Water We Doing? Reasons Not To Use Bottled Water

**This was Triogenius' very first blog entry in April 2012.
We've taken on lots of topics since then, but this one is still valid......

Do you buy water in bottles?

Why?

OK, we know we need to be drinking plenty of water every day. In fact, an adult should have between 8 and 12 cups of water every day, more if you are exercising or otherwise losing water through sweat. Drinking more water helps hydrate your joints and tissues, helps keep your skin healthy, helps flush out germs, and generally is completely fabulous, not to mention the water we use for play: Pools, Watering the lawn, decorative fountains, ice.....

But….

Did you know that lots of bottled water is nothing but tap water? Yep, it’s true. Did you know that Dasani is a Coca-Cola product and Aquafina is from Pepsi? Perrier, Poland Spring, and Deer Park bottled water are distributed by Nestle. All of them are originally from municipal water supplies—simply put, water out of a faucet. It may have been filtered or processed in some fashion, but it originally was just obtained by turning on a faucet and filling up the container. At least 25% of bottled water sold in the United States is tap water (tap water is water that comes from a faucet).

The company selling the bottled water is required to put “Municipal Water Supply” somewhere on its label, and is not allowed to use the term “All Natural” unless the water has had absolutely no processing or altering. Check out the label of the last bottle of water you bought.

For more water facts to think about, check out this National Geographic video:  http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/env-freshwater-whycare
When you pay your local ‘water bill,’ you pay for the processing of the water that comes out of your faucet: Local water purification cleans the water adds fluoridation for the health of your teeth.

Remember that lots of people in the world don't have easy access to clean water. We never give a second thought to turning on a faucet and expecting that.

It’s important, too, that we make the effort to buy less plastic bottles for any liquids: They're used to package juice, milk, soft drinks, 'power' drinks, sauces, items used in baking, and soaps, and they come in lots of different colors. Consider getting a re-usable drinking water container (preferably not made of plastic!). You could get two, one you’re using and one that’s ‘in the wash.’ Simply wash it with hot, soapy water, clean out the ‘mouthpiece part’, and let it air dry or just refill and use again. Because…think about this:

To make plastic, you need petroleum. Petroleum is the base substance that can eventually be made into fuel such as gasoline. It is a limited resource. Is it worth wasting that natural resource for our convenience? And once it’s made, a plastic water bottle tossed in the garbage will last in a landfill an estimated 450 years before it degrades, if at all. Imagine that times the millions of plastic bottles that will be tossed in the garbage today. Recycling plastic is great, but it also takes heat and (believe it or not) chemicals to be re-used in another way.

Ironic: Using plastic water bottles creates plastic pollution in our water supply. Wait, what?? 

 

A small step can make a big difference. Make the effort to stop using bottled water today!

Saving the Environment: But What Can I Do?

Simple ideas using stuff you probably have and/or throw out in your house....

• Cardboard tubes from paper towels or toilet paper can be used to start seeds. Cut into shorter pieces, add dirt and seeds and add water. Once the ground is warm enough, plant the whole thing in the ground. The cardboard will eventually dissolve.
• Recycle more: Rinse glass and metal containers well, and put them in the recycling bin instead of throwing them in the garbage.

• Consider starting a compost pile: any 'food waste' such as peelings from fruits and vegetables, the cores of apples, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc. can be put in a pile or in a container. You can also compost the leaves you rake up in the fall, or dead bits of plants. Keep stirring and keep it moist, and aerated, and eventually it will make a rich 'compost' that works really well for growing new plants. Learn more about composting with a short video here: http://compostguide.com/

• Re-fill plastic water bottles, if you must buy them. You can wash and reuse them many times before you toss them in the recycling bin.
  

            Plastic bottle + two wooden spoons for perches = Birdfeeder

• Use water bottles and coffee mugs that you wash and re-use. And do the math: that $4 cup of coffee you buy three times a week adds up to $624.00 a year!

• Bring your own bags to bag up groceries. You can get fabric bags or just re-use the paper ones as many times as possible, then put them in the recycling bin.

• You can wash and re-use plastic sandwich bags, just let them dry overnight. A good alternative is to use paper to wrap them instead: freezer or butcher paper is waxed on one side and works great.

• Instead of throwing old clothes (or simply clothes you don't like or don't wear) in the garbage, donate them. And shop at stores that sell used clothing. One wash and they're just the same as things in your closet you've worn and washed.

• Consider getting shoes repaired or zippers replaced rather than throw out the item. You may know someone who can do that for you. Ask around.
• In the mood to be creative? Try making something using only recycled objects.
  

• Take TVs and other electronics to be recycled, don't just throw them in the trash. Best Buy accepts lots of them: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/global-promotions/recycle-faqs/pcmcat174700050009.c?id=pcmcat174700050009

• Use less gas in your car: Take friends along who also need to shop, group your trips so you're not backtracking, stay home sometimes when you don't really need to go anywhere.

*PS-- consider cutting up ragged old clothes into reusable wipes instead of using paper towels. Cut an old T-shirt, for example, into the same size as a paper towel, or half a paper towel. Keep them in a plastic or glass jar, use as needed, wash and then re-use. You'll never run out....or if they get super gross after several uses, then throw them out. You will probably have saved several paper towels in the process.


There are things you can do on a small scale that add up to saving the planet!

Why We Care About Lead Poisoning

You may have heard about the water problems they're having in Flint, Michigan.

 

Here's the basics: Flint always took its water from Lake Huron, but to save money, the City leaders decided it would use the Flint River instead. That river is very polluted; in fact, some residents thought it was a joke when it was first suggested. It was to be a temporary solution, but went on for several years.

 

The water coming out of faucets in homes was brown and tasted bad. Not only did people hesitate to drink the water, but also to bathe in it or cook with it. Complaints were made, but nothing was done. Two years after the switch, some researchers came in and found the lead levels in the water to be much too high-19 times the amount found in Lake Huron water. The City of Flint hadn't followed Federal law regulating water quality. It was revealed that if the City of Flint had spent just $100 a day for a chemical to treat the water, the lead would have been eliminated or greatly reduced.

 

Where does lead come from?

• It comes from old paint, which contained lead. Lead is no longer allowed as an ingredient in paint. Children have picked off pieces of old paint and eaten them, and if there is lead dust in the air it can be breathed in.
• In the past, pipes used to set up water systems in cities were either made of lead or contained lead. Since this was so many years ago, replacing the pipes is a huge undertaking. Pipes can be lined with a safe coating that seals it off. 
• Lead was also present in window blinds made long ago. Dust from these blinds can get into the air and be breathed in.
• The ways it gets into our bodies is through eating or drinking things with high levels of lead or it can also be breathed in and absorbed through the skin.

It looks harmless...

 *Interesting to note that it is closely related to tin. In the 1600s, tin used to be called "plumbum candidum (bright tin) and lead used to be called "plumbum nigrum (black tin)"...you see where the term 'plumbing' came to be.

 

But it's not meant to be put into the human body.

Here are symptoms of lead poisoning:

• Brain damage, loss of IQ
• Tooth decay
• Hearing loss
• Anemia
• Seizures
• Short attention span, ADD, hyperactivity
• Abdominal pain and disorders
• Memory Loss
• Stunted growth-it affects the human growth hormone

Children are particularly vulnerable to brain damage; their bodies absorb lead very easily. Tests done on children from Flint show that they have lost several IQ points due to lead poisoning.   

People who work in these lines of work have often been exposed to lead, through breathing in fumes or through absorption through their skin-

• Welders
• Printers
• People who work with X-rays and do not wear protective gear
• Metal foundries
• Miners

 

The lead dust can be brought into the home on the clothes of people and thereby expose the rest of the household by breathing or through their skin.

You can read about the ongoing crisis in Flint here, and about the doctor that made a connection and proved there was a huge problem.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/03/us/flint-michigan-water-crisis/index.html

The lines on these bones are from lead poisoning: they should not be there.

 

Here is info from the Center For Disease Control:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/