What legacy will YOU leave for future generations?

• Plastic bottles take an average of 725 years to dissolve.

• Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S.

• Only about 23% of plastic bottles are recycled in the U.S.

• 38 Million plastic bottles go to U.S. landfills each year.

• Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times.

• Plastic chemicals can be absorbed by the body—93 % of Americans age six or older test positive for BPA.

Is that enough to get you to rethink your plastic use? If not, click here for more scary facts. Our earth and our bodies need us to change our ways, it’s that simple. With over 7.8 billion people on the earth, we cannot keep up the pace of disposable consumption and disregard the effects it has on the planet and our own bodies.

Our toxic loads are increasing year over year. Toxic load, “refers to the accumulation of toxins and chemicals in our bodies that we ingest from a variety of sources, including the environment, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the personal care and household products we use.” Researchers have identified 45 chemicals in indoor dust that came from consumer products that we use every day, like household products and disposable containers, that are, “associated with health hazards such as cancer, endocrine and hormone disruption, and reproductive toxicity.”

On top of that, the resources needed to support our disposable lifestyle are staggering. For instance, “it takes the equivalent of 17 million barrels of oil just to make the plastic bottles for our bottled water consumption in the U.S.” It is simply unsustainable. Since the first earth day, April 22, 1970, we have been aware of the impact of or consumption on the world. And, while government, science, and industry need to do their part to find solutions, we as individuals must recommit to greener living. Things like washing your laundry in cold water instead of hot, turning the lights off when you leave a room, using recycled paper products, or organizing a clothing swap, all help to reduce our footprint on the planet. But, were you to start with just one impactful thing… get a reusable water bottle and say NO to disposable water bottles.