I was recently passed an article from the 2/25/08 issue of the NewYorker that articulated the complexities of going green. According to this article, our highest priority in making conscious-consumer purchase decisions is directed more by the protection of our personal health over the protection of environmental health. I’m reminded of what my good friend, Dr. Todd Pesek, says, “There is no human health without environmental health.” And, shouldn’t human health AND environmental health be the basis of our consumption criteria?

I am on a mission! Seriously. A real mission: NO MORE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES!  My husband and I are raising two teenage boys. Both are on H.S. Varsity XCounty, Soccer and Swim teams, along with competitive soccer teams. They consume a lot of water. I mean A LOT of water. Up until I was passed photos of the miles of plastic water bottles filling our land and oceans, I was a guilty consumer of plastic water bottles. I’d buy them by the caseloads. There was always a pack in the car. I mean, bottled water is healthier. Right? More convenient. Right? NOT!

The photos of miles of piles of plastic water bottles that are choking our earth and ocean wildlife hit me HARD. My husband and I quickly installed a reverse osmosis water system. Bought every shape and size of SIGG water bottles, (I’m a SIGG ‘ho, btw).  There hasn’t been a plastic water bottle around our house for months now. It’s a start.

(Now, if only I could convince the schools and competitive sports teams to stop with the plastic bottles!)