So you already know that plastic bottles pollute the environment. The manufacture of plastic uses large amounts of energy, resources and generates toxic emissions which contribute to global warming. Besides, millions of plastic bottles find their way into landfills every day. Michael Arrington – entrepreneur and maintainer of the Silicon Valley blog TechCrunch – recently spoke his mind about Pepsi’s new Aquafina plastic bottles. Pepsi is promoting its new “eco-friendly” bottle which contains half the plastic content of its previous bottles (still, there’s nothing more eco-friendly than reusable water bottles). It was quite a buzz since Michael Arrington’s ironic post received over a hundred comments!

To promote their new “eco-friendly” bottles, Pepsi sent 5-lb boxes by FedEx to Arrington and other members of the press around the U.S. Clearly “that’s not very eco-friendly” because it implies a lot of carbon spending. To boot, Pepsi sent a second promotion package to TechCrunch. Not one, but two 5-lb boxes which “seems a little wasteful.”  Arrington didn’t really appreciate the stung. Besides, according to Chris Baskind – green writer, publisher and cofeeist – the presentation box is made from “non-recycled cardboard and too heavily printed and coated to compost.”

Arrington doesn’t drink bottled water “since it’s less safe than tap water and way too expensive.” Instead, he put his 105 lbs chocolate Labrador to the task of tasting Aquafina’s new water bottle! Laguna (that’s the dog’s/tester’s name) enjoys long walks on the beach, chewing on stuff and apparently loves bottled water. There was a taste test and a durability test. The taste test was a success although Arrington adds “she also eats dirt, and enjoys licking my feet.” As far as the durability test went, the plastic bottle was destroyed in 10 seconds. If you want to read more and meet Laguna, click here.

The main concern with this new so-called “eco-friendly” product is what stands behind the Eco-fina bottles. Is Pepsi giving into greenwashing? Or should they be congratulated for their efforts? Not to forget it is still a plastic bottle! Besides, the water contained in the lighter plastic bottles is supposedly filtered tap water. A study from the Natural Resources Defense Council found that about a quarter of bottled water is simply bottled tap water!  Arrington’s article is quite funny and clever. It does point up the necessity to switch to as healthier way of drinking water for ourselves and the environment.

Other news in the world of water

Every year approximately 167 bottles of water are consumed by the average American. If you are thirsty for water to-go, go for reusable water bottles. They’re the eco-friendly, economical and better for your health. SIGG bottles are made from lined aluminum and tested (not by a dog) to ensure zero leaching. Our Buyer’s Guide is here to help you find the perfect SIGG bottle. Lightweight, fashionable and sturdy is a simple greener choice. Celebrities are into reusable water bottles. For example, Oprah Winfrey and Gisele Bündchen have switched to reusable water bottles.

A while back, we compared plastic water bottles with water filter reusable water bottles in a green face-off. Unsurprisingly, reusable water bottles are the green champ. Besides, you will save about $330 by committing to make the switch to reusable water bottles. One BPA free SIGG reusable water bottle costs about $20.00 for a year. If you go SIGG, you won’t go back!

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