Not wanting to be part of
the problem, Libby and I have been transporting our drinking water out to Roundrock with us in containers like the ones you see above.
I make that sound more grandiose than it really is. I should say we have
recently begun using these bottles. And I should say that we have been carrying
some of our drinking water in bottles like these. And on my last trip, I didn't stay long enuf to crack open even one bottle of water, though I did enjoy my iced tea, unsweetened of course. (And I should point out that there are
other ways we have carried water to the woods, though not
drinking water.)
But I should get a couple of points for good intentions.
We have always taken water to the woods, more so in the heat of the Ozark summer. Generally, we stop at the store the night before to get a half dozen or more off-brand bottles of water. These go in the cooler and then are snatched as needed during the chores and stupors of the day in the woods. We are scrupulous about collecting our trash, including recyclables, and bringing it back to suburbia where it can be dealt with. We have curbside recycling on our block, so doing the right thing has proven easy (though we do visit our recycling center with glass and other things that aren't picked up at the curb -- but enuf about us).
Yet with three sons who spent years in the Scouts, we've also accumulated a lot of camping gear in our basement. Included are perhaps a half dozen sturdy water bottles like the ones you see above. (I say "perhaps" because we are only slowly pawing through all of the detritus the kids have left behind, so there may be many more surprises awaiting us.) And it struck us that these were intended for carrying drinking water. So why should we spend good money on bottled water when we already have the bottles, and our tap water tastes every bit as good as store-bought water?
And so we embark on another form of stewardship in our journeys to Roundrock. It replenishes the body and gives warm fuzzies to the soul.
Missouri calendar:
This entry was posted
on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 at 1:01 am and is filed under Stewardship.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 25th, 2007 at 6:23 am
I’m well versed in the practicality of Nalgene bottles. I took two 48 ouncers into Woods Bay while working there. I had no problem drinking them both on our daily outings. Currently, when not in the field, I now use those for lunch tea. In the morning I put 2 bags of Luzianne decafinated tea (the regular seems too bitter for me) suspended in one of my 48 ounce Nalgene bottles, put it in the work refrigerator to steep, and have nice cold UNsweet tea for enjoyment at lunch.
August 25th, 2007 at 10:05 am
[...] You know, it really is the little things that count when it comes to making big changes in how we treat the environment around us. Pablo over at Roundrock Journal posted how he has changed the way he carries drinking water to Roundrock. [...]
August 25th, 2007 at 10:12 am
quite often the water in the plastic bottles from the store IS tap water. and i have read warnings that bits of the plastic molecules come unstuck and mix with the water. that’s the technical description. hope nalgene is better.
August 25th, 2007 at 10:20 am
This has recently been a talking point in papers from New York to Ann Arbor – the wastefulness of plastic bottles and the damage they do to the environment. Of course, people who sell water in bottles would like you to think it’s better or cleaner or healthier than tap water, because we’re all used to getting tap water for free, and where’s the profit in that?
August 25th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Pretty fancy water bottles!
August 25th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
desert living sometimes requires carrying water even for short urban hikes.
i have a neighbor who often gifts me cases of the bottled stuff, 20 oz size. it doesn’t taste as good as the local tap water, but there is that convenience thing.
when i was getting out more, i occasionally bought the cheap bottled, then filled the empty with tap water. couple of those, pulled from the freezer just before stepping out, could cover portable potable needs for the day.
2 points for good intentions.
August 25th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I have the Bubba Keg so my portable water is always cold.
I do not buy bottled water and am amused at anyone who does.
In my work, I see a whole generation of kids who avoid free water in favor of buying bottled water. The marketing has worked wonders on them.
August 26th, 2007 at 3:56 am
RCW – Do you find that the taste of the tea lingers in the bottle when you’re using them for water? It was the fashion with my boys to put lemonade mix in their water bottles, and even now, years later, I can sometimes taste it.
Roger – I had read that too. Yet another reason to reuse the Nalgene bottles.
Wren – My daughter insisted she hated the taste of tap water, but I managed to refill some of her bottles with lowly tap water, and she never noticed the difference.
ThunderDave – Well, on my part, I found these in my basement. I didn’t go out and buy them for myself.
Kim – I, too, have refilled the store-bought water bottles, but the plastic does not hold up well after a few uses.
FC – Imagine if marketing could be directed toward useful ends, like charitable work or reading or the excitement of math.