Forbes recently ran an article on the 10 best American cities for drinkable tap water (hello Des Moines!). One of the inspirations for the study is the growing problem with plastic-bottle refuse. Eric Yaverbaum, co-founder of the cheekily-titled pro-tap water campaign, Tappening, told Forbes, "We're spending millions of dollars a year to clean waste in the water stream from plastic bottles that are discarded."

Until your city starts implementing a program to make your tap water more potable, consider the option dreamed up by Richie Sowa, who built an entire island on a foundation of discarded plastic bottles. Sowa collected a quarter of a million empty bottles, held together with fishing nets, and laid bamboo planks over top of them; he then built a small hut on top in which he could live. Anchored off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, the island has weathered several tropical storms and more than one hurricane. Sowa lives there with a dog, two cats, a couple of chickens and a duck, plus a solar oven and a self-composting toilet – and his campaign to create more self-sustaining islands continues to attract supporters. The government of Mexico has recently decided to make Sowa’s so-called Spiral Island a part of Mexico proper, in order to capitalize on tourism revenue.

Sowa hopes to eventually sail his “island” around the world.