Why #DrinkTap? After successfully spearheading the plastic straw & cutlery ban in the City of Malibu it’s time to tackle the massive plastic water bottle problem. We have been doing our research by talking to doctors, public works departments in various cities and testing our own tap water. Over and over we heard the same statement – tap water is GOOD and that the plastic water bottle industry is convincing us otherwise to increase sales.

The marketing prowess of plastic water bottle companies have us drinking and discarding 1 million plastic bottles per minute, and 91% are not recycled. Instead, they make their way into the natural environment, namely our oceans, killing sea life or degrading into microplastics, which we then ingest.

“Few things are more basic and important to all of us than good, clean water. So many of us take for granted the easy access to such a basic necessity. Plastic water bottles only add more damage to our environment. Clean water fountains are the way to go!”
– Nina L. Shapiro, MD , Author of HYPE, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Here is how to #DrinkTap:

1. Learn about your tap water. Contact your city / your water purveyor (who you pay your water bill to) to find out about your water. Here is an example of a water report that all cities must provide.
2. Filtering your tap water reduces common contaminants. Use this guide to learn more about best practices. 
3. Here is what the World Health Organization has to say about the type of water levels that are safe to drink:
   According to World Health Organization, tap water with total dissolved solids less than 500 ppm is drinkable and less than 300 ppm is excellent. Santa Monica tap water was measured at 216 ppm.

FACTS:

Did you know that the vast majority of plastic water bottle companies do not share what’s in their water?

Many plastic bottled water companies fill their bottles with filtered tap water.

The EPA regulates tap water versus the FDA, which regulates plastic water bottles and that the EPA is much more stringent.

Plastic water bottles leech harmful chemicals as well as microplastics in your water especially if the plastic water bottle is exposed to high temperatures such as a hot car on a warm day.

Get involved today and SHARE! Please follow us @howchangers and if you drink tap water please share by using the #iDrinkTap hashtag to disrupt the multi billion dollar water bottle industry that is choking our planet with plastic. Plus, you can save thousands of dollars/year by refusing plastic water bottles.