Big plops of messy, drenching rain are soaking everything outside as I write this. I made a fleeting dash from car to door just moments ago and in mere seconds my hair was- and still is- plastered to my face, dripping hopelessly on already saturated clothes. Why then, as I literally lounge in free water, am I also drinking
pricey bottled water at the same time?
Other than the fact that I’m parched from my sprint inside, it’s because bottled water is convenient. Plus it seems cleaner (and therefore healthier) than tap water. But recent revelations prove this untrue. Yes, some haute waters are honestly bottled with glistening mountain spring water and love and sunshine and bla bla bla. Most top selling and generic bottles, however, hide a deep dark secret behind their labels. Or they did.
Companies like the Pepsi-Cola-owned Aquafina are now spelling out the true source of their product: a public water source. Yes, P.W.A. could also be T.W., a.k.a. tap water. While factory workers aren’t filling empty bottles in your yard with a garden hose, the situation does beg a question to be answered: Why? Why are botling companies using water we already get for free? (Quick answer: ummm it’s cheaper)! Better question: Why are we the consumers ok with it?
As I said before, convenience is a huge factor. Oh what time we save by grabbing a bottle and hitting the road! Oh the happy, hydrated faces of kids at soccer practice, bottle in hand! And OH (My God) the price we pay for it all! A recent New York Times editorial noted that “if you choose to get your recommended eight glasses a day from bottled water, you could spend up to $1,400 annually. The same amount of tap water would cost about 49 cents.”
The prices we pay are small, however, compared to what our habit is costing places like Fiji. As we ship their namesake bottles thousands of miles to our refrigerators, the island is suffering an ironic water shortage. But those square bottles are so cool looking! We want them and we’ll pay for them now, thank you very much!
We’ll also pay for them later. Plastic bottles wreak havoc on the environment. Before you roll your eyes at another preachy pro-enviro lecture, take a look at the facts. The NYT editorial continued to say: “Water bottles, like other containers, are made from natural gas an petroleum. The Earth Policy Institute in Washington has estimated that it takes about 1.5 million barrels of oil to make the water bottles Americans use each year. That could fuel 100,000 cars a year instead.”
If you aren’t swayed by tree-hugging mumbo jumbo, listen to your wallet instead. Save some money and try the alternatives. Tap water is obvious option along with reusable water bottles and filter pitchers. Check out the links below for more information.
Reusable Bottles
Brita
NYT Article
 |
