Tap water? Not me. But what's the alternative?

Knowing I'm not a fan of individual plastic water bottles, people often ask me what I drink. Just because I generally will not buy a bottle of water, doesn't mean I've resorted to drinking chemically-laden tap water. God forbid!

Photo by Maliz Ong

In my home, we have two alternatives to tap water. One is my wonderful water cooler in the hallway right outside my second story office. My husband bought this for me for Christmas 2011 and I cannot tell you how much I love it! The 5-gallon water bottles are refillable and cost less than $7 to refill. My Energy Star water cooler has hot, cold and room temperature faucets. In order to save on my electric bill, I only turn on the water heater when I'm planning on making tea. I also have a small 4 cup coffee maker beside the water cooler, so I can make coffee with spring water whenever I want, or need, it. As there are generally 3 gallons of water in a case of 24 bottles, the financial cost is a bit lower to use the water cooler over time. However, the environmental impact is huge. I strongly recommend this route in lieu of buying cases of water. The only times I will buy a bottle of water, is if I am out somewhere, do not have a clean reusable bottle with me, and my only choices are soda or water, or if I am in a hotel or B&B in a different town/state and do not want to chance drinking the water. So, you see, I'm not saying you should never buy a bottle of water. But I do believe it is unnecessary to buy bottled water to drink at home. In my opinion, that is incredibly wasteful and environmentally irresponsible.

In addition to my upstairs water cooler, I also have a refrigerator on the first floor that serves chilled filtered water and ice right on the outside of the freezer door. This is not only convenient, it also prevents us from having to use tap water for cooking and drinking. So, if you are in the market for a new refrigerator, I highly recommend buying an Energy Star model that has this feature.

Filters come in different sizes, shapes, makes and models. And they all tend to filter out different impurities, so you want to research the filters before you buy them. Originally, I was going to Kmart or Sears and picking up the filter for my Kenmore refrigerator for $55. I didn't know any better. Then a friend told me about a website where I could buy other brands that would fit my Kenmore. Who knew? Of course, you have to search for the right filter to fit your particular brand of refrigerator, whether you're looking for a Whirlpool PUR, Maytag AquaFresh, Frigidaire Puresource water filter, or any other brand. Just make sure the filter fits your particular make and model of refrigerator and shop around. You might be surprised at the money you'll save.

Of course, if neither option works for your budget right now, there's always the Brita or PUR filtered water pitchers. Of the two, I recommend the Brita simply because the Brita water filters are recyclable and the PUR filters are not. 

I hope I answered your questions. If not, feel free to ask more. You can email me or comment below. 

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