Archive for the ‘Solar Energy’ Category
Many people these days take an active interest in being environmentally friendly. In fact lots of Americans have made large investments in their homes or cars for the sake of being kind to our planet. For example, many people have chosen to install solar panels in their homes and use electricity generated from the sun’s rays for all or a part of their home’s power needs. Also, lots of people have purchased environmentally friendly cars that get exceptional gas mileage, run on alternative power sources, or some combination of the two. But, there are small things you can do to help the environment too. One such thing is to stop drinking bottled water.
The production and manufacture of bottled water itself is bad for the environment. Most bottled water comes in plastic bottles. The manufacture of these plastic bottles takes a great toll on the environment. This is because these water bottles are made out of petroleum based plastic. Therefore, before any water even enters the picture, just the container itself is harming our planet. To fill these bottles of water, it is estimated that three gallons of water is wasted for every gallon of water that is filled. This is really a preposterous amount of water wasted when you think about it. And the waste isn’t over with the filling of the water bottles. Think about the energy and resources consumed in transporting these water bottles, storing the water bottles, and even refrigerating these water bottles. It is estimated that production of plastic alone accounts for approximately four percent of the energy usage in the United States.
Of course, there is the also the issue of disposing of the empty plastic water bottle once you are finished drinking the water. Some of these water bottles are made out of recyclable material, but unfortunately not everyone recycles. It is estimated that Americans purchase almost thirty billion plastic water bottles every year, and eighty percent of these water bottles end up in land fills. That means about twenty four billion plastic water bottles are put in land fills each year.
Many people think that bottled water is better for you to drink, or just cleaner water in general. This is not necessarily the case. Tap water, or municipal water systems, must meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for water quality. These standards are even more stringent than the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (USFDA) standards for bottled water. Also, many bottled water companies attempt to pass themselves off as spring water using clever packaging, when they are really just selling filtered tap water in a plastic bottle.
If you want to be kind to the environment, stop purchasing bottled water. Consider buying one of the many stainless steel reusable water bottles on the market today. You can fill a reusable water bottle at home for pennies. This will not only help the environment, but it will save you some money as well.
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