Leverett committee seeks to reduce plastic bottle use
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LEVERETT - Rethink the drink. So says the small sign planted beneath a small display of empty water bottles, which hang on a series of strings between three poles in Leverett town center.
The display is the work of the Leverett Energy Committee, which is trying to encourage residents to reduce their carbon footprints. The actual plastic used for the water bottles requires the use of petroleum products, they say, while transporting the bottles across the world unnecessarily burns fossil fuels.
"Everyone who chooses to simply not buy bottled water is choosing not to use energy," Portia Weiskel, an Energy Committee member, said while sitting beside the display one recent afternoon.
Cynthia Thomas, a fellow committee member, put it this way. "The bottom line is keep things local, think about what your doing (and) how to reduce your impact on the planet."
The two women mused that there should be a "use local water" campaign just as there is a buy local food movement. They figure people should make more use of the public water supply or private wells, at least whenever possible.
This is not the first time the Energy Committee has staged such a public display.
In 2009, the committee hung laundry out on the small town green with the intention of educating residents about the wastefulness of using a clothes dryer.
This year's display is made up of around 50 used water bottles, which were collected from the trash at the Leverett dump.
The display has been up for nearly three weeks, the women said, noting they may try to install similar exhibits in other parts of town, like the Leverett Coop.
Both Weiskel and Thomas said they supported the expansion of the bottle bill, a topic being discussed on Beacon Hill. But they noted that it still does not address plastic water bottles.
Their local efforts to draw attention to the issue seem to be working, they say. "A lot of people like the display," Weiskel said. "There hasn't been anyone who admits to buying bottled water, but they say this is an effective display."
