Most people know that drinking safe, clean water is of paramount importance for our health, but many don’t take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their families from water contaminants. And many people drink bottled water, get water delivered, or filter their tap water through inefficient and insufficient filters into plastic containers (read: Brita). These options a) don’t provide safe water and b) are very wasteful. Even filtering your water using a Brita faucet system requires a new filter each month and, while those filters can be recycled through Terracycle, I have been on the waiting list to recycle my old filters for over two years.
It is frankly terrifying to read some of the contaminants that make it into legally safe drinking water. If you are wondering what is in your water, you can enter your zip code to find out here.
Last year, based on the advice of friends, we finally researched and invested in a Berkey Water Filter. Berkey is one one of the best filters and purification systems around. It is easy to use (just fill the top compartment with water and it filters down) and easy to clean. The system itself is made of high quality, long-lasting, recyclable materials, and the filters last a really long time. As an added bonus, in the case of an emergency, you can use it to turn pool, pond, or rain water into safe drinking water.
One added bonus to this counter system is that we can leave a stack of stainless steel cups by the filter and the kids can fill up whenever they want. Even our two year old knows how to use the Berkey.
I say we “invested in” a Berkey because this is not a small purchase. For our family of five, we bought the 3.25 gallon Royal Berkey for $350. But, we only have to replace the filters every five years. Compared to buying bottled water, water delivery, or replacing endless Brita filters, this is a good bargain. Definitely worth the investment for the peace of mind and the low-waste option.
Want to learn more about how to stay hydrated without waste? Check out this post.
Happy hydrating!
– Hannah
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