Originally posted 01.19.08

Finding it difficult to sleep, I was up early this morning. Normally, I would not turn the television on because it usually ends up being an all morning affair when I do, but I wanted to check the weather to discover why we had none of the snow that was expected this morning. Well, it resulted into a late start for my day, but it is not with regret. There were two segments on the morning show that interested me. One segment brought attention to the environmental and health hazards of individual bottled water and the other that I found interesting was about the Federation of Damanhur and the Temples of Humankind, which I hope to research further and write about at a later date.

I was amazed to hear that 40 million plastic water bottles are added to landfills daily. Top that off with the fact that the water sold in the bottles is not governed by as strict of standards as our tap water and the story had my attention. I did not realize or maybe I just have not been listening before now, but the bottling companies do not have to follow the stringent quality guidelines of the EPA. After I research a bit more, I may have more to say about this at a later date.

Since my family and I are on a quest for a more self sustained lifestyle and making greener choices, I want to chime in on our overuse of the individual water bottles. I am ashamed to say that I am afraid to guess how many of those little plastic bottles we have contributed to our local landfill. Being a parent of a high school and club athlete, we are on the road several days a week, year around. To keep from buying soda while traveling, we are in the habit of grabbing those little bottles as we are running out the door. I even keep a small stock of the small, itsy bitsy bottles in the hatchback of my vehicle.

Those little water bottles are not only perfect for the road, but I am come to appreciate the “no-taste” of the water. I was raised in a large metropolitan area of another state and never remember the water have a “taste”, but since moving to a rural area I have found it difficult to palate the definite taste in our local water. This has resulted in me drinking not only more of the individual bottles but I also buy several gallon jugs to use while at home.

Dear Husband was raised in a rural setting and he is accustomed to the “thick” taste of the water, so he finds my habits a bit ridiculous. He was actually the first to baulk at my over consumption of the bottled water, and revolted by purchasing his own reusable water bottle that he now carries with him as we travel. The requirements for his bottle were that it had to have a mouth large enough to be able sterilize properly and to be a size that is easily manageable. I once bought a large insulated mug that donned the Kansas State University logo, but found that once it was filled with liquid it was just too difficult to handle. It was like carrying a 6 lb weight around with you. Consequently it sits in the cupboard, taking up space and a reminder of the petroleum that was consumed in the production of plastics.

It has taken some time, but I finally found that perfect water bottle for me. It has a double wall for better insulation, fits my hand, and holds about 16 ounces of liquid. A Britta Pitcher Filter has assisted with some of the taste issues I have and I am now keeping the filtered water in the fridge, instead of those plastic gallon jugs. Dear Daughter stills runs out the door with a sports drink in her hand, but 2 out 3 isn’t a bad start. I am sure she will jump on board when we find a solution for her.