Whether you like it or not, bottled water is here to stay. It’s portable, accessible and a convenient way to stay healthy with fresh, purified water every day. Unfortunately, Americans throw out around 60 million of these plastic bottles every single day. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to stem the tide of this massive waste stream. By making simple, versatile swaps, you can stay hydrated all year without ever touching a disposable water bottle again. While Traveling It’s important to be mindful of your intake of liquids while traveling, no matter the weather. By replacing your disposable water bottle with a refillable alternative throughout your travels, you can even circumvent some of the rules and regulations that come with exploring in transit. For example, TSA regulations stipulate that liquid carry-on items can be no larger than 3.4 oz. per item—everyone forgets that water bottles fall into this category! Unopened or not, standard sizes for bottled water averages at around 17 oz., or five times that maximum. Airport security will not allow full water bottles, but an empty reusable bottle can be filled once you go through. Many airports even have water stations especially built to fill your bottle to the top with clean, filtered water. For Sports From professional leagues and the neighborhood team, to the high school intramural and little league sports, athletes need a lot of water, and they need it to be accessible. Before games, during practice and after matches are all good times to take a sip, whether your sport has you flying solo or chasing glory in a group, indoors and outdoors. Bottled water can be easy to cart around and dole out to the crowd, but there are other ways to get your drink on with clean, nourishing H2O. If you’re an athlete or even just watching the game, bring a reusable water bottle to events. Even better: get a reusable bottle with a built-in water filter and refill at the tap. Athletes and their fans consume water at such a rate that larger quantities need to be available, and bottles aren’t the only answer. Getting a faucet filtration system, or a water pitcher or dispenser with a filter like those sold by PUR, can easily fill up a 5-gallon water cooler and other water bottles present at the game. At Parties There’s always a reason to come together or celebrate year-round, especially during the fall and holiday seasons, and the most important part of any gathering is refreshments. Handing out bottles of water from the cooler or fridge can be a convenient way to keep your guests sipping, but keeping something like a PUR water pitcher with a filter allows guests to write their name on a cup and refill it over and over. A faucet adapter is another convenient way to keep guests happy and hydrated. Making big quantities of drinks like lemonade or punch is a breeze with a renewing supply of filtered water. At Concerts and Festivals Live music and outdoor events like concerts and festivals have the makings of incredible lifelong memories, but if you don’t eat and hydrate right, you’re going to have a bad time. Standing in line, walking in the sun, dancing it out and holding your spot by the barricade takes its toll on the body, and the most important thing you can do is keep your fluids up. Bottled water and other concessions are sold at most events of this type, but as one could imagine, disposable products tend to litter the ground at large events and festivals. Thankfully, many concerts and festivals now allow you to bring in a refillable Camelback or bottle, and have on-sight refilling stations. Keep in mind that event staff may not always allow you to bring a full bottle of any liquid into the venue, so you may want to keep your refillable bottles empty when going through security, and refilling once inside. At Home We are made of 50 – 65% water and need to replenish it constantly, no matter what we are doing or where we are. Whether its dinner or game night, filtered water is a healthy, affordable way to keep you hydrated without accumulating a pile of plastic bottles in your trash bin. As an added bonus, companies like PUR offer water filtration systems such as pitchers, faucet adapters and refill packs that are even recyclable through TerraCycle. You stay hydrated, save money, and the waste is diverted from the landfill. Be it glass, insulated, stainless steel or BPA-free plastic, reusable alternatives to bottled water come in all shapes and sizes. What’s your favorite?