Each New Year’s Day (for the past 14 years) I have created a ritual of creating my intentions for the upcoming year and review the past year’s list. I take three sheets of paper and mark one page “Personal“, the next one “Financial” and the last one “Things“. The “Personal” page will consist of all the travel, commitments to family and friends, hobbies I want to explore, health goals, taking care of the environment. But it is not just for this year, it is everything I desire to fulfill my life, to give me purpose for being on this earth.
I set a timer for 10 minutes, and then put everything on that list from being the best pet mom to speaking Spanish to creating a foundation to teach nutrition to living in Costa Rica for three months out of the year. I write like a wild woman, the pen is in a flurry to capture the thoughts that are flying through my head. The sky’s the limit. I don’t worry how I’m going to do it, the details, the cost, or even when it will happen. I do this for each page. Sometimes the items I put on my list are so big, I wonder to myself, what was I thinking. Next I go back to each page and put a time frame; 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years and 15 years. I take the top three one year items on each page and write a statement about why I am passionate about making that item happen. If I can’t think of anything that jazzes me (which has never happened) then I pick another 1 year item on the list. Now I can take nine items and chart a journey for each.
After reviewing my list from last year, one of my items on my personal list was to be more environmental friendly. So I wrote a list of all the changes I wanted to create, and for the most part I successfully checked off many things concerning taking better care of our earth. One of the items was using less bottled water. We are doing better in our household, but not perfect.
One Degree of Change #11:
Filter your own H20!
It’s not that hard. Water filtration is the best process to remove the bacteria as well as it maintain the softness of water. I chose three methods priced low, moderate and high end.
The first is a plain, old, charcoal filter pitcher filtration like “Brita“, you pour the water into the container and it filters right before your eyes. Initially, it is inexpensive, but replacement cartridges can become costly.
The second is a counter top water filtration system. This type is hooked up to your faucet so all the water that runs thru is filtered. A better and more cost effective way than the pitcher filters.
The third, which is what we use in our home, is an under the sink filter. We have a designated mini faucet that delivers filtered water to the sink as well as our refrigerator. It is a little more expensive initially, due to installation, but long term, it does a better job. I like this the best because you always have available filtered water. It is the best long-term solution for in-home water filtration. Typically, the most robust and effective filtration technology which reduces about 10x more contaminants than the leading pitcher filter. And it is convenient and sophisticated with a dedicated on-sink faucet for filtered water on demand. I like that the system is hidden under the counter. Typically the longest lasting filters compared to countertop or pitcher options. It has an easy to change filter.
All of the above are still in an affordable price range. Look around to see what works for you. I will “do” better this year, because I “know” better! Remember each degree of change you make changes your journey. The small impact of filtering your own drinking water will save the earth from the billions of plastic bottles dumped into the landfills everyday.