For the last 10 years or so I have been ranting about the absurdity that is the trend of drinking bottled water. I remember a colleague questioning me about refilling my water bottle at the water fountain (he suggested I purchase a cold bottle from the vending machine), and I responded, “Bottled water by the gallon is more costly than gasoline.” Nowadays I probably would not reuse beverage bottles (those made from #1 or #2 plastics) because of the uncertainty of whether or not the plastics leech chemicals into my water; however, I do carry a reusable water bottle and refill it several times each day.
What I refrain from participating in is the consumption of tap water in plastic; from a June 30th article in the Washington Post entitled “What’s Colorless and Tasteless and Smells like . . . Money?”: “Popular brands such as Aquafina and Dasani, for example, may feature mountain peaks and the word “pure” on their labels, but the products are actually tap water that has been put through additional filtration and purification — techniques aimed at making water that is already clean . . . clean.”
The Post article goes on to point out the added ridiculousness of purchasing water bottled in places like Fiji (where many Fijians have difficulty coming by clean water) so that folks living in a place where clean tap water is not only abundant, but free (like here in the U.S.), can sip special “Fiji” water from a pretty plastic bottle.
” What’s Colorless and Tasteless . . .” highlights the great marketing scam that is the business of selling bottled water to people who have access to clean and pure water. What adds insult to injury (aside from the carbon footprint created by shipping all this “pure” and likely tap water) is the amount of plastic wasted in manufacturing bottles.
Bottled water is convenient. On a road trip? Or out on a hot day? Stop at a gas station or beverage stand and pay a buck or so for water in a bottle. But the price of this convenience is hefty for Mother Earth. Yes, many people choose to recycle the one time use, plastic bottle that held their precious drink of water, but what about the consumers who don’t? All those lovely plastic bottles with pictures of bubbling water and waterfalls go right to the dump.
Bottled water is expensive. It costs the average consumer in dollars (though it creates an illusion of luxury) , and it costs our planet in wasted resources (plastic, gasoline, and energy for manufacturing bottles).
Aside from switching out conventional light bulbs to CFLs, ditching the plastic bottles and choosing to reuse a canteen or BPA free bottle is the way to go.
What are your thoughts? Is bottled water worth the cost? Is convenience more important than protecting our earth’s environment? Are we stealing clean water?
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July 5th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I carry a SIGG water bottle. I carried a plastic one for years, but after a student pointed out the BPA risk to me, I’m not comfortable carrying plastic.
I love that I have well water now, and I can’t stand the chlorine smell of “city” water. I carry my water because it tastes better to me. I know it’s not free, since I paid for the well to be drilled, the pump and the electricity to pump it, by why would I pay so much for so little water in a plastic bottle?
What’s next? Bottled air?
July 6th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Jessica,
So well put and as I was also nodding my agreement with your first comment, I noticed it was written by Abbie. She is the one who chastised me for recycling plastic water bottles due to the leeching problem. While I thought I was doing something good by refilling and reusing, I then became better informed of the BPA risk, so I promptly purchased a really cute SIGG bottle that says “Simple Eco Logical.” Because I also love to freeze my water bottle and take frozen water w/ me to school (or wherever) to thaw during the day, I also found a PBA-free plastic bottle from Cambelbak, available online. I also discovered special “Ice Tubes,” which fit perfectly into water bottles. Anything you could dream of, you can find online, but I also read on SIGG’s website that the company is having a hard time keeping up with the demand for the popular bottles. Even with 3 shifts working round the clock in Switzerland, they’re not able to fill orders in a timely manner, and the selection is limited at the moment.
Thanks so much for enlightening everyone. I agree that purchasing tap water in plastic bottles is a fashion statement gone wrong!
And, by the way, I’m so sorry I missed you on your recent visit to Connecticut. My best wishes to you and your family!
Hugs,
Ruth
July 6th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I’m with you, sister! Even when we’re traveling I refuse to buy Dasani or Aquafina. What’s worse is I’ve heard that the municipalities that sell water to them do so at a steep discount. So essentially our tax dollars that go into building water treatment facilities are lining the pockets of Coca-Cola and Pepsi!
We use a Klean Kanteen, and I also love that it also seems to keep the water colder! Just keep spreadin’ that BPA-free word!
July 7th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Abbie, I purchased a Hello Kitty Sigg bottle for Annabelle, and she loves it. My one complaint about the canteens is that sometimes the beverage in them can taste tinny, although with thorough washing that usually isn’t an issue.
Ruth, I’m sorry to have missed seeing you too! Happy Anniversary! Also, do you know whether the ice tubes are BPA free? On a hot summer day, iced water in a canteen or BPA free bottle hits the spot.
Hopealso, the whole water bottle franchise irritates me. As Abbie put it, sooner or later we’ll be charged for bottled air (although I’m pretty sure folks pay to enter pure O2 rooms). I’m glad others are choosing to reuse a healthy and safe bottle for tap water rather than spending money and the earth’s resources on single use bottled water.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
There was an O2 bar in New Haven for a while. Not sure if it’s still there, since I pretty much don’t leave the house. I would guess people don’t go into pure O2 rooms though, as O2 is extremely flammable, that would be dangerous.