Here's My Great Green Idea!

I am the station manager for an airline in Rhinelander, WI. We have 10 employees and I used to bring in cases of canned soft drinks for them. We work indoors and out, and in the hot summer months we go through a LOT of liquids! We saved the cans for recycling and often donated them to organizations like our local schools or animal shelter.

One day I decided it was time to encourage a healthier lifestyle, so I stopped buying soda, and instead stocked our refrigerator with bottled water. It was a hit! We went through one or two cases each week and I was proud of everyone for making the change.

Then I read an article about bottled water. I was stunned when I realized how much petroleum is needed to make these disposable bottles, which often hold nothing more than tap water. A large percentage of these bottles are never recycled. They end up along roadways, in lakes and rivers, and even in the ocean. They take up a huge amount of space in our landfills too. Our small operation was probably going through 2000 plastic bottles in a year!

I purchased a water dispenser--the type that fits on a shelf in your refrigerator. I bought 10 reusable drinking glasses and labeled the bottom of each one with each person's name. We still have our recycling bins, but they don't fill up nearly as quickly, and using less plastic reduces the need for fossil fuels. If every company in America went back to the days of the old water cooler, it would be a big step towards reducing our carbon footprints.