Filtered water offers solution to "water bottle addiction"

Every office has a water cooler; so common that the term "water cooler talk" is now a business term. Who knows where the water in these bottles comes from? Why do we think it is better than our local water? Local water, with some additional filtration, is clearly a much better option on many levels and for many reasons. For one, using local water is a better management practice. Improving the environment is an ongoing struggle. Recent reports have proved that the world is running out of drinking water. According to USAID, the world's "water crisis" is not so much an issue of scarcity as it is of poor management and inequitable distribution. Using local water simply increases efficiency. Secondly, the water quality coming out of Long Island taps is healthier than the water being stored in most water bottles. In New York, especially the five boroughs and Long Island areas, water is received from the Lloyd Aquifer. This water has been known to be healthy and great tasting. Unlike the water in individually labeled bottles, the FDA does not regulate 5-gallon bottles. The only regulation is that the bottle is to be refilled with water. There is no date on how long the water has been sitting in the bottle or what temperatures it has been in. When water sits in these plastic bottles, the plastic can leach off harmful chemicals including polyethylene, polypropylene and BPA. Additionally, the processes of bottled water have direct and indirect negative effects on the environment. In the initial stages, water is harvested from multiple locations. It is then shipped to treatment facilities to be made potable for drinking water. Then it is processed and filled into plastic bottles and stored for unknown amounts of time. Once the delivery locations of the water is determined, it is then delivered to you. Through out all of this there are many negative effects on the environment. Firstly there is a very large carbon footprint due to all of the resources and space needed for the purification, storage and delivery processes. The ozone is affected by all of the by-products and emissions introduced to the air during the transportation and delivery. Once used, the 5-gallon plastic bottles are then picked up and transported back to the facilities. The bottles in good condition are cleaned and filled with more water. This process is repeated until the bottles are found unfit for usage. If so, the bottles are not recycled easily and can sit in landfills for many years, greatly damaging the environment. The better alternative that is a great way to help the environment and enjoy healthy, great tasting water is by converting to a bottle-less filtered cooler. These coolers, also known as point-of-use, utilize local water and filter it to offer unlimited drinking water. It benefits the environment by reducing our carbon footprint, having no dependence on the plastic bottles, and eliminating the need for deliveries. It increases the efficiency of the workplace by having no bottles to store, lift, spill or run out of. Filter options range from carbon filtration to reverse osmosis and can also be supplemented with UV light sanitization and ozonation. Point-of-use coolers can be tailored to your needs and often offer a great cost savings. There are many benefits of reducing our dependence of plastic bottles for our drinking water. It benefits the consumer as well as the environment. Go green, go bottle-less! Sam Pinto, LEED AP BD+C, is a certified water specialist and president of Innovative Water, Long Beach, N.Y.