Whether through production decisions or daily habits, here are just a few ways we help to maintain the Earth's natural resources:

We are dedicated to the comprehensive management of bottled water packaging to provide the highest quality, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible containers possible. The larger water bottles, delivered to homes and offices, are one of the food and beverage industry's refillable/reusable containers. Our 3 and 5-gallon bottles are cleaned, sanitized and normally refilled 40 to 50 times.

Most of our big water bottles are recycled at the end of their life cycle. The recycled plastic is used to make carpet, toys, tool handles, bird feeders and other items. You typically will not find large bottled water containers in landfills, because these bottles are returnable, reusable, refillable and recyclable.

Roast2Coast® Coffee Service provides a Green Menu

Our Roast2Coast® customers enjoy a Green Menu that includes:

• The addition of Fair Trade coffee and teas

• Coffee and teas that have not been exposed to chemical pesticides or genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)

• Paper and plastic products in our allied menu include paper plates made from bamboo and sugar cane fibers - renewable and otherwise burned or buried. Our cups from Solo are undergoing a facelift with less ink being used on cups that are produced from recycled paper content and are compostable. Even our wax cups from Solo have been validated as compostable and made from renewable resources.

• We are reducing the amount of packing related to our cups! The new cup is made from a renewable resource, is recyclable and the ink used to print our brand logos and slogan on this new cup is water-based. The new eco-friendly cup is manufactured using a dry wax process and, by offering this cup to our customers, we eliminate excess, redundant packaging, minimizing waste and saving 13,507 trees = the energy equivalent of powering 219 houses for a year!
  
  

Today we hear words such as "carbon footprint," "environmental stewardship," and "environmental sustainability."

What do these terms mean and how do they relate to the bottled water industry and Water.com? At their core, these terms refer to maintaining natural resources to ensure their quality, availability and longevity.

Stewards for Environmental Responsibility (SPHERE)

In 2008, DS Waters initiated SPHERE to explore and execute concepts and programs that will preserve our natural resources and accomplish sustainable outcomes.

The "SPHERE" vision statement is a set of goals that encompasses all facets of DS Waters:

• DS Waters through all aspects of its operations (natural resources, production, packing materials, route deliveries, Associate awareness) including manufacturing plants, branches, warehouses, support quarters and call centers will apply the concepts of environmental stewardship and environmental sustainability.

• DS Waters will reduce waste, increase re-use of materials where appropriate and decrease the environmental footprint of its business practices.

• DS Waters will implement environmentally-savvy business decisions and purchasing practices that benefit the Company, its Customers, its Associates and the Environment.

• DS Waters will communicate its environmental action plan to its Associates, enhance their awareness of and responsibility for their work place environment and solicit their involvement and commitment to eco-friendly habits through their roles within the Company and the communities where they live.

• DS Waters will be transparent in its environmental stewardship and environmental sustainability initiatives and seek opportunities to communicate its related goals and vision to our customers and community leaders and encourage their support and collaboration.

DS Waters practices environmental responsibility by asking its employees to:

• Save paper and toner when printing, copying and completing routine tasks;

• Recycle printer cartridges;

• Save energy by turning off lights, computers, printers, other electronic devices in work areas when not occupied for extended periods of time and at the end of the work day.

Many of the DS Waters trucks are set not to exceed a speed limit of 65 MPH and also limit vehicle idle time to reduce fuel consumption and green-house gas emissions.

DS Waters continues to investigate environmental programs that will enhance its goal to reduce, reuse and recycle.