Is a Steel Reusable Water Bottle Worth Studying?  

If you had asked me prior to analyzing if a reusable water bottle was worth studying, I would have denied. Picking a single object to study throughout an entire semester was intimidating. However, the research I’ve conducted and written has been extraordinarily confute. Regarding a steel reusable water bottle there are many components that have been awaiting exploration, plastic effects and hydration are rich in information that contribute drastically and form the reusable water bottle. A steel reusable water bottle is worth studying due to its obliging factors for health and the environment.

To start, when I began my research, I discovered that there are roughly 600 million plastic water bottles produced a year with over 60 million thrown away everyday just in the United States. Roughly one garbage truck’s plastic waste captivates the ocean every 45 seconds to contribute to the 244,000 metric tons infiltrating our oceans. After progressing in research, I became educated on the effects of plastic and health. I discovered that there are 13,000 chemicals in plastic with 6,000 missing information and 3,200 that possess threats to human life. Alarmingly, I was determined to find a solution to make a change for human life, wildlife, and the environment, whether large or small.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the main chemicals associated with plastic. The chemical is found in eyewear, medical devices, canned goods, dental materials, and even baby bottles. Endocrine disruption, cancers, diabetes, obesity, infertility, and cognitive development are just a few examples of toxicity from plastic and BPA. I have found in my research there are ways to reduce risks of BPA toxicities such as not microwaving plastic food containers, reducing consumption of canned goods, and using BPA free plastics. Steel is BPA free, reducing the risks of BPA toxicity.

Furthermore, I explored how plastic is one of the biggest environmental dangers our planet is facing. The world of microplastics and nano plastics possesses an abundance of information that contributes to why a steel reusable water bottle is in fact a meaningful object of study. Broadening microplastics and nano plastics alarmed me due to the fact that they pose great threats to marine aquatic life, human health, and oxygen. Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that can be inhaled and ingested by both humans and wildlife. These dangerous pieces are impacting life all over the world. Consequently, plastic is one of the reasons why a reusable water bottle, specifically steel, is important and impactful for the planet and optimal health.

The components of optimal hydration possess copious amounts of information since numerous brands promote reusable water bottles for health benefits. Considering hydration is essential for maintaining a healthy body. A reusable water bottle is the ideal utensil for consumption of water. I researched the effects of hydration and established that staying at optimal hydration helps the body maintain a healthy temperature, protects spinal cord, and cushions joints. I became educated on the fact that the body needs more water when in a hotter climate, physically active, running a fever, and in possession of illnesses such as diarrhea or vomiting. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is recommended to use ice in water bottles to enjoy water and obtain optimal hydration levels. (“Water and Healthier Drinks.”). Intriguing enough, steel reusable water bottles contain a certain build to keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours or more.

Moreover, brands and designs of steel water bottles gained my interest and provided a significant amount of information that contributed to rich exploration of reusable water bottles. For many brands, the environmental impacts of plastic have sparked new business ventures, for others design and trends are production based. The Stanley brand, whom I particularly enjoy, has a profound mission statement. According to Stanley, the company claims that each bottle is “built for life” and aims for durability and functionality. (“About Stanley: Since 1913: Built for Life.”). Founded in 1913 and originally advertised to men, the brand recently decided to rebrand and has grossed over $680 million sales in the past four years. The brand aims for sustainability and claims the bottles never need to be thrown away or replaced. The brand is committed to a healthy lifecycle of production using recycled materials and meaningfully reducing energy.

Alarmed after researching the risks of plastics, I was proud to have chosen a reusable water bottle to explore and eagerly wanted to make a global change. I began to implement my research into my daily life by using a steel water bottle with the intention of not contributing to plastic hydration consumerism. I specifically use a water refill station at my local grocery store to disengage from plastic toxicity and contribution. Unknown and naive, I originally purchased plastic water bottles for a fashion statement upon knowledge of my research. As I plunged into the realm of water bottles, I discovered that the object serves multiple purposes with beneficial effects for both consumer and environment.

In counterargument, some may conclude that my object of choice, the steel reusable water bottle, is not worth studying because exploration doesn’t yield any meaningful information. The tremendous negative impacts that plastic has made on the environment, health, and wildlife is unfathomable. To positively try to make a change a steel reusable water bottle is made from mostly recycled materials and clean energy, like the famous Stanley brand. If such a utensil can be beneficial for all around with no negative claims, I personally believe it is a rich and meaningful object.

The rich exploration and rhetorical analysis of my prior projects have brought me to persuade all those around me to aid the environment and switch to a clean water utensil. The impact of my research and analysis has me questioning all plastic, not just plastic water bottles. Given the dangers and unnecessary health effects, all plastic is intimidating. It is important to gain knowledge and study a steel reusable water bottle to be able to speak out and persuade others to make a positive switch.

In conclusion I was enthusiastic to have chosen a steel reusable water bottle for my object of study to do its obliging factors for health and the environment. The steel reusable water bottle contained copious amounts of information which made my exploration meaningful. Contributing to positive environmental impact has been made simple implementing a steel reusable water bottle. Analyzing a steel reusable water bottle has proven that making a change doesn’t have to be drastic, starting anywhere big or small is the first step to alleviating our planet.

Works Cited

“About Stanley: Since 1913: Built for Life.” Stanley 1913, www.stanley1913.com/pages/about-stanley. Accessed 8 Apr. 2024.

Admin. “History of Plastic Water Bottles: How Did They Become so Ubiquitous? • SMF.” SMF,21 June 2023, smfgmbh.com/history-of-plastic-water/.

Bauman, Brooke. “Why Plastics Can Be Garbage for the Climate.” Yale Climate Connections,26 Apr. 2022, yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/08/how-plastics-contribute-to-climate-change/.
Ben Adler | Yahoo News | 24 February 2023. “Plastics and Human Health: Plastics and the

Environment Series.” Geneva Environment Network, www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/plastics-and-health/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

“Bisphenol A (BPA).” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

Montereybayaquarium.Org, www.montereybayaquarium.org/stories/true-cost-plastic-pollution. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

Ramirez, Rachel. “The Plastic Water Bottle Industry Is Booming. Here’s Why That’s a Huge Problem.” CNN, Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/03/16/world/plastic-water-bottles-un-report-climate/index.html.

Shauna Overbeek, and Blinkafrica Says: “History of Glass Bottles.” BottleStorecom Blog, blog.bottlestore.com/the-remarkable-history-of-the-glass-bottle-infographic/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

“The Science of Hydration.” Default, www.physiology.org/publications/news/the-physiologist- magazine/2021/july/the-science-of-hydration?SSO=Y. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

“Water and Healthier Drinks.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 June 2022, www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/water-and-healthier-drinks.html.