Thinking Outside the Bottle

You can't get anywhere without taking one step at a time.  The mission to the moon didn't take a day - it took years of planning, designing, and collaboration between numerous people.  No one will deny that it was a lot of work.  But it would never have gotten done without a billion steps that multiple people took.

Similar is the journey that we are taking on the path to a cleaner, greener planet.  I have actually met people who do nothing, most likely because they don't feel that the small changes make a difference.  Maybe not, if only ONE person makes them.  But if you get a million people to make one small change, THAT makes a HUGE difference!

I have been taking my steps for years - recycling, using CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), conserving water, etc.  Well, the next change I want to make - and encourage others to make - is a move away from disposable drinking containers.  Plastic bottled water, juice boxes, small milk cartons.  I have had it with them, and the litter that they create.  The US is the largest consumer of bottled water, with the average American consuming about 190 liters annually!  That's an awful lot of water bottles!

And I know many people do recycle the bottles, but think of all those that do not?  And seeing as our tap water is usually just as good as bottled water, it would seem that the only reason for bottled water is convenience.

Thankfully, there are some great alternatives.  I won't encourage people to buy a plastic water bottle, because to me that is no better.  Besides, in my experience with plastic water bottles, they stink up, wear out (the straws, caps, or tops), and don't always clean up well.  Besides, they also continue to use plastic, a petroleum product.

Instead, you can now find some very attractive aluminum water bottles.  Don't think of the cub scouts' water canteens of the 50's - instead think of Hello Kitty or trendy, bright and colorful designs.  There are even some that are made for hot and cold liquids, so you can put your Starbucks in it!  Kids can forego the juice boxes and bring their Hello Kitty bottle to school with their favorite juice or milk.  Yum!

Now for me, it was not difficult to give up bottled water.  But what I do miss is my lemon-essence, seltzer water - or as my kids call it, "bubbly water".  I used to drink 2 liters of it a day!  I have really been missing that.  But thankfully for me, I now have a replacement!  Seltzer bottles are coming back, and there are some very stylish designs available, like this stainless steel seltzer bottle.  Carbon dioxide is "injected" into the liquid from a CO2 cartridge.  I do not have one yet, and I have yet to use one, but I would imagine that you can put any kind of liquid in the bottle and carbonate it - water, lemonade, juice, etc.

So as you can see, 2 simple little products can eliminate a household's need for all types of disposable drink containers.  What a small step, but what a huge impact.

Tiffany D. Wilson has lived in the South Bay of Los Angeles County for almost 10 years.  She and her family enjoy the safety and rich family features that the beach communities of the South Bay have to offer, including a close and neighborly community.  Also, having experienced an out-of-country move to California over 10 years ago, she is perfectly positioned to assist foreign buyers in their search for real estate in the South Bay and additional surrounding communities of Los Angeles and Orange County.  She can be reached directly at 310-503-0557.