A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of impermeable material in a variety of shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, is sealed with an internal or external stopper, a closure, or by induction sealing. Bottles can be glass or plastic. They can be returnable or nonreturnable. They can also be a wide range of sizes and finishes, and some are designed to be reusable. Bottles are used to store water, juice, soft drinks, and other liquids. They are also a common carrier for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and some chemicals.
From the Tempest to Pirates of the Caribbean, a message in a bottle is a popular symbol in stories of castaways and high-seas adventure. Use this collection of engaging reading and writing activities to teach students about the concept, how it has been used throughout history, and how to craft their own message in a bottle.
Boodle means money in the US and UK, though there is much variation in usage. In the UK, it usually refers to ill-gotten gains or proceeds of a crime, such as counterfeit cash or a stolen roll of banknotes. In the US, it can be a more general term for wealth.
In the ocean, single-use bottles are some of the most visible and most harmful marine debris. Once they enter the water, bottles are carried by wind and ocean currents until they reach an oceanic gyre–a system of rotating currents that includes the famous Pacific garbage patch. Once in a gyre, plastics can take hundreds of years to break down into microplastic and eventually drift to land or the bottom of the sea.
The primary cause of these problems is the production and disposal of plastics, which are a product of fossil fuels and produce persistent organic pollutants (POPs) when burned. In addition to contaminating the environment, burning plastics releases harmful gases, including carbon dioxide, into the air. Banning bottled water will greatly reduce these harmful emissions and protect the environment and human health.
Plastic water bottles are a major source of BPA, which is known to have serious health effects. These include hyperactivity disorders in children, reduced fertility in women, and chromosomal abnormalities in young girls (LiveStrong). This collection of articles discusses the science behind these health risks and advocates for banning bottled water.
