Clear2O Water Bottle Is a Great Concept

As an active gal I am constantly drinking water. Last month I discussed the effort we are putting forth here at home to ensure the tap water we consume is as healthy as possible** but I have been considering joining a gym recently and knew I would need to bring some kind of water with me. Desiring a bottle that was BPA free and reusable I came across this Clear2O bottle.

The unique element in this 24 ounce Clear2Go water bottle is that it houses a filter right inside the lid so any tap water can fill it and it will be filtered for chlorine taste / odor as well as 99% of microbial cysts. Cool!

The company claims that each bottle will replace up to about 757 disposable water bottles (16.9 ounce size).

The Clear2Go water bottle is available to purchase right on the website and retails for only $16.99. The refill filters I found a bit pricey considering the base price of the bottle itself, they retail for $11.99 per two pack, but each will filter 100 gallons of water so it is unlikely they will need replacing very often.

Unfortunately the bottle I received is defective as the cap was not screwing onto the base correctly (with or without the filter installed) so water spilled out the side and soaked my leg. Not exactly something that would be welcomed at the gym on a treadmill. When I pushed the cap down with one hand and gently squeezed with the other water did not leak out but I will not always have two hands free to use to drink.

With all of this taken into consideration I am granting a Three and a Half Leaf Rating to the Clear2Go bottle!

A little tweak on the fit of the cap and possibly lowering the cost of filter refills will have me uber impressed with this product because I am already very excited by the effort Clear2O! ♥love♥

** As a side note: Both Matt and I each consume up to 4 ten ounce glasses of water a day at home and the filter on our pitcher just started flashing yellow within the past week. The first filter went into use on August 10th which means that is one filter approximately every six weeks. Nice!

GreenSol Offers up its Water in a Plant Based Bio Plastic Water Bottle

Oh yes, you read that correctly! There is a brand new movement in the plastics industry and its initials are PLA -- plant based, poly lactic acid, plastics. GreenSol is leading the charge in producing a more ecologically responsible choice for their water bottles and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one.

Bottled by Nature’s Bottles in Pacifica, CA and filled with natural spring water from Private Spring Water, GreenSol is certainly attempting to live up to their tag line: “Saving the Earth One Bottle At A Time”.

The bottle is made from 100% renewable and sustainable resources (PLA is created from corn starch), consists of no petroleum, is said to biodegrade in a maximum of 90 days when placed in a commercial composting facility, only utilizes 35% of the average fossil fuels and emits approximately 75% less greenhouse gas during manufacture. If composting is not an option the bottles can always be recycled the old fashioned way.

When this bottle of water was shipped to me it was done so in minimal corrugated cardboard packaging (which it was requested I reuse of course!) and protected by corn based packing peanuts. I was informed that the product is made available for larger events and recycling bins are also provided to expedite the renewal of the material.

Major named companies are getting on board with GreenSol from Quaker to Microsoft, REI to Walmart. I can see why. I opened up the water and immediately noticed…well…nothing. There was no after taste like I sometimes experience with standard plastic bottles, it felt just as sturdy and .

One concern is that the cap is not PLA but a PET based. Nature’s Bottles does address this on their website and indicates they are looking into various solutions for a safe and stable alternative. The label however is PLA but another concern is that the glue used to affix it is not mentioned online as being plant based.

With such a focus on turning the table on the “disposable” mindset through use of natural products that will quickly biodegrade to house their water I am granting GreenSol a Four and a Half Leaf Rating!

Very, very impressive! I will feel comfortable re-using this water bottle to fill with my tap water for as long as it lasts.
♥love♥

My Own Worst Enemy Is a Three Leaf Show

Last night was the premiere of a new show on NBC, My Own Worst Enemy, starring Christian Slater as a split personality -- spy killer / family man. It was interesting to see how NBC worked with the concept of the show and how Slater played the character but that was not what grabbed my attention.

(Please note I am about to reveal some stuff that happened in the first episode so if you didn't watch it and want to catch up first, stop reading now and go here. Just make sure you come back.)

A little over half way through the show family man (Henry) gets a visit from a couple bad guys who know Edward (spy killer). Edward had stolen a case from them and through a series of events with a shovel and GPS tracking device, it is discovered that he buried it in a wooden crate about six feet down somewhere in the middle of the desert. As the bad guys sit and watch Henry dig up the case, the ring leader, known as Uzi, asks his non-English speaking cronie to get him some water which we all read on the subtitles. The cronie goes to the back of the car and when he comes back we all expect to see him hand over a plastic bottle right? Much to my surprise and delight he hands over a brand new, shiny, burnt orange colored, metal Sigg style reusable bottle! In the next ten seconds while it makes its appearance on film, he essentially guides our sub-conscious through how to use one by opening and drinking from it right there on camera. Hooray for NBC!

Sadly, the bottle, and the bad guys, are blown up in the next shot but at least there will not be a non-biodegradable plastic bottle melted to the hand of the bad guy for a vulture to come and snack on right?

Because of the clever placement of such a hip product as a reusable metal water bottle and the fact that the show has a certain "I-never-would-have-expected-it-but-I-kind-of-like-it", 24-esque feel, I am giving last night's episode a Three Leaf Rating. Kudos NBC, keep up the good work.