And plastic is only part of the problem.

Because of the uncertain safety of tap water and the desire for convenience, Americans have created an unprecedented market for bottled water. This convenience has come at a steep price for both our pocketbooks and our environment. In 2006, Americans purchased over 30 billion bottles of water at prices higher than milk or gasoline. Approximately 26 billion of the waste plastic bottles ended up in landfills or in incinerators. Overall, we used the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil to just manufacture the plastic bottles and this does not include the energy to transport, store and refrigerate these bottles on their way to our homes.

At a time when our government and energy experts are calling for renewed measures to conserve natural resources, to reduce carbon emissions and their impact on the environment and at a time when rising energy costs are seriously impacting our personal finances; bottled water is an unnecessary and wasteful expenditure.

There is a simple solution... STOP BUYING BOTTLED WATER! Now you can help yourself and the environment by purchasing a portable, reusable filtration device. The Wellness H2.O water bottle provides convenient access to pure, clean, healthy water everywhere you go. Learn more about this simple alternative >>

• Over 30 billion bottles
  of water were consumed by Americans in the year 2006 alone.
• Less than 14 percent
  were recycled.
• 26 billion bottles
  were sent to landfills or incinerated. In landfills, they take 400 to 1,000 years to biodegrade. During incineration, toxic chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals are produced.
• 16.5 billion gallons
  of water were wasted - Two gallons for every gallon of water sold.
• 17 million barrels
  of crude oil were used in the production process - that's enough oil to fuel one million cars a year. And this figure does not include fuel used in transportation or to generate power for storage.
• 2.5 million tons
  of CO2 were discharged during production - again, this does not account for transportation or storage.
• Costs 5,000 x more
  than tap water - despite the fact that a large percentage of bottled water is just filtered tap water. That's up to $10 per gallon.