With ever-growing concerns about the environmental impact of bottled water a new office water cooler is making the rounds. Employees are thrilled that not only can they get fresh, pure water anytime; these new office water coolers also eliminate the need for replacing those heavy, awkward water bottles.

Bottle-less water coolers are fast replacing those enormous bottles that always seem to run out when you need a glass of water. No longer are people breaking their backs trying to tip that cumbersome bottle over, spilling water all the while, as they painfully attempt to get it into the correct spot. No longer is there the need to find a space to store these water bottles and no longer is there a threat of putting that dirty bottle into the drinking water.

With a bottle-less water cooler, a filtration system similar in theory to the ones used in a under sink water filter, allows employees to get superior quality water. These systems hook up to the office tap water so they never run dry. Reverse osmosis systems are also available.

Not having to purchase water bottles also makes employees happy and these new office water coolers are more economically sound, they are billed as a flat rate per month regardless of usage. They are “the next generation bottled water” and with a ready supply of clean, pure water, everyone is talking about it… at the new office water cooler!

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“Going green” is becoming a way of life. People are recycling, reusing and reducing every day. And while many folks are doing this at home it is now becoming the way of life at the office. From carpooling and recycle bins to thermostat controllers and energy-efficient light bulbs, companies are finding that it makes perfect sense that everyone, no matter where they are, take responsibility for the environment.

Many companies are finding that with the installation of an office water filtration system, they have reduced the need for employees to bring in plastic water bottles. Having cool, fresh water at their disposal along with reusable cups is one of the easiest ways companies can help. Employees are very happy not to have the added expense of buying plastic water bottles but are now able to get filtered water at work!

It is estimated that plastic water bottles use up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste every year. And while they can be recycled, you have to wonder how many of these are actually making it to the recycling centers and how many are being thrown away. Those that don’t make it to the recycling centers only add to the detriment of our wildlife and marine life. It’s a downward spiral but information is power and the more that people and companies are informed the better the chances we all have that folks will act.

Knowing they are part of the solution helps to boost employee’s esteem and knowing that the company they work for is taking an active stand for the earth makes everyone proud.

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One would think that in this day and age a glass of cold, clean delicious water should be everyone’s right, right? Well, almost, but not quite. Despite the great job municipalities do in providing us with the life-sustaining liquid (overseen by US EPA requirements many times a day) the quality is dictated by the least common denominator. What does this mean? Well, since more than 99% of all the water we use is for flushing, washing, watering, etc. it wouldn’t make much sense for the municipality to make it all “drinking” quality even if they could, that’s your job.

Once you realize that you CAN turn your tap water into “bottled water quality”, simply by investing in a quality water filtration system, that decision should be a no-brainer. Many at this point will choose an under sink water filter for the ultimate convenience of not having a system on the faucet or a counter-top system which frees up much needed space in the kitchen.

Alternatively, the un-enlightened will foolishly choose to continue buying bottled water at great expense to both themselves and the environment!

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We specialize in water and we realize its importance to our well-being!

Having said that, our commitment to clean, safe water cowers in comparison to that of a little 9 year-old girl, Rachel Beckwith, formerly of planet Earth, currently residing in heaven with the other angels.

Learning of the desperate need for clean water in Africa and other poor nations, Rachel decided to do what she could to raise money in an effort to save at least some of the children at risk.

"I found out that millions of people don't live to see their 5th birthday” , Rachel wrote. "And why? Because they didn't have access to clean, safe water so I'm celebrating my birthday like never before. I'm asking from everyone I know to donate to my campaign instead of gifts for my birthday. Every penny of the money raised will go directly to fund freshwater projects in developing nations”.

Tragically, Rachel's life came to an abrupt end when she was killed in a 13 car accident in Bellevue, Washington. Those who were close to her kept her cause going and the donations have skyrocketed from $220.00 when she died to several hundred thousand and growing.

To donate, go to

http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=16396

Sometimes we lose sight of the big picture and all of the things we take for granted, like good healthy clean drinking water.

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First and foremost: know your water. Just as you wouldn’t buy a pickup truck to take your 6 kids to the soccer match, if you don’t know the real and potential problems with your water you may choose too much or too little filter for your families’ needs. Unfortunately, there are too many filter manufacturers and their dealers whose first priority is their profit margin, not what’s best for you. You can always identify these guys by the scare tactics they use. Some filters claim to remove “everything” from the water leaving Zero minerals, etc. and they do. They don’t bother to tell you that generally upwards of 99% of what they are removing is beneficial to your health. Bad things, the REALLY bad things, like lead and bacteria are actually such a small percentage of the water that until recently they couldn’t even be measured accurately.

Second: what do you need your filter to do? If you’re on a municipal or public water supply, by law, there must be a percentage of chlorine present to protect you from the most urgent (albeit rare) threat, biological contamination. Unfortunately, chlorine is a very toxic substance that was actually used to kill people in World War I. Fortunately, removing it is the simplest function a water filter can be asked to do and most filters do it well. I’m sure we are all very familiar with the infamous “boil water alert” administered by the authorities from time to time. The main problem with these alerts is that they don’t always come in time or we just aren’t made aware in time to keep from getting sick. This is a prime case where the “better safe than sorry” motto should be considered. Installing an ABSOLUTE rated sub micron filter stands ready to protect you prophylactically before the need arises. Absolute is accentuated because a nominally rated filter, say a one micron nominal filter, only stops some of the micron rating leaving you virtually unprotected.

Third: If you are on a well, unless you do daily testing the way municipalities do (and that is a ridiculous proposition) prophylactically installing the sub micron filter will help your Seally™ work better. Having said that, testing your well water annually is a very good practice since even sub-terrainian water changes over time. This author would never recommend that anyone ingest water known to be non-potable regardless of the filtration in place. The only exception would be a system approved by the EPA as a purifier, but remember, equipment can malfunction from time to time.

Fourth: Cost. It’s no secret that most people who choose filtration to make their own “bottled water” have come to the realization that spending more per gallon for water than gasoline is absolutely crazy. The most absurd part of the situation is that the bottled water you buy IS filtered regardless of the “pristine mountain stream” visuals we’re bombarded with daily.

Fifth: Convenience and the impact on the environment. Let’s discuss two very valid points of view on both convenience and environmental impact and how each may affect the other. In addition to the cost factor, surely many are switching to filtration as a matter of convenience; avoiding lugging, lifting, transporting, storing, etc. If you haven’t actually seen an ice box maybe you’ve seen one in an old movie. Back then, a delivery man with a waterproof apron on his back carried a large block of ice into the home and placed it on the top shelf of the ice box to keep things below cool. How much different from that is lugging water in from the outside? The difference; the former was necessary the latter self-inflicted (modern man?). Environmental impact, carbon footprint, call it what you like. It’s another major reason why some are switching from bottles to tap all the while saving petroleum and helping the landfill. Please, when making your filtration choice, keep in mind that not all filters are created equal. Many boast the convenience of simple quarter turn installation. But really, is this convenience run amuck? Would it kill you to screw a cap in place every six months or so? The disposables from these filters (many made with metal canisters) are nearly impossible to recycle or incinerate and will remain in landfills far longer than the bottles they replaced would have.

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Ya, we all know the drill; wash your hands, wash your fruit, keep your hands out of your mouth. If it hits the ground there is no 5 seconds rule, contamination is instantaneous. Funny thing about bacteria; sometimes you can’t live with them (witness the European outbreak) but you can never live without them. Many of our bodily functions (like digestion) depend on these tiny critters doing there thing. After eons of co-existence (they’re still here and so are we) who would have thought that mankind would develop a kind of “Trojan Horse” called antibiotics. Developed to keep bacteria in check, ironically, their improper use is creating a whole new class of “super bugs” resistant to the best we can throw at them. In fact the only weapon against this latest European threat is (believe it or not) dialysis (sorry Mr. Ripley). Not to say that this particular strain is man made but if it isn’t, how long will it be before we do see one of our own creation? So let me finish-up by adding another feature to the above referenced drill; wash your hands, wash your fruit....DO NOT FLUSH your unused meds down the drain.  You will not only keep your family protected, but mine as well. 

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THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY...
There are many reasons to switch from bottled water to environmentally friendly filtration, of course there are the financial considerations, convenience, reducing landfill waste, adopting a smaller carbon footprint by eliminating the use of fossil fuels both to make the containers and truck them around. Ironically many of our competitors' products sacrifice several of the above virtues for the sake of minimal convenience. Easy to change "bayonette" type filters, some with metal housings, require more energy to produce and are impossible to recycle or incinerate and will remain in the landfill much longer than the bottles they replace.

We at Pure1 produce what we believe to be the "greenest" water filter available. Its' compact size requires less material to build and carries a lifetime warranty on everything but the cartridges themselves reducing landfill waste.

The sediment cartridge has unique four zone filtration removing 99.9% of particles down to 1/2 micron. It is constructed of polypropylene which is easily incinerated. The second cartridge contains KDF and carbon which together remove chlorine, THM's, VOC's and heavy metals.

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Since May of 1988, Pure1 has been taking care of peoples office water cooler needs. What started as product custom built by hand in the basement of my childhood home, has turned into a product that you can find on 6 out of the 7 continents on earth.
Back in the beginning, Pure1 had a pretty cool and unique self-filling water cooler but used run of the mill water filters to make sure the water tasted good. After all, that is the point of a water cooler, to dispense great tasting, clean, safe water. A few years into it, we found that it became more and more difficult to keep these bottles clean. So, back to the drawing board to see how we could keep the bottles clean without doing something exotic and expensive such as Ozone and Ultra Violet (not to mention energy intensive). We use those technologies as optional equipment.
What we came up with was an incredibly simple but maybe not so obvious patentable idea. Use the “free” chlorine that municipalities use to keep everyone’s water pipes clean to keep our bottles clean! And so it began, the C-G1 Gravity™ Filter was born; we started to make our own water filter to accompany our bottle. Every single one of our EverFull™ bottles has its’ own continuous disinfection delivered automatically with every drop.
Fast forward maybe a decade and a half and more and more of our customers started to buy an optional 1 micron ceramic filter to protect against water borne cysts and fine sediment particles. When we noticed the trend to finer and finer filtration needs, we once again went back to the drawing board to see how we could improve the product by offering our customers the very best sediment filter without pricing ourselves out of the market. We said if 1 micron is good then 0.5 micron is even better and the AB-1 was born. Back in 2008 we introduced our industry leading 0.5 micron Absolute sediment filter the AB-1. Like our C-G1, it had to be better than what was currently offered and at a competitive price.
We filter the water with our industry leading 0.5 micron Absolute, 4-zone sediment filter that then goes into the self-filling bottle with the chlorine. When you dispense water out of the cooler, it passes through the C-G1 Gravity™ Filter to remove the chlorine and whatever else may cause a taste.
Pure1 offers the best equipment whether it is our top of the line filtration or reverse osmosis and Pure1 dealers offer the best service for a combination that can’t be beat. Let us prove it to you, contact us today for a free trial.

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In the previous blog I spoke about filtering my water at home and how it makes my life easier, less costly and with less environmental impact. All of this holds true for your workplace too.
I think if you asked anybody (bottled water executives not withstanding) if they would rather have a never ending supply of cold, clean, delicious water coming out of their water cooler or a limited supply that would run out just before your two hour conference call with the corporate office or just when you needed to take that pill before lunch, we all know what the answer would be.
I also think that if you offered someone a coffee for a buck or all the coffee they could drink for a buck they would probably go for the unlimited supply for the same money. What if you could also get that unlimited coffee for less than a buck? You’d have to be certifiable not to!
With a Pure1 self-filling cooler you get the convenience of never running out of water, you most likely get that water for less and there is nothing else to do but drink. You can even choose between our top of the line filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet or ozone systems. We install it, maintain it and take care of it all for a flat monthly fee that can be paid quarterly if you like. If you need that extra little push then alright, we'll let you try it for free

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Everywhere I go I see some sort of bottled water and the waste it leaves behind.
When I meet people and tell them I make water filters for homes and offices for a living I always get the same old “that’s a great idea”; and that’s because it is! I’m not sure if I would call it “pride”, but filtering my own kind of gives me the feeling I’m doing something good. And not for 1 thing in particular, but depending on my mood, I can find different reasons why I do it.
I would say I’m just as busy as the next person and anything I can do to make my life easier is a good thing. Even better if I can do it without some kind of extra expense or strain on something or someone. Filtering my own lifts one more thing off my back, literally and figuratively. I never have to worry if I am taking the last bottle out of the fridge or the last sip out of the jug. It’s always there. I never have to squish my other groceries with cases of those little “landfill horrors” and make extra trips from the garage to “grab the water” and then worry about tripping over them when I have to keep them on my kitchen floor next to the fridge. All I do for my water is change my filters twice a year and I’m done.
None of this was ever a consideration for me as I grew up in a “make your own” household. But the question is, when are you going to start?

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