a whole because humans crave convenience. There are so many simple actions to do to help delay the Earth’s destruction and global warming; we just choose to ignore it all.

Give up one meat meal a week. Use a couple less Q-tips. Use a reusable water bottle instead of throwing away or even recycling one. Use more natural lighting. Reuse bags from your local grocery store. There are endless things that could help make a difference.

Personally, I don’t eat much meat because of global warming. I bring a metal water bottle to school everyday. I bring food in plastic and reusable containers, instead of plastic Ziploc bags. I try to option for the hand dryers in bathrooms, instead of paper towels.

You could argue that although these may be better for the environment, they aren’t sufficient enough, living in the age we live in. And I would agree. I would agree entirely. These simply are not efficient alternatives. But being able to think that another sea turtle might live today and not be choked to death by my Ziploc bag in the ocean, is efficiency to me.   

By no means do you have to be a treehugger or a climate change expert to help the environment. But when will humans stop doing what is convenient for them, and take a look outside and help make a difference?

Do it for your future. Do it for your health. Do it for animals. Do it for others. Do it for the environment; love it, respect it.