What kind of water drinker are you?
The Britas: People who buy disposable filters for their water pitchers add so much more to the landfills with their disposable plastic filters. Not a good option.
The Coolers: Ok, I admit it, I was a Cooler. I used to have bottled water delivered to my place. Research has shown that plastic harbors millions of germs and basically should never be used for anything, from baby toys to kitchenware, and not only that, the gas emissions from delivering bottled water to millions businesses and households is incredulous. Scratch this.
The BottleLESS Cooler: Definitely a step better than The Coolers. Using the existing water system, filtered by the cooler itself, comes with hot and cold water and so on, just like a Cooler. But it's still in a plastic cooler machine, and we know plastic isn't good. Also, the electricity used up by this cooler is a no-no (it's plugged in 24/7), and the filtration system is also plastic and adds to our landfill. Ditch this option.
The Tap Waters: I applaud this group of people, which include my sister and Sarah Jessica Parker (the poster child of New York tap water). This is actually the best way to go because simply put, we have one of the best tap waters in the world and ironically enough, we consume the most plastic water bottles in the world.But what if you're like me, living in an old apartment building, and you don't trust its pipes. What do we do?
I recommend this lifesaving ceramic crock which costs $169 (expensive, I know...but we're used to the expensive eco-lifestyle, aren't we?). The entire thing is made of ceramic except for the spout and top which is plastic (augghhhh, why not metal like this picture???) and gives off a clay taste for the first few weeks of using this crock, which didn't bother me - but didn't go too well with my brother-in-law's taste buds.
It is filtered by a biodegradable charcoal filter made from coconut shells and a KDF media (what's this? hmm). This removes 95% of chlorine, pesticides, iron, aluminum and lead as well as 99% of cryptsporidium, giardia and sediment. Filter lasts 6 months and costs $59 each (ouch!). Best of all, it requires no electricity and you're not adding anything to the landfill :)
Like Grist cheered, "What a crock!" :)
Click here to read Grist's raving review of this crock...
Great post; thanks. Some other options are: faucet filters (Brita, PUR, etc), more advanced tap filters that sit on the counter or under the counter, and the ultimate: combination filter/reverse osmosis units that go under the counter.
ReplyDeleteCurrently researching; I think this post is worth repeating now with the BpA plastics scare, with additional info and product recommendations. I'm happy to help and collaborate.