Lifestyle

Are you an avid bottled water drinker? Do your H2O drinking habits have you go to the grocery store or put change into a vending machine? If so, you should stop and rethink the way you are getting your source of water. Bottled water takes a tremendous toll on the environment – the manufacturing and transporting of plastic bottles burn up oil, create pollution, and emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Not to mention, all the plastic waste they will end up becoming!

Many people may feel the need to choose bottled water over regular tap water because they think it is tastier and healthier. However, it is the bottled water corporations that have made you believe in this false notion. In fact, 40% of bottled water in the U.S. and Canada comes straight from the faucet! Bottled water is essentially the same as tap water! That’s right, the math is clear: municipal tap water + hefty price + environmental damage = bottled water.

So, save yourself some money and do the planet a favor. Take the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge: “[I opt] for public tap water over bottled water; and [support] the efforts of local officials who prioritize strong public water systems over bottled water profits.”

• As an activist, direct your local officials to cut city spending on bottled water and invest in strong public water systems.
• As a restaurant owner, serve tap instead of bottled water to encourage more sustainable eating habits.
• As a student, raise public awareness by organizing events, such as the Tap Water Challenge and the World Water Challenge. You can get support from Conscious Lifestyle for it.

Do your part to challenge the corporate control of water, for the environment, for your health.

Photo courtesy of Corporate Accountability International.

Ever wondered how environmentally, economically or even humanity-conscious your favorite products are? As conscious consumers, we have the responsibility to educate ourselves about these impacts before making our purchases. Well, a new website, BuyItLikeYouMeanIt.org, helps you do just that.

BILYMI lets people review everyday products and companies, and then publishes a core based on which of the factors matter to you as an individual – how green they are, how well they treat their employee, or even if they have a history of deplorable practices such as the use of child labor. Their goal is to give consumers some background on the where they’re getting their products from, and hopefully aid them in making informed purchases. Currently, their first focus research focus is the Chocolate industry. Seeing as there are so many companies nowadays claiming their products to be "green" go ahead and check them out -- just to make sure.