Did you know that U.S. bottled water consumption increased by over 3 percent in 2010? This is on top of the 24 percent increase in bottled water use from 2004 to 2009. In the last 20 years, the sales of bottled water have more than quadrupled.

Why?

Much of the hype about bottled water is just that—hype. It is no secret that while plastic water bottles can be recycled, most of those bottles are not recycled. The majority of these bottles will wind up in landfills or as litter.

In the US alone, the production and transportation of bottled water consume 30 million barrels of oil every year and this can result in as much carbon dioxide released into the air as two million cars.

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization, estimates that nearly half of all bottled water is simply taken from municipal tap water. It is then filtered, or not, and marketed as something wonderfully better than the tap water it came from.

It is a simple fact that the human body needs clean water in order to stay healthy. In healthy adults, water accounts for about 60 percent of the body's content and this water have to be replenished.

When humans do not replenish the water they need, they suffer from a variety of problems including dry mouth and joint stiffness. Ingesting clean water, at adequate levels, keeps joints lubricated, staves off thirst, increases the healthiness of blood and hydrates the organs. So, drinking clean water is vital to health, but that water does not have to come from bottled water sources.

The fact is a good quality water filter can provide homes and offices with all the clean water they need. These filters can be installed as point of use devices or they can filter the whole house as the water enters the house, delivering clean water to all outlets. Unlike bottled water, there are no plastic containers to dispose of and the quality of the water itself can be monitored by the homeowner. This guarantees the very best quality of water, delivered at only pennies a day.