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Drink Tap?
Bottled—flat, fizzy, lightly flavored—or plain tap?
We’re all drinking more water these days. All kinds
are available—but one thing is clear: Americans love
to consume it from bottles. In fact, we consumed 8.7
billion gallons in 2008, according to the International Bottled Water Association. It’s convenient and we assume that it is cleaner than tap water. True? Not exactly. And what about costs? Sixteen ounces of bottled water costs about $2. That’s expensive.
So, are we making the right choices or being taken for a ride by advertising executives? Read on and see for yourself.
Costs
The Environmental Protection Agency states that “on average, tap water costs slightly more than $.002 per gallon” compared with the $0.89 to $8.26 a gallon for bottled water. No question—it is cheaper to drink tap. In addition, bottled water often contains tap water in it. So you are buying something that you can get for next to nothing from your sink.
Safety
We have read the articles about plastic baby bottles leeching. Guess what? Water bottles aren’t so different. If you leave your water bottle in the sun or in your car and keep using it, it can leech chemicals into the water. The federal, state and local governments have much more rigorous regulations and frequent testing on tap water than bottled, and a study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that one-third of the bottled brands tested contained bacterial or chemical contamination in some samples at levels that violated enforceable state standards or warning levels.
The water bottle ads would have you believe that you are drinking the healthiest and purest product possible. But bottled water clearly isn’t always that clean—and it is much less carefully monitored than your tap water.
Eco-Friendliness
According to Food and Water Watch, it takes more than 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce the plastic water bottles we use. “Eliminating those bottles would be like taking 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere,” stated an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. It takes a great deal of oil to produce all that plastic, then more oil to ship the water all over the world. In New York City alone, the transportation of bottled water from Western Europe released an estimated 3,800 tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere.
But at least these plastic bottles can be recycled, right? Not really. An alarming 88 percent of the used water bottles are not recycled at all and end up in dumps and in the oceans. Bottled water makes a huge negative impact on the environment.
What Can You Do?
We need clean water to survive. And as the effects of global warming intensify and the potential for droughts increases, water is going to become an even more heated topic. The environmental costs of the water bottle industry are something that can’t be ignored. It’s time to give up the plastic bottle habit. Here are some things you can do:
Sign the Break the Bottled Water Habit pledge.
Buy a water filter for your kitchen to keep your tap water as clean and tasty as possible.
If you are worried about your tap water, check with EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800.426.4791 or visit the EPA’s website.
Buy stainless steel bottles to hold your tap water—they’re much healthier than a plastic bottle.
Let your local and state representatives know how you feel about your water. Be vocal.
Always conserve water!
Water Issues on the Big Screen
Check out the trailers of these great documentaries on water and the very controversial bottled water industry:
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Thirst: Looking at tensions in Bolivia, India and Stockton, Calif., Thirst reveals how water is becoming the catalyst for explosive community responses to the management of this precious resource. |
 |
Flow: Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st century—The World Water Crisis. |
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Bottle This: Gregory Warner investigates the rise of the $7 billion bottled water industry as well as a study that suggests bottled water doesn’t exactly live up to its image. |
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Tapped: By 2030, the United Nations estimates two-thirds of the world will lack access to clean drinking water. Tapped will illustrate the impact of the global water crisis on America and what we can do as individuals to enact change sooner rather than later. |
In 2006, Francesca Olivieri co-founded the company sage baby, an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skincare to furniture. She also writes a monthly blog for Scenic Hudson as well as contributes articles to Daily Candy Kids, CitiScoop and NRDC’s Simple Steps. She continues to watch her green business grow while seeking to apply her values to her own home and family. Francesca lives in New York City with her husband and three kids, 8, 6 and 4.
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