You can have a massive impact on your health and your contribution to the health of the planet by making a few small changes to your every day routine. We’re not talking about going off the grid and only eating food you grew, or giving up basic creature comforts. We’re talking about simple, easy changes that will make a world of difference.

Over in our Facebook Group- Better Beauty Vermont, we’re doing a Facebook Live series on just this subject- be sure to join us and check it out!

Today we talked about carrying a stainless water bottle and reducing or eliminating your consumption of plastic water bottles. It might not seem like much, but consider these facts taken from BanTheBottle.Net :

  • Making bottles to meet America’s demand for bottled water uses more than 17 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year. And that’s not even including the oil used for transportation.

  • The energy we waste using bottled water would be enough to power 190,000 homes.

  • Last year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled 38.3

  • Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year.

  • The recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400.

Antimony, which is found in PET plastic bottles, in small doses can cause dizziness and depression; in larger doses it can cause nausea, vomiting and death

If you do the math, 167 bottles a year for the rest of my life (assuming things go well) is approximately 10,000 bottles. Just me. Alone.

Without accounting for inflation, I’d spend $77,000 on bottled water if I live another 55 years. Out of the tap, that same amount of water would run me $26.95. I have a well, so in my particular case, even less…

So the small change of investing in a water bottle you love (my new one from Beautycounter is my new favorite- you can get yours by joining the mission!), and carrying it with you, will save you money, time, health, and reduce your impact on the planet. You’ll inspire others, who in turn will reduce their impact, inspire others to reduce theirs, and before you know it, your one change will make a massive change to you, your community and the world as a whole.

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