Service Learning Final Presentation

By: Bojan Galijot

Project Overview Partner: Waste Less Wisconsin.

Mentor: Chris Beimborn.

Goal: Find alternate solutions for the consumption of bottled water.

Time Frame: 02/24/2010 through 04/01/2010

Organization Impact Waste Less Wisconsin is an organization that

attempts to raise awareness of overall waste reduction and management.

There are countless other similar organizations located all throughout the country and world who do the same thing.

Organization Impact Waste Less Wisconsin attempts to reduce

waste, prevent pollution and conserve resources. As well as save money and reduce trash.

The three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle are apart of Waste Less Wisconsin's motto. Something that I kept in mind throughout my project.

Organization Impact Waste Less Wisconsin does tend to focus a bit

more on individual waste reducing projects.

But the three R’s can be applied to any other waste reducing effort or organization in the city, state or country. Essentially it has universal application.

Organization Impact Waste Less Wisconsin strongly encourages

individuals to take their projects and try to include as many people as possible.

The formation and education of neighborhood, work, and social groups is a strong goal of Waste Less Wisconsin.

Organization Impact

This is a picture of a neighborhood dog named Jips getting in on the cleanup effort.

Addressing Inequalities Waste Less Wisconsin doesn’t specifically get

too in depth with inequalities on individual projects. But it is something that I took an interest in.

I looked into the disparities of trash, of specifically plastic bottles, between the western and eastern sides of Milwaukee.

Addressing Inequalities The western, more impoverished, part of

Milwaukee did significantly have more plastic bottles, and overall trash, lying around streets then the eastern part.

I find that interesting because the eastern, more wealthier, part of Milwaukee would logically consume more bottled water. But they clearly don’t litter as must as the west side.

Addressing Inequalities

Quite a few plastic bottles just being thrown to the curb of the street on West Wells street in Milwaukee.

Addressing Inequalities A way to address these inequalities…

1. Improve education and awareness on the west side.

2. Provide more trash recycling bins to the west side.

3. Try to start neighborhood initiative groups to help clean up the already existing trash.

4. Breakdown racial barriers that prevent incoming and outgoing assistance.

Addressing Inequalities I spoke to a buddy of a friend of mine who lives

on the west side of Milwaukee. This was one of his comments on the racial barriers… “A lot of people feel that we don’t get the necessary

tools to deal with an issue like littering of trash and plastic bottles, because a lot of white people are in charge of these organizations. And when they think of West Milwaukee most of them think of African Americans and come to the conclusion that whatever is trying to get fixed will just be a waste of their time and money because nothing will change.”

Limitations I think some of the limitations that almost all

environmental groups, local or global, share in common are…1. Lack of overall manpower.2. Rigid financial limitations and restrictions.3. Expressing the severity of issues to the masses in

ways that would really make people stop and think.4. Organizations giving other organizations a bad name

due to their own lack of commitment and sincerity.

Limitations Even though I felt as if I had identified all of

these different problems that were stopping or holding people back from taking action. In reality there was little I could do for those who weren't close to me.

I honestly can really identity with how some of these environmental organizations fell now.

Limitations Talking about and addressing issues is

basically like night and day.

My own project of finding an alternate solution to plastic water bottles may seem like a simple enough concept. But all of the aforementioned limitations turn this into anything but a simple concept when applied to a larger scale.

Limitations I also came to the conclusion that in a best case

scenario if Waste Less Wisconsin did adequately address some issue that in the end it still wouldn’t be the end of the job in that area.

Trying to prevent a problem from occurring again in the same area later on down the line is a part of the job that I never really thought about before working with an environmental organization.

Financial Impact In 2006 the global bottled water market

reached a value of over $60 million and it is rapidly climbing. (http://www.bottledwaterweb.com/ ) Credit.

My families and I, four members total, consumption of monthly bottled water reaches about 3-4 packs of 24 bottles.

Financial Impact Generally we tend to buy Aquafina. Which is

the #1 selling bottled water company in the U.S. since 2003.

Each of the bottles comes in at about the size of 16.9 oz.

The price for Aquafina’s 24 16.9 oz pack of bottled water is about $5.99 at the local Farm and Fleet.

Financial Impact

This is an exact example of the bottled water that my family and I consume on a daily basis bought at the local Farm and Fleet store.

Financial Impact 3-4 packs of 24 bottles of water at $5.99 per

pack a month is consumed.

Multiplying $5.99 x 3 packs then x 12 months.

Equals $215.64 per year spending on bottled water at 3 packs of 24 bottles consumed per month.

Financial Impact Sometimes we consume 4 packs of 24 bottles

of water per month. Which still isn’t a lot.

Multiplying $5.99 x 4 packs then x 12 months.

Equals $287.52 per year spending on bottled water at 4 packs of 24 bottles consumed per month.

Financial Impact Now to some that may not seem awfully

expensive.

But we have to keep one thing in mind, we are paying that much money to drink water.

A lot of places around the world can’t even drink regular tap water due to either the lack of water overall or because it is contaminated.

U.S. Impact Bottled water is a world wide industry, but its

consumers are generally in the more developed areas of the world.

It should come as no surprise that the U.S. is the number one consuming country of bottled water in the world.

U.S. Impact

The U.S. is appropriately the highest importer of bottled water in the world as well. (http://www.glelc.org/ ) Credit.

U.S. Impact A study done every decade revealed that in

2000 Americans consumed 3.4 billion gallons of bottled water. And no doubt that number has exponentially risen in the last 10 years.

Clearly bottled water is something that geographically effects a wide ranger.

Note: Double click and turn up sound to start video.

This is actually my favorite Aquafina commercial that first aired a few years ago. Around the same time that I really got into drinking bottled water.

U.S. Impact

(http://www.aquafina.com/ ) Credit.

Solutions One of the solutions that I found for not

consuming bottled water was buying a permanent water bottle.

A reasonably priced 20+ oz. water bottle can be bought almost anywhere and it should last for a good while with proper use.

Solutions

This is the water bottle that I bought at Pick N Save for $12.99 and I have been using it for almost two months now.

Solutions A bit more of a pricy solution, but one that is

generally a more house hold solution, is a water filter.

Water filters are very common and can be bought at most stores and for the most part are quickly and easily installed.

Solutions

This is the water filter that my parents bought for $59.95 at Wal Mart.

Conclusion I can proudly say that my family and I have

kicked the habit when it comes to consuming bottled water.

The transition from buying bottled water to either having a permanent bottle of water or a water filter isn’t as difficult as it may seem.

Both can be purchased almost anywhere and come in large varieties.

Conclusion For my family and I the financial saving have

been pretty obvious, even if they haven’t been completely felt yet.

The cost of 3-4 packs of 24 bottles of water were $215.64 and $287.52 per year.

We bought 4 water bottles at $12.99 per bottle which came to a total of $51.96.

Conclusion Plus we also bought a water filter which cost

$59.95 . That combined with $51.96, of the 4 water bottles, equals to $111.64.

Subtracting $111.64 from $215.64 and $287.52, the prices of 3 and 4 24 packs of water bottles, equals to …

A savings of $104 and $175.88 per year that otherwise would have been spent of buying bottled water.

Conclusion The greatest impact of all is the reduction of

possible littering of plastic bottles.

So not only did we save money but we also helped out the environment as well.

And the end of the day this is a win-win situation. And no this is not too good to be true. I am living proof of that.

The End

(Warner Bros.) Credit.