[Sust-mar] BOTTLED WATER: Pouring Resources Down the Drain:

[Peter Watson]

Happy New Year from sust-mar!

Not much sustainable news happening in the Maritimes over the holiday 
season. Since we all drink water, here are a couple of articles 
regarding the consumer trend towards drinking bottled water and the 
thinking that this is healthy. But in reality it's not so healthy for 
the planet, and often not for the consumer either.


BOTTLED WATER: Pouring Resources Down the Drain:

The global consumption of bottled water reached 154 billion liters (41 
billion gallons) in 2004, up 57 percent from the 98 billion liters 
consumed five years earlier. Even in areas where tap water is safe to 
drink, demand for bottled water is increasing—producing unnecessary 
garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy. Although in the 
industrial world bottled water is often no healthier than tap water, it 
can cost up to 10,000 times more. At as much as $2.50 per liter ($10 per 
gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline.

http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update51.htm

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE: Despite the Hype, Bottled Water is Neither CLEANER 
nor GREENER than Tap Water:

Even with widespread disinfection, consumer groups have raised numerous 
warnings about a host of different microorganisms and chemicals that 
have been found in bottled water. In a four-year scientific study, the 
NRDC tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water. The 
group concluded, “Although most bottled water tested was of good 
quality, some brands’ quality was spotty.” A third of the tested brands 
were found to contain contaminants such as arsenic and carcinogenic 
compounds in at least some samples at levels exceeding state or industry 
standards.

More and more environmentalists are beginning to question the purpose of 
lugging those heavy, inefficient, polluting bottles all over the Earth. 
The parent organization of the World Wildlife Fund, the 
Switzerland-based World Wide Fund for Nature, argues strongly that the 
product is a waste of money and is very environmentally unfriendly. 
Co-op America concludes: “By far the cheapest—and often the 
safest—option is to drink water from a tap. It’s also the most 
environmentally friendly option.” Friends of the Earth says, “We might 
as well drink water from the tap and save all this waste.”

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?1125&src=