As environmental crises continue to build around the world, consumers are learning that fast, cheap and disposable often carries significant ecological consequence in the long term. Nowhere else is this more evident in the way we access, transport, clean and utilize water.

Water is necessary for human health and wellness. But people are comfort creatures, and because convenience is a priority in our increasingly active lives, we have created a culture of waste-heavy water consumption over the last century. According to the FDA, Americans spend over $4 billion annually on bottled water. That’s quite a lot of plastic!

Why are plastic water bottles bad for the environment?

Single-use plastic bottles are a convenient grab from the grocery store, but the short-term efficiency of that one-time use before discarding the packaging has a far-reaching chain of consequence, in both production and post-use. Plastic bottles are commonly recyclable, but in reality only 30% of all plastic bottles are properly recycled. In fact, more than 69% of commercial plastics are landfilled.
At a minimum, a plastic water bottle takes 350 years to decompose in a landfill. But often, this plastic – as well as the plastic wrap packaging it – ends up in the ocean instead – it’s estimated that 14 million tons of plastic pollution ends up in the ocean annually, accumulating in enormous patches of plastic waste, breaking down into microplastics that have a devastating effect on the entire ecosystem. These microplastics – and the harmful chemicals they contain – are nearly impossible to track, and have made their way into nearly every facet of Earth’s ecosystem, including our food. Experts predict that there will be one pound of ocean plastic for every three pounds of fish by 2025, and that plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050.

Needless to say, we’re reaching crisis levels that require collective organizational, corporate and personal accountability to remedy.

Here’s the good news: there are steps every one of us can take to greatly reduce our contribution to landfills and environmental impact. Surprisingly, you can make a significant difference quickly – and greatly improve the quality of your drinking water while you’re at it – by switching to a home water filter pitcher with proper filtration. If you drink bottled water regularly, you may be surprised how costly single-use plastic purchases can become over time.

How to reduce plastic use

The first step in the old adage, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is the most critical component of our responsibility as stewards of a planet with finite resources. Reducing our use of damaging plastic items and plastic packaging is the best way to help our environment, because it stops waste before it occurs. Water filters can help us to reduce using single-use items like plastic bottles and cut down on wear and tear on appliances.

Compared to bottled water, house water filter systems are a far more ecologically responsible way of ensuring your family has access to clean, drinkable water from the tap. Gravity filters for water use the pressure of gravity to remove contaminants from water, without relying on plumbing or electricity to function. When the reservoir is filled, the weight of the water feeds the liquid through the filters, into a tank beneath the filtration system.

Water is added to the gravity water filter’s upper chamber and flows down through the filter’s microscopic pores, which prevent the contaminants and other pollutants from passing through it. This leaves only clean drinkable water to descend into the lower chamber.

Water Filter Pitchers are designed for home use, with a convenient pitcher container most suitable for small families and individuals. It fits easily in the refrigerator, and removes compounds and chemicals such as zinc, chlorine, and hydrogen sulfide which can significantly improve the taste and smell of your drinking water. 

ProOne’s Water Filter Pitcher uses an advanced gravity filter technology instead of the traditional “pour through” filter, allowing a greater reduction of contaminants in your drinking water. In traditional water filter pitchers, the filter sits in the filtered water, potentially allowing cross-contamination of your drinking water. The unique design of the ProOne Water filter pitcher positions the filter upright in the container, out of the filtered water, eliminating the potential for cross-contamination and ensuring the purest possible drinking water.

Offering a 54-oz filtered water storage capacity, ProOne’s Water Filter Pitcher is made from BPA and BPS free food grade materials, and includes a removable fruit/vegetable infusion tube. It is independently lab tested and proven to reduce/remove 200+ contaminants including fluoride, chlorine, chloramines, VOCs, bacteria, pharmaceuticals, lead and heavy metals, while leaving in beneficial minerals in tap water.

Between gravity filtration devices such as the pitcher-style water filter, countertop adapter models, or even refrigerator-based systems that you can install yourself at home, many affordable and NSF certified solutions are available to make sure you & your family have access to the cleanest drinking water possible. For the dedicated, a complete Whole House Water Filter system can offer peace of mind for your entire household. 

By using a home water filtration device, you’re helping the environment in potentially significant ways. Learn more about your water filtration options at ProOneUSA.com