Is there an ecologically less damaging alternate to plastic that would also work?
Guess there is no reason to plan ahead to take something that isn’t plastic for emergency situations then.
You know, like something that could be kept in a car or in a backpack on a long hike.
Correct, there is no reason to plan that far ahead.
Solar stills are only useful in certain, niche circumstances and are improvised with materials on hand. In fact this is the first time I’ve seen a diagram with a drinking straw rather than instructions to just pull the container out and drink.
Finding some transparent, eco-friendly sheeting and packing it just to run a solar still is fucking stupid.
In an emergency scenario anything that water will not soak into and ideally that light can pass through will likely suffice well enough. Generally this would be a rain poncho or tent, not just big sheet of plastic.
You also don’t need plants and can do sea water or urine instead. Or, if you are in the desert, you will have to dig deep enough to draw from the moisture in the ground. But in both these cases it is important that the “plastic” funnel be transparent so sunlight can pass through.