STOP! Don’t Drink That!

There’s so many things I’d like to change in the world.  I wish I could do much more and I will be talking about more on here, but for right now, since it’s on my mind, let me tell you a little bit about why I think you should NEVER drink bottled water again.  Let me start by saying that for many years, I drank anywhere from a liter to a gallon of bottled water a day.  Some months I spent $100 or more on the boutique bottled waters because, like many, I was lured in by the fancy labels and names of the water.  I learned ages ago that Dasani was just recycled tap water and that ‘grossed me out’ so I stopped drinking it but I still had a couple of favorites, three in particular, but I’m so over that now!

One of the things that first woke me up was the documentary called Tapped.  It was a huge eye opener for me and when I did my homework afterward (thanks Michael Moore for proving that calling a film a documentary doesn’t mean it’s factual and now I’m smarter for doing my homework after I watch one) I was absolutely shocked!  After that I watched Blue Gold: World Water Wars and did my homework and that added the cherry on top with my decision to stop drinking bottled water.  It is amazing what these corporations are getting away with. Here are some things to think about that I gathered from TheWaterProject.org which includes the sources of information:

1. If you’re reading this, that means you probably live in one of the many countries (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, etc.) that more tightly regulate tap water than bottled water.  Our water, in spite of most people’s fears, is much cleaner and safer than bottled water!
2. Bottled water was never intended for mass distribution and was created for emergency situations only!  This is one reason it is NOT regulated while tap water in the USA must go through regulations of 2 different agencies and is tested thousands of times a day for purity, safety, contamination risks, etc.
3. The amount you’re paying for bottled water is as much as 10,000 times expensive than the same amount out of your tap (this is NOT an exaggeration).
4. For those that prefer the taste of bottled water, keep in mind that their filtration is no different than the systems you can buy for at home use.  In fact, some of the filtration systems you can buy at Target or Walmart are actually better than the ones used in water bottling factories!
5. In spite of what the bottling companies would like you to believe with their stamps on the bottles, the plastic used to bottle water can take over 1,000 years to biodegrade and when incinerated create toxic fumes that go into the air we breathe.  Unfortunately, it is estimated that less than 20% of used water bottles actually make it to the recycling centers. Landfills across the country are filled with more than 2 million tons of discarded water bottles that were never, will never or cannot be recycled.
6. A 1kg bottle of Fiji brand water contains less than one penny’s worth of water out of the tap but requires 7.1 gallons of water to manufacture, a liter of fossil fuels to transport and manufacture and adds 1.2 pounds of greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere before it reaches your lips.

These businesses, like any other, are not interested in the safety and well being of the American people, let alone people all over the world.  They’re interested in profits, bonuses, fatter bank accounts.  Nestle is just one company that is responsible for taking advantage of places like McCloud, California and using their water supply and weaknesses to the company’s advantage, actually sending scouts to these towns to find out the woes of the region and making minimalist deals with local government to sap off local water supplies, often times leaving local citizens with drought conditions in the end.  Unfortunately, the areas being affected are at a much higher price when these unnatural drought conditions start to affect everything from the local ecosystem to municipal water prices rising on the resident consumers and so much more.

Revisiting the idea of how unregulated the bottled water industry is, take into consideration that in addition to cancer causing chemicals seeping into the water over time and when the bottle is exposed to certain temperatures, some tests have discovered everything from bacteria to chloroform to nitrates and even acids left over from the manufacturing process that can affect your body in the long term.

So with all this in mind, what should you do?  The first immediate step is to stop buying bottled water immediately and encourage those around you to do the same.  When it comes to those summertime BBQ’s and birthday parties, etc., simply take a drink cooler/dispenser like you would with iced tea, lemonade or punch and use that filled with ice for your thirsty party goers.  One quite popular option these days is fruit water.  Placing some cleaned and sliced bits of pineapple, strawberry, watermelon, lemon or other type of fruit can actually add a subtle flavor to the water that makes it more desirable to those that find the taste of water ‘boring’, thus helping to keep them more hydrated during activities and games.

For personal on the go water needs, there are plenty of products out there for toting your water with you.  Anyone that’s been around me the past few months knows that I’m never seen without my Green Canteen which is my personal favorite. I’m not trying to sound like an ad here and certainly I have nothing to gain by promoting them but frankly, I really like their product.  These water containers fit in your car’s cup holder better than most water bottles from the store, are easy to clean and are made of stainless steel so it won’t rust, won’t seep chemicals into your water and is 100% recyclable with a 100 year product life expectancy.  I got mine for $8 at Henry’s Market locally and it is one of my prized possessions now.

Still, there are many other products out there so it’s important for you to do your research, but please do your research.  This is an important issue that needs to be addressed before our natural resources and ecosystems are totally depleted and these profiteers start moving to even farther sources in countries that can’t afford the loss of water, all because we want the luxury of water on the go, and often times at home, when the purchase thereof is completely unnecessary.  Again, do your homework yourself and decide for yourself but if you want to make a small difference that is a big deal for your health, wallet and our ecosystem, please stop buying bottled water.  Pretty please

Further reading:

The Water Project

Earth Policy Instutite

Presented by Online Education