Sunday, July 25, 2010

Day 41: Bottling My Own Water

Yes, I have been one of those ghastly bottled-water buyers. Even though I did not know it was ghastly to be one. We drink regularly enough from the tap, but I have bought bottled water for years for the purpose of toting a drink, packing a kid’s lunch, etc.

Until now. I just watched The Story of Bottled Water and I must say… eeeww. This, of course, gives me a whole new direction to go with my green efforts, which will naturally include clarifying what is done with our local recycling. I had no idea – no conscious realization, really – of the effects of production at the front end. Oh Emm Gee!!

The reason I started to watch the video in the first place is that I have recently been made aware of the harmful chemicals in our plastics. And yes, I will soon follow a throng of other mothers in rummaging through my plastics cabinet and ousting all those with inappropriate numbers. FYI – the ones to ditch, or at least not use with your food – are 3, 6, and 7. And if you are like me, you have no idea where to find this number. It will be on the bottom of the item, in the middle of the triangle recycling symbol. I learned this two weeks ago. Yeah, I’ve been that clueless.

So I thought the video would set me straight, but it opened so many more avenues for my mind to travel. At least for now, the chemicals are what I am ultimately trying to eliminate. BPA is a chemical found in the polycarbonate of hard plastics which aren’t usually recyclable anyway, and there is MUCH controversy over it. The FDA considers it “reasonably safe” which is enough to make me stay away from it! And, as it turns out, they have agreed to reevaluate BPA’s safety. Palm-strike-to-forehead.

What am I going to do with all this information? My first step is to buy reusable water bottles manufactured without BPA, and eliminate our need for commercially bottled water. Next I will investigate our local recycling processes. It will take a little time, but I will report as I learn.

See ya at the tap!!

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