April 22nd is Earth Day 2016, a day to reflect on how lucky we are to live on this beautiful planet that colorfully lights up our little nook in the Milky Way. Earth Day is a day to recognize the balance that must be maintained in our relationship with Mother Earth- so that we both may remain healthy and vibrant. There is a easy step you can take starting today that will make your life, and that of the Earth better: Stop Drinking Bottled Water.
- Bottled Water is a Rip-Off: Money talks. We are supposed to drink eight ounces of water eight times a day right? That costs about 50 cents a year in tap, versus $1,400 if that was all bottled. Stop the habit and you will save an average of $500 or more each year. Americans spent almost $12 billion dollars on bottled water in 2012.
- Wastes Oil: It takes between 20-40 million barrels of oil to manufacture and transport all the bottles used in the U.S. each year. Why are we wasting one precious resource to carry around another when there are so many alternative long-lasting water containers we can use?
- It’s Not from a “Mountain Spring”: At least 40% of bottled water is just tap water, locally treated and identical your tap. Dasani and Aquafina water is tap, about 25% of the bottle water consumed in the U.S.
- Bottles are Filling Up Our Landfills: About 2,000,000 tons of plastic water bottles fill our landfills each year. A PET plastic water takes thousands of years to break down.
- The Bottles Are Not Safe: Whether it is Phthalates, BPA, DEHP, or any other of a number of poisonous chemicals your bottle may may be leaching into your water, the outlook isn’t good. Every time we are told the bottles are safe, another headline appears. Why pay to expose yourself (and unborn little ones) to hormone disrupters, potential carcinogens, and the stunting of pre-natal mental development?
- Bottled Water Is Not As Clean As Tap: Bottled water has been scientifically found to contain more bacteria that tap water.
- Corporations are Pillaging Our Resources: Did you know that in drought stricken California Nestle is draining the water and selling it all over the country under their Arrowhead brand? Outraged? Sign a petition here. The Bush family owns private land in South America over the world’s largest underground water supply, while other billionaires snap up a resource that should belong to the people of Earth not individuals. Water, the essential element of life, is quickly become a privately held asset.
Solution: Buy a glass bottle (these often with rubber around them) or metal water bottle water. I use a LifeFactory bottle (no endorsement) that I love, glass with rubber around it. My wife uses a Contigo bottle (no endorsement) that keeps water hot or cold. Both can go in your bag and travel with you all day, and guess what? Bonus: Free refills.
