Where do you get water for your family?

This week we discussed the many problems of bottled water on our weekly Twitter chat, #EcoTipTue. And boy, where there a LOT. We had special guests from Corporate Accountability International and Food and Water Watch tweeting with us, as well as many of our weekly participants. Here's a few things we learned and shared during the chat.

1. Bottled water is NO safer then tap water-- in fact, it is LESS regulated. Bottled water can be sourced from virtually anywhere. And much of the time it is simply tap water that has been packaged in plastic and sold. Not a better product, just clever marketing.  Companies don't even have to disclose results of tests for bacteria in the water!

2. Tap water has the lowest water and carbon footprint of any beverage. Bottled water uses up to 2,000x the energy cost of tap! Talk about a waste of carbon. 

3. Most of the plastic bottles from bottled water are NOT recycled. Only 25% are. The rest end up in our waterways, poisoning the environment and threatening wildlife.

4. Bottled water companies try to scare the public about the quality of tap water and are trying to privatize many public water systems, depleting local water supplies. According to Food and Water Watch, in 2000, an executive from Pepsi (which owns Aquafina) said, “the biggest enemy is tap water."

5.  Public opinion is shifting about bottled water! 40% of people have switched from bottled to tap water. Just think about how much of a difference that is making for local water systems and the lessening of plastic waste.

6. Filtering your water is far more cost effective and environmentally friendly than bottled water. Some options, from our friends at Food and Water Watch: fwwat.ch/1fvIet5 Here's a guide from Environmental Working Group as well: http://ow.ly/tLyKa.

7.   Save money by drinking tap water. Here's a great image to prove the savings from drinking tap add up!

8.  Teach your kids that (most) tap water is safe and healthy. Support water bottle refill stations in schools.

9.  Concerned about the quality of your water? Check out the Food and Water Watch guide to safe tap water to help you decipher what’s in your water: http://fwwat.ch/GuideToSafeTap.  The EPA also has some great state by state resources: http://water.epa.gov/drink/local/.

10. You can make a difference in protecting public water for all. Pack and use refillable water bottles with your family. Sign the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge, ask cities and businesses to join you, and encourage others not to buy bottled water.

And please join us for the next #EcoTipTue on saving the bees! It's February 25th, at 9pm EST/6pm PST.