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.

In an age of environmental pollution, people feel the individual responsibility to somehow make a positive impact. Recycling is a great habit that can be very effective at improving the environment when there is a collective effort involved. Every household should recycle paper and plastic regularly. These materials are usually picked up by municipalities that also offer trash pickup.

U.S. Navy color chart. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals – NARA – 535409 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However, electronics should not be thrown away into garbage containers or recycling bins that contain plastic or aluminum. Consumer electronic products should ideally be recycled at local facilities that handle hazardous wastes. Batteries fall into the category of dangerous materials that should be disposed carefully. The acid inside some battery packs can be very harmful when allowed to leak out. Additionally, batteries also contain explosive hazards that could ignite fires. Small alkaline batteries and other types such as lithium ion should all be thrown away at municipal recycling centers.

There are plenty of other reasons for properly recycling electronics. For example, some equipment may emit signals that are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Such signals might interfere with a local telecommunication infrastructure. Antenna and other transmitters that send out electromagnetic waves should be properly disassembled and then recycled.

Metal recycling is another key issue in the modern fight for environmental conservation. All types of scrap metals can be easily sold to recycling companies that accept ferrous and non ferrous materials. Iron and some other metals are easily sorted by using large electromagnets. After all, iron is the most magnetic metal element on earth. Recycling companies easily sort ferrous and non ferrous metals with powerful magnets. After the sorting process, it is time to melt down metal alloys into their raw elements. Thermodynamic processes are applied in order to cast metallic elements into different shapes such as bars. These pieces could then be sold back to the industrial market for manufacturing. Sims metal redwood city and other businesses are examples of enterprises that offer jobs in the recycling industries of North America.

Vehicles and other large machines can be completely recycled. Such a practice is much better than storing loads of broken vehicles in junk yards or auto salvage lots. The average car or truck contains a significant amount of metals that could be recycled and put back into the market. It may be more profitable to sell certain used auto parts to recycling companies rather than to drivers seeking replacement parts.

Fear No Numbers-How to Multiply or Divide and Always Get it Right, is a new confidence boosting math book by Jose Paul Moretto , available through Outskirts Press.

This is NOT just another Math book, but instead a solid base and groundwork for Math
success-NO kidding. To me, it is more of a “reboot button” of self confidence for doing simple math, like multiplication and division BEFORE turning to the use of a calculator. I like the fact that this is a fun way to use our brain without being plugged into a device for the answer.

Math (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you may know, FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Yet,it is NO secret many of us have struggled with math to the point of developing severe anxiety in an attempt to grasp the concepts.  Success in math is more about mindset than it is about numbers.

Jose Moretto, was fortunate enough to have a teacher in his life, who really opened his eyes to the world of math. Through his experiences, we can now see math in a new light, put away our FEAR, and open our minds to be successful.

In Fear No Numbers, he introduces us to two unique systems, that allow us to easily check our multiplication and division solutions easily with or without a calculator. The methods used are the Proof by 9 System and the MaXima System (both systems are trademarked).

The book is designed to help students and some adults, look at simple math basics with new confidence. Words and how the principles of math were presented to us, may have led to confusion for some of us, but in the end “numbers never lie.”

We can be thankful for the efforts and hard work of the geniuses before us, like Pathagoras, who was one of the founders of mathematics.  He believed that a”balanced world was based on the principles of math.” He was also and adept practitioner of logic, which led to his infinite wisdom.

Mathematics has been the cornerstone of most of all our technological, scientific and artistic advances throughout history. It is the root of most all of our major disciplines, such as science, music, architecture, medicine, aviation, electronic, engineering, economics, and the list goes on. Yet, we come to realize that all of the disciplines are rooted in logic, philosophy and math. Reasoning is the basis of logic, and logic leads to philosophy which fuels wisdom. So, as you can see all these principle relate to each other and show us that logic is the key to success in math.  The only limitations to our success in math are those that we place upon ourselves.

I was one of those people who struggled with math. However, I think my struggles had a lot to do with how math was taught to me. It is important for us to use our brains a little bit, without becoming dependent on calculators to do the work for us.  This method is easy, and should be the groundwork for how math is taught in schools.

I plan on sharing this method with my granddaughter, who will be learning multiplication and division in the fourth grade in school next year. The idea is to give her a much simpler way to grasp the fundamentals of math in a fun, rather than fearful way.  I believe NO other curriculum is necessary because Fear No Numbers, helps those of us who use it and learn it, to see and use numbers in a more user friendly way.