USA Water Filter Blog

A couple of weeks ago, my son and I participated in Braintree Beautification Day. We spent a few hours at Braintree High School picking up litter around the skate park, track and parking lot. It will probably come as no surprise that most of the garbage we bagged that day was plastic water bottles. While it’s great that our young residents are drinking such large amounts of water rather than sugary soda, it’s disturbing that so many of those water bottles result in an environmental nightmare.

In a report released in 2010 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Corporate Accountability International, it was found that Massachusetts residents drank more than 300,800,000 gallons of bottled water in a year. It further stated that “if the water bottles were laid end-to-end, they would circle the globe more than 11 ½ times.”

A far more disturbing trend is the reduced recycling rate for plastic water bottles, which ranges from 15 percent to 25 percent. The remaining bottles end up in landfills, or as garbage in rivers and streams, where it will take hundreds of years for them to disintegrate.

http://braintree.patch.com/articles/water-water-everywhere-16

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Every Wednesday during 1990-94, David Schroeder and I passed out leaflets in Dallas listing 200 toxic chemicals being burned daily by three cement companies near Midlothian, Texas. Tourists were not impressed, but scientists were shocked. I prefer not to list the three firms that were being paid to burn toxic wastes and not having to pay for the purchase of fuel for kilns, a double-edged profit.

One young man froze in his steps and shook his head as he read the toxic list. I asked if he was troubled by the litany of chemicals being burned. He introduced himself as “the guy who shut down a famous bottled water company in Europe.” He was director of the water department in Chapel Hill, N.C. where one pioneering bottled water was used as a standard of purity.

His scientists spoke of discovering benzene in the famous water. Fearful of lawsuits, the director ordered 20 tests be done. If benzene was found in all, then he would go public. The tests proved a carcinogen was indeed found in the little green bottles and a famous French company was shut down for the moment.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20110528/OPINION/105280305

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Apparently, more people will hydrate this summer in the heat using bottled water than since 2008 and 2009. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is reporting that consumption of bottled water rose by 3.5 percent in 2010, a phenomenon it pins to the general turnaround in the economy.

Overall, bottled water accounts for approximately 30 percent of the “liquid refreshment beverages” marketplace. That’s up slightly from the share in 2009, according to the statistics compiled by IBWA in conjunction with Beverage Marketing Corp.

How much water are we talking about? Roughly 8.75 billion gallons, the data show.

In the United States, bottled water accounts for approximately 15 percent of beverages consumed.

Naturally, when I saw these statistics, it raised my eyebrow because of the packaging and recycling implications associated with bottled water. I’ve been trying to curb my own consumption, although it is tough to do when we have large social gatherings and all the “alternatives” are begging to be drunk in their single-serve containers. So, I’ve focused instead on trying to buy the most “responsible” water, from a health and packaging standpoint. If you can figure out which one that is, I sure want to know about it because I’m pretty baffled.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/business-brains/message-about-the-bottle/16075

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Are you a recycler only when it’s convenient?

Lots of us are rightfully proud of our recycling records. We know which yogurt containers, cereal boxes, magazines, and more can go right into the recycling bin. However, does everything that could be recycled from our homes end up in the recycling bin? Probably not. That’s because items from rooms farthest away from our recycling bin usually get trashed. Think about those shampoo bottles, shaving cream containers, and all that packaging material from personal care products. So what’s the solution? Placing small containers in the bathroom to collect these recyclable items. That way, the only time you have to go all the way to the big recycling bin is when the little one is full.

Are high-tech gadgets your weakness?

Okay, okay – I admit it. I am a gadget junkie. I can’t seem to help myself from getting the latest phone, tablet, or laptop despite the fact that my older one works perfectly well. So what happens when millions of people around the world do the same thing? It’s what we’re seeing right now – the huge rise in the amount of e-waste. Electronic waste is downright dangerous because of the toxic components in most of them that can seep into our environment when they are dumped in a landfill. The best bet is to use our gadgets for a whole lot longer. It saves money and resources. Once you do upgrade, be responsible with your old device. To find out information on responsible e-waste recyclers that may even pay for your gadget, go to DoYourPart.com/Columns.

Are you still buying bottled water?

A lot of money and a whole lot of plastic are wasted from those “convenient” bottles of water. They’re everywhere – in school lunches, outdoor events, work meetings, and ultimately in the trash or recycling bin. The thing is, there are very few times when they are a necessity. So what can you do? Invest in a few reusable water bottles for every member of the family. If you’re worried about what’s in the tap water you’re using, get a water filter. You’ll be surprised at the money you’ll save when you break the bottled water habit.

 

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/23/3647129/do-your-part-whats-your-dirty.html

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ASHLAND — On May 3, the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University, the student government of SOU, passed legislation banning bottled-water sales on campus to make the university more environmentally friendly.

“Clean water is one of the most essential elements of human life,” said Isaac Taylor, a member of ASSOU, during a presentation before student government. “It shouldn’t be privatized. We’re hoping that SOU can become a leader in the fight against these corporations and bottled water.”

The bill is the brainchild of Rebekah Bergkoetter, an SOU student who’s been working on the issue for more than a year. Working with the Ecology Center of the Siskiyous, a student group dedicated to environmental sustainability, she managed to push the bill through student government.

“What we want to do is improve water quality and accessibility on campus,” said Bergkoetter. “I mean, the water in the science building comes out orange.”

Under the provisions of the bill, bottled water would be removed from vending machines and Sodexo operations on campus. Sodexo is the university’s food-service provider, responsible for the cafeterias and restaurants on campus.

In turn, the bill would give reusable water bottles to incoming freshmen at orientation, as well as install several spigots and water purifiers across campus.

The goal is to have the campus completely water-bottle free by June 2012.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110508/NEWS/105080337/-1/NEWSMAP

 

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Go Generic

Companies are making generic versions of just about everything, from diapers to beans. Give the generic brand a shot, and you could save money. Many over-the-counter and prescription medications come in generic forms. The FDA regulates generic and name brand medications with the same standards. The quality, strength and purity of the generic brand must be the same as its name-brand counterpart. Prices are generally much cheaper.

If you prefer to buy name brands, that is fine, too. Beware: don’t buy medication from the too-good-to-be-true e-mail you just received. The e-mail is likely spam.

Go Green

Stop buying bottled water. Invest in a BPA-free reusable water bottle and a water filtration system.Pur Water Filtration makes dispensers that fit in your fridge or systems for your kitchen faucet. The filters go on sale from time to time, and you can often find printable coupons on the Internet. You save yourself money in the long run and help the environment.

For Sale

We all have stuff we no longer want or use, so why not make a buck or two? Have a garage sale and get rid of all the stuff that is just taking up space. Whatever you have left over after the sale can be donated—just don’t forget to get a receipt for tax purposes.

http://hermosabeach.patch.com/articles/true-meaning-of-frugal

 

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There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.”

— Marshall McLuhan

Ready to reduce your toilet paper use? Hold a flush?

Thought not.

Politicians seem oblivious to the steady rise in food cost. Only gas prices are newsy.

Ethanol is one ingredient influencing gas and food prices. Can we cannot stop using enough of either to make a difference?

Nope, out of our hands.

Summer weather may not be so sunny under the looming storm clouds of rising prices and worsening pollution. Heard Lake Pepin is silting up?

Not much we can do about that either.

The other ingredient we fail to control is overwhelming human numbers, or demand.

Some walk, bike and set thermostats at 76 degrees; most have no clue.

Hybrid cars reduce petrol consumption and are environmentally friendly, but battery manufacturing/disposal and so on offsets gains.

So, what’s a dodger do to feel good, save a buck and battle pollution?

How about drinking only tap water?

Bottled water seems innocuous, until one realizes its cost is enormous and it is enormously wasteful; aside from the fact we already pay (municipalities/well diggers) for water.

Check this: Most water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a polymer derived from oil. So, it takes 17 million barrels of oil each year to make water bottles for the U.S. market — enough oil to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year.

About 37,800 18-wheelers deliver bottled water around the U.S. every week.

Manufacturing and filling the plastic water bottles, on average wastes 30 to 40 percent of the water involved in the process. This is partly because the bottle-making machines are cooled by water.

Only 23 percent of water bottles are recycled — 38 billion are landfilled each year.

The U.S is the largest consumer market for bottled water in the world. In 2008, bottled water sales in the U.S. topped 8.6 billion gallons. Between 1990 and 1997, U.S. sales of bottled water shot from $115 million to $4 billion.

http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/article_f9729b70-8318-11e0-8c49-001cc4c002e0.html

 

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What’s stopping you from investing in yourself? I bet you invest in soda manufacturers, jeans companies, and utility conglomerates every day. Is giving your money to those organizations to create value for those shareholders more important than creating value for yourself?

I thought not.

You are going to take one step this week to increase your value. You are going to do one thing differently than you would normally do it to increase your net worth. It might be saving your change in a jar because you know that, on average, you’ll save $50 per month. Perhaps you’ll buy a water filter for your home so you can stop buying bottled water and use the savings to start your emergency account. Find a small opportunity to make a big difference in your financial life.

Whatever you do, you’re going to start investing in yourself today.

http://www.blackvoicenews.com/more-sections/money/46215-invest-in-yourself.html

 

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Need another reason to toss your bottled water in the recycling bin for good? A recent study suggests that that Bisphenol-A (commonly referred to as BPA), a chemical found in plastic food containers and tin can liners, may disrupt normal hormone activity, which may in turn, have profound health effects.

The study tested levels of BPA in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared with healthy women. PCOS is a condition in which women produce too much androgen (or “male”) hormone and is often accompanied by irregular menstrual cycles and infertility, insulin resistance, as well as other symptoms. While it is fairly well established that obesity contributes to the development of PCOS, the exact cause is unknown. It has been theorized that BPA, which is known to have hormone-like activity in the body, may contribute to PCOS.

 

http://fyiliving.com/health-news/bpa-may-cause-hormonal-imbalance-in-women/

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When you open the water faucet in your home, it’s the last thing you’d expect to find in your drinking water.  Traces of pharmaceutical drugs have been showing up in water supplies including water coming from Sebago Lake.            The calm waters of Sebago Lake, the fresh water supply for thousands of people here in southern Maine.  Fed by natural rivers, gently flowing in the lake, but that’s not the only thing that’s made it into the water.
Michele Clements works with the Portland water district.  “Confirmation tests discovered trace amounts of ibuprofen and a stain repellent commonly referred to as “pfo”, very trace amounts, however it was disappointing to find,” she said.
Tests submitted by the Portland water district uncovering a growing problem with drinking water supplies.  Water experts say the source of the problem is inside the home.
Prescription drugs improperly disposed off, going from your medicine cabinet, down the drain and eventually into your drinking water.

http://www.wgme.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wgme_vid_7647.shtml

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