Last year, Americans spent nearly $11 billion on more than eight billion gallons of bottled water, and then tossed more than 22 billion empty plastic bottles in the trash.
U.S. plastic bottle production requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil, which is enough to fuel 100,000 cars.
Plastic waste is now at such a volume that vast eddies of current-bound plastic trash spin endlessly in the world's major oceans.
Oceanside resident Faith Paulus has created a solution to help minimize the catastrophic waste, health and environmental hazards of disposable water bottles by driving consumers Back to the Tap. Paulus founded Back to the Tap in November of 2007.
The organization offers water bottles that feature an exclusive carbon composite device that filters as you drink, producing great tasting water. The sports water bottle can be refilled 300 times and the biological sports bottle can remove up to 99.99 percent of cysts, bacteria and protozoan parasites from water.
The Back to the Tap campaign works to raise awareness about the hazards of disposable water bottles. It also assists in providing filters and supplies to regions that are without safe drinking water.
“Our world is hurting and we all have to do our part to make it a better place for the next generation,” Paulus said. “When we as a society can change a daily behavioral habit, such as how we consume our water, it can lead to a higher conforming level of environmental consciousness for us all.”
The Carlsbad Business Journal sat down with Paulus to discuss her organization in more detail and its efforts to diminish global plastic waste.
CBJ: What was your inspiration for founding Back to the Tap?
Paulus: The marketing persuasion and conforming social acceptance that continues to imply that our drinking water is not pure unless it comes from a disposable bottle began to seem absurd to me and I felt compelled to make a difference. The Back to the Tap product line came about by pairing a carbon activated filtration device within a safe food-grade plastic container that is not manufactured with toxic properties, such as Bisphenol A, a chemical found in most disposable water bottles. I felt it important to implement a universal message: Back to the Tap … for a healthier planet, with the hope to influence others to minimize their dependence on trendy disposable water bottles.
CBJ: What is the organization's mission?
Paulus: When I saw a recent documentary of children drinking from a pool of green slime in Nicaragua, I realized how we take for granted the convenient resource of tap water, which can be turned on in an instant in any American household. In fact, as determined in one recent study, tap water may actually contain less contaminants than most disposable water bottle products currently on the market. The thought occurred to me that we have the technology now to assist thirsty children by providing them with our Back to the Tap biological bottle.
CBJ: What is Back to the Tap's involvement with EarthShare?
Paulus: EarthShare supports a nationwide network of the country's most respected environmental and conservation organizations by creating a healthy and sustainable environment for us all. EarthShare has recognized the needs of the Back to the Tap campaign and its products, and we are proud to say that we share their marketplace of featured partners with only a few other product supplies. We provide $1 for every bottle sold in our campaign to assist in the EarthShare global efforts.
CBJ: How do you find the regions your organization assists?
Paulus: We have surprisingly found that we don't even have to go very far from our own city of San Diego. There are areas in Calexico that need our assistance. As part of our efforts to help those in areas without safe drinking water, we recently traveled to El Centro and found the small farming community of Heber. The water supplies there are so contaminated from run-offs, poor soils and leaking wells that it has been deemed unsuitable for drinking and the residents have been ordered not to drink from the tap. The farmers cannot afford bottled water and the children are drinking the untreated water from the water fountain at school.
CBJ: What do you see for the future of Back to the Tap?
Paulus: We are screening distributors to promote the program on both national and international levels. However, we would like to keep this circle small so efforts can be shared by those who have an authentic passion for our more global causes. Also in the works is a kids campaign where kids will sell the bottles. Sometimes the best motivators are our own children, and with profits of a couple of bucks a bottle and a heart for our country's environmental plight, we feel that they can help spread the word while assisting other children that do not share their same advantages.
Back to the Tap:
(760) 224-0905
www.backtothetap.com
U.S. plastic bottle production requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil, which is enough to fuel 100,000 cars.
Plastic waste is now at such a volume that vast eddies of current-bound plastic trash spin endlessly in the world's major oceans.
Oceanside resident Faith Paulus has created a solution to help minimize the catastrophic waste, health and environmental hazards of disposable water bottles by driving consumers Back to the Tap. Paulus founded Back to the Tap in November of 2007.
The organization offers water bottles that feature an exclusive carbon composite device that filters as you drink, producing great tasting water. The sports water bottle can be refilled 300 times and the biological sports bottle can remove up to 99.99 percent of cysts, bacteria and protozoan parasites from water.
The Back to the Tap campaign works to raise awareness about the hazards of disposable water bottles. It also assists in providing filters and supplies to regions that are without safe drinking water.
“Our world is hurting and we all have to do our part to make it a better place for the next generation,” Paulus said. “When we as a society can change a daily behavioral habit, such as how we consume our water, it can lead to a higher conforming level of environmental consciousness for us all.”
The Carlsbad Business Journal sat down with Paulus to discuss her organization in more detail and its efforts to diminish global plastic waste.
CBJ: What was your inspiration for founding Back to the Tap?
Paulus: The marketing persuasion and conforming social acceptance that continues to imply that our drinking water is not pure unless it comes from a disposable bottle began to seem absurd to me and I felt compelled to make a difference. The Back to the Tap product line came about by pairing a carbon activated filtration device within a safe food-grade plastic container that is not manufactured with toxic properties, such as Bisphenol A, a chemical found in most disposable water bottles. I felt it important to implement a universal message: Back to the Tap … for a healthier planet, with the hope to influence others to minimize their dependence on trendy disposable water bottles.
CBJ: What is the organization's mission?
Paulus: When I saw a recent documentary of children drinking from a pool of green slime in Nicaragua, I realized how we take for granted the convenient resource of tap water, which can be turned on in an instant in any American household. In fact, as determined in one recent study, tap water may actually contain less contaminants than most disposable water bottle products currently on the market. The thought occurred to me that we have the technology now to assist thirsty children by providing them with our Back to the Tap biological bottle.
CBJ: What is Back to the Tap's involvement with EarthShare?
Paulus: EarthShare supports a nationwide network of the country's most respected environmental and conservation organizations by creating a healthy and sustainable environment for us all. EarthShare has recognized the needs of the Back to the Tap campaign and its products, and we are proud to say that we share their marketplace of featured partners with only a few other product supplies. We provide $1 for every bottle sold in our campaign to assist in the EarthShare global efforts.
CBJ: How do you find the regions your organization assists?
Paulus: We have surprisingly found that we don't even have to go very far from our own city of San Diego. There are areas in Calexico that need our assistance. As part of our efforts to help those in areas without safe drinking water, we recently traveled to El Centro and found the small farming community of Heber. The water supplies there are so contaminated from run-offs, poor soils and leaking wells that it has been deemed unsuitable for drinking and the residents have been ordered not to drink from the tap. The farmers cannot afford bottled water and the children are drinking the untreated water from the water fountain at school.
CBJ: What do you see for the future of Back to the Tap?
Paulus: We are screening distributors to promote the program on both national and international levels. However, we would like to keep this circle small so efforts can be shared by those who have an authentic passion for our more global causes. Also in the works is a kids campaign where kids will sell the bottles. Sometimes the best motivators are our own children, and with profits of a couple of bucks a bottle and a heart for our country's environmental plight, we feel that they can help spread the word while assisting other children that do not share their same advantages.
Back to the Tap:
(760) 224-0905
www.backtothetap.com