Literally A Post About Reusable Water Bottles

Literally a Post About Reusable Water Bottles

If you are not already on board, than you definitely need to get on board! Reusable water bottles are the future.

There is a saying that goes "plastic never dies." Well technically, while doing research, I found out that it takes about 450 years for a disposable plastic water bottle to biodegrade¹. Even then, plastic doesn't completely decompose, they become micro-plastics which is still dangerous to our environment, if not more.

We, as a society, have an insane consumption of plastic. Plastic is a powerful and useful resource, but I think it's fair to say that we have taken it way too far and have gone overboard. Did you know we are producing over 300 million tons of plastic every year, about half of which is for single-use only². Each year, nearly 8 million tons end up in our oceans². This problem is growing exponentially every year². Only about 10% of all plastic produced gets recycled³ according to numerous sources. We need to take action to reduce our plastic pollution, all it takes is small steps and simple changes that we can incorporate in our daily lives to reduce our intake of plastic, especially the disposable kind. We should question whether we should really be treating this indestructible substance as disposable in the first place.

What are some things we can be doing to help reduce our plastic consumption? Let's ditch the straws, ditch the coffee stirrer, ditch the plastic bottles, cups, and utensils, use reusable bottles and mugs instead, use reusable shopping bags, avoid take out, eat at home or at the restaurant as much as possible, collect garbage and plastic from the ground we come across, recycle all clean plastics that do get used, and just overall reduce our plastic intake and stop consuming plastic wherever we can. I included a couple of infographics at the bottom of this post that provides you with some easy ways to reduce your plastic pollution and how long it takes for different debris to decompose.

Water is our most important resource, we need it for our health, for hydration, and to survive. We should be drinking lots of water every day without leaving such a big carbon footprint behind in our tracks. Behold, the reusable water bottle. I am writing a post about this because I think it's an important message to share considering the massive amount of people still consuming plastic bottles, in numbers, on a daily basis. Worldwide, over 500 billion plastic bottles are used every year². Isn't it ironic how much of the plastic bottles we use for water end up in our ocean waters?

A reusable water bottle that you can take anywhere with you and is easy to keep clean is an essential item to have today. I recommend the insulated stainless steel water bottle because it keeps your water cool, the taste is not affected by the material of the water bottle, and they are very easy to wash.

Drinking water is one of our most valuable resources, it is not simply a commodity, it is essential for life. It literally keeps us alive and vital. We should practice water-wise tactics in our daily lives to reduce the amount of water we are consuming. Some simple water-wise tactics that we can incorporate include taking shorter showers, closing the tap when not in use, use less water when washing our dishes, re-wear our clothes if we can instead of wearing it once and putting it straight into the hamper, use the minimum amount of water needed to wash our clothes, towels, sheets, and so on. We should be conscious about how much water we are using, as well as remember the importance of hydration.

There are many benefits to staying hydrated:

-Drinking water gives us vital nourishment by carrying nutrients and oxygen to the body's cells. -Water keeps our muscles more fluid and relaxed, lubricates the joints, and prevents muscle cramping. -It helps the heart pump blood more effectively.

-It makes us feel more awake. -It helps with digestion. -It lessens stress levels in the body and mind. -Water provides moisture for your body parts and organs to keep them functioning optimally. -It gets rid of toxins and excess salts and minerals through sweat and urine.

A lot of people often forget to drink water throughout the day and suffer from dehydration, whether they realize it or not. I used to be one of them, and then I'd drink a bunch of water at the end of the day to try and make up for it. Having a reusable water bottle with me throughout the day acts as a reminder and provides me the opportunity to stay hydrated, without contributing to the mass societal consumption of plastic and contribution to plastic pollution.

¹ https://futurism.com/plastic-decomposition/ ² https://plasticoceans.org/who-we-are/ ³ https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment/