Around The Water Cooler.

The University of Ottawa has become the latest institution to prohibit the sales of bottled water on their campus. The goal is to encourage students, faculty, and staff to become more aware of the problems associated with bottled water and learn about alternatives. To facilitate the change, the campus has invested tens of thousands of dollars in new drinking water fountains, which allow anyone to refill a reusable water bottle (we recommend stainless steel) free of charge.

Another way that institutions such as the University of Ottawa can move beyond bottles is to explore the concept of a bottleless water cooler. Specifically, filtered water coolers are cost effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to bottled office water, namely large 5 gallon water delivery jugs. Learn more about bottleless water coolers on our cooler page here.

If you have a few minutes, it is highly recommend that you listen to a recent interview by Peter Gleick. Mr. Gleick is the author of the book Bottled and Sold, which discusses in detail the bottled water industry, and its associated problems. This interview was interesting and engaging, as the author laid out the four main reasons why Americans currently drink so much bottled water, and explained why these reasons do not justify the practice . Perceived purity is a classic reason for choosing not to drink public water. Now, Mr. Gleick correctly explains that that public water in the USA is almost always safe to drink – however at times the treatment needed to provide safe drinking water can leave unpleasant tastes behind.

Chlorine for example is a classic chemical used to treat municipal water, and certainly leaves undesired tastes behind. For this reason, Blue Reserve utilizes advanced purification systems in our bottleless water coolers which completely remove chlorine and any other compound that will effect taste from your tap water. Our bottleless water coolers allow the office to move away from bottled water, without sacrificing the taste of your water. We allow you to reduce the negative environmental impact associated with bottled water, while simultaneously reducing your costs, all without sacrificing quality. Learn more by browsing our website www.bluereserve.com.

Santa Monica, California has proposed legislation that would prohibit stores such as shopping centers from distributing plastic bags to customers. Meanwhile, the State of California is also considering similar legislation, which is to be voted on this week. Supporters of this ban cite these plastic bags as being a significant source of pollution in local waters, and banning them will help to keep the coastline clean from plastic debris.

Another common source of plastic waste in the oceans are un-recycled plastic water bottles. These are a factor in the ever growing plastic vortex found in the Pacific – this is basically a large swirling mass of plastic that is unable to decompose. In order to combat this waste, Blue Reserve recommends using stainless steel water bottles that offer eco-friendly alternatives to bottled water. Couple this with a bottleless water cooler to eliminate your office delivery of bottled water and you can take great steps to reduce your use of disposable plastics. Learn more at www.bluereserve.com.

A new study has been published in the Environmental Health Perspectives Journal, coming to the conclusion that BPA has the ability to manipulate the levels of hormones in men. Specifically, British researchers have shown that higher levels of BPA exposure lead to increased levels of testosterone in a study of 715 adults. According to the authors, “The results are important because they provide a first report in a large-scale human population of associations between elevated exposure to BPA and alterations in circulating hormone levels.”

One common source of BPA exposure is through the process of drinking bottled water. The chemical has been known to ‘leach’ out of the bottles, especially when exposed to heat and sunlight. This is one reason why Blue Reserve encourages offices to move away from bottled water coolers, and explore a bottleless system. Our systems filter your water, allowing the elimination of the use of plastic water jugs. Learn more at www.bluereserve.com.

The state of California has introduced a bill that if passed would require bottled water companies to report how much water they extract from public sources. As we mentioned yesterday, nearly half of all bottled water sold in the United States comes from a municipal source. Yes, this means there is a 50-50 chance that a bottle of water is nothing more than tap water, yet bears a thousand fold price mark-up.

The bottling of public water sources is a major issue in California, as the state’s aquifers are currently under immense pressure with the growing population and agricultural production. As cities limit the amount of water citizens and farmers can use, it seems odd that bottled water companies are allowed to draw huge amounts of water to sell back to the citizens, realizing enormous profit margins. The bill introduced for discussion would provide more transparency into the industry, and allow consumers and lawmakers alike to understand how much of their municipal water is being bottled and sold. We encourage our readers in California to support this and similar measures to make bottlers more accountable.

USA Today is the latest periodical reporting on the disturbing trend surrounding bottled water – the ever growing share of this product that is nothing more than filtered tap water. Food and Water Watch released a report this August, titled “Bottling Our Cities’ Tap Water.” From 2000 to 2009, the share of bottled water that is simply filtered municipal water climbed from 32.7 percent  to 47.8 percent, according to the report. Keep in mind that these companies are selling their water at thousands of times their cost, a markup seen in very few businesses.

Even more disturbing is the idea that these businesses are receiving their water at a very subsidized rate through municipal systems that are paid for by citizens. Taxpayers pay to maintain their municipal water, bottled water companies then make use of those municipal systems for their own product, and then turnaround and charge incredible markups to the taxpayers that supported the municipal water in the first place. This cycle is not adding value to our country or economy, and it is disturbing that the trend here is increasing.

Blue Reserve encourages consumers to consider alternatives to bottled water. We have advanced purification technology that is able to take the tap water in your building and bring it up to the highest quality drinking water available, for a fraction of the cost of bottled water. With our bottleless water coolers, there is no need anymore for the office to purchase bottled water for its employees. Learn more on our website, www.bluereserve.com.

Tap water falls under the Safe Drinking Act, meaning it must address standards put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bottled water is not included in this act, meaning that it is not regulated by the EPA. So who actually does regulate bottled water, ensuring that this $10.6 billion dollar industry is safe and healthy for consumers? It’s not always easy to tell. The Food and Drug administration officially regulates the bottled water industry, but has trouble even determining the source of water for many major bottlers.  According to a recent article, 10 bottled water brands   contained 38 chemical pollutants including bacteria and carcinogens.

Tap water is safer, but doesn’t always taste better. Point of use water coolers are the perfect solution, purifying tap water through a multi-stage filtration process. Also known as bottleless water coolers, these units provide homes and offices with the highest quality and best tasting water available. Bottleless water coolers offer a product that is higher quality, less expensive, and more environmentally sustainable than bottled water. Go bottleless today!

A recent study found Bisphenol A to be present in 91% of the people it tested. The study tested 5600 Canadians between the ages of 6 and 79, and included both blood and urine testing. Individuals can be exposed to BPA in a variety of ways, most frequently through food and beverage containers. The chemical mimics the effects of estrogen on the body, and can be harmful to the reproductive system.

An easy way to limit BPA exposure is to switch from a 5-gallon bottled water cooler to a point of use, or bottleless, water cooler. In bottled water coolers, BPA is found in the plastic bottle, and can leech into the water being stored within. Bottleless water coolers filter and purify tap water from existing cold water lines before storing the water in a steel basin. The water never comes into contact with polycarbonate plastic, and is never exposed to BPA. Bottleless water coolers further address inefficiencies of bottled water coolers by eliminating costs of delivery and storage, allowing homes and business to save between 20-70% on water costs. To learn more about bottleless water coolers click GO BOTTLELESS!

Cities have begun to privatize their tap water systems in an effort to generate cash flow and avoid budget cuts. The buyers? Often bottled water companies, sparking controversy over the idea of profiting from what many feel is a public right. Emily Wurth, director of Food and Water Watch criticized the ethics of bottled water companies saying, “more and more bottled water is basically the same product that flows from consumer taps, subsidized by taxpayer dollars. It’s then poured into an environmentally destructive package and sold for thousands of times its actual value.” Nestle SA, owner of Poland Springs and other bottled water brands, recently bought a plant in California that will be supplied entirely by Sacramento city tap water. Click here to see other cities who have sold their tap water.

Those looking for an alternative to bottled water are urged to contact Blue Reserve. By providing bottleless water coolers and point of use filtration systems, Blue Reserve offers environmentally friendly solutions for home and office drinking water. Go bottleless to stop supporting bottled water companies, save money, and help the environment. Learn more about bottleless water coolers at www.bluereserve.com

This Thursday, August 19th, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection will hold a hearing on banning bisphenol A from food and beverage containers.  The hearing will take place at the Holiday Inn Ground round in Augusta at 1:00 PM and is open to the public. Last Wednesday, the Toxic Actions Center in Portland released a report compiling 81 different studies, 75 of which linked BPA with health problems.

BPA is especially relevant in the bottled water industry, as it is used to make the 5-gallon water jugs frequently found in homes and offices. People should be wary of consuming water from these jugs, as BPA has the potential to leech into the water from the plastic container. Bottleless water coolers are a safer and healthier alternative to 5-gallon jugs. Made of stainless steel, bottleless water coolers never allow water to come into contact with harmful plastics. Also known as point of use water coolers, they eliminate the hassle and costs of delivery and bottle change, generating monthly savings of 20-70%. Contact Blue Reserve to learn more about bottleless water coolers and point of use filtration systems.