kind classics: beware of plastic water bottles!

Here's another one from the archives...enjoy!

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A new study by the Environmental Working Group EWG reveals that of the ten most popular brands of bottled water all but one Nestle's Pure Life Purified Water fail to provide answers to the three most important questions you should ask before drinking water:

Where does water come from?
Is it purified? How?
Have tests found any contaminants?

Furthermore these bottled water companies are breaking the law. In 2007 California passed a law SB 220 requiring that water bottle labels list the source of the water and two ways for consumers to contact the company to obtain a quality report. EWG found that only 24 of water bottle companies are in compliance with this law. Companies hiding data about their bottled water include Aquafina Gerber Graduates Lil' Water Naya Bristol Farms Archer Farms Volvic Alhambra Trader Joe's Pure New Zealand Artesian Water Fiji and many more see full list here.
 
So where does EWG think bottled water actually comes from? Tap water.
 
Cities are required to provide all of this information about tap water to consumers and you can find answers to all of your questions about your local tap water here. By opting out of bottled water and drinking filtered tap water you will know exactly what you are drinking. On top of that you will be helping the environment instead of contributing to plastic waste much of which ends up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
 
Every blue moon if you're stranded without a reusable water bottle it's okay to buy bottled water. Ninety-nine percent of the time I have my little glass bottle with me pictured above that I refill at home everyday. The other one percent of the time I have to opt for water in a plastic bottle. I usually try to stubbornly refuse water if it's in plastic - even when I'm super thirsty. But I'm just saying sometimes you can't - so don't beat yourself up if you're in a situation where the only water available is bottled water. Just take your reusable bottle with you everyday and do the best you can. Don't give up if you mess up - just try again! You can read more about bottled water in my book page 134.
 
I'll be posting a series of blogs on water filtration soon so stay tuned. How do you stay hydrated at home and on the go?

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