Four Green Bottles — How much plastic and how many pennies will they save?

A key objective of my family trip to the USA is not to buy water in plastic bottles. The decision is both environmental and financial. To that end I have invested in four shiny new green bottles; i.e. four double-walled, stainless steel, insulated bottles each claiming to keep hots things hot, cold things cold and the plastic bad boy BPA well away.
If you’re someone who has noticed the nasty taste of plastic from your water bottle when you’re at the gym or on the move, these are allegedly the bottles for you.
If you child has brought home from school a bottle with a chewed top, a broken lid or a snapped drinking straw — these are apparently the bottles for them.
If you’re someone who is anti-packaging and pro-environment, undoubtedly these are the bottles for your cause.
And if you — like me — thought you’d do your bit by buying a reusable cup from Starbucks only to discover it was too hot to hold when it had hot drink in it, so you picked up a cardboard sleeve at the environment’s expense to carry the thing, then placed it on a table from which it is then thrown away because it is identical in design to Starbcuks’ disposable cups…… these are also the drinking vessels you need.
Note to all: Avoid Starbucks standard reusable cups, check the reviews, they’re useless.
As an unestablished blogger I thought I’d chance my arm when I announced on Twitter my need for such bottles. I got recommendations from friends, but I got offers from no brands, and so the bottles of which I will now write were bought at my own expense. As a result I have no incentive to recommend them.
The good thing about not getting a freebie is that as a family we each chose our own bottle and, purely by chance, we each bought a different brand. A rudimentary search online for all such bottles promote the same essential features….
· They’re all stainless steel
· They’re all double-walled / vacuum
· They all keep hot drinks hot for 12 hours
· They all keep cold drinks cold for 24 hours
· They can help the environment
· They’re BPA free
So with identical functions it was the different designs and extras we went for.
Here’s what we chose……
John, The Super Sparrow, 750ml, £17.59
It features:
· Wood effect lid with hook
· Insulated carry bag with bag hook and shoulder strap
· Small brush cleaner
· Drinking cap
· Two straws

Ruth, AORIN, 500ml, £13.85
It has:
· Insulated cover with bag hook
· Large brush cleaner
· Small Brush cleaner

Neither of the kids’ choices had an extras. Frank went for the Milestone, 500ml at £10.95

While Elizabeth chose the AOFU, 500ml at £14.99

The full test will begin when we arrive in the USA on Thursday, in advance of that John and I are working at an event this weekend in Lisburn, so we’ll give the grown ups green bottles a trial run then.
As well as seeing how durable the bottles are I’ll assess how well they work functionally alongside the savings we make filling them as opposed to buying plastic bottled water as we go.
Let’s hope the good folk in America don’t charge us for tap water like the less accommodating restaurants in Rome — Ristoro Della Salute — you know who you are!! (If you’re interested in the cost of tap water near the Colloseum read my Rome blog here).
