World Water Day

Just in from ReusableBags.com:

This Sunday, March 22, is World Water Day - Established by the UN in 1993, it's an international day of observance and action to make safe, clean water available to all. In the developed world, our addiction to single-serving water bottles undermines responsible use of water and diverts our attention from investing in public tap water systems and home filtration.

If we each committed to making a difference today, by purchasing a high-quality, safe reusable water bottle for each member of our families, we can save both money and natural resources. I bought two 16-oz nalgene bottles that are made from safe plastics and can be used over and over. They fit into a car cup holder and have a cap on a tether that can be looped around a backpack or belt.

1.5 million barrels of oil is used annually to produce plastic water bottles for America alone - enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.

Americans will buy an estimated 25 billion single-serving, plastic water bottles this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill, according to the Container Recycling Institute

Bottled water is a rip off – American consumers spend an estimated $7 billion on bottled water each year. And the bottles may leach DEHA, a known carcinogen, if used more than once.

Like plastic bags, these bottles will be with us forever since plastic does not biodegrade; rather, it breaks down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate our soil and waterways.