We are currently in the process of refining our program of providing reusable bottles for school fundraisers.  It’s something that we’re really excited about and several variations of the program have been very well received on a local level.  In addition to being able to raise money for schools and green projects, it’s a great way to raise awareness of the growing problem that the disposable bottles create.

Personalizing the bottles with names is especially smart - no lost bottles for your little ones or mix-ups on the team!

I thought I’d share the latest ad that we’ve used in a swim meet program. We can do something for your school or team, as well!   We were lucky enough to find an extremely creative local advertising pro/artist/swim dad to come up with the ad.  Check out his fantastic website where he sells very hip and funny portraits.

New Ad for School Swim Team

Oregon becomes the first state to update it’s bottle law to include bottled water!  The new law takes effect on January first when anyone who purchases water in disposable containers will have to pay a 5 cent deposit to the store.  As with other bottle bills, stores will only have to redeem deposits on brands that they carry.

It’s time we all step up and push our legislators to make changes in our states.  Disposable plastic water bottles and sport drink bottles are an unneccessary load on our landfills and along our roadsides.

Congratulations, Oregon!

A great John Stossel report that compares NYC tap water with 5 bottled waters, ranging from Evian to the Kmart brand.  It’s really surprising to hear how “unsafe” people believe their water is.  If they really feel that way, wouldn’t it make more sense to buy a simple filter?  They’d save money and eliminate the possibility of any leaching.  Do they realize that 25% of bottled water is just tap water anyway? Check out the 20/20 Bottled Water Taste Test

Washington University in St. Louis is cutting sales of disposable plastic water on campus.

“It costs society a lot more in energy and expense to bottle water than to have students head for the nearest hallway drinking fountain,” said Mat Malten, Washington University’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability.

Coca-Cola, maker of Dasani, will stop selling bottled water in almost all campus locations by the end of the fall semester.  A few locations will continue to carry the bottled water until next spring due to contractual obligations.

In an email interview with the Central Florida Future.com, Malten said “We estimated that, for the same amount of bottled water we purchased last year (more than $100,000), the cost of the same volume of tap water would have been less than $50.00.

Kudos to Matt Malten and Washington University for their common sense!!!

Rodin's Thinker understands the impact of a small, mindful choice!

Being mindful of our actions is something that I try to impress upon my kids. But it’s not just being mindful about the big things.  Small changes can add up to a huge difference.  If you’ve been buying one case of 1/2 Liter disposables for $6.00 a week, by switching to a reusable water bottle from H2Ox2.com, you would have…

Saved yourself $312.00. (I didn’t add in the 31 cents that the same amount tap water you would have   to pay for!)  If you don’t like your water, that will pay for a $118.00 filter and leave you lots of extra!

Saved 156 liters of oil! It takes 1/4 of a bottles volume in oil to produce it.

Saved at least 624 liters of water! To produce these bottles, estimates are that it takes between 2 and 3 times their volume in water waste.

Made a great choice - to deny our evergrowing landfills of more plastic waste.

Made a great choice to have one less bottle recycled!  While we support recycling, the better choice is to REDUCE!  Remember, they aren’t made into more plastic bottles…why do you think fleece is so cheap?

Think about it…Living a mindful life can be very inspiring.  It doesn’t take a huge change to make a huge difference.

The ecological impact that disposable PET bottles have on our environment is pretty simple and widespread.  The economical impact that giving up the disposables can bring is fantastic.  Did you know that bottled water costs about 1,000 times more than tap water and is not as well regulated.  Don’t like your tap water?  Buy an inexpensive filter.  It doesn’t take too many trips to Costco to stock up on bottled water to pay for a new filter.

For each gallon of water that’s bottled, estimates are that it takes an extra two bottles to process it.  So, it’s wasting money and water.  Top that with the amount of oil it takes to produce and distribute water bottles and you’d use enough to fuel 1 million cars in our country for a year.  Oh, and their production creates of 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.

Anyway you look at it, it just doesn’t add up.  Convenient and trendy - but certainly not fiscally or environmentally responsible.

Take the Pledge to Break the Bottled Water Habit.

I pledge to Break the Bottled Water Habit by Thinking Outside the Bottle and using a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water. I also pledge to support the efforts of local officials to stop spending public funds on bottled water and prioritize strong public water systems over bottled water profits.

Check out the Break the Bottled Habit website for useful tips and information to make your switch to reusable bottles even easier as well as even more reasons to stop buying them. Click here for your link.

Take a few minutes to make yourself heard.  We’ll give you 10% off of the bottle of your choice throughout October if you do Break the Bottle Habit! Just send us a comment and let us know you’ve done it and we’ll send you the coupon code!

Roadside Trash

Each day I take a walk and each day I’m confronted with an endless stream of water bottles, fruit juice bottles, and sports drink bottles littering the sides of the road and along the sidewalks.  The interesting thing about it is that, here in Michigan, I hardly ever see a soda - or, as we say “Pop” - bottle or can on the side of the road.  That’s because we have a 10 cent deposit law that works.  Over 90% of all beverage containers included under this law are returned for a refund.  Is it a royal pain in the neck?  You bet - but the results can be easily measured by the kind of trash we see by the road in Michigan.

According to the Beverage Industry website, sports drink sales were up 19.1% this year over last accounting for over 1.5 BILLION dollars in sales.  Although I’ve been hearing that bottled water sales are flattening, their sales for 2007 were up 6.9% over the year before - that stat is courtesy of Fine Waters - The Water Connoisseur website. (Huh? Yes, it’s for real.)  They also add that pop sales are declining.

So, what do we do?  Here in Michigan, we push for a deposit on ALL drinks - not just carbonated ones.  I would urge anyone not familiar with the success we’ve had with our “Bottle Bill” to read about it and investigate what you can do in your own state.  Check out The Bottle Bill Resource Guide and start taking action.

Are you concerned about the effect of disposable plastic on our environment?  Does the amount of oil that we’re wasting to produce them bother you?  Are you trying to save money?  Is it a fashion statement?

Tell us why you’re using a reusable bottle and get 10% off of your order this week.  (Offer ends September 22, 2008)

Our shipments today included reusable bottles to Hawaii and Alaska.  It really made me stop and think about what this means to us at H2Ox2.com.  Several things came to mind as to why I see people buying reusable bottles.

First and foremost, the issue of getting rid of all of the unnecessary plastic disposables and the drain on our natural resources is a growing.  Every person that carries a reusable bottle is sending a message - people notice my bottles and ask me questions every day about why I carry them.  (Sometimes they get more of an answer than they bargain for…but I’m working on that!)

It’s also very fashionable to be on the cutting edge of a trend - especially when you have such a great reason to show your concern for our earth - and yourself!

It’s ECONOMICAL!  If you stop spending $5.00 a week on disposable water bottles, you could buy yourself a nice new reusable metal bottle within a month.  (And help the environment!)

So, THANK YOU to everyone who has helped get H2Ox2.com off the ground by making the choice to purchase one of our bottles that we’re so proud to sell.   We’d love for you to share your reasons for carrying a reusable water bottle - and your experience of shopping with H2Ox2.com.

Share your reasons on our blog this week and we’ll give you 10%  off the item of your choice!  (Offer ends 9/15/08)

It’s official!  The hottest new accessory in school this fall is a reusable water bottle.  And the best news for parents is that the Colored Klean Kanteens are here -  and they’re dishwasher safe! (Tested by me this afternoon!)

The wide mouth allows for ice, easy cleaning - and best of all, spill-free refills for little hands!   Check out all the new colors at H2Ox2.com.  We can have your students carrying the newest accessory next week!