Saving Water in Southern Homes - Drink Up!

Saving Water in Southern Homes – Drink up!

Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, so I decided to explore how to save water in homes – particularly in southern homes.  I’ve noticed recently that I spend more on my water/sewer bill than my electricity/gas bills.  That got me thinking about ways to save water.  Let’s take a look at drinking water.

I’m not going to suggest saving water by drinking less.  Even if you did drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day (a ‘recommendation’ that has been debunked) that’s still only a gallon a day per person - really not enough to worry about.  Also, maintaining health and life is a good thing – for people and for animals.  In fact, that’s one big reason to conserve fresh water – so we can drink it!

But there are ways we can conserve water while drinking as much as we need.  For starters, stay away from bottled water.  The problem isn’t the water, it’s the bottle.  The Pacific Institute estimates that it takes 2 liters of water to produce a 1-liter water bottle, so you’re using 3 times as much water as you drink.  Also, the bottles are made from a plastic (PET) that is produced from fossil fuels.  Add in transportation, and bottled water accounts for 17 million barrels of oil per year in the US alone.  And the manufacturing process releases 3 pounds of CO2 for every pound of PET, resulting in 2.5 million tons of CO2 in the US each year.

I’m not suggesting drinking bad water, but consider the following:

·         Nearly all experts agree that bottled water is no healthier than tap water. 

·         Most people buy bottled water because they say it tastes better.  But in blind taste tests, tap water usually does as well as bottled water.  Here’s a famous test John Stossel did on 20/20  using New York City tap water.  His report notes that many bottled water providers use municipal water as their source.

·         The EPA requires Municipal water systems to provide water that meets health standards, and they must maintain those standards all the way to the user.

Now I’m fortunate to live in Birmingham, where the drinking water is consistently among the best in the nation.  But I know that there are other places where the water does not taste as good.  So here’s my suggestion.  Instead of buying bottled water, buy a water bottle – like runners or hikers use – and a filtered pitcher.  I keep a Brita pitcher in my refrigerator – not for the taste (it’s filled with Birmingham water) but to have cold water to drink.

There’s also a time honored southern tradition that tastes great – iced tea!