Related Links:
All Dream Team Topics:
- inspired ideas (232)
- arts and crafts (91)
- boredom busters (51)
- inexpensive ideas (43)
- healthy fun (39)
More Dream Team Tags
Winning the Water-Bottle Battle
Rate This Article
Many, many disposable water bottles, though recyclable, end up in landfills each year. With sources now saying that tap water is just as healthy as bottled, I tried to minimize the impact on the environment (and my wallet) by saving empty bottles and refilling them.
But it was hard to convince the kids to refill a bottle when it was easier to grab a new one off the pantry shelf. Even worse, news reports came out saying that recyling disposable water bottles, while good for the environment, was not so good for the family. Bacteria grow in the bottle, and rewashing causes the plastic to break down, making the water unsafe to drink.
We had reached an ecological stalemate.
Then, I went on a diet. My new healthy-eating plan included drinking a minimum of six cups of water a day. To motivate myself and help me keep track of my water intake, I bought myself a nice, reusable 3-cup water bottle, a Rubbermaid ® On-the-Go Sip Style water bottle in a pretty "spa blue" (www.rubbermaid.com). What attracted me most to this model was its "leak-proof" label. I had my doubts, but I was at the start of a new diet and feeling charitably optimistic.
I brought the water bottle home from the grocery store and forbade everyone else in the house from using it. "This is MY water bottle," I announced. "I'm trying to make healthier choices and drink more water. I do NOT want to have to search for this every time I want to use it."
Then, for extra emphasis, I held my new water bottle up and quoted "The Emperor's New Groove," saying, "No touchy! No touchy!"
I may as well have been a bull fighter waving a red flag. Soon, my off-limits reusable water bottle was the most coveted item of the house. Sabrina filled it with ice and took it to tennis lessons. Jake slipped it in his lunchbox and took it to drama camp. I even found my husband Rich using it outside while he was working in the yard. On my next trip to the grocery store, I bought three more -- one for each member of the family.
Unlike disposable bottles, reusable bottles really are leak-proof, even after many washes in the top rack of our dishwasher. The wide-mouth lids are easy to find in a kitchen drawer, and they make it easy to add ice cubes, lemon wedges or stir-in drink mixes. And they really have helped me monitor my water intake, which has been instrumental in the success of my diet.
Best of all? I haven't bought bottled water since, helping us save money and the environment.
Member Comments On…
Winning the Water-Bottle Battle
We drank out of water bottles mostly for the convenience factor. (Yes, we recycled them...they did not end up in the landfill) I am always thirsty and the tap water at work tastes like metal. Recently, I went ahead and purchased a $7 Brita water pitcher to keep at my desk while at work. I have a Tupperware cup that is "spill proof" and washable that I use everyday at work. Everyone comments on how they think it is such a good idea.... We have really cut back on the amount of plastics we are taking to the recycling center each week.
1 |
I really wish people would stop pushing the 8 glasses of water daily MYTH. There is absolutely NO scientific evidence.
http://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/fall02/html/vs_8study.shtml
"I want to emphasize that I found no scientific evidence to back up 8x8," Valtin says. "I'm talking about randomized trials published in peer-reviewed journals." Nor did he find a definitive origin for the 8x8 recommendation, though he suspects a misreading of a 1945 federal report. That report said people need about 64 ounces of fluids a day, adding that much of it is contained in foodÂ??a caveat Valtin believes was overlooked.
0 |
Each night before going to bed, I get the coffee pot ready. In the morning, I need only push the button and coffee will be ready for my drowsy husband. A short while back, I thought about the recycled coffee filters. Shortly after that, I decided to go back to planting a family garden. A friend commented about Starbucks having a basket of coffe available for gardens. I thought about it for a bit and decided it was silly to put my coffee in the garbage. My garden needed the nutrients. Then it occurred to me, not only should I be saving the coffe, but the filter as well. So, with this Earth Day coming upon us quickly, I have my newest idea. It may be small, but it certainly adds up. The coffee and filter will be tilled into my garden. What a nice way to use recylcled products - coffee filters and continue to reuse as fertilizer. Think about how many containers of coffee you go through in a year. That little scoop of coffee and that pack of filters per household per day.
1 |
Choose your bottle and keep it clean. I'm not sure how a bottle that costs $30 and requires special shapped ice is a money saver, and I know I don't have a money tree in my yard... As for Alzhemiers and aluminum cans - packaging is ONE of MANY sources if aluminum in our enviornment, but ingestion of aluminum from packaging sources is negligible at best. Check your information. So, I'll purchase the most cost effective, enviornmentally friendly option. When someone comes up with a way to tell me the date I'm going to die, please let me know and let you know if the estrogenic compunds leaking into my water impacted the date of my death...or maybe it was the air we breathe...
0 |
I keep track of toothbrushes and water bottles together. Every other month, we buy a new water bottle and new toothbrushes. :) Letting the kids pick their own inspires them to use them more often too...therefore more water drinking, less other drinks. We are also learning more about recycling, something we didn't do a lot of in the past.
1 |
Unfortunately, the more research you do, the more confused you may be in the long run! First you have the issue of what type of bottle to use to get the amount of water needed each day. Then you have to worry about what type of water to drink! I've cut fluoride out of our normal daily intake of fluids and toothbrushing. (I know many of you are gasping right about now...lol). So, unless we use a reverse-osmosis water filter, tap water is out for everything but washing dishes (even I can't go so far as to not use it for dish washing). We currently use hard plastic bottles that never gets washed in the dishwasher, and refill it from 4 gallon recycled bottles of spring water. I've thought about the aluminum bottles, but like the comment below, I recalled the reports of ingesting aluminum being connected with Alzheimer's along with the use of antiperspirants. AHHHH!!!
0 |
I remember that a few years ago there was a big deal about aluminum containers contributing to Alzhimers. Too bad glass is breakable isn't it? All last summer I was freezing water in plastic bottles for the landscaping crew in an effort to keep them drinking water during the 100 degree summer workdays. I really do not know what is the best thing to do for our families and I usually try to err on the side of caution but sometimes it seems there are no safe answers.
1 |
www.siggmonthly.com is where I got my aluminum water bottle. LOVE IT! After months of research I never found a plastic bottle that was a good bottle to drink my water out of.
3 |
As a toxicologist, I'd recommend using an aluminum water bottle instead of a plastic one that may leak estrogenic compounds into your water like bisphenol-a. Kids are more sensitive to the effects of these types of chemicals, so educate yourself on what's safe and what's not.
9 |
