The importance of recycling and taking care of our planet has never been more prominent. Our landfills are quickly piling up with materials that simply won’t break down. “GOTTA GET GREEN” is FIVA’s mission in doing our part to help out the planet. Fiva uses all-natural, minimally processed products as well as recycled packaging and 100% biodegradable packing peanuts to aid in waste reduction. Although it is difficult to completely rule out products that are harmful to the environment, we are trying to reduce our footprint on the earth. To help in our mission, when hydrating your body (hopefully with FIVA), please use an environmentally friendly, non-disposable container! If a water bottle is a must…. please recycle!

Americans consumed over 8 billion gallons of bottled water in 2006, which means that literally billions of plastic bottles are tossed onto beaches and roadsides and are filling our landfills, where they could be around for thousands of years. If we continue at this pace, we could soon blanket the earth in a sea plastic.

Recycling isn’t the only important thing about plastic water bottles. Research has shown that bottled water isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. More money is spent on bottled water than gasoline, which is outrageous. The thought of consuming bottled water instead of tap water to avoid the chemicals contained within seems like a great idea; however, studies have shown that most bottled water comes from a public source, just like your faucet.

The argument is not necessarily tap vs. bottled; it is about the waste and the nutrients. Studies on bottled water have shown bacteria or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens, in approximately one third of the brands of bottled water. Also, chemicals such as phthalates were found in some bottled water. This is a chemical that makes plastics softer, but acts as an endocrine disrupter which mimics or blocks hormones. The consumption of too many of these chemicals could be extremely harmful to the body. Scientists have also stated that plastic bottles, when stored in warm temperatures may leach chemicals from the plastic into the contents. Leaving water bottles in cars, or in bags stored in warm places for long periods of time is not a good idea. Also, try to avoid reusing old plastic water bottles as the chemicals from the bottle may still leach into the water.

The obvious advantage of tap water over bottled water is that tap water is significantly cheaper, if not free. Also, tap water may be fluoridated in your area, but bottled water generally isn’t. Tap water is tested frequently by city municipal districts, and held to strict federal and state standards for purity. Though rigorously tested for safety, there are places where the tap water is still not appealing due to an off taste, appearance or even smell. You may want to consider buying a water filter for your faucet or having a local, reputable water distributor deliver fresh spring or filtered water to your home or office. Make sure that you find out the source of the water being delivered. Also, many grocery stores have machines that dispense filtered tap water for a minimal cost per gallon.

(Some stats taken from readers digest. Issue 2/08. www.rd.com)