Is your bottled water safer than tap?

Over the years, bottled water sales have exploded. Compared to tap, is it a pure drink or pure hype?

Consumers hand over money to buy bottled water instead of drinking from the water fountain or from the faucet. Why? We believe bottled water is a healthier alternative.

The General Accounting Office reports in a study released in July that tap water must reach a tougher standards than bottled water. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, The Environmental Protection Agency is very strict when it comes to the regulations of tap water. However, bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and isn't as strict. According to Consumer Reports, John Stephenson of the GAO told the House panel that when it comes to water, the FDA lacks the regulatory authority of the EPA.

Bottled water makers don't have to use certified laboratories, and they don't have to report any of their water quality results to the FDA...even if their water quality is dangerous. The GAO study also found that only a small percentage of the 83 bottled water labels investigated contained information comparable to that required of tap water.

A chemical widely used in the making of polyvinyl-chloride plastics called DEHP, is an endocrine-disrupting compound banned by the SDWA in chidren's products. The FDA currently has no set standards for the use of DEHP in bottled water.

Want to see how safe your tap water is? You can test your own tap water by visiting EPA.gov to check for listings of low-cost or no-cost water testing kits.

In the meantime, stash that $1.50 in your piggy bank, and head to the water fountain.

Protect yourself from 'energy vampires'

Are the monstrous energy bills still haunting you even though you haven't been keeping all those lights on in the house?

Halloween's drawing near and those spooky "energy vampires" may be lurking in the corners of your homes and offices. Any kind of electronic appliances such as adapters or chargers for your gadgets can suck the electricity, even if they're plugged in but not in use. So if you don't need 'em, slay 'em as they could raise your energy bill to quite a significant amount.

Every year, any American household spends roughly $100 annually due to the energy consumption from their power devices that are plugged in but not being used, reports the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which sums up the national energy cost to a spine chilling $10 billion per year.

"EPA encourages everyone to look for vampires in their home and get rid of this energy waste,” says the EPA's Office of Atmospheric Protection's director, Brian McLean, “Using less energy means less greenhouse gas emissions.”

Want to save those extra hundreds and scare away those energy ghouls? EPA has come up with some easy steps for you to follow:

1. Unplug those power adapters and chargers when the electric appliance is on standby or fully charged.
   
2. Using a power strip can be very useful as you can switch off the main power supply when the electronics are not in use.


3. Look for the Energy Star label when purchasing electronic appliances or gadgets.

Get more spooky energy saving details by clicking here.