Bottled Water = Scam and Eco-UNfriendly

I have two eco-friendly pet peeves. I'm peeved when I see people using plastic bags at the check-out counter. Really, it's so cheap to buy reusable bags. Come on people! Stop using plastic bags! It's a really bad practice! Heck, most stores sell them for a buck or two. Google reusable bags and you'll find reusable bags everywhere. From expensive designer grocery bags to extremely reasonably priced, plain bags (My good friend, Amie, over at her blog just posted about a reusable bag product rave. A pack of bags at a very reasonabl price). Even the commissary is beginning to sell them on many military installations for less than $2.00 each. If you are still using plastic bags, I'm peeved at you!

I'm am, however, even more peeved at people who continue to use bottled water!!!! Did you know that your bottled water is less regulated than tap water? I've said this before and I'll say it again: Buy reusable water bottles (such as a SIGG or KleanKanteen), a tap water filter and be done with bottled water! Here's what TreeHugger has to say about bottled water:

Stay off the bottle

By many measures, bottled water is a scam. In most first-world countries, the tap water is provided by a government utility and is tested regularly. (You can look up your water in the National Tap Water Quality Database) Taste tests have shown that in many municipalities, tap water actually tastes better. Bottled water is not as well regulated and studies have shown that it is not even particularly pure. A four-year study of bottled water in the U.S. conducted by NRDC found that one-fifth of the 103 water products tested contained synthetic organic chemicals such as the neurotoxin xylene and the possible carcinogen and neurotoxin styrene. (Grist) Much bottled water doesn’t come from a “Artesian springs” and is just tap water anyhow. (Coca-Cola adds salt to its Dasani water to make it taste better, just like fast food.) Not only is it more expensive per gallon than gasoline, bottled water incurs a huge carbon footprint from its transportation, and the discarded bottles are a blight. It’s no wonder that some people even think it’s a sin. If you want to carry your water with you, get a bottle and fill it. (Look here for some advise on durable, non-toxic container options.) If your water at home tastes funny, try an activated charcoal or ceramic filter. Here is a comparison of home-use water filters from Grist.

Go to Treehugger.com to find ways to further green up your life.

It Ain't Easy Being Green

In this month's edition of Mothering Magazine, editor and publisher, Peggy O'Mara says this in regards to sustainable living and our environment, "The carbon footprint of US families in particular is irresponsibly heavy. This is why it is imperative that we, as parents, become conscious of the impact of our behavior on the environment and become its allies..."

This week, NBC is going green. A few months ago, Hollywood got together and broadcast Live Earth.

It seems everywhere we turn, we're being encouraged to start living a "Green" lifestyle. It is easier said than done. It's time consuming and in some ways, means changing the way we live our life.

Matt and I, recently, started to attempt to live a more green lifestyle. We use reusable grocery bags, recycle paper, plastic and glass. We use a water filter instead of bottled water, use cloth diapers (Lila only wears disposables when a sitter protests),use eco-friendly laundry and house cleaners (meaning no chlorine bleach products aside from a Bleach Pen), line dry (here in Portugal line drying is a way of life) our clothes much of the time, use a energy efficient washer and as our light-bulbs burn out, we replace them with energy efficient ones and so on and so forth.

However, we haven't been able to get rid of our SUV. You see, in America, we think we can't live without one. We need one to tow a camper, we need one that has a 4-wheel drive, etc. We make excuse after excuse in justifying why we need one. While Matt and I have had serious talks about replacing the 4-Runner with the Toyota Hylander Hybrid (it tows!), we haven't done it.

So sound off on what being green and living a sustainable life means to you and your family. What does your family do? If you don't do much, why? Do you think the current push is a fad? Is it over-rated? Too much effort and time? Something you just don't think about? You can't give up things like bottled water or your SUV (remember we drive an SUV - so I'm not attacking anyone)? Cloth diapering is gross, time consuming and only for the crunchy parents (if you're going to quote studies that say cloth is just as bad as disposables, make sure the studies weren't published by disposable diaper companies - as most are)? I want to know what everyone else has been thinking. Feel free to leave anonymous comments and, while I would love comments, if you're too busy, take the poll to the left.