TAKE TWO STEPS
TO SAVE OUR SPRINGS
Two easy but impactful first steps to take in our own lives.
Step One
Don't Buy Bottled Spring Water
#BottledSpringWaterShouldntExist
Many of us already try our best to remember to take our refillable bottles everywhere to avoid buying water in plastic bottles.
But if you find yourself in a position of having to buy bottled water, or can influence a friend or family member who insists on buying it, or a vendor who sells bottled water, a first step is to spread that word that we can all help if we avoid buying bottled SPRING water.
Bottled SPRING water is particularly harmful.
It was a little-noticed report on the bottled water industry that brought this to our attention. In that report, we saw that extracting directly from a spring, or "from the source," is particularly harmful to springs. Read more about that study, about bottled water permitting in Florida, and why spring water is more harmful than other bottled waters at
https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/single-post/bottled-spring-water-shouldnt-exist
This stunning image features a dress made of 300 reclaimed plastic water bottles.
That's how many bottles are produced and filled with water taken from Ginnie Springs EVERY THREE SECONDS.
That's water the ecology of the spring and the Santa Fe River depend on, bottled and shipped away.
Six thousand plastic bottles of spring water removed,
every minute,
every day,
every year.
You're on board with step one, here's what to do next:
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Read more about why bottled water shouldn't exist. Is it healthier? Does it really hurt the spring? (blog post on bottled water shouldn't exist). Share it with that one friend who needs to see it.
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Share these images on social media. Download or screenshot directly from here, or use the links to our social media posts and share from there.
DIVE DEEPER:
Learn more about Water Bottling as well as the Florida Springs Council's efforts to fix the broken permitting system:
Step Two
Don't Fertilize your lawn
#RealFloridiansDontFertilize
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What can you do today to protect Florida's springs?
Skip the Fertilizer.
Lawn fertilizers are responsible for 12% of the nutrient pollution entering our springs statewide.
For springs surrounded by homes and development, like Wekiwa Spring, that number rockets to 37%.
Eliminating that much nutrient pollution by collectively skipping the lawn fertilizers would cost individuals nothing and would make a huge difference in the health of such springs.
While there's a lot of work to do in curbing nutrient pollution from industrial and agricultural sources, skipping the fertilizer entirely, all year long, is the most available individual action we can take to protect Florida's waterways from the slimy water crisis we're in.
SlimeStoppers
You're on board with step two, here's what to do next:
-
Read more about why bottled water shouldn't exist. Is it healthier? Does it really hurt the spring? (blog post on bottled water shouldn't exist). Share it with that one friend who needs to see it.
-
Share these images on social media. Download or screenshot directly from here, or use the links to our social media posts and share from there.
DIVE DEEPER:
Learn more about home fertilizer and our springs:
Sign up for a free Florida Springs Council membership to stay informed.
The next step is to advocate for better policies for restoring and protecting our springs. That's the focus of the Florida Springs Council.
An informed and vocal springs community is key to change, so we offer the membership for free. Your participation, your calls and emails to decision-makers, your presence at meetings, your voice is needed to protect Florida's Springs.
Many thanks to Waterbear Photography and
Hunter Turner of Old Florida Vibes for their contributions to this project.
This project was produced with the help of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida
via proceeds from the Protect Florida Springs License Plate Fund.
The nonprofit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida (FWFF) seeks to protect Florida’s outstanding animals and plants and the lands and waters they need to survive and is a leader in supporting science-based conservation, research, education, and outdoor recreation. The FWFF grantmaking supports efforts across the state directly benefiting Florida’s environment and citizens. FWFF works closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other public and private partners and has raised and donated more than $66 million for conservation and outdoor recreation, including youth outdoor education. For more information, visit www.wildlifeflorida.org