USA Water Filter Blog

Bottled Water is healthy water — or so marketers would have us believe. Just look at the labels or the bottled water ads: deep, pristine pools of spring water; majestic alpine peaks; healthy, active people gulping down icy bottled water between biking in the park and a trip to the yoga studio.

There are several reasons people might not receive water that meets EPA or other cleanliness standards. Pipes that supply water to homes can be old and can leak impurities, and some water treatment plants might not meet the necessary standards for water quality. Consumers can check this by asking their local plant for a report on water quality. They can also access an online database, such as the one created and maintained by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that analyzes the quality of water in different communities. The EWG is a nonprofit that collects data related to health issues and makes them more accessible to the public.

Research conducted by the EWG shows that there are 300 contaminants present in drinking water for which the government has set no limits. In addition, the water supply for around 50 million Americans doesn’t meet the standards set by the EPA because of an excess of at least one pollutant. Statistics like these could be the reason for the growing popularity of home filtration systems.

More than 40 percent of Americans now use a personal water filtration system, according to the EPA. Home filtration systems come in several types and use many different methods. Most of the cheapest systems available are carbon filters. The carbon in these filters traps most contaminants and only lets water and minute impurities through. One of the downsides of using these systems is the users need to make sure they replace the carbon filter regularly to ensure maximum effectiveness.

http://thetartan.org/2011/10/31/scitech/htw

There are many types of home water filters available today and they have become somewhat a necessity because it is hard to tell if the water coming from the tap is free of biological and chemical contaminants. Below are some of the common filtration technologies used by most households today.

Distillation In this filtration system, heat is applied to water to raise it to boiling temperature to transform it to steam. Once cooled, the steam transforms into a potable condensate. Although able to remove a broad range of contaminants, herbicides and pesticides which have boiling points lower than that of water, are still carried into the condensate and usually in a more concentrated form.

Ion exchange This system moves water through ion-exchange resin membranes to soften it. Through this method, poisonous and heavy metal ions like copper and lead are removed. On the downside, as a standalone system it cannot effectively remove pathogens. Hence, it is usually used in combination with other filtration systems.

Carbon filtering This water filter technology makes use of activated carbon to get rid of debris, pollutants and dissolved chemicals toxins from water.

http://eva-news.com/motoring/news/what-is-the-best-water-purification-system/23864971/

Food, clothing and shelter generally top the list of basic human needs. While shopping at a discount store, instead of the mall, generally takes care of the clothing issue and living in a small apartment, instead of a McMansion, can address your housing situation, rising world food prices can lead to some significant challenges in the food department. Everything from rising transportation costs to the development of biofuels, such asbiodiesel, push up the cost of food and put a pinch on consumers’ wallets. While the need to eat isn’t something you can avoid, there are some steps you can take to keep the costs in check.

Eat at Home
Dining out is an expensive proposition. Just about any nutritious meal that you buy in a formal restaurant, can be made at home for a fraction of the price. Even good coffee is cheaper to make, if you do it yourself. Fast food is excluded from the category; while high-calorie, low-quality food can be had at a bargain price, the impact on your long-term health overrides the benefit of short-term savings.

Eat Before You Show

When you are hungry and you walk into a building full of food, there’s a high likelihood that you are going to fill your cart with unnecessary and expensive purchases that appeal more to your taste buds, than your budget. To keep your costs down, eat first and shop on a full stomach.

Skip the Bottled Water
If you don’t like the water that comes out of the tap, buy a water filter. The per-gallon cost is significantly less than the cost of bottled water and without all the plastic bottles to discard, it’s a lot easier on the environment.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/28/investopedia3706.DTL

Bottled water is a fairly constant sight in this day and age. For many, it is a staple for getting through the day and a necessity for staying hydrated. Most people would say they gravitate towards bottled water for the convenience. A struggle for those with busy schedules and limited time is the availability and accessibility to water fountains and other tap sources.

When planning their day, most individuals would rather pack a bottled water or two than take the time to search for water fountains. Individuals also rely on bottled water for its perceived superior quality. Others have access but are stigmatized by the belief that tap water automatically denotes dirty water.

A new trend in flavored water has only added to the hype of bottled water. This fear of tap water and reliance on “clean” bottled water has created a multi-billion dollar global industry. However, does bottled water really live up to all its presumed expectations?

One of the biggest issues associated with bottled water is the bottle itself. Statistics from Fast Company state that bottled water generates nearly three billion pounds of waste each year. Very few people take the time and responsibility to recycle water bottles after their use.

For every five bottled waters used, the publication reports only one will be recycled. These discarded bottles end up in landfills where they sit for thousands of years before fully degrading and in the mean time they pollute both soil and water. Furthermore, the energy and resource use associated with the production of bottled water is extremely wasteful.

The manufacture of plastic water bottles takes up to three times more water than will eventually fill it. The oil necessary to complete the production of a single plastic bottle is roughly one full water bottle itself.

http://usafiltration.com/blog/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post

Deb Belinsky believes drinking water shouldn’t have to travel farther than from the nearest tap to get to your table.

After attending a dinner in Memphis a couple of years ago at which the bottled water cost more than the wine — that can happen at $12 for a bottle of water — she began researching statistics on bottled water and was astounded by what she found.

For starters, she discovered only one in five water bottles is recycled, leaving the other four to contribute to three billion pounds of waste.

In an effort to reduce that pile one bottle at a time, she has launched Tabl’eau Filtered Water, a new Winnipeg-based company that provides water filtration and chiller systems and reusable bottles to restaurants and hotels. (The name is a play on table and the French word for water.)

Its filtration technology eliminates 99 per cent of contaminants from local water, produces a high-quality product and reduces the carbon footprint.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/bottled-water-with-a-conscience-131966843.html

Despite some resistance along the way to its message of saying “No” to bottled water in favor of improving public water systems, the Think Outside the Bottle Campaign (TOTB) has come a long way since its formation in 2006.

TOTB defines itself “as a campaign working to promote, protect, and ensure public funding for our public water systems” by “opting for tap over bottled water,” according to its website. With its emphasis placed on spending tax dollars to improve public water systems instead of buying bottled water, the group has initiatives tailored for communities,college campuses, food establishments, faith groups—and government.

For example, according to TOTB spokesperson Kristin Urquiza, the state of Vermont spent $200,000 on bottled water for state employees in 2011; the same amount of tap water would’ve cost $1,500 a year, according to TOTB.

Depending on the size of the state, spending on bottled water could reach on average $100,000-$500,000 annually. Just last year, the District of Columbia spent nearly a million dollars on bottled water alone, according to the group.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/tapping-water-with-think-outside-the-bottle-63398.html

There are many types of home water filters available today and they have become somewhat a necessity because it is hard to tell if the water coming from the tap is free of biological and chemical contaminants. Below are some of the common filtration technologies used by most households today.

Distillation In this filtration system, heat is applied to water to raise it to boiling temperature to transform it to steam. Once cooled, the steam transforms into a potable condensate. Although able to remove a broad range of contaminants, herbicides and pesticides which have boiling points lower than that of water, are still carried into the condensate and usually in a more concentrated form.

Ion exchange This system moves water through ion-exchange resin membranes to soften it. Through this method, poisonous and heavy metal ions like copper and lead are removed. On the downside, as a standalone system it cannot effectively remove pathogens. Hence, it is usually used in combination with other filtration systems.

Carbon filtering This water filter technology makes use of activated carbon to get rid of debris, pollutants and dissolved chemicals toxins from water.

http://eva-news.com/motoring/news/what-is-the-best-water-purification-system/23864971/

EUGENE, Ore. — Every year, Oregon uses 1.7 billion single-use plastic bags.

Portland banned plastic bags, and now some people in Eugene want to do the same.

Nearly 800 University of Oregon students signed a petition they plan to take to Eugene City Council next month to ban the use of plastic bags in Eugene.

The group pushing for the ban, Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, hopes to double the number of petitions on campus.

They say their cause is important because they are fighting for marine life.

“They stay for 500 years in the ocean and nothing we use for five minutes should last that long in the ocean,” said student Harry Leung.

Plastic trash from water bottles, cups, bottle caps and bags piles into a gigantic island in the Pacific Ocean.

“It’s twice the size of Texas, so it’s a big worry,” Leung said.

Some businesses that hand out single-use plastic bags say the transition is easy to make.

“No change at all. The only difference is you are not going to see the plastic bags, if in case the ordinance goes by. All we are going to use is the paper,” said Grocery Outlet store manager Andy Yanez.

http://kezi.com/news/local/228896

A plastic-bottle supplier and two bottled-water companies are being accused by a state official of “greenwashing” by falsely claiming their products are biodegradable.

State Attorney General Kamala Harris Wednesday filed a lawsuit against ENSO Plastics, Balance and AquaMantra that allegedly made false and misleading claims by marketing plastic water bottles as “100 percent biodegradable and recyclable.”

The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, is the first action to enforce a 2008 state law that banned the use of words such as “biodegradable” in marketing plastic food and beverage containers. The Legislature determined that such claims are inherently misleading to consumers.

ENSO Plastics President Danny Clark said that he is unable to comment on the lawsuit at this time. He said that the company is committed to working with Harris and complying with the state’s labeling law.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/27/can-plastic-bottles-biodegrade/