Green Living: Bottled water unnecessary evil
Bottled water leaves a bigger footprint than you think.
So, what's all the hype about bottled water? Why are environmental activists so opposed to bottled water when we have all learned to recycle? Well, you're doing a lot more damage to the environment by using store bought bottled water than just those plastic remains.
First of all- making the plastic bottle is itself detrimental to the earth. The plastic is made using toxic chemicals that come from crude oil. The energy used to manufacture the plastic bottles and caps are equivalent to filling up a quarter of your bottle with oil. Just think of how much oil is used when someone has even one bottle a day, five days a week, over the span of a year.
Also, think of how much greenhouse gas emissions are produced when shipping these bottles from miles away. This notion is especially absurd considering we have perfectly clean water available to us at the lift or turn of a tap.
I know bottled water seems to taste “fresh” and clean, but the truth is that the government tests the bacteria levels of tap water multiple times in a day. Conversely, because bottled water is considered a food product under different regulations (which, by the way, hasn't been updated since 1973) they only inspect water-bottling facilities every three to six years. Gross! Maybe this is why we've experienced so many bottled water recalls in the past 10 years.
Another issue with bottled water is that we are paying for a basic necessity of life. We shouldn't have to pay such high prices for clean water! About 17 per cent of the world's population doesn't even have access to clean drinkable water, and we are buying it at $2-$10 per bottle just because we prefer the “taste” to our tap water. And do you know where that money goes? Well, a good chunk goes to advertising so they can sell us more. Some goes to making the bottle and shipment, and the rest goes to….?
Solutions: If you really don't like the taste of the drinking water that comes from your tap, try buying a filter. It is far less expensive in the long run than buying cases of bottled water, and you'll be getting delicious H2O that tastes just as good. If convenience is a factor, get yourself a stainless steal reusable bottle and take your tap water with you! They are sold pretty much everywhere now, and they're all-you-can-drink at any tap in any location! Some people don't like the using a metal bottle, so in that case, try glass.
For further information about our drinking water and the world water crisis, here are some great documentary movies:
Blue Gold: The World Water Wars (2008)
Flow: For Love of Water (2008)
Tapped (2009)
So, what's all the hype about bottled water? Why are environmental activists so opposed to bottled water when we have all learned to recycle? Well, you're doing a lot more damage to the environment by using store bought bottled water than just those plastic remains.
First of all- making the plastic bottle is itself detrimental to the earth. The plastic is made using toxic chemicals that come from crude oil. The energy used to manufacture the plastic bottles and caps are equivalent to filling up a quarter of your bottle with oil. Just think of how much oil is used when someone has even one bottle a day, five days a week, over the span of a year.
Also, think of how much greenhouse gas emissions are produced when shipping these bottles from miles away. This notion is especially absurd considering we have perfectly clean water available to us at the lift or turn of a tap.
I know bottled water seems to taste “fresh” and clean, but the truth is that the government tests the bacteria levels of tap water multiple times in a day. Conversely, because bottled water is considered a food product under different regulations (which, by the way, hasn't been updated since 1973) they only inspect water-bottling facilities every three to six years. Gross! Maybe this is why we've experienced so many bottled water recalls in the past 10 years.
Another issue with bottled water is that we are paying for a basic necessity of life. We shouldn't have to pay such high prices for clean water! About 17 per cent of the world's population doesn't even have access to clean drinkable water, and we are buying it at $2-$10 per bottle just because we prefer the “taste” to our tap water. And do you know where that money goes? Well, a good chunk goes to advertising so they can sell us more. Some goes to making the bottle and shipment, and the rest goes to….?
Solutions: If you really don't like the taste of the drinking water that comes from your tap, try buying a filter. It is far less expensive in the long run than buying cases of bottled water, and you'll be getting delicious H2O that tastes just as good. If convenience is a factor, get yourself a stainless steal reusable bottle and take your tap water with you! They are sold pretty much everywhere now, and they're all-you-can-drink at any tap in any location! Some people don't like the using a metal bottle, so in that case, try glass.
For further information about our drinking water and the world water crisis, here are some great documentary movies:
Blue Gold: The World Water Wars (2008)
Flow: For Love of Water (2008)
Tapped (2009)
