Portfolio

=Portfolio Task A= =Plastics: Friend or Enemy?= == ==

Background
Scientists have demonstrated that polycarbonate containers release the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) into the liquid stored in them. Canada banned the use of BPA in polycarbonate baby bottles in 2008 because heating bottles raises the level of BPA concentration. Now scientists have found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds.

=Activity=

1. Research
[] http://abunchofgreens.blogspot.com/2008/03/good-plastic-bad-plastic.html
 * Read the article [|Drinking from Plastic Bottles 'Increases Exposure to Gender-Bending Chemicals".]
 * Now read a second article about **//PET bottles potential health hazard//** [[image:bottles.jpg width="271" height="158"]]
 * Read about the labels on plastic containers. What do they mean? What plastic can be recycled? What plastics can harm your health?

=Do plastics really leach dioxins? Opposing views.=

[|Dr Karl] › [|Dr Karl's Great Moments In Science] ='Toxic' plastics by-product of poisoned pen= http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/02/26/2501916.htm?topic=

Now read about what the labels mean. http://www.saskwastereduction.ca/resources/plastics/numbers.html


 * Watch the YouTube videos

media type="youtube" key="xC_DQVkAYdk" height="127" width="153"How to Protect your Family - Do you know about BPA?

media type="youtube" key="Q0IdmiSH40A" height="137" width="166"BPA Concern in plastic products

media type="youtube" key="vf5iKCBsjKk" height="151" width="180"Tupperware

=Australian Town bans plastic bottled water: Bundanoon= =Hamlet Power= by Abby Zimet [] Nine years after a tiny Tasmanian township – population 200 – led a grassroots national movement to ban plastic shopping bags, the Australian highlands town of Bundanoon – population 2,500 – has become the first town to[| **ban**] bottled water. Angry over a plan to build a water-extraction plant – thus requiring them to buy back their own water – townspeople supported a "Bundy on Tap" campaign and voted almost unanimously to outlaw bottled water. After the vote, residents reportedly cheered. In worse news for the $572 million-a-year Australian water business, the premier then promptly banned state government from buying bottled water as well.

[|**http://www.streetcorner.com.au/news/showPost.cfm?bid=11194&mycomm=WC**] [] []
 * 1) **Read the discussion commenrts poster on this page**
 * 2) **Now look at how this ban made world news.**


 * 3. Why is this issue get so much media response and have do people care?**

[] Read this article

Locals in this tourist town touched off a worldwide debate about the social and environmental effects of bottled water that has put the beverage industry on the defensive. (Adam Ferguson The International Herald Tribune) With a nearly unanimous show of hands at a community meeting on July 8, locals in this tourist towntouched off a worldwide debate about the social and environmental effects of bottled water that has put the beverage industry on the defensive.

State and local officials across the United States have been phasing out the use of bottled water at government workplaces in recent years, citing a range of concerns including the energy used to make and transport the bottles and an erosion of public trust in municipal water supplies. But as far as campaigners are aware, Bundanoon is the first town in the world to stop all sales of bottled water.

Do Something
[] Look at this site Who are they? Who is John Dee?

Anti plastic bag Campaigns.
Watch videos: from Save The Planet, 1992 and Judy Davis and Paul McCartney

ABC //Can We help// episode 10 July 2009.

The film __Tapped__ exposes the bottled water industry's role in suckering the public, harming our health, accelerating climate change, contributing to overall pollution, and increasing America's dependence on fossil fuels. All while gouging consumers with exorbitant and indefensible prices. Claire Thompson summed up the problem well in her [|post on the movie at Grist]:

"Not only is it [bottled water] a clear waste of resources (only 20 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States are recycled, and far too many of the rest probably end up in the [|Pacific Garbage Patch]), it's an incredible waste of money for consumers, who pay more than the price of gasoline for water that's marketed as "pure," but in reality is largely unregulated, full of harmful toxins like BPA, and far less safe for drinking than free tap water. (In fact, 40 percent of the time, bottled water is nothing but municipal tap water, freed from the government oversight that keeps it safe.)" Watch the movie's powerful trailer.

media type="youtube" key="72MCumz5lq4" height="340" width="560"

=Course Work Task. Report on plastic bags=

2. Form opinion: online discussion forum
Contribute to the discussion question. Use evidence to support your opinions. ===Question: Should the Australian government ban __all__ polycarbonate and PET bottles. Is Australia behind the rest of the world in not banning BPA in water bottles? Would you support the ban of water bottles in your community?===
 * Do you agree? State your reason why or why not?
 * What are the health risks?
 * Do all scientists agree that plastic containers are bad for us?
 * Did you know what the symbols and numbers on plastic containers meant before this class? Why not?
 * Should consumers look after themselves or does the government have a role to protect consumers from dangerous chemicals?

Before you post your ideas

 * 1) Write a draft
 * 2) 150-200 words
 * 3) Use at least 2 references either from a newspaper article, a website or blog or a YouTube.
 * 4) Reply to another 2 comments. Write at least 50 words for each.


 * Remember the rules of this wiki:** Only constructive, well thought out and informed input is welcome. Any contributions that are inappropriate or incorrect will be either removed or corrected by the teacher. Membership will be removed.

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