Bottled Water: Should It Be Banned?

Some of the data is from 2006 and since then, there has been an increase in the use of bottled water - so most of the statistics would now be much higher.
But as you will see some are quite shocking.

~ The Pacific Institute estimates that producing the bottles for American consumption in 2006 required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil.

~ The manufacture of every ton of PET produces around 3 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Bottling water thus created more than 2.5 million tons of CO2 in 2006.

~ 250g of CO2 are released for each bottle of FIJI Water imported to the United States. This includes 93g for manufacturing a bottle in China, 4g for transporting an empty bottle to Fiji, and 153g for shipping a full bottle to the United States.

~ It also takes water to make a bottle. You probably never thought of that - I know that I didn't.

Read more about bottled water at Wikipedia and the links right below.

Going Green Ideas Are All Based On The Principles of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling

Do you know what it means when someone says that they want to "go green" - I mean do you really know?
While many of us think we have an idea we may not truly know.
Here are just a few hints as to what "going green" actually entails.

You may have heard many people say or have seen bumper stickers with the phrase "reduce, reuse and recycle" - but how does this affect what you are currently doing now to go green? By the way - the bumper sticker is actually anti-green so it's not really a good idea. Remember a bumper sticker is not a needed item - so it's wasteful.

1) Reducing

This first part of the go green principle triangle is to rely less on the energy we're using in addition to material objects. This doesn't just mean turning off the light switch when you leave a room, or cut down on your leisurely driving habits (think Sunday afternoon drives with the family) - it also means saving energy by consuming less. Everything we buy took more energy to create than we realize. By reducing everything we use, we're going a long way to protect the environment (and we'll be saving money).

Reducing also means to think more about your purchases even if we don't necessarily cut down. For example, some of the most important going green ideas are based around the food we eat. When buying food from the supermarket, simply choosing a brand that uses less packaging than others will reduce our carbon footprint. When you are purchasing 1 small item from a store do you really need a bag for it or can you just pick it and the receipt up and leave? If you can you'll be saving a bag. Ok, I know - that's just 1 bag - but if each of us saved 1 bag every month you'll quickly see how it adds up.

Do you fabric softener to every wash that you do?
Could you cut out or cut back on its use?

Do you need to have a plugin air freshener plugged in all the time? Maybe just when you are expecting guests.
Sure you could probably do without air fresheners, fabric softeners, perfumes and rug fresheners, but if you feel you can't start by cutting back as every little bit does help.

2) Reusing

The second principle says that we should try to make the most out of everything that we already have before replacing it. Many of us are used to throwing things away without really thinking carefully about whether the item still has any life left in it.

Some going green ideas that come under this heading include repairing holes in clothing, or even re-purposing old jean into a fashionable new skirt or a reusable eco-friendly bag.
What do you do with your old worn out towels that no longer suck up the water they once did? Do you just toss them out?

We use our old towels for dust cloths and cleaning towels. Also if you have any bath sheets, they are great to place down on the floor near your door and when pets and people come into your home with wet and muddy shoes, it will catch the mess.

Old T-shirts & socks also make great dusting cloths.

Do you have your groceries packed in plastic bags?
We do and this is why. We reuse the plastic bags as trash bags.
I know many people who will use reusable shopping bags for their groceries and then purchase heavier gauge plastic bags for their trash..
Shopping bags are usually made from a thinner plastic and many now are biodegradable while the heavier trash bags are not.
So for me, I prefer to use the plastic grocery bags. When the bag is full we tied the handles together so that there is no opening for birds or other creatures to get their head caught in them.
Also did you know that many reusable bags are made from a heavy plastic material? Not very earth friendly is it?

3) Recycling

This principle is also based on reducing the number of items we send to the landfill. Recycling means using old materials to create something new, instead of leaving it to decompose (which believe it or not can take thousands of years for some products).
Many cities and towns have rules and regulations for their garbage pick up and recyclable items must be cleaned and separated.
If your town does not have a mandatory law they still may have a voluntary one and if they do try to take advantage of it.

While we all hear the term "going green" all the time how many of us actually do much about it?
Just start small and make more changes when you feel ready.

Instead of single use plastic bottled water, why not save the earth and money by using eco-friendly, family-friendly, kid-friendly, reusable water bottles?

Sigg Water Bottles It's our family's choice!

Home filtered water is less, much less expensive than bottled water.
Here is a quick average cost comparison
Tap Water ( unfiltered) .0015 per gallon
Home Filtered Water .13 per gallon
Bottled Water $1.36 per gallon

This cost comparison was made before the price of gas had spiked. Your savings of filtered water over bottled water increases with each gas price hike as the cost to ship the bottled water to the store increases.

Do single use plastic water bottles actually leach harmful chemicals into our water?

The better questions is: Are you willing to take the chance?