Bienvenido de nuevo a nuestro "desperdiciar menos y ser verde en el 2015", serie! Para aquellos de ustedes acaba de unirse a nosotros que hemos estado dando un vistazo a una punta de Basura Cero diferente cada semana para animarle a reducir el desperdicio de este año.
Today I want to look at something that we all think about a lot more in the summertime- agua. Most Americans are chronically dehydrated which can lead to various health problems. The old suggestion of 8 glasses a day has been thrown out for a suggestion of half your weight in ounces (por ejemplo- a 150 pound person would drink 75 oz a day, a 100 pound person would drink 50 oz a day).
For an increasing number of us, this water intake is coming in the form of bottled water. De acuerdo a Statistic Brain an average of 167 bottles of water per person are used every year (this is about 30 billion bottles total)! The bottled water industry has grown to an 11.8 BILLION dollar industry!! With the recent recall of millions of bottles of water due to bacteria contamination it’s a better time than ever to ditch the habit!
Water is vital to our survival and bottled water is extremely convenient. Sin embargo, this is out of control! I would guess most of these bottles are not being recycled and will spend generations in a landfill. As we talked about a few weeks ago- recycling is great but it still puts a toll on our Earth. Whenever possible we should aim for recycling to be our last option and look for alternatives.
Afortunadamente, there are loads of alternatives to plastic water bottles out there and if you plan it right you can still make them super convenient. Personally, I keep a few reusable water bottles filled in my fridge so we always have cold water and ready to grab. The easiest option is to reuse a glass jar that you already have for a drinking glass- many will even fit in your car’s cupholder!
If you’re looking for an actual water bottle- I LOVE these Lifefactory bottles. They’re made of glass covered in a colorful silicone sleeve so they are super durable (I’ve dropped mine many times and never broken it) and most parts are made in the US (the rest is made in Europe). Camelback also makes a silicone-wrapped glass bottle. Glass Dharma even makes glass straws that you can use in these bottle!! If you’re not crazy about using glass there are a number of BPA free plastic bottles out there too.
I am also reusing glass growlers and harder plastic bottles for water when we’re traveling in case we get stuck. My son and I spent 4 hours sitting on a highway behind a fatal car accident a few months ago and had no water with us- we always bring lots of extra water and snacks now!
Many people purchase bottled water because they’re concerned about the safety of the water supply and added chemicals. The recent recall has shown us all that there are even risks with bottled water. Your local health food store most likely has refillable 5 gallon jugs and a station with water- usually this is reverse osmosis water so you’ll want to make sure to get some mineral drops to add the minerals back in. I use a Berkey water filter which removes most of the “bad” stuff in the water but retains the beneficial minerals (and the water tastes AMAZING!) You can also get a small reverse osmosis water system or a number of other smaller systems installed in your home. Berkey, and many other brands, now have water bottles with the filter built in for when you’re traveling so you can easily refill while out and about!
Now that you have some good alternatives, enjoy saving money from not purchasing bottled water!
(You could donate what you would have spent to these charities committed to helping provide clean water around the world- http://www.charitywater.org/ http://www.bloodwater.org/ )
Déjame saber en los comentarios o enviarme un email a blog@keeper.com and tell me that you’re going to ditch plastic water bottles!
SOBRE EL AUTOR
Olivia vive en Boulder, Colorado con su esposo y 4 años de edad hijo. Ella disfruta pasar el tiempo en las montañas, el estudio sobre los aceites esenciales, remedios naturales y hierbas, así como proyectos de bricolaje / upcycling. La familia de Olivia hizo el movimiento el año pasado para convertirse en una casa de Basura Cero. Han llegado a un baño de tamaño trashcan un mes de la basura, pero espero estar totalmente Basura Cero a finales de 2015.
Como este? Echa un vistazo a el resto de nuestra Menos residuos y ser verde en 2015 serie para obtener más consejos!
We dont except once in a great while when we NEED to. Were pretty strictly glass and stainless steel.
No I have ditched the bottled water for years. Not just because of the plastic but because bottled water companies often exploit our natural resources, taking water from our planet for low prices and reselling them for ridiculous prices, making something essential for life- agua, unaffordable.
Thank you for the good reminder, and idea to keep cold water containers in the fridge. I have several water bottles that I never remember to grab and then I get a bottle water if I’m out and get thirsty. I’m renewing my commitment to ditch the one time use plastic water bottles.