Take bottled water, for example. It’s a common misconception that bottled water is safer than tap, plastic bottles get recycled, and no harm is being done to the environment in the bottling process.

So why do we still buy bottled water? Because we’re busy and it’s convenient. How tempting is it to load the mini van full of bottled water bounty with a quick trip to the store? Pretty tempting. But what are the consequences?

Bottled water takes a toll on the environment, not to mention your wallet, and even poses health risks. Here are some reasons why you should kick the bottle habit:

- As much as 40 percent of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is just filtered tap water anyway. If it says “from a municipal source” or “community water system”, it’s just filtered tap water.

- Tap water costs about $0.002 per gallon compared to the $0.89 to $8.26 per gallon charge for bottled water.

- 88 percent of empty plastic water bottles in the United States are not recycled. The Container Recycling Institute says that plastic water bottles are disposed of (not recycled) at the rate of 30 million a day.

- Plastic bottles can leach chemicals into the water if left in the sun, heated up, or reused several times.

So what’s a busy mom with a carload of thirsty kiddos on the way to [insert extracurricular here] to do? We’ve rounded up a few tips to help you keep your family hydrated and to go green without going crazy.

Your secret weapon? An under-the-sink filtration system. They hook into your water line and provide an unlimited supply of fresh water for drinking and cooking. It’ll remove chlorine, lead, and other hazardous impurities found in your municipal water supply, and on average, will cost you just 38 cents a day.

The next step in becoming bottle free is swapping out disposable water bottles for more sustainable choices. Next time you’re thirsty, reach for a glass or a reusable bottle like Lifefactory.

And don’t forget to ditch the bottle at the office and the gym.  Ask your boss or yoga instructor if they’ll consider going bottle free and install a bottle free water cooler.  They won’t need to replace those big bulky jugs every month and it’ll save them some money, too.

We think that no matter how busy life gets, it’s still important to make good decisions that benefit your family, your health, and the planet. Our goal at Bottle Free Indy is to make Indianapolis bottle free — free from the unsustainable model of delivering bottled water and free from the plastic waste of disposable water bottles.

Want to join our mission? Connect with us on Twitter, and Facebook, and stay in touch. We look forward to hearing about your bottle-free progress!

Bottled water is thousands of times more expensive than tap water. Compare $0.002 per gallon for most tap water, to a range of $0.89 to $8.26 per gallon for bottled water, according to foodandwaterwatch.org.

Fast Company reports, if the water we use at home cost even what the cheapest bottled stuff costs, our monthly water bill would be around $9,000.

What’s really in that bottle?
Approximately 40 percent of all bottled water sold in the U.S. is just filtered water from the tap, which is exactly the same thing you can do at home for a fraction of the cost.

So, why do we pay more?
When we buy bottled water, we’re not buying the water itself — we’re buying a chilled, convenient, branded beverage, with the false notion that it’s safer than tap water.

Craving a change for good?
According to Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, “A single half-liter of bottled water costs as much as a day’s worth of cooking, washing, showering, and toilet-flushing for a whole family.”

From filtered pitchers to undersink systems, there are options available for any budget. Grab your favorite reusable bottle, and you’re ready to take on the world. Water filters can also make tap water safer for small children and people with compromised immune systems.

Once you give up your bottled water habit, you’ll find you have some welcome extra cash floating around your wallet. See? Change is good.

That’s why we’re really digging San Francisco-based Lifefactory– not only for their eco-friendly line of reusable water bottles, but for their company’s mission.

via lifefactory.com

Founders Pam Marcus and Daren Joy create innovative, non-toxic products that make it easy to lead a healthy and socially and environmentally conscious lifestyle.

We like their glass bottles, which are specially made in France, because they’re are durable, dishwasher safe, and free of icky chemicals (BPA, phthalate, PVC, and polycarbonate). Not to mention, water just tastes better from a glass bottle!

Lifefactory also ships its products in minimal, biodegradable packaging made from 100% recycled materials. How cool is that? Companies with a socially-aware and earth-friendly core mission get high marks from us.

Give your love life a jolt with organic, fair trade teas and coffees from Indy-based Hubbard and Cravens. Choose from blends like Organic Ethiopian Sidamo or Sobro Organic.

Endangered Species Chocolate is a local, organic chocolate maker that donates 10% of net profits to organizations that support endangered wildlife and habitats. They offer all kinds of  yummy V-day chocolates.

Is your sweetie not-so-traditional? How about a subscription to the Bacon of the Month club from Goose the Market? You can get one of those, along with all kinds of organic, locally-sourced meat treats from both Smoking Goose and Goose the Market.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day?

Do it yourself. Studies show the average household uses 40 lbs of chemicals each year to clean our homes. Those chemicals wind up in local streams and rivers. Making your own cleaning supplies is cheap and eco-friendly. Everybody wins! Want some DIY inspiration? Check out YouTube and Pinterest.

Reduce your water footprint. The water we use in our homes everyday is only three percent of the water we consume. Three percent! What are we using all that other water for? To produce the stuff we consume every day, including food. Check out waterfootprint.org to calculate your footprint and find ways you can lower it.

Get involved. Think of ways you can go green(er). Learn more about green organizations and get involved with the green efforts in your community. Organizing a neighborhood clean up or contacting your congressmen is easier than it sounds. Really!

What else are you resolving to do in the new year? Let us know.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
Uniting people, beautifying the city and improving the environment. Every year KIB assists hundreds of neighborhoods and communities in the Indy area to realize community beautification projects.

Indy Parks and Recreation
Indy Parks is a nationally accredited park system committed to meeting the growing recreational and leisure needs of Indianapolis through quality services, programs and facilities.

ANIMALIA, Inc.
Animalia supports wildlife conservation efforts of threatened and endangered species by raising awareness through education a. They offer a number of volunteer positions for teens (14 and older) and adults looking to help animals.

You can also check with Volunteer Match and SERVEnet to find charities in your neighborhood that need holiday volunteers.

What’s the environmental impact? Simply put, the traditional bottled water delivery service is wasteful. Manufacturing those unwieldy water jugs takes precious resources and energy. And transporting water jugs in diesel-burning trucks creates unnecessary fuel emissions. The way we see it, every bottleless water cooler that’s installed helps clear the air.

What else makes bottle-free coolers way cooler? They filter your existing water right at your fingertips — no waste, and no waiting (but you can read more about that here).

Breaking the bottle habit. It’s estimated that water bottles account for up to 41% of the 2.4 million tons of plastic discarded every year. That’s why the next step in becoming bottle-free is swapping out disposable water bottles for reusable ones. Next time you’re thirsty, reach for a glass or a reusable bottle like Klean Kanteen.

Why do we care so much? Unlike national water cooler suppliers, Bottle Free Indy is a family-owned Indianapolis company. We’ve been proud to call Indiana home since our parent company, Indy Soft Water, was first founded in 1964. While going bottle-free isn’t the sole solution to creating a more sustainable city, it’s one piece of the environmental puzzle.

Join our mission. Your efforts to lead a greener lifestyle may inspire those around you to do the same, and slowly, one by one, we can make a positive change. So, we invite you to join us. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and stay in touch. We look forward to hearing about your bottle-free progress!