TAP vs. BOTTLED.....AND THE WINNER IS!.......
Glug, glug, glug--that's the sound a ginormous number of us make as we sip bottled water in our cars, at the gym, behind our desks, etc.
The sound you DON'T hear is the thwack of 60 million bottles a day being tossed into U.S. landfills and incinerators.
If that's not enough to turn your conscience a brighter shade of green, add this: Producing those bottles burns through 1.5 million barrels of crude oil annually--enough fuel to keep 100,000 cars running for a year. Recycling helps, but reusing is even better. Invest in a couple of portable, dishwasher-safe, stainless steel bottles like Klean Kanteens that won't leach nasty chemicals into your water. (Don't get into the habit of refilling the water bottle you just emptied; the polyethylene terephthalate it's made of breaks down with multiple usings.)
4 MORE REASONS TO TURN ON THE TAP:
1. Tap Water is Tested Daily
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, water suppliers are required to provide an annual report on the quality of your local water and to test it daily. The FDA examines bottled water only weekly, and results are not available to consumers. You can easily get the lowdown on your state's drinking water quality at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/index.html
2. Tap Water Is a Bargain
Bottled water costs about 500 times more than tap. If you're into really fancy labels, up to 1,000 times more.
3. Tap Water is a Tooth Saver
Most municipal water has more fluoride than bottled water, which helps prevent tooth decay.
4. Tap Water is Often Tastier
Some places (New York City, for one) have delicious water, but if you don't love the flavor of yours, the solution is simple: Run your tap water through a Brita or Pur filter to remove most tastes and odors. The average home filter goes for $8.99 and produces the equivalent of 300 large (16.9 ounce) bottles of water. That's about $0.03 cents a bottle, versus the $1.25 or so you'd pay in a market.
Bottoms up!
Article by JG