{"id":18304,"date":"2014-12-31T15:46:40","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T20:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=18304"},"modified":"2014-12-31T16:48:46","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T21:48:46","slug":"16-year-olds-mission-stop-water-bottle-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/16-year-olds-mission-stop-water-bottle-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"16-Year-Old’s Mission To Stop Water Bottle Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n Most 16-year-olds today are trying to figure out how to get their grades up or how they can impress their crush. For 16-year-old Ben DeBlois, though, stopping water bottle pollution<\/a> is the top priority.<\/p>\n The budding environmentalist and eco-entrepreneur, who is completing his junior year at his high-school, uses his free time outside class to focus on his eco-friendly business Pinecone Products<\/a>.*<\/p>\n \u201cI want to make a difference in the world,\u201d Ben said. \u201cI thought starting a company would allow me to have the most impact.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that I can accomplish a lot on my own, but with a company I can empower other people to make a difference and we can help the environment together. I think we each have a social responsibility to help the planet, and if I can make it easier for people to help, I believe it will contribute to change on a bigger scale.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben became interested in environmentalism at the worldly age of ten, competing in his regional science fair in the environmental science category, and pocketing a cool $75 for his efforts \u2013 an impressive wad of money for a ten-year-old.<\/p>\n Ever since, Ben has wanted to create sustainable solutions to environmental problems. Now, six years later, his passion led to the creation of Pinecone Products.<\/p>\n The inspiration for the company came when Ben noticed the increasingly concerning issue of water bottle pollution<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Americans throw away 35 billion plastic water bottles every year”(Source:Brita)<\/p>\n