Many of us cannot start out the morning without a cup (or several cups) of coffee. If you brew your coffee at home, you know that using a new paper coffee filter for every roast adds up quickly. In buying our first coffee maker, we made sure to buy a reusable coffee filter from Cuisinart. We paid $14.95 for it at Bed Bath & Beyond, but were able to find it for under $7 at Amazon.com (see link above). We have not noticed any change in flavor, can use it over and over again, and are happy to know we are not unnecessarily wasting materials.

If you find yourself still needing a disposable coffee filter, you can use an unbleached, recycled, or biodegradable coffee filter.

People are constantly debating whether bottled water is actually better or worse for our health and the environment. We are going to tackle some of these concerns.

• Some bottled water is the same as tap, and some bottled water is filtered. With this in mind, why do we need a plastic bottle of water, when we can filter it ourselves? Use a Brita Filter to filter your water. If you do, you will be saving  a lot of plastic and a lot of money, while still getting the filtration you want. To handle the Brita Filter in an environmentally friendly way, learn how to recycle your Brita Filters properly.
• If you purchase a Brita Filter and switch to tap, you will probably want a convenient way to transport your water. Purchase an eco-friendly water bottle such as a Klean Kanteen
  which does not leech any toxins into your beverage of choice, can hold ice cubes, and is reuseable. Your plastic water bottle cannot do all of that.
• If you are so driven to use a plastic water bottle, try to use a company that reduces the amount of plastic and packaging. Nestlé (Poland Spring, Ozarka, Arrowhead, and Ice Mountain) has reduced the amount of plastic in its bottles and even the amount of paper on its label. Nestlé  has reduced their plastic use more than any other company I have researched. However, after Nestlé made its change, many other companies now have plans to follow suit. Research each company before you buy, and think about whether you really need to buy so many plastic bottles, when you could keep refilling one eco-friendly bottle. Also, make sure that the plastic bottle gets recycled. The majority of plastic bottles in the world are not.

On a side note, soda bottles require even more plastic to help contain the CO2 inside. Instead of buying cans or smaller bottles, shop for a two liter and use a reusable bottle to transport for your day to day needs. Again, recycle every can. If you are not sure how to recycle aluminum cans or plastic bottles in your area, go to Earth911.org for more information.

Use a filter. Purchase a reusable bottle. Drink green.