Hey there friends,
Welcome to WEEK THREE of the Sustainable Swap Challenge. The first two challenges can be found on this blog below this entry. To recap, they were reusable bags and reusable produce bags.
Now on to SWAP #3: Reusable Water Bottles
Bringing around your reusable water bottle can help you cut out a drastic amount of single-use waste, reduce the toxins you're exposed to in your life, and... encourage more water consumption.
Don't have a reusable water bottle yet?
Here are some suggested products:
(Items marked with an asterisk* are affiliate links for conscious life & style; for EarthHero products you can use the code CONSCIOUSSTYLE for 10% off)
🌿 Kleen Kanteen Classic 20oz Water Bottle* (great for both cold or hot insulation) | EarthHero
🌿 Fressko Bamboo Infuser Bottle* (best if you like naturally flavored water) | EarthHero
🌿 Love Bottle Partially Recycled Glass Bottle* (best for at-home use) | EarthHero
🌿 HYDAWAY Collapsible Bottles (best for on-the-go use) | HYDAWAY
🌿 S'well Stainless Steel Water Bottles (super stylish designs! they also have smaller bottles made for travel) | S'well
Tips & tricks:
(1) Just as with the first two swaps, the key is to store your bottle somewhere you won't forget it when you're on the run! But after a few weeks (or at least after a few months) you'll likely get in the hang of bringing it around with you and it will feel like something is missing when you don't have your reusable bottle with you!
(2) Reusable bottles can also be used for drinks beyond water. If you're purchasing a drink at a restaurant that you'd like filled up in your bottle, just be sure to know how many ounces or milliliters of liquid it holds so they can charge you appropriately.
(3) Material-wise I strongly recommend stainless steel for on-the-go bottles, as it's durable, versatile, and insulating. Plus they are safe to put in the dishwasher (unlike plastic, since toxic chemicals are leached when plastic is heated). For at-home/office bottles to store water, glass does work nicely, but I guess so does a glass or mug too. I just find glass water bottles to be a bit too heavy to carry around in my bag (and too risky with a toddler around) For collapsible/foldable bottles, it is, of course, impossible to get stainless steel, so in this case silicone is probably your best bet (which is what the collapsible HYDAWAY bottles suggested above are made from.) *I also suggest storing your bottle empty when not in use. Research suggests that toxins definitely leach from plastics when hot (like if you forget your plastic bottle in the front seat of your car in the summer) and possibly when it is cold. So keep a glass jar in your fridge for cold water and pour it into your plastic reusable water bottle when needed vs keeping your reusable water bottle full in the fridge.
I hope you found the above resources and tips helpful! If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear 'em—just leave a comment. It's a real person over here on the other side of this blog entry. Until next week. Happy swapping!
*Just giving credit to Elizabeth over at conscious life & style, the sustainable swap challenge is her concept, along with most of the wordage in this blog entry, I’m just adding my two cents and trying to further this challenge. consciouslifeandstyle.com