Living Sustainably While Traveling

Some of you may remember this post from a few months ago when I was first introduced to the LARQ Bottle. On my quest to eliminate single use plastic from my life, which honestly is so much harder than it should be, there were three main things I committed to stop using, plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags and plastic straws. Luckily, plastic bags are banned on the island (though paper is not a good alternative) so I have re-usable bags I bring with me and always leave extras in the car in case I forget. Plastic straws were pretty easy, at home I use glass, it wasn’t something I bought anyway, and when I’m out I ask for no straw. But eliminating plastic water bottles, easy enough, right? It can be, and yet there are more than a million bottles added to landfills every minute. That is honestly a startling and depressing statistic.

Typically there’s a few main reasons people (including myself) reach for plastic water bottles, convenience and cleanliness (inability to get clean water from tap). Regular water bottles can be hard to clean, many don’t purify water, and the easiest solution is to grab a plastic water bottle. This was always my biggest challenge when traveling, until I got the LARQ Bottle. Craig and I each have one (the Granite White and Seaside Mint) and it has made our goal to stop using plastic water bottles so much easier. Honestly I can’t actually remember the last time I bought a plastic water bottle. Of course it’s not just for traveling, I use it everyday, when I’m at a workout class, running errands, and even at home to help me keep track of how much water I’m drinking.

So how does it work?

The LARQ Bottle has UV-C LED technology that emits UV-C light to eradicate bacteria and viruses, and eliminating harmful, odor- causing germs. It eliminates up to 99.99% of bacteria and some viruses and at the same time keeps your bottle clean. You can rude the bottle in two modes, Normal Mode (60-second cycle) and Adventure mode (3 minute cycle), so you can choose based on what you’re doing. The bottle is also rechargeable and one charge can last up 1-2 months (yes seriously!). I charged our bottles before leaving for Charleston and didn’t need to think about it again. There’s also no need to worry about replacing filters, etc.

Why make the switch?

Plastic pollution is a serious problem. Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (insert crying emoji). The majority of plastic waste (around 91% ) isn’t recycled. Most plastics don’t biodegrade and the result is plastic waste that exists for hundreds and potentially thousands of years. That waste ends up harming the planet and our environment, particularly our oceans. I’ve noticed that the best way for me to reduce my impact on the environment is to set myself up for success. The LARQ Bottle makes it easy. I have access to clean water wherever I go. Every change we make as individuals has an impact. Also it’s a pretty sleek lookin bottle if you ask me.

Thanks to LARQ for sponsoring this post.