wa wa wa water

"In a time when we're looking at climate change, why are we shipping water around the world?"



http://www.tappedthemovie.com/


I've recently heard about this issue, and since then it's been on my mind and has been popping up in conversations. Is it really possible to give up bottle water in our society? It's such a big part of our life. So here's my little rant on it.
After doing a lot of research, I'm actually convinced enough not to drink bottled water, but only on desperate measures. I bought a new little red reusable bottle for myself that I'm very happy with. It may seem silly, but I feel like I'm truly doing something to contribute to the society. :]
And I'll tell you why, but I'll give both sides of the argument too.


PROS

First, like they said, and I wouldn't argue, that water bottles themselves contain many toxic chemicals that leach into the water. And if that isn't appetizing enough, what makes water of water bottles special anyways? They are just tap water. I find it scary that you actually CAN taste the difference between different brands of water. If all brands promise "purified" water, can't water just all be the same?

It isn't completely dangerous to drink bottled water, but knowing that it's been mildly (and I do mean mildly) connected with cancer, I am a little apprehensive. It's a scam - water will always be water.

Tap water won't kill you if it's coming from your kitchen faucet. It is safe because of the chlorine. You wash the dishes in tap water. You eat off the dishes. You bathe and shower in water. Restaurants are tap water. Chlorine is the chemical that is most associated with tap water, and unfortunately is dangerous in the long run, I'm sure we all know that. However over 70% of chlorine that is in our body, enters our body through daily activities such as bathing or steam inhalation (from showers,) so we have it anyways. I don't understand why people think tap water is dirty (unless it came from a restaurant in a dark alley of India or something, you understand what I'm saying.) And if you're super scared, use a filter or boil water.

The WHO (World Health Organization) and WCC (World Chlorine Council) actually only allows a 0.5 mg/L chlorine limit, however the US is 4.0mg/L, amazingly 8 times higher.

Second, they are bad for the environment. It's easy just to dump a water bottle into a trash can, on the ground, in the ocean, etc. And we all know what happens if plastics get into the ocean. Animals die.
If you don't recycle it then you're not helping. Oh and one more thing, landfillsssss and decomposition.

Third, it takes money to produce water bottles. It takes money to purchase water bottles. Using instead a reusable bottle and filling it up day by day doesn't only guarantee clean water but also saves you money.

Fourth, in a time of economic depression and war, why are we spending money on oil transporting WATER across the country when we can just get it from our faucet? Not only are we using oil, but the large trucks that are transporting water make up a large part of the pollution found in the air. It doesn't seem logical.
It takes oil to make water bottles, just like it does to make any other plastics. We all know that oil is in short supply and Congress especially are trying to take the first steps into a greener economic and environmental policy for our nation. So as our world oil supply runs dry, why waste money on what's left of the world's oil on water bottles?

CONS

First, if we did eliminate the water bottle industry, thousands of jobs would be lost, topping the numbers of jobs that have already been lost (our unemployment rate is a staggering 9.1% as of May 2009.)

Second, in times of national crisis (ex, Hurricane Katrina) water bottles were easily transported and donated to victims. Even more so, water bottles have been transported across the world helping victims of other nations.

Third, people like to grab and go. It's as easy as that. You can chill it, freeze it, have it at parties, vending machines, etc. It's a daily part of our lives as Americans and in the world. It's always been there.

Fourth, if you were a tourist in another country, you would want to know that you were drinking clean water and a water bottle is perfect for just that.

Fifth, it's not dangerous to drink water bottles as I said before.



I know I many seem biased, but I'm really big on this issue. I guess the main reason why I'm not drinking bottled water anymore was the point made about oil and transportation during these times with the state of our economy. Honestly, it's not hard to stop buying bottled water/recycling. Maybe they should stop most production, and limit the number of companies producing bottles, and only use them during times of a national crisis? I don't know just brain storming here.

To stop drinking from water bottles might seem such a very small effort, but if more people get involved, it could definitely become a mass movement across America. Going to the conference last week, I'm glad to know I wasn't the only student interested in this topic who had taken action no matter how small it is.

Now I'm tired. Goodnight.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bottled_water_vs_tap