When making the decision to drink tap water or bottled water, there are several things to consider including:  taste, convenience, and perceived health benefit.  Many conscientious individuals are also considering the impact of the plastic bottles discarded from the multitude of bottled waters.  Dr. Kari Hamrick, a guest author on yourcarbonprint.com, discusses the benefits of water, tips for hydration, and the choice between bottled and tap water in her article, "Wonders of Water."  Below is an excerpt from that article regarding the sources of water.

Yourcarbonprint.com has posted articles in the past about the environmental hazards of plastic bags and gently pushed readers to try reusable sacks for grocery shopping.  More and more cities and countries world-wide are joining the country of Ireland in taxing plastic bag use in stores. The plastic bag tax in Ireland has increased to 22 cents and has resulted in an estimated 92% reduction in use of plastic bags.  In the United States, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle have imposed similar taxes on plastic bags and many other cities, including Portland, Dallas and New York City are proposing similar laws.

 According to the book, "How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint", the average American family of four uses 1,500 plastic shopping bags per year.  Worldwide, people use an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags annually.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, isn't it time to invest in some resuable grocery bags and actually use them at the market?