My New Love! Why you should ditch your plastic water bottle.

Finally! I found a stainless steel water bottle that I love! (I don't love the cheapo ones we have, as all of them tend to leak!) I've been going round and round about what brand I want.  I didn't want a Sigg.  I didn't want a Klean Kanteen.  I wanted something pretty and something where I didn't have to drink straight from the metal edge - without costing a fortune.

So walking through Target on my lunch the other day, I popped down the aisle with all their stainless steel bottles. Lo and behold, I found perfection! Reasonably priced, BPA-free plastic drinking spout, and made by Thermos.

Change happens once small step at a time.  Start with the water bottle and move on to the rest of the plastics. IF you have to buy something in a plastic container, these plastics are BPA-free, phthalates-free and PVC-free: #1, #2, #4, #5.

If you ever needed a reason to ditch the plastic - read on! 

#1. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET): No known hazards.

#2. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): No known hazards.
#3. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or vinyl): Plasticizers are added to many PVC products to make them flexible. These include phthalates — suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), DEHA, another possible EDC, was found to leach from PVC cling wraps into cheese. Grocery stores commonly use PVC to wrap deli meats and cheeses. Reyonds cling wrap is PVC. Some waters and vegetable oils are bottled in PVC. Ad PVC’s manufacture and incineration produces highly toxic dioxins, as does the PVDC used in Saran Wrap, according to Consumers Union.
#4. Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE): No known hazards.
#5. Polypropylene (PP): No known hazards.
#6. Polystyrene (PS or Styrofoam): Made from styrene, a suspected carcinogen, PS also contains p-nonylphenol; both chemicals are suspected EDCs. Do not consumer fatty foods or alcoholic beverages from Styrofoam containers; styrene can leach into these substances. Some opaque plastic cutlery is PS, as well.
#7. Other Resins, including Polycarbonate (PC): Most clear plastic baby bottles and 5-gallon water bottles are made of PC. Bisphenol-A EDC in PC, has been found in water and heated infant formulas bottles in PC, as well as food cans lined with a plastic film. For more on the evils of BPA, click here.

(source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/safe-plastics-for-lunchboxes.html)