Sometimes I feel like tossing bottled water down the toilet to show my disdain. Maybe I’m not the only one?

A recent post at the Intuit Blog featured a great visual guide / infograph describing how small cutbacks in the home can lead to great savings. Things like changing to CFL’s, insulating the home, etc. were noted. One thing I found interesting was their idea to help save money with each flush:

A 20oz or 32oz bottle filled with water and placed in the toilet tank will reduce water use. Each flush is about one cent, roughly $48 a year.

What a great way to make use of bottled water, should you have it lying around. I’m sure I’ve never mentioned this before, but this is certainly a way you can actually save money by using bottled water [in a way I'm sure companies like Dasani and Aquafina are not quite embracing].

Budgeting: A Visual Guide to How Small Cutbacks Lead to Great Savings [Quicken Personal Finance Tips]

British environmentalist David de Rothschild is planning to sail the Pacific on a boat made of 12,500 drinks bottles.

Mr de Rothschild, 31, the youngest son of renowned financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and part of the de Rothschild banking dynasty, will sail his 60-foot catamaran Plastiki from San Francisco to Australia in March.

Mr de Rothschild, a keen explorer and renewable energy campaigner, will use the voyage as a bold publicity stunt to drawn attention to the waste that plastic creates and how little it is recycled.

An active environmentalist, Mr de Rothschild founded Adventure Ecology in 2005, an eco-charity intended to raise awareness of the plight of the environment.

He plans to sail down toward Mexico and across the Pacific, stopping off at the island of Kiritimati, formerly known as Christmas Island.

The twin hulls of the boat are made from 12, 500 soft drink and water bottles, filled with dry ice.

Mr de Rothschild spent months collecting empty drinks bottles while building the boat in San Francisco, before it first set sail for a test run in early December 2009.

He will sail along with fellow Brit Jo Royle, who will be the ship’s captain, and six other crew members.

Source [thejc.com]

A recent post on FitSugar noted seven reasons why is makes sense to choose tap water over bottled water.  Here is a clip from that list:

Sipping bottled water has become such a habit for people trying to live healthier — think Jennifer Aniston and her Smartwater ads. Choosing water over sugary sodas is great, but many people think bottled water is healthier than good ol’ water from the tap. And cleaner too. But research has found that is not true. In fact, bottled water could contain more impurities than tap water — that’s not smart at all. Here are seven reasons to skip the bottled water and opt for tap.

1. Tap water is highly regulated. It is regularly checked for traces of E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria. The FDA doesn’t hold the same rules for bottled water.
2. Tap water must be tested for coliform bacteria 100 or more times a month. Bottled water companies are only required to test once a week.

Reasons to Choose Tap Water Over Bottled [via FitSugar]

My previous post offered a few ideas about what to do with old plastic bottles you may have at your workplace or home.  Crafty Reuse has gone a step further, giving us “Ten Projects for Plastic Bottles”.  Here’s one of my favorites:

Re-Nest’s Trend Watch highlights plastic bottle lighting ideas. There are a few that would be easy to do yourself. You can also try drilling small holes into the caps of small water or juice bottles and stringing them on Christmas lights. You can decorate the bottles with paint and sparkly things for some extra pizzazz!

“Ten Projects for Plastic Bottles” [via Crafty Reuse]

Bottled water waste continues to be a major concern for our world.  In 2006, Americans used nearly 50 billion plastic water bottles and sent nearly 38 billion to landfills.  If laid end to end, that’s enough bottles to travel from the Earth to the Moon and back 10 times.

Looking to make an environmentally friendly impact at your office?  Here are 9 ways to reduce plastic bottle waste at your workplace.

1. Initiate a Company-Wide Ban on Single-Use Water Bottles

Imagine a workplace free of plastic bottle waste filling up waste containers.  Encourage your company to consider a  ban on single-use water bottles thus becoming more green and sustainable.    Having trouble getting the management to agree to such an egregious suggestion?  Sell them on the idea that instituting something like this will be great for PR and make your company a bright spot in the green business community.

2. Prominently Display Recycling Containers Throughout Your Facility

Okay.  I get it.  Maybe some companies out there aren’t quite ready for a complete ban on bottles.  Well there’s still hope through recycling.  Did you know that recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space?  Take the initiative to get a company-wide recycling program started by placing recycling containers throughout your office.  Send co-workers memos noting the new containers and why recycling is important.   For a more detailed look at starting an office recycling program, check out Wake County’s Guide to Starting a Recycling Program.

3. Install a Sustainable Water Dispenser

Forget single-use bottled water and start using a sustainable water dispenser to fill up your sports bottle and meet the needs for hydration.  The HydrationStation water dispenser features a touch-free, hygienic interface with built-in filter technology to make tap water taste great.  Water dispensers like the HydrationStation can save your company thousands of dollars on bottled water costs while creating a more eco-friendly work environment.  (more…)