The 30 Day Writer's Challenge | Day 1

A few days ago I found myself sitting at Starbucks drinking a $2 bottle of water wondering where I had lost my mind. Then yesterday I scanned through the main Yahoo page to see THIS article about items we shouldn't be paying for and see for yourself, bottled water is number five on the list.

When I challenged all my fellow bloggers to a 30 Day Writer's Challenge and scanned the suggested topic list, it was clear which topic I wanted to address on day one and there was a question on the list just for me:

What do you think someone your age can do to help reduce the amount of pollution in our environment?

My answer: Forget about "someone my age", everyone should stop buying plastic/disposable water bottles.

Crazy thought, isn't it? We actually pay for water in a plastic bottle! An even crazier thought is the number of water bottles we will throw away in our lifetime. I'm ashamed, sitting within arms reach is a huge Aquafina water bottle. To my credit, I do reuse it and fill it with tap water, but still, what a waste because you and I both know that within a matter of weeks it will be in the garbage. If I'm paying attention, maybe a recycle container because thankfully we have one of those at the house now.

Sadder still, I know there are two or three more plastic bottles in the Kia.

Sadder even still is that rolling around in the back of the Kia is a perfectly fine, hardly been used, gorgeous green (because it's all about being green) REUSABLE water bottle purchased for the purpose of discouraging the purchase of countless disposable water bottles from the store. I'm pathetic. I know.

So when did disposable water bottles become all the rage for crying out loud? Back when all my friends with parents in debt up to their eyeballs were wearing Guess jeans, Keds and Swatch time pieces I don't remember them carrying around disposable water bottles while I was drinking out of the water fountain. We all drank out of the same germ infested water fountain or on a good day chose to spend our $0.35 on a carton of milk at lunch instead of the Laffy Taffy or Big Hunk bar.

You know what I love? I love it when I ask for tap water and get a 1.5 oz cup to put it in. Do you think I will be less thirsty if I choose to drink water as opposed to purchasing a disposable bottled water or soda? I get it, I do. I realize that when I buy the other stuff you work the price of the cup/bottle into the price you are charging me. I suppose you could do the same thing with a cup for tap water. Just charge me for the cup. A real cup, the size you don't have to return to the beverage machine 17 times during your meal to refill.

I know, but that paper/plastic cup just ends up getting tossed in the garbage too. Maybe a little less garbage in the landfill compared to the disposable plastic bottle or maybe in my justification I think it all gets recycled, even if I am not putting it in the recycle bin. Ugh! I can't win for loosing!

So what is the solution? I'm not sure, but this little girl is putting her foot down and putting her big girl panties on. From now on I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid purchasing bottled water. I'll ask for tap water if I forget to bring my own bottle to fill or at best just ask for a cup and fill it at the drinking fountain or garden hose. Because gosh-darn-it, I don't want my carbon foot print to not fit in my size 7.5 collection of very specifically selected shoes.