One Small Thing : Bottled Water
Last month I shared the first post in a challenge my friend Susan, from House of Brinson, started. We’re calling it “One Small Thing”, and each month myself along with a talented bunch of blogging friends have vowed to share one tiny thing we’re changing to better our health, wellness, sustainability, or the environment. Last month, I shared my coveted sugar scrub recipe for healthy skin. This month, I tackled a topic I’m admittedly embarrassed to share. As I mentioned last time, I’m honestly (and obviously) not the most “green” or perfect person on the planet. Sure- I recycle and try to do my best when it comes to the environment, but I vowed to make a conscious effort to do better… so that’s exactly what I’m doing. Even if that means sharing a dirty little secret, so here it goes: Emmett and I have been known to purchase bottled water. We have our everyday reusable water bottles, which we use most of the time, but every once in awhile we find ourselves sneaking into old habits or buying plastic bottled water out of convenience (for trips, parties, etc). I know, I know… it’s the worst of the worst. I’m happy to admit, those days are done and we’re committed to doing our part. Click through to read about how we made the change and a couple products we’ve found that are equally as convenient, if not more…
By implementing one tiny thing each month, it can make a big difference. I want to be healthier, live better, and make sustainable choices- even if it’s just a little bit at a time. This small thing was a BIG deal for us. There was something about having bottled water in the basement beverage refrigerator that made us feel “ready” for guests or spontaneous trips. It’s also something I grew up with. My parents always had a fridge stocked full of bottled water. It was just something we always had on hand. We could hand them out if friends & family needed a water, could send a bottle with someone as they were leaving, or toss a few into a cooler as we headed out the door on road trips. It was just too easy to grab the giant case from Costco every few months to keep our fridge stocked. It was also something Emmett and I both hated doing, yet still continued to do. Call it habit, call it routine, call it convenience… whatever you call it, we both knew we needed a solution to remedy our plastic water bottle consumption. After all, we live in UTAH- the prettiest place for outdoor lovers like ourselves. We owed it to our environment to do better, even if we were late in the game.
However, I knew to fully commit without turning back like we have done in the past, I needed to solve some key problems:
- Our tap water tastes terrible and we both find filters annoying.
- We love having the option to grab bottles from the fridge in a pinch- or when hosting. We also both prefer to drink water from a bottle rather than a glass or cup
- We needed something that wasn’t time consuming (like refilling a pitcher every single day).
It was actually after my trip to makeover Laurie Anne’s bedroom in Phoenix that I found the obvious solution tucked away in her garage, of all places. She and her husband have a water dispenser and I loved the fact that you could get delicious hot OR cold water from it. Problem one… solved! We needed a water dispenser. I landed on this one upon arriving home and really love it! You can get water that is room temperature, cold, or hot. It is also a sleek, decent looking model. Although someday, we plan to make a little built-in to house the dispenser to live inside, it’s great as-is for the time being.
The next problem was the bottle issue. We had delicious tasting water (of all temperatures) that was eco friendly, but the convenience factor totally went out the window. I’m kind of a germaphobe and using the same water bottle day-after-day without washing it grosses me out. I also have a habit of leaving bottles all around (my car, my nightstand, the basement, my office, etc). I turned to Amazon for help. I ended up finding the BEST glass water bottles that look great, are dishwasher-safe, and gave us back the convenience of “bottled water” without plastic. Problem two… solved!
The last problem to solve was the amount of time we had to fill / mess with the water situation. Having lived with our current setup for a few months now, I’m happy to report- things are going well and we’re probably saving time when it comes to staying hydrated. We buy three 5-gallon jugs once a month when we grocery shop, and return the empty ones to be refilled. I run the glass bottles through the dishwasher as needed, and refilling them only takes a second. Problem three… solved!
Things I really like about our new water system? Honestly, a lot!
- First, it’s MUCH better for the environment. That’s the big win.
- It’s quick and easy.
- We still have the convenience of bottled water.
- It’s inexpensive.
- The bottles are pretty enough to leave around the house without annoying me (because let’s face it- that always happens).
- Grabbing pre-filled bottles on the go is still an option.
- It’s healthier to drink.
- It’s a time saver.
Alright… truth time! Am I the only one who was still buying plastic bottled water? I definitely have no room to shame anyone, nor would I ever want to. I’m honestly just curious and am feeling inspired to help friends and family make the switch. My mom is the biggest plastic bottled water consumer ever, and I’m making it my personal goal to convince her to switch up her routine. I’m hoping this will inspire some of you to do the same if you’re on the plastic water bottle train too. Even if a handful of us make the switch, think of how much less plastic we’d use. Again- no judgement here… I just felt compelled to share our own personal journey with this matter because I think it’s more common than most people think!
I’d like to challenge you to do the same this fall! I’m also ears for more ways we can cut our plastic consumption. I’m linking what everyone else is doing this month to be more health & environmentally conscious below. Definitely check them out!
- Deeply Southern Home // Simple Attainable Ways to Reduce Waste at Home
- Domicile 37 // Saving The World Through Thrifting
- House 214 Design // Simple Mason Jar Project
- House of Brinson // One Small Thing : Soap
- Jojotastic // 8 Ethical, Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Hand Bags
- Park and Divison // Two Ways Our Garden Helps Us Reduce Waste
- Up to Date Interiors // A Simple Way to Love Your House with What You Have
- Vestige Home // Bringing Yoga Into Our Workday
