Goal For The Green

Bottled Water Alternatives: Simple Ways to Save Money on Filtered Water and Help Protect the Planet

The taste of tap water is completely subjective, and even some consumers can’t tell the difference between filtered water and the H20 that flows from the tap.

If you don’t like the taste of tap water, however, the bottled version is a great tap alternative.

But, if you think your bottled water is filtered, think again. In fact, many bottled water companies get their water from municipal and county sources, instead of some remote mountain spring.

For those eco-chic families who want to go green, you’ll want a great tasting, filtered bottled-water alternative that is gentle to the taste and to the earth.
Here are a few bottled water alternatives to satisfy your taste for high-quality beverages, and that are healthy and safe to drink.

Bottled water history

Bottled waters were originally specialty drinks that were marketed to consumers for their health-giving qualities. In fact, many countries had mineral springs where wealthy people would drink the water during a visit to a spa or resort.

For people who were unable to visit these remote locations, the resorts and spas began bottling the mineral waters and selling it to consumers.

In the United States, there are over 183 varieties of bottled water. The oldest bottled water brand in the U.S. is Mountain Valley Spring Water. This water is from Hot Springs, Arkansas and has been consumed by United States Senators since 1904.

Bottled water alternatives

The first option to filter your water is to use a home water filtering system. You can use a refrigerator-mounted, faucet-mounted or pitcher-style water filter.

While tap water is safe, many water filters help to remove potentially harmful toxins and contaminants. Common contaminants found in tap water include chlorine by-products such as chloroform, parasites and lead – see the full list. These home water filters also do a great job of removing the metallic aftertaste that remains after drinking tap water.

Pitcher-style water filters are cheaper than faucet-mounted filters. Depending on the amount of water that you drink each month, the water filters will need to be changed every three to four months.

The second alternative is a purified water unit. This unit looks similar to a water cooler, but it is essentially a refrigerator with a filtration system. The water inside the unit is chilled and filtered and the cost to run this unit is cheaper than investing in a traditional home water cooler.

Lastly, you could install a whole house water filter which essentially gives you spring like water through every faucet of your home. Although this option is pricier, the Pelican Water Systems whole house filter is nearly maintenance-free and easily installed in any home and has a 600,000-1,000,000-gal. /5-year capacity.

Bottled water money-saving tips

If you must drink bottled water, here are a few tips to save money when you buy bottled water.
1. Start with inexpensive bottled water suppliers first, and if you find one you prefer over the others, stay with this water company.
2. If you like the portability of water bottles, buy a few, or a large gallon jug of water, and refill them using your home water filtration system.
3. Private label water bottles sold in grocery stores, big box retailers and warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club are cheaper than fancy water brands.
4. Do not buy bottled water at drugstores and convenient stores, where the water is more expensive.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, nearly 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, 96.5 percent of which is in the oceans. The safety and health of the oceanic ecosystem is essential to help our planet thrive. Collectively, our current way of life is doing little to help the ocean ecosystem thrive. In fact, we’re actually doing more harm than good.

According to Greenpeace International, just off the coast of California, reaching all the way to Hawaii, is a trash vortex that covers an area the size of the state of Texas. In this floating mass, you can find everything from plastic bags, toothbrushes, garbage wrappers, polystyrene packaging, plastic drums, discarded bottles, disposable lighters and traffic cones. Greenpeace International notes that for every 100 million tons of plastic produced annually, roughly 10 percent of it ends up in the ocean.

This begs the question: why does so much trash end up in the ocean? Are people just too lazy to properly dispose of their trash? Are landfills too full? If so, landfill expansion from an environmental remediation company could help. Just last year, a Delaware landfill expansion was completed after 20 years that “extended the life of the landfill by about 20 years,” according to Sevenson Environmental CEO, Michael Elia, who oversaw the project.

There’s plenty you can do every day to help protect our planet’s oceans:

Use Less Energy

One the of ocean’s most serious problems is acidification. As the ocean grows more acidic, it becomes uninhabitable for coral, fish and other types of marine life. According to a recent article on the Daily Green, this is happening as a result of an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a byproduct from burning fossil fuels. You can curb your energy usage by:

• Using energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Taking public transportation or carpooling to work
• Upgrading to high-efficiency appliances

Use Fertilizer Sparingly

If you live near the ocean or in a coastal community, be careful to use fertilizer sparingly. The Daily Green notes that excess fertilizer eventually finds its way into the ocean, where it then depletes marine oxygen levels. Low oxygen levels create dead zones, destroying marine life in close proximity. Instead of using harsh fertilizer, consider making your own compost to fertilize your garden.

Upgrade to Reusable Bags

Plastic bags are harmful to birds and marine animals. As a main component of the trash vortex, plastic bags are often mistakenly ingested by sea turtles, ocean mammals and sea birds, which can cause deadly digestive blockages, according to the Daily Green. Instead of using plastic bags, bring your own reusable tote bags to the grocery store or shopping center. Keep a small bag in your purse or in the glove compartment of your car so that you always have a reusable tote on hand.

Buy Sustainably Caught Seafood

Industrial farm fishing practices are wreaking havoc on marine habitats around the world. According to a recent article on Huffington Post, about 50 percent of all fish caught by industrial fishermen end up being wasted, dead and discarded in the sea. Exercise your purchasing power by avoiding farmed fish. Instead, choose fish that’s advertised as being diver-caught, wild or line-caught.

Guest post by Amanda Green

Keeping well hydrated is essential for good health. Plain water, rather than carbonated beverages, tea, coffee or juice, is the best choice for staying hydrated, because it hydrates and nourishes your entire body, with no side effects. In most areas of the western world, water directly from the tap has to meet certain standards. However, this does not mean it is truly safe to drink.

Tap water can contain traces of lead from old pipes, chlorine from water treatment, as well as, traces of other potentially dangerous substances. This is the reason why many people use unfiltered tap water only for washing clothes, dishes, and bathing. They use bottled water, or water that has gone through a filtering process for drinking.

English: My humorous rendition of Nikki Grahame and her infamous Bottled Water Tantrum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bottled Water

Bottled water is convenient. It is easy to store in the refrigerator to have cold water available to grab and take with you on a hot day, or anytime. When bought in bulk, bottled water can run as low as twenty cents, versus the typical individual bottle price of over $1. You also have a choice of spring water, purified water or distilled water for purchasing. However, distilled water is not recommended for drinking.
Bottled water has several drawbacks. No matter how cheap you find a case of bottled water, it is still more expensive than tap water. Furthermore, many studies on various brands have detected impurities, similar to the impurities found in water straight out of the faucet. When you drink bottled water, you do not know exactly what you are getting, no matter what the label says. In addition, unless you recycle each bottle, it adds to the growing problem of consumer waste, and way too many plastic bottles in landfills.

Filtration Systems
Home water filtration products and systems are another option, to having fresh clean drinking water. The least expensive route you can take, is to purchase a water-filtering pitcher. Many companies sell these. After filling the pitcher, you can use the water for drinking, making coffee or tea and cooking. The only downside to the pitchers are you must replace the filters periodically, and the pitchers do not hold enough water for large families.

Now, many of the newer refrigerators have water filtering systems in the door, where you can always have a fresh glass of water, and even add ice. These options, also require a filter change once or twice a year, depending on how much they are used. This option can also save you money by giving you the option to fill your own glass bottle, or Thermos, for taking with you.

Other filtering alternatives include faucet filters, or undersink filters. A faucet filter attaches directly to the faucet. When you turn the tap on, the tap water goes through this carbon filter, which removes many of the impurities in the water. Undersink filters, are systems that are more complex and are attached to the pipes beneath the sink, rather than the faucet. Installation requires more time, effort and skill than a faucet filter. The main downside to faucet or sink filtration systems, is if you want filtered water for other sinks in the house, you must buy a separate filter for each.
Whole house water filtering systems, benefit homeowners who not only want filtered water for drinking and cooking, but for bathing and laundry as well. LifeSource Water Filters, for example, filter water for the entire home. This is especially helpful in areas where hard water is a problem or overall water quality is suspect.

Whether you want clean water simply for drinking, or also for other needs, you do have many options for avoiding the chemicals and other impurities found straight out of the tap.