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The late, great comedian, George Carlin, used to do a comedy bit about how he saw people, everywhere he turned, carrying a water bottle. He punctuated this hilarious routine with an exasperated question: “Just when did everyone get so thirsty?” As funny as this was, his keen observation about the increase of people carrying their own drinking water containers points to a more serious problem: plastic water bottles have become one of the biggest sources of pollution in the U.S. Plastic bottles have got to go!

In recent years bottled water has become one of the giants of the beverage industry. As Americans continue to demand clean drinking water, this industry has gone full-throttle to ensure that each and every person is able to have their own drinking water container, when and where they want it. Unfortunately, “full-throttle” means that over 60,000,000 plastic bottles are produced, transported and disposed of EVERY DAY in the U.S. alone!

Don’t get me wrong. I like having the convenience of drinking clean water from my own drinking water container. However, there is no evidence that bottled water is any cleaner than most tap water. The government doesn’t even require bottled water be any safer or purer than tap water. So what you’re buying (and I’ve been guilty of it too) is a slick advertising concept that makes it seem as if this bottled water just bubbled up from a mountain spring. And then you’re stuck with having to dispose of this polluting plastic.

So does this mean that personal drinking water containers are a bad idea? Absolutely not! You can still drink clean, filtered water conveniently from your own personal drinking water container. All you have to do is use drinking water containers that have been designed to be used over and over again. The best reusable containers are made from glass.

Besides being 100% recyclable, glass containers have other advantages. Glass preserves the taste and purity of filtered water. Water stored in plastic bottles risks becoming contaminated from plastic byproducts, like BPA and phthalate. As these substances leach from the plastic, the water loses its taste and purity. Glass doesn’t have this problem.

And let’s not forget that refilling and reusing these drinking water containers is going to mean more money in your pocket. If you are buying bottled water on a regular basis, it can get expensive.

There is also a psychological advantage to using glass drinking water containers When you’re thirsty and looking in the fridge for something good to drink, and you spot a crystal-clear, cold glass container of water, you’re going to instinctively reach for it. Drinking more clean, healthy water is one of the best ways to promote good health.

These non-polluting, drinking water containers are readily available from most reputable water filtration system providers. You can find these providers, like I did, with just some simple research. When you’re drinking filtered water, conveniently, from your own reusable drinking water container you will be doing yourself and our planet a big favor.

The original books of the Bible were written in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament). Parts of the books of Daniel and the Gospel of Matthew might have been originally written in Aramaic.

Many translations have been made over the years. In the early days of Christianity the Hebrew Old Testament was usually read in a Greek translation (the so-called Septuagint). As the church spread, the need for translations grew, taking the sacred text into widely accepted languages as well as local tongues. The Bible was soon translated into Latin (the language of the Roman Empire), Syriac (an Eastern Aramaic language), Coptic (Egyptian), and Arabic. By 500 AD, some estimate, scripture could already be found in more than 500 languages.

Unfortunately, translations were not always accurate and errors were made. For this reason – and also because they did not want “ordinary” people to be able to read the Bible – the (Roman) Catholic Church banned any further translations and used only a particular Latin text known as the Vulgate, which had been translated from the Greek around 600 AD. In the 1380s the first English translations were made by John Wycliffe. By 1455 the printing press was invented (Gutenberg), and mass-production capabilities made additional English versions and other language translations more readily available.

Hundreds of translations into English (estimated around 450) have been made over the years. Some of the best known are: the King James (KJV, 1611), the New International Version (NIV, 1978), the New King James (NKJV, 1982), the New American Standard Bible (NASB, 1971) and the English Standard Version (ESV, 2001). This large number of translations is usually grouped into three main categories:

Literal translations: These translate the original texts word for word into the best English equivalent words. These translations are sometimes also referred to as interlinear translations, placing the English rendering along side the original Hebrew and Greek. Although they are undoubtedly the most accurate translations, they can be difficult to read because the flow of language follows the original Hebrew and Greek, quite different from modern English. The NASB as well as the ESV are good examples of literal translations.

Dynamic equivalent translations: These translations attempt to be as literal as possible, but restructure sentences and grammar from the original language to English. They attempt to capture thought and intent of what writers wanted to say. As a result, these are more readable in English, but have a higher degree of subjective interpretation than the literal translations. These translations include the KJV, NKJV, and NIV.

Contemporary language translations: These translation paraphrase the thought and intent of the original text into contemporary English. The result is easy to read, but the text is largely a subjective interpretation of the translator. These versions, such as the well known The Message and The New Living Translation, should be approached with great care. Use them perhaps for supplementary readings, but be aware that these texts can (and often do) differ significantly from the original Bible texts.

Every translation requires interpretation. Why? Because languages do not translate one on one. That is, not every word has a unique word to match it in the other language. Also some tongues are richer in expression than English (such as Greek) or smaller in vocabulary (such as Hebrew). A translator must interpret the original meaning and find an equivalent wording, but this makes the result subject to the biases of the translator. Bottom line: interpretations differ and errors can occur. When translations differ significantly, research into the original language can help clarify the message.

To complicate things a bit, a small number of NT verses are not supported by all ancient manuscripts; this forces translators to decide which verses to incorporate. Most translators are cautious to err on the safe side and note for the reader any verse not supported by the majority of manuscripts.

As an illustration, let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 in the New International Version and the King James Version:

The Lord’s prayer in the King James:

“After this manner therefore pray ye: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’”

Now read the Lord’s prayer in the NIV:

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ Apart from “old” English versus more modern English style, notice the two differences in the last verse:

“The evil one” versus “evil.” The KJV asks for deliverance from “evil” while the NIV asks to deliver us from “the evil one.” There is a significant difference between the two. The original Greek text actually uses an adjective with an article, making “the evil one” the only correct translation. When we pray we ask to be delivered from the evil one, not from any danger, disaster, or from the general evil of the world.

An extra sentence. Compared to the NIV, the KJV has an extra sentence at the end: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen.” This is a good illustration of a later addition to the oldest preserved Greek manuscripts. As the NIV mentions in a footnote: “some late manuscripts: for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Other verses in the NT have similar additions. None of these are of vital theological consequence, but it is important to be aware of these variations. Therefore the differences between the various English translations are not the result of differences in the extant (still in existence) ancient manuscripts, but merely the result of choices (and sometimes errors) made by the translators during the translation to English.

It is an unfortunate fact that plastic bottles are piling up in the landfills rather than being given a second chance to serve another round on the market due to recycling. With bottled water growing in population, in addition to the countless numbers of soft drink bottles that are disposed of each day, the amount of plastic bottles being thrown into garbage cans all over the world has grown exponentially. However, since bottled water is being consumed more and more each year, it has become the largest growing beverage over soft drinks, juices, and alcohol and is also becoming one of the largest contributors to landfill waste in the form of plastic bottles.

It is said that in the last decade, the consumption of bottled water has increased to 22.6 gallons per person per year, which is up from 10.5 gallons recorded ten years prior. The number of bottles sold in 1997 was 3.3 billion, whereas the number sold in 2002 was 15 billion. This is incredible growth, which has resulted in a significant growth of the number of plastic bottles being thrown away. Most of this water, as well as other beverages, are not always consumed in the home. People consume these beverages in their offices and various other places where there is no way to recycle the bottle when it is thrown away.

It is said that only 12% of plastic water bottles even see recycling. That means there are around 40 million bottles being thrown into the trash each day or is thrown out a car window to the side of the road. However, in terms of soft drink bottles, there is a recycling rate of 30%, but the low recycling rate associated with water bottles brings down the number of all plastic bottles that are recycled. As of 1993, 19% of all types of plastic bottles were being recycled, compared to 53% just nine years before.

The best way to keep these bottles out of landfills is for states, cities, offices, and other businesses to implement recycling programs. If there were more curbside pickup services and programs within businesses, the percentage of bottles ending up in garbage cans would go down and the percentage of bottles being found in recycling centers would go up.

Some have even proposed that laws requiring bottle deposits would be the way to go. However, in terms of businesses, which have a high percentage of workers consuming beverages in plastic bottles each day would benefit from implementing an in-house recycling program. By placing recycling receptacles throughout the business in places such as restrooms and break rooms, employees would be more likely to recycle plastic bottles. Once the receptacles are full, the business can engage the services of a recycling service to pick up the recyclables or can make arrangement for the bottles to be taken to the recycling center.

Since compensation for recycled materials is a great incentive for recyclers, a business can benefit from recycling plastic bottles. The money that is collected from recycling can be used to have an office party or some other reward that will create a great incentive for the employees to recycle. The same applies to homes. With such services as curbside pickup, residents would be more likely to recycle. Some communities do utilize these services, but not all.

Through taking a proactive approach toward recycling plastic bottles, the environment will see benefits and you will save money. Every little bit of pocket change helps and it really doesn’t take a lot of effort to designate a separate area for bottles. In the end the consumer is happy, the recycling center is happy, and the environment is happy.

Americans buy over $22 billion plastic water bottles per year, which translates to over 70 million bottles consumed daily. Recent reports have many consumers confused as to whether it is safe to drink from these bottles. Since only 17% are recycled, there are also environmental concerns.

The safety reports about Bisphenol a (BPA) in plastic are not generally found in the single use plastic water bottles purchased by most people. If there is a resin recycle code #1 on the bottom of the bottom, it uses PET, which is generally considered safe. The resin code that can indicate the presence of BPA is #7, although not all code #7 bottles contain BPA.

Even though most plastic water bottles do not contain BPA, they can still leach chemicals into the drinking water. To minimize this risk, keep bottles out of extreme heat, which can accelerate the leaching process. Internet rumors about freeze risks are false (however since water expands when frozen, drink a little before freezing to allow room for the expansion).

Plastic water bottles can be reused, but you must make sure to wash thoroughly with soap and water to eliminate bacteria. Allow to dry before refilling. I recycle mine after several uses or if it gets exposed to heat or the water develops a funny taste.

Bottled water can cost 2500 times more than tap water. Many brands of bottled water, including Dasani, are simply filtered tap water. Bottled water costs about $3-$5 per gallon. Regular community tap water, which is perfectly safe and tested regularly, costs about $2 per thousand gallons. You can buy a faucet filter and make your own filtered water for about $0.10 per gallon, or use a tabletop model like Brita for about $0.25 per gallon. To eliminate chlorine without a filter, you can use a trick I learned when I worked for a garden center about removing chlorine in irrigation water for delicate plants: leave the water uncovered overnight to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

Plastic bottles certainly have their use, and there are places where it can be impractical to bring a permanent reusable water bottle, but whenever possible, it is best to use a stainless steel or aluminum reusable water bottle.

Unfortunately, less than 20% of water bottles get recycled, despite demand for the resin from companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi which have pledged to use 10% recycled resin in their bottles. Few states have deposit programs which have been shown to increase recycle rates. In addition, only about half of all Americans do not have curbside pickup of recyclables. While becoming more common, most public places do not have water bottle recycle bins next to trash cans. We throw away close to 60 million plastic water bottles each day.

The bottom line is that plastic water bottles are safe, but harmful to the environment. The responsible choice is to use a reusable water bottle whenever possible, and make all efforts to recycle the plastic water bottles when a metal water bottle is impractical.