Just One Thing: Green Your Drinking Water

May 7, 2009 — -- According to the EPA, this week is National Drinking Water Week, and "Good Morning America" is celebrating by spreading the word on how to drink water while staying environmentally friendly.

Americans used 50 billion plastic water bottles in 2006. Thirty-eight million of those bottles ended up in landfills. Laid end to end, that's enough bottles to travel from Earth to the moon and back 10 times.

The cost is also financial. Every year, Americans spend almost $16 billion for bottled water.

Now, some state and city governments are spreading a message of saving by phasing out bottles and water coolers at government buildings and making tap water available to their workers.

For everyone else, Better Homes and Gardens has a bunch of tips to cut down on the waste.

Drink Your Water, Help the Environment

Boxed Water

Boxed water called Boxed Water Is Better has a carton made from 85 percent trees from certified forests where a tree gets replanted for every one that is cut down.

The cartons are shipped flat to the water company, which means more packaging can fit into fewer trucks than is the case with bottles, cutting back on gas and further decreasing the trucks' carbon footprint.

The company also donates 10 percent of its profits to world water charities and another 10 percent to reforestation foundations.

Eco-Choice Water

Also packaged in a clever carton is Eco-Choice Water. The packaging is three-quarters paper from renewable and sustainable resources.

Eco-Choice Water's containers also are shipped flat, sharing the advantages of Boxed Water Is Better. The packages themselves are recyclable, too.

Clear 2 Go Bottles

Clear 2 Go is a water bottle with a replaceable filter so you can just fill it up with tap water and take it with you wherever you go. The filters last for 100 gallons of water and then they can be replaced. The bottle costs about $16 and the filters are around $8.