New update! Fillanthrophy has officially joined the Twitter revolution. It's time to show some love and support: follow CLUFillanthrophy on Twitter!

"The future will be green, or not at all. This truth lies at the heart of humankind's most pressing challenge: to learn to live in harmony with the Earth on a genuinely sustainable basis."

~Sir Jonathon Porritt

Do you prefer to drink bottled water or tap water?

Chances are you would opt for the former.

I can’t blame you.

Bottled water advertisers and marketers are continuously promoting their products as the safest and healthiest beverage in the market. But, have you ever wondered where the “purified” water really comes from?
Bottled water is safe water… not exactly.According to researchers of Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), “no one should assume that just because he or she purchases water in a bottle that it is necessarily any better regulated, purer, or safer than most tap water.” NRDC conducted a four-year assessment of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) policies and standards with bottled water manufacturers compared to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rules over tap water. Based on NRDC’s findings, the FDA’s water regulations are less stringent and more lenient compared to EPA’s rules. For example, NRDC reported, “any violation of tap-water standards is grounds for enforcement -- but bottled water in violation of standards can still be sold if it is labeled as ‘containing excessive chemicals’ or ‘excessive bacteria’ (unless FDA finds it ‘adulterated’, a term not specifically defined).” Dismayed yet?You can access EPA's website if you're interested to find out the quality of tap water in your area.

Bottled water is convenient water… certainly not. While purchasing water that’s readily available and can be easily disposed is reasonably convenient than hauling around a water container all day, it is important to remember that improper disposal of plastic bottles will only cause further harm to the environment. Earth Policy Institute reported that "approximately 1.5 millions barrels of oil are used each year to manufacture plastic bottles.” Furthermore, Earth Policy Institute added, "Americans consume 22 gallons of bottled water every year."

Don’t you think it’s time to stop supporting an unsustainable industry?

Ready for more?

Here’s an infographic of the troublesome facts about bottled water.Presented by Online Education

With the new year in full swing and the semester hustling right along, it is only fitting to breathe new life into one of CLU’s sustainability project.

That’s right!

Fillanthrophy is back!

For those of you who are not aware of this project, Fillanthrophy is a sustainability campaign pioneered by CLU students to raise awareness about the adverse effects of plastic bottles to our environment. One of Fillanthrophy’s primary goals is to encourage students to use reusable water containers in order to minimize the purchase of plastic bottles on campus.

This semester, we’re going to kick off our first blog with a short video from The Story of Stuff Project featuring “The Story of Bottled Water”.  This movie depicts the story behind our dependence on bottled water and how “manufactured demands” significantly affects consumers’ buying decisions. So sit back (for a few minutes) and enjoy this very insightful film. 

California's 2 main river basins and their joint aquifers have lost nearly enough water since 2003 to fill Lake Mead.  This is largely in part due to the draining of aquifers from agricultural farms.  Farms in the arid Central Valley usually tap into aquifers instead of irrigating water from far away, which comes at a much higher cost.  

Sigg is so cool.  I'm just saying.  They've created some fun and fancy bottles which make it hip to be green.  BPA-free and tough enough to survive being dropped off a cliff (true story) they're worth the purchase.  Find your own www.sigg.com Oh, and it's free shipping too.  Too cool.