Frankly Green

Water Brands and the Rising Concern of Consumers

Thanks to Alison K. for this article!

Posted by Suzanne Blecher

Link to Article

According to a Gallup poll released last year, pollution of drinking water is Americans’ primary environmental concern. With the risk of diseases associated with contaminants sometimes found in drinking water, marketers are creating solutions.

Atmospheric Water Systems has introduced a $1,595 dehumidifier/purification unit that bypasses water pipes, pulling moisture from the air and sending it through a filtration process. Last year Wellness Enterprises launched a portable water bottle with a filter built into the straw that claims to remove chlorine and lead. New York-based Green Depot sells the $650 Aquaovo Ovopur, a filtered dispenser resembling a giant porcelain egg.

Marketing opportunities stem from the average per capita consumption of bottled water dropped an estimated 3.5 percent last year from 2008, according to Beverage Marketing Corp. The recession and environmental concerns regarding plastic bottles have hurt. According to a US Congressional Report, bottled water producers are not required to notify the public of contamination and are not required to use certified labs in testing.

So what is a brand to do? Aquafina has introduced an Eco-Fina bottle using 50 percent less plastic than their 2002 bottle. Fiji is working to become carbon negative and commissioning to save Sovi Basin rainforest in Fiji. The Dasani PlantBottle is made of up to 30 percent plant-based materials.

For those of us who care more about the water in the bottle than the bottle itself, there is still work to do. And water brands should take notice.

Green Tip: Computers

Thanks to reader Elicia V. for this Green Tip:  Give your computer a Rest.  Did you know computer's in "standby" mode consume almost as much energy as when they are in active use?  In fact, a computer running 24 hours a day uses more power than an energy-efficient refrigerator.  So turn it off.  You'll save electricity, money and system wear (continuous run-time is actually harder on PC components than shutdowns and start-ups).

Adventurer Sets Sights on the Sun for an 'Impossible' Dream

STORY HIGHLIGHTS - Bertrand Piccard is a ballooning record-setter; wants to fly around the world in a solar plane.  He says he wants to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy to replace fossil fuel.  Piccard says in a TED Talk that thinking creatively requires the ability to jettison familiar ideas.  He says, "We have to get rid of certainties, habits, paradigms, common assumptions"

Link to Video via www.cnn.com

Video: The End of the Line

The makers of The End of the Line were kind enough to send me a couple copies of this new film. It is very well done and I highly recommend taking the time to see it. You can check out the trailer below.

This extraordinary documentary is a wake-up call to the world about the global issues surrounding overfishing.  If we continue to fish the way we do there may be no fish left in the ocean by 2048.  Narrated by Ted Danson (an active member of Oceana) and endorsed by National Geographic and Greenpeace, the documentary educates us about this growing issue and what we can do in our everyday lives to combat the problem (support restaurants that only serve sustainable seafood, etc.).  

As a special treat to our readers, I have a brand new copy to send to the reader with best comment on this post. Simply post your reply using the link below.