By Patti Radle, SA2020 Board Member and 2014 Resolutions Leader (follow her here!)
My resolution for SA2020 for 2014 was to get 20 people to commit to not using those single use water bottles for at least the rest of 2014, if not for life; to educate themselves about the detriment of plastic bottles on our environment; to commit to explaining why they personally are not accepting bottle water each time it is offered to them; and to estimate, mas o menos, how many bottles they save from going into the landfill by doing this. I’ll share here some of the first commitments I received for this resolution.
SAISD Superintendent Dr. Sylvester Perez with his new water glass!
As a Trustee for the San Antonio Independent School District, I decided to start at our top leadership, Superintendent Dr. Sylvester Perez. No problem! Was I proud to hear him make the commitment so quickly! We had a brief conversation about one of the challenges which he immediately realized was easily surmountable! On my next visit to his office, he showed me the glass in the middle of his office table and said, “All my staff knows that’s the glass I use for drinking water.” Perhaps he will help everyone around him rediscover the water fountain in the hallway, just a few feet outside his office door. Regarding his reason for joining in, he said he wanted to set an example for his grandchildren and help to leave them a better world.
Shelley Potter , CEO of the Alliance, with her faithful reusable bottle!
Another person who took on the challenge was Shelley Potter, CEO of the Alliance, the union for teachers and school district personnel. I first knew Shelley as a fantastic dedicated teacher at J.T. Brackenridge Elementary. So, as a teacher, she was sure to study the articles I provided her about bottled water. Yeah, Shelley! She now uses a reusable bottle with a filter. A friend standing by when I took this picture said, “She ALWAYS has it with her! It’s like it’s attached to her body!” Knowing how dedicated Shelley is to education, hopefully she is educating many others about bottled water.
Marco Sanchez sporting his re-usable bottle.
Marco Sanchez, graduate of Rice University, presently working at Trinity University, will be off to the University of California at Berkley in the fall for graduate work in architectural landscaping, but not without his commitment to stop using single use water bottles. He is prepared with his filter bottle, saving the environment from more pollution. He says, “I use a reusable water bottle instead of buying disposable water bottles because it saves money, eliminates waste from disposable bottles, and helps to ensure that safe tap water won’t become a commodity. Overall it just makes a lot more sense.”
More stories to come on those who have made the resolution, but for now, I will ask you, the reader, to read this article from Harvard about sustainable bottle use, and this one from The Good Human. and contact me at pattiradle@hotmail.com if you would like to join in this resolution, or sign up here.
