Zero Technologies, LLC, the only gravity-fed water filtration system delivering water that meets FDA definition for purified bottled water, hosted a groundbreaking Drinking Water Symposium "(How) Can we go back to tap?" which, with a distinguished panel of drinking water specialists, thoroughly addressed the importance of accelerating the public's migration from bottled water to tap water.

Speaking before an audience of select media, the panel underscored that tap water is the better environmental and health option to bottled water - and that the revolutionary ion exchange filter of the new ZeroWater(R) technology makes it possible to move large segments of the public back to tap water. ZeroWater(R) removes virtually all measurable total dissolved solids (TDS) in drinking water, a first for gravity feed technology.

Participants included:

Lloyd Alter, architect, associate professor at Ryerson University School of Interior Design, teaching sustainable design, and writer at TreeHugger.com, led the notable participants through the Symposium as moderator. Alter recently posted his own review of ZeroWater(R) and the Symposium on Treehugger.com.

Elizabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania and Garbage Land, reminded attendees that the multi-billion-dollar bottled water market presents not only environmental issues, but social ones as well. She stressed that not only are there grave concerns across the country, but 29 million Americans actually do not have access to "decent" drinking water.

Alex Matthiessen, President of Hudson Riverkeeper, a nonprofit organization devoted to protecting the Hudson River, explained how important it is for the public to demand that the quality of their water sources be preserved and spoke about the importance of steps such as ordering tap water at restaurants.

Pediatrician, parenting expert and co-author of Food Fights, Dr. Laura Jana advised that parents need to feel secure with available water and refocus on quenching kids' thirst with water instead of sugary juices and soda.

Holistic Health Counselor and Natural Foods Chef Andrea Beaman emphasized how important it is to have pure, unadulterated water for food preparation.

Rounding off the panel was water filter expert and lead scientist at Zero Technologies, Andrea Knorr, PhD, who reported on the patented, 5-stage ion-exchange filtration system of ZeroWater(R), pointing out that most filtration products rely almost completely on carbon alone. ZeroWater(R) adds materials that are recognized by the EPA to treat substances in water that carbon can't handle.

Each ZeroWater(R) product comes with an electronic meter that measures the parts per million of TDS in water. At the Symposium, the media was wowed with a before-and-after demonstration of water from around the USA, where the initial TDS readings ranged from 37 to over 800 ppm and the results were all invariably zero

The Symposium also highlighted a first of its kind Recycling Program. The filters are recycled with 90% of the material in them being reused. As a newcomer in the home water filtration market, a category dominated by large players, ZeroWater(R) hopes that the recent introduction of its recycling program will entice others in the market to push for the development of a broader recycling program.

Zero Technologies' Doug Kellam, CEO, set the tone in his welcoming remarks, bridging the company's mission with the goals of the Symposium. Raja Rajan, COO, then shared the history of the company and the inspiration of the revolutionary ZeroWater(R) ion exchange filter, leading up to the introduction of the moderator and panel.

With such a roster of experts and the new pour-through filter technology, guests left the Symposium with a clear understanding that tap is better than bottle and that a good, affordable and effective domestic filter is what the public needs to break their bottle habit.