Are you using reusable water bottles?  You should be!  Heres my list of why:

1.  Price:  We pay much, much more for bottled water than tap water.  In fact, if you look at the price per ounces in the average bottle, you’re probably paying 5 cents and ounce, versus tap water, which is about a cent per gallon.  If you’re looking to save money in this tough economy, quit buying your water pre-packaged.

2.  Quality:  As much as bottled water distributers would have us believe that their water is cleaner than what comes out of tap.  However, most cities have extremely rigorous water controls, and studies have shown that most bottled water is not cleaner than tap water, and sometimes its even dirtier- and it sure doesn’t usually come from mountain springs, either.  Much of it comes from the tap, just like that in your kitchen sink.

3.  Trash:  Think about how much trash is created by throwing away these bottles after just one use!  Even if they’re being recycled, it is very likely that the materials are being downcycled, which means that they’ve already had their highest and best use, and they’re going to be used at a lesser quality and functionality.  We’ve taken for granted that our waste to “goes away”, but we’ve got to wake up to the fact that plastic in particular takes a LONG time to break down, and that we’re filling up our landfills when we don’t have to. Read the rest of this entry »