USA Water Filter Blog

You probably don’t go to the grocery store saying, “I think I’ll buy some trash today.” But depending on which products you choose, that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Packaging makes up almost a third of the waste we all generate. And, all that excessive packaging ends up in our landfills where it takes an extremely long time to decompose — if at all.

Start making a difference today by making smarter choices when you shop. When choosing between two similar products select the one with the least amount of packaging and in a container that can actually be recycled or reused.

One of the best ways to reduce the amount of packaging trash is to avoid individually wrapped items like snack packs and single serve containers. Instead, buy in bulk and divide your bounty into individual washable containers that you can reuse again and again. Lots of items are available in bulk such as crackers, nuts, and even cereal. The same goes for water; opt for reusable bottles instead of single use bottled water. If your tap water leaves a lot to be desired, a water filter system can replace thousands of individual plastic bottles and the caps.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2012227939_part29.html

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We called our initiative Bundy On Tap. We’re a bit smaller than Concord with a population of about 2,000. We’re a town situated on the edge of a huge national park and a town that depends upon tourism.

Last year I had the idea for the town to voluntarily give up the sale of bottled water.

We had a well-informed community, given that we’d been fighting a water extraction plant for some years (a company wanted to truck 50 million litres a year from our aquifer to Sydney to stick in plastic bottles and then truck it around the country).

Almost 12 months ago, we held a community meeting to look at how we could do it. It turned into the largest community meeting ever in our small town and resulted in a 355 to 1 vote in favour of getting rid of bottled water.

We did this by convincing the local stores that they’d do better without bottled water. That the sale of refillable bottles, the increased tourism and increased support (by way of dollars across the counter) from the local community would more than make up for any loss of revenue.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10444394.stm

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Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? From the producers of “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and “I.O.U.S.A,” “Tapped”–the feature-film debut of TV documentarian Stephanie Soechtig–is a timely, behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. Making its DVD debut in an extras-laden edition, “Tapped” will be available to the environmentally-conscious and doc aficionados alike on August 10 for $19.98srp.

“Tapped illustrates quite clearly how we´ve been getting ‘soaked’ for years by the bottled water industry.”
– Ed Begley Jr.

A couple of eye-opening facts about the business of water in our country: each year, Americans buy 29 billion single-serve bottles of water. To transport that water, we use over 18 million barrels of oil. And, in 2007, water was an $11.5 billion business. From the production of petrochemical-based plastics to the fragile ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring–and often shocking–documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table. A powerful and highly compelling portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public´s right to water.

http://www.dvdtown.com/news/tapped-will-make-you-think-twice-about-bottled-water-on-dvd-august-10/7785

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VOORHEES, N.J., June 28 /PRNewswire/ — Now that area temperatures are consistently in the low 80s or higher, New Jersey American Water reminds customers to stay hydrated as they participate in outdoor activities.

The human body is more than 60 percent water, and even 2 percent dehydration can reduce a person’s work capacity by 12 to 15 percent. When that happens, your body does not function properly and you can lose mental clarity. That can make you susceptible to poor decision making, accidents and injury. Continued exposure to heat without proper hydration could also lead to heat injuries such as cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

“We encourage our customers to use common sense when outside working, exercising or even just relaxing in the sun. Don’t push yourself beyond your limits and keep your fluid intake up,” said New Jersey American Water President John Bigelow. “There’s nothing more refreshing than a cool glass of water after you’ve been out in the heat. And remember, water is a precious natural resource that maintains vitality and should be used wisely.”

Medical experts agree that in hot and humid weather, you need to consume extra quantities of water because of the loss of water through sweat. Unfortunately, by the time you get thirsty, you’re probably already partially dehydrated. With that in mind, do not use thirst alone as a guide for when to get something to drink. It is recommended that you consume at least eight to 10 glasses of water each day, but the ideal amount varies with the individual and conditions such as activity.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/baby-its-hot-outside-stay-hydrated-97321559.html

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Sub-Saharan African countries top list of those with most vulnerable water supplies as report warns of ‘looming crisis’ in both Asia and Africa from pollution and depletion of natural water resources

Depleting water supplies are increasing the risk of both internal and cross-border conflict as competition between industry, agriculture and consumers increases, according to an assessment of world most vulnerable countries.

The report from the analysts Maplecroft, says that the ten countries most at risk are: Somalia (1), Mauritania (2), Sudan (3), Niger (4), Iraq (5), Uzbekistan (6), Pakistan (7), Egypt (8), Turkmenistan (9) and Syria (10).

The ranking was based on an assessment of access to water, water demands and the reliance on external supplies with countries like Mauritania and Niger more than 90 per cent reliant on external water supplies.

http://www.theecologist.co.uk/News/news_round_up/523066/report_lists_top_ten_countries_at_risk_of_water_shortages.html

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Few things make me as cranky as bottled water. We’re one of the privileged few nations that can, for the most part, count on clean drinking water. Or at least we have the ability to seek recourse when our water is not as clean and safe as it should be. Yet from office buildings to schoolyards, we spend our money fueling an industry that takeswater from our reservoirs and sells it back to us. Then we discard the bottles, usually without recycling them. Surely, bottled water isn’t the only source of waste, but it’s always been the most egregious offender in my mind because everyone has an alternative in their kitchen sink.

Turns out I’m not alone. The New York Times had a story a few days ago on Jean Hill, a Concord, Massachusetts woman who convinced her town to ban bottled water.

The industry is, of course, threatening to sue. Even if they succeeded in getting the ban overturned, maybe it’ll make residents think twice before buying water. They already pay for the potable water that flows into their home, of course, but maybe they’re not paying enough. Maybe the idea that it’s a free natural resource leads consumers to buy the idea that it’s unclean. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is threatened by water shortages. The bottled water phenomenon is another way Americans over-consume, completely unaware that the rest of the world lacks stability in the most basic resources.

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=06&year=2010&base_name=water_is_free_but_actually_its

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Recently, author Peter Gleick sat down with Fresh Air host Terry Gross to discuss his new book Bottled and Sold, in which he answers a lot of questions about bottled water: Where does it come from? Who regulates it? And what happens to all of those plastic bottles? Gleick is a water expert who was named a MacArthur fellow in 2003, so he clearly knows his stuff. And once you hear what he has to say, it will make it hard to purchase another bottle unless you are literally dying of thirst.

Let’s start with the environmental impact of the plastic water bottle. In the United States, every minute of every day a thousand plastic water bottles are opened, consumed and discarded. About 30% of the bottles are recycled. The other 70% go to landfill where they will lie pretty much forever.

If the 30% that get recycled were made into more water bottles, this would be a good thing. But they aren’t. They are sent to China and made into things like polyester fabric and rugs. The problem with this is that plastic bottles are made out of a plastic called PET, aka polyethylene terephthalate, aka the bottles with the number one on the bottom. This type of plastic is excellent for storing food (it’s durable, impervious to heat, light weight and strong), but it’s terrible for the environment. What happens to the bottles is actually called down cycling rather than recycling. Not only are the bottles shipped across a very big ocean (which takes a lot of energy) but in order to make new bottles manufacturers must use raw petroleum, a very expensive material to make new, virgin PET, most of which of ends up in landfill.

http://www.globalshift.org/2010/06/bottled-water-–-it’s-time-to-just-say-no/

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It also could be a boon to public water systems, which face a $22 billion annual shortfall while consumers load up on bottled water at grocery stores and cities waste millions on the bottles, says Corporate Accountability International.

Out of 101 cities that responded to the survey, 44 percent have taken action to phase out city purchases and use of bottled water, and 45 percent say it was done to promote public water use. Seventy-two percent of cities also have considered eliminating or reducing bottled water purchases within city facilities.

The mayors group conducted the survey following a 2008 resolution encouraging cities to get off the bottle.

Besides cities, states including Colorado, New York, Illinois and Virginia also have cut spending on bottled water.

Despite what the crystal blue bottled water companies tell you, bottled water is not good for you or the environment. Bottled water is less regulated than tap water. Bottled water consumes way too many resources like oil, and up to 40 percent of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is nothing more than tap water, put into plastic bottles and trucked to you, at a ridiculously inflated price. You’re better off with a reusable BPA-free plastic water bottle or a water filter.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/06/us-cities-cutting-bottled-water-as-budgets-dry-up.php

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Americans love their bottled water. A typical family spends more than $800 a year on the plastic bottles, but you don’t have to. There is a better way to enjoy water and go green at the same time.

Bottled water is the second most popular drink behind soda. It’s something we all enjoy and it’s a multi-billion dollar industry, but the used bottles are rapidly taking up landfill space, creating pollution that’s unnecessary.

An easy way to save money and save energy is to fill up a reusable container instead of using plastic bottles. That will help save the hundreds of millions of dollars used on taxpayer money to clean up the side of the road from litter.

40% of all bottled water is actually just recycled tap water. Instead of doing that, you can get a water filtration system. That will save you some money and give you better tasting water.

Obviously, if you do have to use bottled water, go ahead and recycle it when you’re done. That way it keeps it out of the landfill and helps you go green and save green.

Bottled water sales have skyrocketed since 1997, going from 4 billion units to more than 35 billion.

http://www2.wspa.com/lifestyles/2010/jun/27/going-green-bottled-water-ar-464719/

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Water as we all know is one of the most essential intakes in our daily life. It goes without saying that the importance of water is next to none but oxygen (air). Though water may not actually bring your weight down, it aids (or probably) quickens the process of weight loss. Many studies really support this fact.

Though we are not going to learn about what studies brought in what, we shall take some keynotes regarding water that should aid those trying to put off some weight… [Thanks To Dr.Baltra]

• Studies showed that women who drank more water lost more weight than their counterparts who took similar calorie meals.
• Similar results were seen in those who did the same amount of exercise (or workouts) but drank more water. The more they drank the more they lost, in weight!
• Drinking water keeps appetite under control, and sees that you don’t over eat =) Indirectly helps you in weight loss.
• On a general basis 1 litre per 1 kilo calorie intake helps increases the rate (by almost 25%) at which your fat gets burnt in the body.

Drinking water all the time can be hard, so best suggestion would be to drink natural juices (no soft drinks and beverages please!) or add some flavor to water, that keeps it going.  Just a tip!

http://wwwery.com/1256-drinking-water-helps-in-weight-loss-true.html

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