With the recent relaxing of restrictions I managed to get out on Dartmoor for the first time in ages. One of the most spectacular displays of bluebells anywhere in the UK must be at Emsworthy farm near Haytor. Peppa was taking a rest! The Becka Brook valley is stunning and we went down to the clapper bridge and had a paddle. Obviously Peppa drank stream water but I had a bottle of Devonia to refresh me. Take care when you’re out on Dartmoor.
This year at Devonia we have watched Devon flourish once again from summer to winter and with a great appreciation have marvelled at its beauty as another year has passed. We have made a strong effort to be leaders in the essential movement away from single use plastic and become a top solution to ocean plastic pollution in an effort to preserve places like dreamy Devon. We have taken on new customers and are proud to have led local businesses down a more sustainable and environmentally friendly route by supplying them with Devonia water.
This christmas, we would like to invite you to become a part of our circular economy and we have no intentions of leaving anybody out! Christmas is the most wasteful time of the year, we get rid of tonnes of re-usable materials in endless black sacks that are then buried at landfill sites. We want to spread the message far and wide and ask everyone to be mindful this christmas and not cause excess waste. After all, why should our planet suffer at the cost of us having a jolly ol’ christmas on it?
At Devonia we care about our planet. We focus on making small and affordable changes that have a big impact! We learnt that this year 33% of plastic marine pollution came from the littering of drinks bottles and that one million plastic bottles are bought EVERY MINUTE across the globe!
Fewer than half of the bottles bought in 2016 were collected for recycling and just 7% of those collected were turned into new bottles. Instead, most ended up in landfill/ the ocean (Surfers against sewage).
We are proud to boast our impressive 83% re-use rate and to be pioneers in reversing these shocking statistics. We believe that we have fantastic and sustainable business initiatives and although it might only be small, we ARE having a positive impact. We are dedicated to our movement away from single use plastic and are actively encouraging other beverage companies throughout the country to adopt our re-use methods.
We are committed to local businesses, sustainable thinking and eco friendly methods especially around this time of year. Are you? Remember it is the small differences that have a huge impact. A little bit of mindfulness where pollution is concerned could bring the planet a whole lotta’ love this christmas. There is no better gift than that, right?
We are now faced with a new year and we look forward to advancing our efforts further and spreading our message wider in the hope of an even more successful and impactful 2018.
Merry Christmas to all of our lovely customers and thank you for your consistent love and support!
The Devonia Team x
Out of sight, Out of Mind
In June, myself and another m
ember of the Devonia family were lucky enough to visit Bali, Indonesia, for some well earned relaxation. Whilst taking in the fascinating architecture, authentic culture and the breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, one thing became hugely apparent whilst we were there. Plastic was prevailing all over the island.
Indonesia is the second largest plastic polluter in the world after China with its plastic waste accounting for 10% of marine plastic pollution (Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 2017). Having said this, the people living on the island aren’t entirely to blame. Yes, their lack of education means that issues concerning their plastic problem are being neglected as they aren’t aware of what happens to their trash once it is disposed of – out of sight out of mind? However, during the wet season the winds and tides bring with them an unimaginable amount of rubbish to beautiful Indonesian beaches, gathered from all over the world (A.K.A we’re all to blame!)
Now, the Indonesian government have pledged to invest $1 billion in reducing marine waste by 70% over the next 4 years (Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 2017). This is a massive step forward in helping the Indonesian people to overcome their plastic problem and understand what recycling is all about. Whilst travelling Bali, we witnessed small changes that were already being implemented. Many of the cafe’s that we visited had water dispensers and offered free refills for your own water bottle. They had introduced the use of glass, reusable straws instead of giving out plastic straws with the thousands of delicious smoothies and drinks they sold daily. The most impressive movement we heard about was one that had been created by Melati and Isabel Wijsen, two girls who aimed to completely eradicate the use of plastic bags on the island. Melati and Isabel were only 10 and 12 years of age when they started the campaign to ban the use of plastic bags locally in the hope that they could make a difference globally. Impressively inspiring hey? Well, not only did they come up with this innovative idea, but are succeeding in spreading their message worldwide and spearheading the end of plastic bags in Bali.
Aside from exploring, su
nbathing and eating (a lot), we spent the majority of our time in the water surfing. Thanks to epic swells, warm sea’s and views that are to die for, Bali has become one of the biggest surfing hubs in the world. The surf industry therefore generates a huge amount of tourism and is an important part of the Balinese culture. Having said this, it has a scarily dangerous carbon footprint in terms of board production that involves numerous toxic products. Luckily, the typical surfer (if they’re smart) will want to conserve the ocean and beaches if they want the sport to live on. Huge surf brands such as Starboard are taking dramatic steps to reduce their carbon footprint by up-cycling pre used materials that have a limited impact on the environment. They are also joining forces with ocean protecting organisations that are helping to drive these environmentally friendly methods of design.
So, what is the point in all of this and how does it relate to Devonia you might ask? Well, Bali might be over 7,000 miles away from us here in Devon but we too have some of the most beautiful coast lines and beaches that we like to call our home. Thus, we must do all we can to protect our ocean and minimise our waste. We might have more funding than a place like Indonesia and are educated more thoroughly on recycling but that doesn’t necessarily mean we aren’t contributing to the problem. In the UK, we are well equipped to deal with the huge amounts of waste that we produce. We can therefore dispose of it and pretend it ceased to exist but all of that rubbish has got to go somewhere. Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than we d
id in the whole of the last century and a huge percentage of that plastic comes from disposable water bottles. At Devonia we don’t believe in a disposable lifestyle and are proud to say that our business has been derived out of economical / recyclable thinking. We have an impressive 85% re-use rate and every year we save over 7000kg of waste from our landfill sites. We are doing our bit to contribute to a global change and using Devonia as your local water supplier could boost the growth in that change. A thousand small differences will accumulate to one big difference and that change could be integral to the preservation of our beautiful planet.
Did you know, breaking down and recycling bottles isn't the best for the environment? Our wash and reuse method actually saves an incredible 94% energy, and you get beautiful, clear Devon water for your hotel, eatery or event, and become part of the solution.
We're relaunching our brand to communicate our story better, but while the new website catches up, you can find out more on our old site here or contact us via info@devoniawater.co.uk.
Collect - Wash - Reuse - Deliver