They won’t stop until the well runs dry (or until a cease and desist order is approved)

The battle between a bottled water company, Nestle, and local environmentalists continues as the community waits to see if a cease and desist order filed against Nestle is approved by the California Water Resources Control Board. According to an environmental group, Nestle has extracted, on average, 25 times more water than its water rights allow; this has ravaged the local ecosystem and taken valuable resources away from the drought stricken land. Check out this article to learn more about the ongoing battle taking place in California, as well as many other states.

Nuisance algal traps microplastics in the Great Lakes

A special kind of algae in the great lakes tangles microplastics, causing microplastics to be suspended in water for longer and is an entry point for microplastics into the food chain. This recent discovery by scientists, however, sheds promising light on how future technologies could trap and remove microplastics from important freshwater resources, like the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes provides drinking water for 30 million people and microplastics have been found in products that use the water as a resource (such as beer). Check out the article for more background on microplastics and algae in the Great Lakes.

Waste has a bad wrap (and consumers care)

According to recent news, consumers are increasingly concerned about the waste generated from fast-food and willing to use returnable or reusable containers at fast food restaurants. The article discusses how young people are paying attention to businesses sustainability practices and how these consumers change their opinions based on eco-friendly initiatives. Currently, most fast food waste ends up in landfills, or worse, as litter. Fast food wrappers are one of the biggest culprits making up urban litter. This is problematic because the majority of the waste associated with the fast food industry is recyclable– this article discusses how about 85% of fast food waste could have been recycled or composted. It’s time to rethink waste in the United States, and this news sheds light on how consumer behavior is opening up to green possibilities.