Reduce plastic bottles in our landfills

Sure, the whole bottled water craze has taken most of America by storm. But even though most of these Americans feel they are doing themselves good by buying crates of bottled water, in reality they are adding to their own carbon footprint and our landfills.

I cringe every time I see someone at one of those bulk food stores coming out with a crate of bottled water. I just want to scream. First off, most of that so called "filtered" water, isn't even filtered. Secondly, most if not all of those bottles in that crate won't go into the recycling bin. Not all Americans recycle. They may say they do, and many states have recycling laws, but in reality, our landfills are teaming with plastic bottles from sodas, fruit drinks, and water.

There are simple ways to reduce your use of plastic bottles.

The best way - REUSE!! Of course you won't want to reuse a typical disposable bottle. They are not dishwasher safe and bacteria and germs can gather rather fast on those bottles. Not the most sanitary container to be reusing.

If you are one of the many Americans watching this season of "The Biggest Loser" on NBC, you have most likely heard of the "Refill Not Landfill" campaign in partnership with Brita. This campaign encourages the use of reusable and washable sports water bottles as well as Brita filters. Not only are you reducing those little 20oz plastic bottles in landfills you are actually drinking filtered water, which you know is filtered unlike the water you buy in the store.

Here's my challenge for the month - Don't buy any drinks from your office vending machine and stop yourself before you buy bottled water at the store. If you already own a Brita filter, use it and just refill a glass or a sports bottle. Track how much money you would have spent on vending machine drinks and bottled water. You may be surprised how much you save.

Find out more about bottled water in our landfills at "Refill Not Landfill"

About the site

As my first post, I just want to explain what this site will entail. I've always dreamed of starting a blog or website where I can share many of the great ways I've found to incorporate organic and green ways of living into my own life. I know there are many resources on the net, but I also know there are alot of ways to go organic/green and some seem so much harder to do than others.

This site is dedicated to the simple everyday changes you can make in your daily life to start or continue down the path to becoming more green. Some of these methods may not be ground breaking or earth shaking but they will be simple for you to implement in your own life. And a great start to reducing your carbon foot print.

Many of these tips will include recipes, new products, & alternatives to items found in your life. I always appreciate comments and suggestions, so as the site rolls on, feel free to tell me what you do in your life to be more organic and green.

I do hope you enjoy.

-Michele