A couple of years ago, I ended a summer program for kids with two flats of bottled water in the back of my car.
This seemed like a great solution to my hydration problem--I knew I ought to be drinking more, and being able to reach behind my seat any time and grab the equivalent of a glass or two was splendid.
Of course, as soon as I mentioned this to one of my more ecologically informed friends, I was suitable chastised and chastened. The global cost of those bottles was horrifying to the point of absurdity.
But it's easy! But they're recyclable! But dang it they're cheap!
I did the research to figure out that yes, my friend was right, my actions were utterly unsustainable, but when the next summer came around, I struggled with explaining that to the kids I was working with. Foregoing bottled water meant relying on tap water, which they were enormously resistant to.
Now, thanks to the clever people behind the "Story of Stuff" project, there's a simple, funny, and devastatingly effective video that I can use to make the point. Happy squiggly lines are far more eloquent about this sort of thing than old camp counselor fuddy duddies...!
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
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