H2O NO PLASTIC: TAKE ACTION!

Convinced that throwaway plastic bottles are bad for the environment—and bad for your health? Then get involved, get informed and get yourself some alternatives to the drink-and-toss habit of paying for water that’s otherwise virtually free for the drinking. Here are some suggestions to get started:

Environmental Impact
The easiest way—and fastest—way to positively impact the eco-impact of throwaway plastics is to kick the habit of buying and consuming water in disposable bottles (see ALTERNATIVES for suggestions).

For starters, download the Tap Buddy app on your smartphone. That provides information on the availability of hydration stations and water fountains where the water’s free for the filling (of your reusable, non-BPA-contaminated bottle).

Then take the pledge to drink only tapwater from now on. It may just be the most consequential action to improve your health and protect the environment we all share that you’ll do all year!

Energy Conservation
It’s no longer a newsflash that the global supply of fossil fuels is becoming increasingly limited. We still have to drive our cars and heat our homes, but there are positive steps we can all take to curb the consumption of oil and petroleum-based products.

For starters, stop drinking water from throwaway plastic bottles and start using reusable containers today! Get yourself a reusable bottle you can fill with fresh tapwater from the faucet or a drinking fountain (see ALTERNATIVES). You’ll save energy and save the environment from the damage that the mountains of plastic jammed into landfills and contaminating the oceans are wreaking on our planet.

Then, encourage others—friends, family, frenemies—to kick the habit of drinking from throwaway plastic bottles. If we all quit together, there will be billions of fewer plastic bottles to waste energy and pollute the environment.

Health Issues
If you must use a plastic water bottle, don’t re-use it. Toss it into a recycling bin instead. And don’t expose a throwaway plastic bottle to heat from intense sunlight or hot water—that causes the release of even more bisphenol A (BPA), a potentially toxic chemical researchers believe can cause a whole raft of health problems.

Ultimately, the fastest, healthiest choice is to get your drinking water from a faucet or water fountain.

Alternatively, consider the purchase of a reusable, BPA-free water bottle that you can fill up at home or work or on the go (see ALTERNATIVES). That way, you always have fresh water available, and you won’t be part of the problem—you’ll be part of the solution. □