All Bottled Up

Bottled water uses resources and creates waste during the production of each bottle, uses fuel to ship all of the bottled water to our stores, and then uses energy to recycle or adds to the trash problem if thrown away. Here's what I do to try and not be part of the problem:

1. I bought 7 Nalgene bottles to reuse (5 for work days, 2 for exercise). Nalgene bottles are made of thick plastic and they come in all kinds of colors and styles. I prefer the one with the smaller opening because it is easier for me to drink from. I also have a couple of flip-tops for exercise.

2. I bought a small glass dropper bottle and filled it with plain Clorox bleach. Small glass dropper bottles can be purchased at any health food store.

3. I bought a 2-gallon water bottle. I fill it up each week at a neighborhood water store. The outside vending station costs 35 cents per gallon. The 2-gal size is not too heavy to lift and pour into Nalgene bottles. Each gallon of water weighs about 9 pounds, so 3 gallons is too heavy for me.

4. Each week, I wash the Nalgenes with dish soap. Then I sterilize them with 1-2 drops (not droppers, just drops) of bleach and about an inch of water. Close the bottle, shake for ten seconds. Empty the bottle, then fill with an inch of water (no bleach this time). Shake for ten seconds, empty, then fill with the purified water from the 2-gallon water jug.

5. The 2 gallon jug fills all 7 bottles with water, and leaves a little left for me to use through the week. I find that my rice stays fresh longer, and my coffee tastes smoother.

Some companies like http://www.mountainslopewater.com/, offer free water refills when you purchase the Nalgene bottles from them with their store sticker on it. Since it is near my house, I did that for a couple of years and saved so much money that way. Now, it is more convenient for me to refill my 2-gal jug once a week, but I'm still saving. Each Nalgene bottle equals two disposable bottles of water. At 50 cents a bottle, I save $5 per week. But I do this because of the positive impact, not for the money.

The bleach sterilization I got from the water store, because they have the instructions and bleach right there for all to use. This ensures that the water bottles stay clean and fresh and no bacteria starts to grow. There is never any bad scent or taste to the water, and I've had the same bottles for about four years now.

I recommend using water bottles for water only - not juice or soda or tea.

Note: I strongly recommend against freezing water in a Nalgene bottle, but if you must, keep the cap off in the freezer and leave room at the top for the ice to expand. Otherwise it will expand and split your Nalgene bottle.

Here's a book recommendation pertaining to this post (eligible for free supersaver shipping):

A hui hou (until we meet again),
Lisa