| Drinking water filters are becoming increasingly | | | | to have to find new places to put our trash. |
| popular, due in part to recent news reports about | | | | Some of the companies that sell drinking water |
| drugs and hormones in tap water, along with | | | | filters also sell reusable glass bottles. You fill them |
| everything else that's in there. But, if you | | | | up from your own faucet, with its new drinking |
| currently drink bottled water, there are other | | | | water filter. When they are empty, you pop them |
| good reasons to buy an at-home drinking water | | | | in the dishwasher. When they're clean, you fill |
| filter. | | | | them up again. The glass bottles typically come in |
| News agencies throughout the United States and | | | | packages of six, so you can store a six pack in |
| Canada have been raising questions about the | | | | the fridge and everyone will have fresh, chilled, |
| safety and purity of bottled water since the year | | | | pure drinking water. |
| 2000. But it appears that consumers are not | | | | Another problem with the plastic bottles is that it |
| paying much attention. The sale of bottled water | | | | takes water to make them, six times the water |
| since that time has grown exponentially, from | | | | that is in the bottle. It also takes oil to make |
| millions of gallons in 2000 to billions of gallons in | | | | them. The Pacific Institute estimates that in 2006, |
| 2006. | | | | the production of plastic bottles for drinking water |
| The economical and environmental impact of all of | | | | required 17 million barrels of oil. |
| those bottles is huge. Scientists and environment | | | | Manufacturing the bottles produces carbon dioxide, |
| experts from around the world are | | | | which contributes to global warming, further |
| recommending drinking water filters as a less | | | | threatening our water supply. Additional carbon |
| expensive, safer and more environmentally | | | | dioxide is released by the trucks, trains and ships |
| friendly alternative. | | | | used to transport the bottles from the |
| First of all, the fact is that most bottled water | | | | manufacturer to the marketplace. |
| comes from a tap. A major bottled water | | | | You can help by switching from bottled water to |
| company was recently required to remove the | | | | a drinking water filter for your home. You might |
| words "spring water" from its label, replacing the | | | | think that you alone cannot make a difference, |
| words with "purified drinking water". In other | | | | but the estimate is that each of us is drinking |
| words, with a good drinking water filter, you can | | | | about 22.6 gallons of water out of plastic bottles |
| make your own "bottled" water at home. It costs | | | | per year. |
| less, tastes better and you can be confident in | | | | Since it takes water to make the bottles, each of |
| the purity. | | | | us could save 135 gallons for the planet by |
| It has been estimated that 80% of the plastic | | | | switching. The bottom line is that drinking water |
| bottles used for water end up in the landfills, most | | | | filters protect the health of your family, while |
| of which are reaching capacity. If we do not stop | | | | protecting and saving our natural resources. So, |
| throwing away all of those bottles, we are going | | | | buy a good system and drink up. |