You have two main choices for filtering your water: you can buy bottled water, or you can use a filter at home. Bottled water is more convenient, but has many downsides. Filtered water takes slightly more work, but you may find it’s worth the effort. The choice that you make can have a significant effect on the environment and on your health.
Bottled water creates pollution, trash, and destroys the natural water cycle. Manufacturers use 47 million gallons of oil every year to produce plastic water bottles. The majority of these bottles, over 80, are simply thrown away, contributing to landfill build-up. Plastic is not biodegradable and requires millions of years before it decomposes. Bottled water is taken from other countries and brought to first-world countries that can afford to pay for it. This causes famine and ecosystem disruption in poor countries. Manufacturers have even started bottling from America’s national landmarks. Your next bottle of water may have come from the Great Lakes.
Using water filtration at home can avoid the environmental and social damage of bottled water. If you need portable water, use a stainless steel thermos full of your own filtered water. A high-quality thermos won’t leak chemicals or plastic waste into your water. Tap water is much less expensive than bottled water, even with the extra cost of a filter. Tap water comes from your own region, meaning less fuel is wasted transporting it to you. Tap water is always taken from the surrounding region, so the water cycle is preserved, leading to the long-term health of the earth.
Bottled water may be convenient, but it is not cheap. You pay more upfront, and the earth pays more in the long run. Many different filtration systems exist, including portable technology you can carry with you. Protect the earth and your health, and make the switch to filtered water today.