Water & Air – Filter Systems News

You may recall a series we did last year on “eco-friendly” bottled water. It appears that PepsiCo and Evian have both jumped on that bandwagon. Evian has introduced a lighter-weight bottle, made with 50 percent recycled PET, and containing 11 percent plastic, that is still 100 percent recyclable. We know that’s a lot of percentages, so let us break it down for you this way: Evian is trying to be more evnironmentally sustainable with their bottled water packaging. The bottle is even easier to crush, as demonstrated by their TV commercial, which means it takes up less space in your recycle bin or trash can  (leaving room for more bottles – amounting to just as much plastic as you’d get with their former bottle design.)

Evian’s bottle came out a week after PepsiCo announced plans to release the first-ever PET bottle made from 100 percent plant materials, including switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. The bottle is also fully recyclable.

While we commend the bottled water industry for their efforts to appeal to a broader audience of people, we stand by our original claim, which is also the claim of most environmentalists who just aren’t “buying it” (pun intended.) Whether the bottle is recyclable or not, the fact remains that most bottles are not actually recycled. And whether it’s packaged in plastic or corn husks, many bottled waters are nothing more than filtered tap water, which you can get at home for a fraction of the price. Pepsi has even admitted that their Aquafina water is municipally sourced. In short, as a recent guest star in our youtube film, “Bottled Water Dummy,” demonstrates, bottled water is a waste of money.  We all know what EVIAN spells backwards…

We suggest you invest in water filters, which are a much more sustainable and cost-effective solution.

Bottled rainwater is a growing trend among avid premium bottled water consumers. On Saturday, February 26, six bottled rainwaters will compete in the award-winning Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition: Richard’s Rainwater, Oregon Rain, Texas Rain, Tasmanian Rain, SparkleTap and Rainwater Management Solutions. These six will be among over 100 bottled waters from around the globe. Since it is a bottled water “tasting” competition, I can’t predict who the winner will be because I don’t drink bottled water, but if the contest also took into account the sustainability of the process by which these waters are bottled, supposedly these six would be at the top.

That’s because bottled rainwater is supposed to be a “greener” alternative to other bottled waters. Rainwater harvesting is highly eco-friendly and has a lower carbon footprint than the processes used by conventional water bottlers. Rainwater catchments involve minimal processing. Rainwater is already pretty clean and does not require the complex filtration that chemically-treated water requires. Not to mention, many of these bottled rainwaters use eco-friendly packaging in the form of recyclable glass or biodegradable plastic. Tasmanian Rain even has an offsetting agreement with Elementree – an Australian company that plants trees based on the bottler’s water shipments and overall emissions.

But is bottled rainwater really greener? Even if it is greener, I don’t know that you could say it’s “green.” And I still think it’s got a long way to go to compete with filtered tap water. Putting something natural and eco-friendly inside of a plastic container (even if it is “biodegradable” plastic) just seems a little… ironic. Plus, not everyone can afford to purchase this water. It is, after all, more expensive than your average Deer Park.

What do you guys think?

No need to visit the tropics to indulge your craving for coconuts – this fruit is now a part of the multi-billion dollar bottled water industry. And, like many other brands of bottled water, it even has quite a few celebrity endorsements. Touted as the natural alternative to sports drinks like Gatorade, coconut water comes from the center of young, green coconuts, and is said to be healthy, fat-free and hydrating after a long work out. At least, that’s what the bottling manufacturers would have you believe…

Before you pay $2-3 for 11 ounces of this “miracle” drink, you may want to investigate its worth. Coconut water’s biggest claim is that it’s high in potassium and low in sodium, a combination, which nutritionists say are not ideal after a strenuous workout. ZICO, one brand of coconut water, advertises  with pictures of runners, hikers and mountain bikers on its website. However, as we’ve seen in the past, bottled water manufacturers are very clever when it comes to advertising. Pictures like this, along with multiple  celebrity endorsements, appeal to the majority of people in America. Some brands have even “gone green” by packaging the water in the supposedly “eco-friendly” Tetrapak bottles. Smart move, seeing as how environmentalism is a hot topic these days. But is this just more greenwash? Is coconut water really better than your average sports drink in terms of health? Better yet, is it a good substitute for pure, filtered water?

Coconut water is very popular in foreign countries like Brazil. If this drink really is as good as they say it is, then we’re supporting, yet again, the bottled water industry’s scheme to take good water from people who really need it, waste massive amounts of energy to bottle it up and ship it to the U.S. so that those of us who already have access to clean water can drink it instead. Does that sound like a good idea to you?

Thanks to students, Brian Boler, Andy Whitaker and Reid Schilperoort, we can now officially say goodbye to vending machines full of plastic bottles. This team of entrepreneurs has managed to make reusable water bottles even more convenient with their recent class-project-turned-business-venture:

Ecowell. A vending kiosk that dispenses hot, cold or carbonated water with a choice of over 20 fruit juice flavors, two sweeteners and five vitamin supplements. This eco-friendly alternative to vending machines allows you to create your own beverage, dispensing it straight into your own reusable Klean Kanteen. None of the fruit juice flavors contain high fructose corn syrup, and the kiosk can dispense any combination of flavors, light or full, depending on your preference. Both of these features allow you to create a healthier beverage than those which are normally available in standard vending machines. Moreover, with Ecowell’s convenient Tap-Tag system, patrons can create an account right at the kiosk and use their Tap-Tag to select and pay for their drinks at each visit. Ecowell is a great invention for office buildings and schools where bottled water and soda are consumed on a regular basis.

Beverages ordered and filled at the Ecowell kiosk are less expensive than the average bottle of water, juice or soda purchased from a conventional vending machine. A 16-oz. cold glass of purified water is $0.55. Add three fruit flavors and pay only $1.50. Considering that a Vitamin Water is usually at least $1.75, and a Snapple beverage can cost around $2.50, students and workers are getting a great deal for a customized, healthy, eco-friendly beverage. For example, instead of buying a Focus Kiwi-Strawberry Vitamin Water, you can simply create your own mix of fruit-flavored water and add the “StudyBoost” vitamin supplement for added focus and retention.

Ecowell truly leaves the consumer with no excuses to drink bottled water. At home, you can make your own flavored water with the PUR flavor options pitcher or PUR faucet mount with flavor options. With the Ecowell kiosk, now you can make your own flavored water and even soda. This new invention might just make more schools consider banning bottled water.

The family of a woman in Central Indiana who died when a 4,100 pound pallet of bottled water fell on her at a Kroger store is suing Nestle Waters, arguing that the reason for the accident lies in the water bottles’ “eco-shape” design.  According to the family, these bottles use less plastic, and therefore, can’t support as much weight as previous bottles.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of bottled water, and Nestle’s motives behind this supposed “eco-friendly” water bottle design are questionable (is this simply more green washing to boost profit?) But this might just be good enough to make it onto the list of the “10 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of All Time.” Right up there with the one that started it all… (how dare McDonald’s serve hot coffee without a warning label?!? And how dare Nestle serve water in a bottle that might be better for the environment!) Apparently, “Nestle Waters didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.” Honestly, though Nestle might be among the worst corporations of 2010, and although they might fully deserve to be sued, I can’t say I blame them.

Bottled water is clearly dangerous, on multiple levels. But manufacturing bottles with more plastic is not the solution, as it only leads to a worse fate for our planet – and the billions of people living on it. This incident is just one of several recent incidents which underscore the dangers of bottled water -  providing even more incentive to drop the bottled water habit, altogether.

Clearwater Manufacturing, a company in Huntersville, NC has created a mini-water bottling machine that sanitizes, fills and caps aluminum and glass bottles on site. The company plans to lease or sell the machines to hospitals, universities, companies, military bases, theme parks and cruise lines.

The invention, which is called the Boomerang Water Bottling System, makes six bottles a minute. The bottles can be kept as souvenirs or returned and reused. This eco-friendly solution eliminates the need for trucks to deliver bottled water, cutting down on vehicle emissions. Obtaining a fresh bottle of water is as simple as pressing the start button: first, bottles are disinfected, rinsed and drained; then FDA-approved municipal tap water is filtered through a series of processes and used to fill the bottles; special caps are sanitized and pressed onto the bottles which are then ready to be displayed for sale. All of this occurs on-site, inside of a  machine that is no bigger than a commercial-sized ice maker.

The name “Boomerang” indicates that the return and reuse of bottles is the overall goal, and so far it has been relatively successful. This is more than we can say for the recycling of plastic water bottles. Perhaps one day these machines will be able to bottle soda and other flavored drinks on-site, eliminating the need for the manufacturing and transport of plastic bottled drinks altogether. Look out Coca-Cola. Clearwater is on a mission to save the planet!

In case you haven’t been keeping up, here’s a quick recap.  In part one of this series on eco-friendly bottled water, we introduced several bottles made with bioplastic.  In part two, the paper bottle was born.  Here, we discuss the environmentally friendly-er PET plastic bottle. Yes, it does exist, though these last three may be a bit harder to swallow.

Nestle

PureLife Brand Purified Water, Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water and Poland Spring Brand Natural Spring Water are made with 30 percent less plastic than other comparably-sized plastic beverage bottles.  The label is one third-smaller and its eco-shape design makes it flexible, lighter and easier to crush for recycling.  Clearly, Nestle is embracing the concept “less is more,” but I’m not sure it’s really working.  They might need to eliminate plastic altogether if they want to catch up with their competitors.

Coca-Cola

Nestle isn’t the only company desperate to save its brand from environmental fury.  Coca-Cola followed suit with its Dasani PlantBottle – made with up to 30 percent plant materials, it is 100 percent recyclable and renewable.  Nice job, Coke.  Perhaps your efforts to go green will take some of the attention off of the fact that your water is municipally-sourced and a waste of most peoples’ hard-earned cash.

Aquamantra

Aquamantra’s ENSO bottle is the first biodegradable PET plastic bottle on the market. Both landfill and compost biodegradation completes in one to five years, depending on the environment’s microbial levels. Better than traditional plastic, but still – up to five years? Why not just eliminate waste altogether?

Part one of this series on “eco-friendly” bottled water introduced you to bioplastics.  We now continue with paper.  Drink up.  And don’t forget to plant a tree when you’re done.

Paper Bottle

Design firm, Brand Image has created the 360 bottle – a disposable water bottle made out of recyclable paper.  With a one-of-a-kind design, this bottle is likely to attract consumers, but is less likely to find its way into a recycling bin after use – making it just as wasteful as recyclable plastic.

h20 :: Natural Spring Water

“Save the planet one drink at a time…” One writer calls this “greenwashed nonsense,” and I might have to agree.  h20 is packaged in a carton that is “mostly paper,” but that contains aluminum, plastic, and other materials that make it very difficult to recycle.  Although its rectangular shape makes transporting more efficient and saves energy, this product still contributes to environmental degradation in ways that filtered tap water in a reusable stainless steel bottle simply wouldn’t.

Boxed Water

Similar to the h20 brand, 76 percent of the Boxed Water container is made from a renewable resource – trees.  Again, because the packages can be flattened and shipped to fillers, transporting Boxed Water is much more efficient than transporting plastic or glass bottles.  But is Boxed Water Really Better? The company claims that it will give ten percent of its profits to world water relief foundations, and another ten percent to reforestation efforts.  These practices have yet to be officially implemented since the inception of the Boxed Water brand in 2008 – but according to the website, they “can’t wait to start giving!”  And, is ten percent really enough to recover all of the losses from the deforestation required by the manufacturing of this product?  Nice try, Boxed Water, but at this point, my vote still goes to the reusable stainless steel container – it’s just as convenient, less costly, and less wasteful.

Ever heard the phrase, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?” Well, we couldn’t think of a truly original topic to blog about this Earth Day. For the last forty years, people have talked about Earth Day and ways to preserve our planet. In the Internet age, it’s even tougher to think of something truly unique, truly mindblowing.

So rather than telling you once more to purchase a water filter to filter your tap water and a reusable water bottle to carry it with (which is astonishingly good advice), we figured we’d point you to some writers who have provided an interesting, fresh take this Earth Day.In no particular order are a few blogs that made quite an impression on us. The first, from the Huffington Post, especially had us thinking green blue. 

Is Blue the new Green?

The folks over at the Huffington Post think so, and they give nine reasons — each accompanied by a breathtaking photo – that Earth day is as much about our planet’s water as it is our greenery. Gazelle Emami at the Huffington Post explains why we need to “Go Blue,” too:

“Earth is often seen as synonymous with land, but our planet is overwhelming dominated by water. Which is why this Earth Day, we’re going blue. Taking care of our oceans and other sources of water is critical to sustaining our planet, but the attention they get often doesn’t reflect that. While 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, 95 percent of the oceans have not even been explored. We’re taking a look at nine reasons why water and the life within it is vital to life on Earth, and how celebrating the earth means celebrating our most precious resource — water.”

Eco-friendly Bottled Water

Jill Fehrenbacher of Inhabit wrote about the Top Five Dumbest Greenwashed Earth Day Gimmicks. First on her list were “eco-shaped water bottles,” which the manufacturer Poland Springs touted as using 30% less plastic. Be that as it may, Fehrenbacher is quick to point out the hypocrisy involved in putting tap water into “eco-friendly” bottles.

Water for People

If you pledge to Save Your Water this Earth Day, UL Worldwide has promised to donate a dollar to Water for People, a program that helps bring clean water to some of the places on Earth that need it most.  

Blue Link Bonanza

Oceana, the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation, published an Earth Day Blue Link Bonanza. The link bonanza included several links to celebrate Earth Day through water, including links to senators and suggestions to tell them to stop ocean acidification and offshore drilling.