Bottled Water Impacts The Environment

Do you want to live in a way that protects the future of our children? Do you wish to live in the greenest world possible with a conscience, respect and appreciation for the environment?

Most Americans have a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility. We attempt to make environmentally wise choices in all aspects of our daily living, yet we ignore one of the major contributors to the plight of the planet.

Worldwide in excess of one billion people do not have a pure source of clean drinking water, this is in excess of 1/6 of the world citizens, yet we, as Americans, waste billions of dollars yearly for the convenience of drinking from a plastic bottle instead of a water tap.

1.5 million tons of plastic are used to manufacture bottled water every year. It also takes in excess of 25 times the amount of water to make each plastic bottle than the bottle contains. 300 million gallons of bottled water are imported to the United States yearly.

In America bottled water is often simply an indulgence. Despite our justifications, it is not a harmless indulgence. Bottled water is an environmental catastrophe. Thirty years ago bottled water barely survived as a business in the United States. Today Americans spent more on “designer” bottled water than we spent on iPods or entertainment tickets – $15 billion in 2007. The expected United States expenditure for bottled water will be $16 billion a year before the end of the decade.

As a country we consume in excess of 30 billion single-serving bottles of water per year. Bottled water is the fastest growing beverage industry in the world, worth up to $22 billion a year. Less than 15 per cent of plastic water bottles are recycled, the remainder end up in the garabage system and cost America’s cities in excess of 70 million per year to handle clean up and landfill expenditures. America yearly produces in excess of 800,000 tons of plastic bottle pollution that substantially magnifies global warming.

Last year, Americans threw away 38 billion plastic water bottles, about $1 billion worth of plastic. That’s an overwhelming waste, especially considering 1.5 million barrels of oil – enough to power 100,000 cars for a year – were consumed to manufacture these bottles. And that’s not even including the oil and gas required for shipping and delivering this massive volume of liquid.

If you are spending money on bottled water, you are basically purchasing plastic, which is manufactured from petroleum. When we purchase a bottle of water, what we’re often purchasing is the bottle its self. One of the essential problems with bottled water production is the reliance on fossil fuels. From packaging to transportation, bottled water relies on oil, using 17 million barrels of oil and producing massive amounts of carbon dioxide every year.

In America alone, we are moving 1 billion bottles of water around a week in ships trains and trucks. That amounts to a weekly giant convoy equivalent to 37,800 18 wheelers. Water weighs 8 1/3 pounds a gallon. Water is so heavy you can not safely fill an 18 wheeler with bottled water, you must allow empty space.

There is an simple eco friendly solution. Tap water is much less expensive. As a reporter for the NY Times pointed out, almost all municipal water in America is so good that nobody needs to import a single bottle from Italy or France or the Fiji Islands.

Clean and safe drinking water should be public and affordable. The more the wealthy opt out of drinking tap water, the less political support there will be for investing in developing and maintaining America’s public water supply. That would be a serious loss.

Access to inexpensive, pure water is basic to a nation’s health. In Fiji, a state-of-the-art factory spins out more than a million bottles a day of the hippest bottled water on the U.S. market, while more than half the people in Fiji do not have a pure or dependable source of drinking water. This means it is easier for the average American in Los Angeles or New York to quench their thirst with refreshing Fiji water than it is for the majority of people in Fiji.

If you decide to get your recommended eight to ten glasses a day from bottled water, you could spend up to $1,500 or more every year. The same amount of tap water would cost pennies a day. Recent studies show that many brands of bottled water fail to meet industry guidelines and the cost of even inferior quality bottled water can grow quite high.

Much of bottled water is only plain tap water. Many bottled water firms repackage tap water into plastic bottles, then sell them back to the consumer at prices higher than gasoline and increasing just as rapidly. Aquafina, as an example, has finally been pressured into amending its labels to advise consumers that Aquafina water comes from tap water. Why not just drink tap water? More than a quarter of bottled water is just processed tap water.

Plastic containers leach toxic chemicals. Have you considered why your plastic bottle of water has a label warning telling you not to reuse it? The longer you have that bottle, the more likely it is to leach toxic chemicals into your water.

There is a solution. If you are not confident in your local water supply or wish to safely filter tap water when on the go, carbon-filtered tap water is safer and costs much less than bottled water. According to the Environmental Working Group, carbon filtration of tap water will dramatically lower levels of toxic by products; it is also 10 to 20 times less expensive than bottled water, and does not produce the waste and pollution associated with the packaging and transport of bottled water.

A portable water filter is a perfect solution for water filtration on the go. A portable water filter allows anyone to filter their own water, no matter where they travel; across town or around the world. A portable water filter allows you to free yourself from any unpleasant taste, additives or contaminates while protecting the environment and your pocketbook. Get the whole family involved. A five member family could save well over $7,500.00 a year.

Stop being unwitting victims of manipulative advertising. When a entire industry is built up by overwhelming us with a product we do not need, when an entire industry is based on packaging and presentation, not the product, it is worth asking how that happened and what the future impact is upon our precious planet.

Carbon Filtered Water Bottles Help Protect The Planet! Earth Friendly Products for your green lifestyle Protect The Planet

Cheap And Good Hotels Are Not Impossible

What constitutes a good hotel, and just how low does a price need to be before it’s deemed a “cheap” rate? Almost anywhere you travel, these days, you’ll be able to find accommodation. Finding an affordable place to stay that meets your minimum requirements can make it a little more daunting. There are some tips that can help you out.

Firstly, set your level of expectation. You need to stay at a hotel for a reason. If it’s your honeymoon, you may want to experience something more luxurious where the hotel is part of the vacation itself. Perhaps you’re looking for bed and breakfast inns, or somewhere to indulge and let others wait on your needs. A business man may require something a little larger where he can work and conduct business from. A seasoned traveler may have simpler needs, or a limited budget that allows for nothing more than a place to sleep of a night. Your reason of being there is your ultimate guide to what is good, and what is cheap for the task you are setting out to achieve.

The person has to make a decision on what a “good” hotel is, even if it is just somewhere with a clean restroom and bedding that has helpful hotel staff. One can choose whether to spend their hotel day with or without an outside view, mini-bar with lots of food, and television with adult content. The person could be satisfied to have these privileges elsewhere, such as their home for example, and may just want a place to go to bed at night.

Even though the hotel must make cash other than what it makes from room charges, four dollars for soda, six dollars for candy, and twelve dollars to watch a movie on the television is ridiculous. It is not recommended to buy these items, even if the person has a lot of money. It is quite better for the person to go to the store and pick these items up in advance rather than waiting until he/she is at the hotel.

In my experience, the cheaper motels are usually located away from the popular areas. Unless you’re looking at bed and breakfast inns, where the need to be off the beaten track is greater, they’ll mostly be located near major traffic area, airports, or industrial areas. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a good room. I never check into a room unseen. I always ask two questions, and I ask them in a very specific order. “Do you have any rooms available?” and “May I see a room?” I used to just ask the second question. I got burned a few times, however, when I was told there were no rooms available. One of those times was at a hotel with a 200 car lot with all of six vehicles present. I learned my lesson and have been rewarded ever since. Mostly, you’ll be given keys to the cleanest, quietest room that’s available. Go check it out, and if you like it, hold onto the keys while you register. After all, you’re staying there based on the room you’ve just seen.

I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels in my time. I’ve come to have an expectation of how much a room is worth to me, and at what point I will need to spend more elsewhere to get what I need to suitably rest. I’ve been more than happy with a particular chain of budget motels over the years. With the exception of one, they’ve all provided me with my minimum requirements and all at less than $50 per night. That is my idea of ideal, not necessarily just cheap. I’m happy to pay around $75 per night if the location is closer to where I need to be, or if the room includes my breakfast. Under those circumstances, however, the hotel is probably going to fall into a slightly higher category than just \”good.\”

Finally, you will probably have another view of what to expect in regards to service than someone else. You may feel as though you are a higher rank and treat the hotel staff member as such or you may disregard the whole class system altogether and treat everyone equally. However, it is best to treat the people you meet with respect and be polite. If someone was nice to you, you would feel a whole lot better. Therefore, why not give others the same? Doing so will make your hotel experience great.

You can have various reasons for staying in a hotel or bed and breakfast inn. You probably will find a good hotel that you can afford if you just want a place to sleep at night. It is always nice to exchange hotel experiences with other people and learn from them good hotels to stay in.

Before you make your next travel reservations be sure to visit cheap airfare for cheap travel rates.

Toronto Hotels

Toronto has earned the distinction of being the most diverse city in the world, with over a hundred spoken languages. The third most livable city in the world, it is considered a thriving, bustling, vivacious location. The energy of Toronto is formidable. Those who live there love it. Those who visit don’t want to leave. Such is the charm of this city without boundaries – metaphorically speaking, of course.

Visitors to Toronto come knowing they will fall in love with it. They need a place to put their feet up and enjoy the vast expanse of emotion, landscape, business, enterprise and poetry that is Toronto. Quite natural for a city like this, a huge assortment of cozy and comfy accommodations is on hand. From five-star comfort to more down-to-earth variations such as bed and breakfasts, it’s all there. Whether it’s for business or fun that one goes to Toronto, there is always an ideal place to stay.

However, Toronto’s popularity with travelers, both for business and fun alike, has inflated the prices of accommodation. Notable downtown hotels charge a premium from April to October, which is considered high season. There is a 5% accommodation tax and 7% GST, all refundable to visitors. The proximity of hotels to the subway and surface transport is a major consideration while looking for decent and affordable hotel accommodations. It offers backpackers a tremendous opportunity to get intimate with the city without draining the wallet. Additionally, there are quite a few choices not too far from Pearson International Airport, in the gorgeous Parklands area in the east and in the cities on the fringes of Toronto. The area supposedly offers 32,000 hotel rooms for rent, so travelers of every kind will find something to fit their needs. Of course, one will certainly have to state those needs very clearly. For instance, if one needs a smoke-free room, then it will have to be specifically requested. Bed and breakfast is also a very popular concept in Toronto.

Proximity to the business district, world-class entertainment centers or shopping malls is one of the major criteria for the selection for hotel rooms. The sports and entertainment complex is an attractive destination for people who love sports. This venue also offers rooms that overlook the playing field.

These are examples of what is available in Toronto, both for the laid-back traveler with little to spend and the discerning one for whom luxury is a must.

How to Rent Ski Equipment

Ski vacations will require ski equipment. But whether you buy your ski equipment or rent it will depend, for the most part, on whether you’re a beginning skier or a pro on the slopes. If you’re a beginner or just trying out the sport, it will probably make more sense for you to rent the equipment before investing your money in what can be an expensive purchase.

Many local ski shops rent ski equipment, and they may even have lease packages where you can lease everything you need for an entire season of skiing. This can be an excellent option of those who take several ski vacations a year. One advantage of renting at a local shop near you is that it’ll probably be less expensive and you can pick up your equipment ahead of time instead of waiting in long lines and paying higher rental prices when you get to the ski resort. The downside of renting locally is transporting your ski equipment from home to the resort. Some ski resort shops allow their customers to store their equipment during the day or overnight for free, which is a nice benefit when you return from a tiring day on the slopes.

Most rental packages will include skis, boots and poles. You should have a choice of beginner or performance skis. Most shops have equipment for junior skiers. Skiing helmets may be available for an additional charge. That extra expense is well worth the safety you’ll enjoy by wearing a helmet. Many parents make sure their children who are skiing wear helmets whether they want to or not. There is always a chance when the slopes are full that accidents and collisions will happen.

Keep in mind that when you sign up for ski lessons at a resort, many packages will include the price for equipment that you can use all day. Most instructors will make sure that you are completely outfitted before taking you out to the slopes. Ski vacations that include lessons for beginners can be fun for the whole family!

Rental equipment usually includes skis, ski boots, ski poles and helmets.

Skiers will usually have the option of renting items individually or as a package. Many resorts also offer combination of different ski equipment items such as skis and boots, helmets and poles, skis and poles, etc. Some ski resorts will offer full-day prices or prices for afternoon-only skiing. Some packages will cost as little as $20 per day, others can cost $50 or more for 24 hours. Some ski resorts automatically add on damage insurance for a few dollars per day; it may be worthwhile to take the insurance if you are a beginning skier. If you refuse insurance, just a minor accident could cost you much more than it would have cost if you had paid for the insurance to begin with.

Plan ahead and reserve your ski rental equipment in advance, especially during peak season. That way you’ll know for sure that the equipment you want is available and ready when you get there to pick it up.

Good Opinions On Traveling Cheap By Air

3-5 months before your date of departure, buy tickets

Buyers who buy tickets at an earlier date are offered discounts by some airlines. As most of the discounted tickets get sold out real quick you should buy your tickets at least 20 days before your actual departure date to have a chance at the best seats and seating arrangements. During holiday seasons like Christmas the airlines tickets bring on a hefty rise in prices. So to avoid paying extra it is always good to buy the tickets at much earlier dates.

Flying on weekends are an absolute no

Undertaking the journey on weekdays is a good idea. Better still if you can make it from Monday to Wednesday as because during the weekends you have to encounter heavy traffic. You may find yourself paying an extra $25-$40 and waste a lot of time being stuck in traffic. So keep this in mind while planning out a tip.

During Peak season do not travel

Due to an increase in demand during Peak season when people travel a lot airlines tend to increase prices of ticket. Traveling during low season is better as you do not have to face a crowd. But if you have no option other than to travel during peak season you can avoid the rush by going early and coming home late.

Duration of Stay

Airline ticket prices depend on long you are staying. You get discounts from airlines if you stay a week at least and within 90 days return.

Connecting Flight should be considered

It is popular belief that direct flights are the cheapest option out there. But that is not true. Instead of booking direct flight many people have saved as much as $1000 by booking connecting flights. You can opt for this cheaper and better option if you are not traveling with a lot of luggage and do not have to keep up with a particular schedule and have time to spare.

Opt for the senior citizen discount

Enquire whether the Senior Citizen Discount is being offered by the airline you are opting for. This type of discounts is offered to the people accompanying a senior citizen by some airlines.

Earlier you are Cheaper it gets

The proverbial phrase that the early bird catches the worm applies best while buying airline tickets. You should make your calls to the airlines on Wednesday mornings at around 12:01 am. The airlines make the release of all new seat plans and fares during this time. At this time you can get the cheapest tickets available if you get hold of them first.

On-line shopping

The ability of being able to find out the entire list of available price ranges from the convenience of home, office or any place you may be at the moment is perhaps the best feature that the Internet provides us with. You do not have to rush to the various travel agencies to get the information you need. It is made even better with the on-line discounts that you get for availing the services of some of the Internet sites.

Internet shopping – things to remember.

Some times prices offered on the Internet are not cheap so check with a good travel agency regarding prices. Some airlines often publish offered discounts on print so it is good to keep an eye on the various newspapers. The net usually does not show schedules that range for a period more than 6 months. So if you are planning to by ticket more than 6 months in advance check with a travel guide for proper information.

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