Books & Music...

One morning as I opened a kitchen cabinet door, four water bottles came tumbling out onto the floor. If I was on the TV show Heroes, my talent would be collecting water bottles, ensuring that no one on our superhero team would ever be parched. It's like water bottles seek me out--and I have my entire collection without ever filling out a credit card application to get one.

However, I started reflecting upon my eco-friendly lifestyle and wondering if a) the plastic was actually good and b) buying products made in China that needed to be transported here using gallons of petroleum was actually necessary. That's when I discovered SIGG water bottles. Our Riverwired editor Susan Seliger actually featured SIGG and plastic products that are BPA free in a recent post.

So, when I stumbled upon David Bach and Hillary Rosner's book, Go Green, Live Rich: 50 simple ways to save the earth and get rich trying, I was elated to find out I was one step ahead of the curve: Bach recommends buying SIGG water bottles. This book has some great tips, seamless weaving together eco-living with saving money.

Here's a snippet from one of their tips:

Find your Litter Factor. Maybe you have heard of "The Latte Factor." It is a phrase I created as a metaphor for all the little things we spend money on over the course of a day without giving it much thought. The phrase applies to buying not only fancy coffee but also fast food, cigarettes, bottled water—you name it. I have long encouraged my readers to identify their "Latte Factor" and eliminate it to start saving money. But small changes such as not buying coffee in a disposable cup or water in a plastic bottle not only are good for your wallet, they actually better the planet. In the same way that "little things" add up to drain your wealth, "small things" add up to make a big difference for the Earth.

Go Green Action Steps

• Get a reusable water bottle and fill it with water from your tap. The newest generation of reusable water bottles, like those from SIGG are made of lightweight aluminum.

• If you have concerns about your tap water, it can easily and cheaply be filtered and purified. Visit www.waterfiltercomparisons.com to compare the leading brands and find one that's right for you.