These might just look like some ordinary glass bottles to you, but to us they are VERY EXCITING because along with a new set of glass pipettes, they will save a lot of plastic waste!
Backstory: in March 2020, our Blue Water Task Force lab needed a new space in order to respect social distancing in our former location. Our sampling partners at Peconic Baykeeper were kind enough to open their doors and we helped them get the necessary equipment to continue the program in the Southampton area. At the time, volunteers had to switch back to our disposable Whirl-Paks and pipettes in the lab because it was the only way we could continue processing samples and informing the community of local bacteria levels at our beaches. This temporarily made more waste, but we had to do what was necessary until we figured out another solution. That was until Peconic Baykeeper was awarded a grant from Long Island Community Foundation to purchase an autoclave and glass pipettes and bottles! And yes we are stoked!!
Moral of the story: sometimes you have to use a little more plastic if it’s the only practical option, but once you’re able to make a better choice, it will make a big difference going forward.
Thank you to Peconic Baykeeper and Long Island Community Foundation for making this happen!
To learn more about our Blue Water Task Force program, read here. To view our latest water quality results, choose one of Eastern Long Island's labs: Southampton/Southold and East Hampton/Montauk.