Plastic Schmastic.

What's a plastic bottle made of? The most widely used plastic for disposable bottles is made from polyethylene. Polyethylene minus the poly, gives you Ethylene. To most people that probably means nothing, it meant nothing to me until I started researching plastic bottles. Ethylene is obtained from petroleum and natural gas. Yep, you read that right. Petroleum - oil- approximately 1.5 million barrels to be exact. That's enough oil for 100,000 cars to be driven for an entire year.

So, grab your reusable water bottle and ditch the disposables, right? That depends on what you're ditching it for. Some plastic types have the potential of leaching Bisphenol A (BPA). Studies done by the CDC- center for Disease control- have shown that when tested on animals BPA can produce numerous health issues, ranging from obesity (maybe it's not just the calories in that Coke?) to several types of cancer and even infertility. CDC also found that 93% of the tested humans had a measurable level of BPA in their bodies and that these risks are more significant for infants and small children. Kind of makes you wonder why these plastics are legal, right? They are banned in some European countries- but our FDA chooses not to take an action. What can you do? Use a reusable bottle but choose it carefully. Make sure the one you purchase clearly states it is BPA-free.

Check out GTR's top favs!

1. Camelbak's The Better Bottle: I hadn't tried Camelbak until GTR recently reviewed a couple bottles. I had no idea what I was missing! I love this bottle. A leak free valved straw system keeps you mess free, but it's easy enough for even my one year old to use. These bottles are fantastic and of course, BPA-free. I haven't left the house without my Camelbak since we received it and we've added to the collection.


2. Nalgene's OTG (on-the-go) bottle: Our family has been using Nalgene for years now. We especially love their sippy cups. BUT- some of the Nalgene bottles are too large for cup holders or have giant openings for little ones to spill, that's why we love the OTG. Sporting a slimmer design that fits in your cup holder & a smaller spout for less spills the OTG is ready to along where ever you're going.





3. Klean Kanteen 18oz. nicknamed the "kid kanteen" because of it's slender design, making it easier for small hands. Fits in cup holders, bike cages, purses, diaper bag bottle holders & more. Easy to clean, scratch proof, 100% recyclable (not that you will ever want to toss this bad boy), and available in several sizes.






4. SIGG: These are super similar to Klean Kanteen and we love them for the same reasons but they also have special coating on the inside to keep metals and chemicals from leaching. There are oodles of designs and sizes. It seems like almost everyone has a SIGG design, even music artist have their own favorite design you can buy at shows. My favorite SIGG is shown in the picture, the back side reads "Friends don't let friends drink from plastic." ;)




Because I love you guys and I'm your friend.. I don't want you drinking from BPA plastic!!!!! GiveThemRoots is giving away a Nalgene OTG bottle to one lucky reader. Just fill in the blanks below for your chance to win. This giveaway ends 2/28/09 at 11:00pm est.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. Thank you.