Champagne Living blog praises Primo Water dispensers

Zippy, our blogging buddy over at Champagne Living, enjoys the good stuff.

She's an expert on living a lavish lifestyle for less. So, we're thrilled that she gave the Primo Water dispenser the Champagne Living seal of approval.

Why does she love Primo Water? Let us count the ways:

• Primo Water coolers are stylish
• Primo Water coolers help reduce waste
• Primo Water offers easy-to-use bottom-loading coolers
  
• Primo Water tastes great, much better than tap
  

But don't take our word for it. Here's a snippet of what Zippy had to say in her glowing review:

Both Mr. S and I drink a LOT of water. Coming from New England (where we had wonderful natural water) to Florida (where my town water tastes like someone's science experiment) - I found us buying cases of bottled water - 2 cases or more a week. Even though the mansion is "green" (meaning all bottles, etc. get recycled), the impact of using all of these bottles on the environment is just gauche.

We considered a water cooler, but lifting those 5 gallon bottles is a NIGHTMARE. We'd had one in the past and although having an indoor pool is nice, cook got a little upset that we had installed the pool in the kitchen. She found herself having to put on flippers to wade around in the water that was spilled from attempting to flip the bottles upside down.

When Primo Water Coolers approached me about putting one of their new coolers in at the mansion, I was ecstatic. You see, I had done my homework and Primo Water Coolers offer BOTTOM LOADERS. That meant there'd be NO indoor pool for cook to do laps in while she was trying to maneuver around the kitchen...

Oh, and Mr. S. is the PICKIEST water drinker in the world. I swear, he'd send me all over creation to find the ONE water that he likes. HE LOVES PRIMO (making my job so much easier). When they claim "taste perfection" - they got it RIGHT.

And here's the best part. Champagne Living is giving away a free Primo Water dispenser to one lucky reader of her blog. Follow this link to the entry form, and then get a bonus entry by taking the Break Free Pledge and vowing to reduce your consumption of bottled water.

Choosing a Reusable Water Bottle

For all the knocks against single-serve bottled water, it is convenient. That's probably why millions of consumers are still knocking back bottled water, despite the environmental cost of this habit.

Today, there's no excuse for not ditching bottled water. Reusable water bottles to suit every style, lifestyle and budget are widely available.

Here are a few that we like for one reason or another: price, design, size, functionality:

Bean Canteen

We love the groovy look of the Bean Canteen from L.L. Bean, and the sport cap makes for easy on-the-go sipping.

This stainless steel bottle holds 18 ounces and sells for $19.95. It's safe for water, juices and sports drinks.






Kid Kanteen Sippy

It's never too early to become a good steward of the environment.

The toddler-sized kid kanteen sippy from klean kanteen is available in a range of colors. At 12 ounces, it's perfectly sized for little sippers, and the sippy top ensures that moms and dads won't have to waste their energy cleaning up messes.

This stainless steel bottle sells for $17.95 on klean kanteen's Web site.




Klean Kanteen Wide Bottle

Conventional wisdom says adults should drink 64 ounces of water a day. Though there's some debate about how much water we need, it's a fact that most people don't drink enough water daily.

This big bottle solves that problem. Just fill it up in the morning and you're sure to stay hydrated throughout the day.

The klean kanteen wide bottle holds 64 ounces and sells for $32.95





Customizable Sigg

How hip are you?

Reusable water bottles have become fashion statements, and not only because going green is the right thing to do.

The reusable water bottle you carry says a lot about your personality.

While there are literally thousands -- maybe even millions -- of water bottles from which to choose , you can make a more individual statement with a customizable Sigg bottle from Cafe Press.What do you think of ours?

Prices vary, depending on the style and size you choose.

What do you think of ours?

Hello Kitty Retro

Speaking of Sigg, we also like the Sigg Hello Kitty Retro 20-ounce aluminum bottle.

Last week, we wrote about the introduction of Hello Kitty bottled water at 7 Eleven stores in Japan. But this is a Hello Kitty water bottle we can support.

The cost is $21.99






Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp


Here's another one for the preschool set.

The Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp, which is made from #7 plastic, is priced right at $9.25.

According to Nalgene, it's "tough enough to survive being thrown form a moving minivan, spill proof enough to compel parents to blame the rug stains on the dog, and odor proof enough to allow leftover milk to go undetected under the couch for months."



Nalgene On the Go

For adults, there's the Nalgene On the Go.

This 24-ounce, #7 plastic bottle is available in a variety of cool colors. But that's not why we like it. It's the one-handed, flip-top cap that we like. No fumbling with bottle tops when you just gotta have a drink.

The price is nice, too, at $11.99.





Laken Prisma Bottle

It's all about the design with the Laken Prisma Bottle with the Grolsch top.

There's something so old-school about this bottle's look. And the Grolsch top reminds us of a bottle of pure maple syrup. Crazy, right?

The price is up there: $33.95 for the 1 liter aluminum bottle at ReusableBags.com.



thinksport Thermal Bottle

The thinksport Thermal Bottle is a much cooler version of a Thermos. (No offense to the good folks at Thermos.)

With its attached top, the .75 liter stainless steel bottle is perfect for the gym, biking or when you're on the go.

It sells for $19.95 at ReusableBags.com.





Gaiam Love Bird Bottle

This is what's in my gym bag at the moment.

The design of the Gaiam Love Bird Bottle is a bit reminiscent of Woodstock. Peace, love, break free. That has a nice ring, doesn't it?

Seriously, though, this 25-ounce bottle fits perfectly in the car cupholder as well as on the elliptical machine. The mouth is the same size as a plastic water bottle, which makes sipping easy and not messy.

And the price was right: $12.99 at Target.

Educated Yourself: How safe is your tap water?

Find out what the EPA says about the safety of tap water in your area.

Photo by jenny downing, licensed under Creative Commons

Bottled water's role in pollution

NorthJersey.com has an informative article that talks about how bottled water is a huge pollutant.

While we don't agree writer's conclusion that drinking tap water is the only option that consumers who want to green their lifestyle have, the article makes some great points about how environmentally irresponsible bottled water consumption is:

• An estimated 17 million barrels of oil were used to make plastic water bottles in 2006, producing 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
• Energy is also consumed to fill, transport, refrigerate, and dispose of all these bottles.
• Worldwide bottling of water uses about 2.7 million tons of plastic each year.
  

Wordless Wednesday: Rampant Consumption

Photo by klynslis, licensed under Creative Commons

Presence of chlorides raises questions about tap water safety in Missouri

The Missourian reports today that chloride has been detected in water supply wells that supply drinking water to residents of Columbia, Mo.

What does that mean, exactly?

While the chlorides themselves aren't harmful, according to city officials, their presence in the water supply means that treated wastewater is finding its way back into the city's water supplies. That is raising concerns that "other potentially harmful contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and other household chemicals, could stay circulating in the water supply," according to the newspaper.

It's interesting to note that despite these problems, Columbia's water is "safe" by EPA standards. The city is not currently in violation of any EPA standards for clean water or water quality, though it has been in the past.

The problem could get worse if the city follows through on its plans to place a new well near four others where chloride levels are at their highest

Wisconsin school with toxic water switches to water coolers to keep kids safe

Numerous recent media reports, including this one from TMJ4 in Milwaukee, have uncovered toxic drinking water at schools.

After potentially harmful arsenic was detected in the school's well water, well in excess of EPA standards, Lakeview Elementary school switched from tap to water coolers to keep kids safe.

Those coolers are fun for students, but more importantly, they're the only source of clean water at Lakeview.

Arsenic has been linked to bladder and lung cancer and diabetes. But until 2006, the EPA didn't regulate school's water systems for arsenic, according to TMJ4's report.