Absolutely nothing. So then why do we drink so much bottled water? The answer is simple: marketing. The bottled water industry is a multi-billion dollar behemoth that convinces us we need “crystal clear” water shipped from faraway places. Pretty silly, considering we have crystal clear and healthy water right under our noses at the nearest tap, and for free!
A closer look at the bottled water biz reveals some surprising stuff: If bottled water is called “Spring Water,” it is allowed to be, and often is, bottled tap water. Bottlers are not required to put the actual source on the label. So if you drink a bottle labeled “Spring Water,” be aware that it may very well come from a tap just like the one in your bathroom! Indeed, over 25% of bottled water comes from municipal water supplies, that is, “city water.”
Ironically enough, that could be a good thing: the FDA has stricter rules for tap water than it does for bottled water. That’s right: tap water is tested more frequently and is required to be cleaner than the water we get from plastic bottles. Regardless of this, we very often, spend 250 to 10,000 times the amount we pay for tap water. Bottled water is more expensive than gasoline!!!
And gasoline is where the real cost of bottled water lies:
Consider this: Plastic water bottles are literally made out of oil drilled from the earth. In fact, we use 17 million barrels of oil every year just to make plastic water bottles (that excludes soda/coke bottles, etc.). We are literally sending our petro-dollars overseas to an unstable region in order to bottle something that is already free, right here under our noses. If your head isn’t already spinning, consider this: The process to make water bottles doesn’t just take oil, it also takes….water! That’s right: it takes 72 billion gallons of water each year just to make the empty water bottles.
But wait: the energy cost still does not stop there: consider the incredible amounts of energy it takes to send something simple as water great distances, when we can get it at our very own tap.
So the next time you buy bottled water, consider the oil used to make the bottle, and the very large “carbon footprint” you are leaving by spending the vast amount it took to get that water from the faraway source to your mouth. Simply put, bottled water is a non-sustainable habit, which we will have to stop doing someday (because we’ll have to….that’s why it is called “non-sustainable”: we can’t do it forever). So it is best for everyone to stop the habit now, not later.
The solution? First and foremost, STOP buying bottled water. If you must, buy it in a large container, so the plastic to water ratio is lower. But NEVER buy bottled water from far away places. Make sure it’s local if you must buy this senseless product. And of course, recycle any plastic. If you don’t, you’re literally throwing away oil as well as the energy it took to make it.
Reusing plastic bottles seems like a good option, but be aware, plastics do, over time, leach chemicals into the water, especially if cracked or exposed to high temperatures (e.g. a hot car). If you DO reuse a plastic bottle, only do so a few times before you recycle it, and be sure it is kept clean. The best choice of all is to, ideally, never use one-time use plastic. Reusable glass or stainless steel is best. Here are a few places to order reusable containers: kleancanteen.com & mysigg.com.
While it might require some thinking and effort at first to eliminate plastic water bottle use, once you recognize the true cost to our world, it will soon become second nature to OPT FOR THE TAP.
A closer look at the bottled water biz reveals some surprising stuff: If bottled water is called “Spring Water,” it is allowed to be, and often is, bottled tap water. Bottlers are not required to put the actual source on the label. So if you drink a bottle labeled “Spring Water,” be aware that it may very well come from a tap just like the one in your bathroom! Indeed, over 25% of bottled water comes from municipal water supplies, that is, “city water.”
Ironically enough, that could be a good thing: the FDA has stricter rules for tap water than it does for bottled water. That’s right: tap water is tested more frequently and is required to be cleaner than the water we get from plastic bottles. Regardless of this, we very often, spend 250 to 10,000 times the amount we pay for tap water. Bottled water is more expensive than gasoline!!!
And gasoline is where the real cost of bottled water lies:
Consider this: Plastic water bottles are literally made out of oil drilled from the earth. In fact, we use 17 million barrels of oil every year just to make plastic water bottles (that excludes soda/coke bottles, etc.). We are literally sending our petro-dollars overseas to an unstable region in order to bottle something that is already free, right here under our noses. If your head isn’t already spinning, consider this: The process to make water bottles doesn’t just take oil, it also takes….water! That’s right: it takes 72 billion gallons of water each year just to make the empty water bottles.
But wait: the energy cost still does not stop there: consider the incredible amounts of energy it takes to send something simple as water great distances, when we can get it at our very own tap.
So the next time you buy bottled water, consider the oil used to make the bottle, and the very large “carbon footprint” you are leaving by spending the vast amount it took to get that water from the faraway source to your mouth. Simply put, bottled water is a non-sustainable habit, which we will have to stop doing someday (because we’ll have to….that’s why it is called “non-sustainable”: we can’t do it forever). So it is best for everyone to stop the habit now, not later.
The solution? First and foremost, STOP buying bottled water. If you must, buy it in a large container, so the plastic to water ratio is lower. But NEVER buy bottled water from far away places. Make sure it’s local if you must buy this senseless product. And of course, recycle any plastic. If you don’t, you’re literally throwing away oil as well as the energy it took to make it.
Reusing plastic bottles seems like a good option, but be aware, plastics do, over time, leach chemicals into the water, especially if cracked or exposed to high temperatures (e.g. a hot car). If you DO reuse a plastic bottle, only do so a few times before you recycle it, and be sure it is kept clean. The best choice of all is to, ideally, never use one-time use plastic. Reusable glass or stainless steel is best. Here are a few places to order reusable containers: kleancanteen.com & mysigg.com.
While it might require some thinking and effort at first to eliminate plastic water bottle use, once you recognize the true cost to our world, it will soon become second nature to OPT FOR THE TAP.
1 comment:
crystal clear water- nothing wrong with it? - it is loaded with chlorine, fluoride, hormones from medications, pesticides, heavy metals, THM's etc. after a lifetime or less of drinking a glass or two a day - the accumulation of pollutants will cause serious disease
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