This porcelain water dispenser from the Montreal based company Aquaovo is just the thing that I've been waiting and hoping for, a real eye-catcher that could help bring tap-water back into fashion in this country. It can be used simply as a water/lemonade/ice tea/anything-you-like dispenser for home or office use. You can see in the top photo there is even a little magnet that roles along the outside of the dispenser that shows the height of the water inside by following its mate, a little magnetic ball floating on the water inside the container.
If you're a real purist you can add the filtration component which they describe as imitating a natural filtration process only this one is very specifically designed to remove a variety of impurities and pollutants, both organic and chemical. For more details on the various components of the filter and how they all work flip to page 8 in this brochure from their website. They even recycle the used cartridges. You can sign up for their automatic filter replacement program where you send back the used cartridge in the stamped packaging that it arrived in and receive a rebate on the next cartridge you receive.
A piece like this at home or at the office gives water a place of honour and respect. It treats water as something precious. Maybe it'll inspire us to develop a healthier relationship with the water that comes out of our taps from our local watersheds.
Removable refrigeration and automatic filling devices that are designed to go with the whole system will be available soon.
[See the World Water Council: Water Crisis for more on water management and international crises
and Environment Canada: Water Use for more on water management issues in Canada]
The other exhibit that I thought I'd mention in this post is the one I found on Natura beds and bedding. These are the softest and silkiest cotton sheets I've ever felt. There are people that propose that there might be health benefits from using natural or organic bedding, and there may be, but the main benefits of buying and using organic bedding are the same as buying organic fabrics generally. They include supporting cotton or wool producers that don't use pesticides and herbicides that pollute ground water. They even come in an organic cotton bag, no plastic wrap.
And for baby! You can get organic latex crib mattresses and all natural bedding that hasn't been treated with toxic chemical dyes.
Natura is based in Cambridge, Ontario, but they sell through retailers throughout North America. If you want to have a look at their products you can find the closest dealer through their website.
