The discussion touched upon disposable plastic water bottles several times: Why do they keep popping up at meetings? And why haven’t we all trained ourselves to carry our own bottles?

The conversation made me think my own trusty blue water bottle, pictured here on my stoop. It was a gift from the Long Beach CVB, and it looked prettier when they gave it to me many months ago. Unlike many other reusable bottles, given to me with the best of intentions, I actually carry it. It’s now dinged and dented and scratched up — because I use it all the time. I think it’s a beautiful color, and it keeps water cold and doesn’t make it taste funny. It is a high-quality bottle, clearly not a throwaway.

That word — quality — surfaced several times during the chat. Quality often is more expensive, but it holds up over the long run.