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Making Bottled Water Unfashionable
A United Kingdom government advisor has suggested that bottled water be relegated to the same status as cigarette smoking. The environmental concerns that come with bottled water, as well as the high cost, are two of the reasons that are cited for this campaign against bottled water. The thought behind this is to make it less fashionable, so people will feel that it is "wrong" to drink bottle water, much the same as it is with cigarette smoking. This trend toward making it unfashionable can help to decrease the trend in drinking bottled water and help the environment. What are some of the concerns that are associated with bottled water?
The original idea behind bottled water was that the water was cleaner than tap water so drinking it was healthier for you. It's been found that many bottled waters are just tap water in plastic bottles, so that idea is now defunct. With the various health and environmental issues around plastic, filtering your tap water into a stainless steel water bottle makes more sense as a way of staying hydrated when you are away from home. Drinking filtered water from a glass when you are home or at the office makes sense too.
The first concern is due to the production of the bottles that are used for bottled water. The increasing popularity of the easy to carry and drink bottles has lead to an increase in production of these bottles. The amount of carbon dioxide released during the production of one ton of water bottles can top three tons. Although carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring substance in the atmosphere, too much carbon dioxide is detrimental to the environment. There are other environmental issues that are caused by bottled water usage as well.
Another concern is the consumption of oil. The production of 38 million water bottles consumes a great deal of oil. In fact, producing these water bottles can use as much as 1.5 billion barrels of oil. This is a lot of oil that could be used for other purposes, especially in these days of high gas prices. Oil is a resource that is highly prized and valuable for many different purposes, which is why it is such an issue in bottled water production.
A third issue that can be linked to bottled water usage is the amount of pollution that is created due to the transportation of these bottles across the country. In addition to the exhaust that is released by these trucks that travel all over the country, there is the cost that is associated with the transportation both financially and in oil use.
A fourth issue that's coming to light is the use of BPA (Bisphenol A). It's an organic compound used in making many plastics, including water bottles and baby bottles (though it's upiquitous and also found lining food and beverage cans, in toys and sports equipment, medical devices, and various electronic devices, and in CDs and DVDs. The problem with BPA is it has a low toxicity, it mimics estrogen and that induces various hormonal responses, and is an endocrine disruptor.
The thought behind making bottled water seem less fashionable is one that has been considered all over the world. Many restaurants and hotels do not even offer bottled water at their establishments any more and are, instead, offering tap water (filtered water would be great!). Since tap water is readily available it is becoming less trendy to carry around plastic bottles of water and to offer it in your business. By making drinking bottled water less trendy and fashionable, it is sure to decrease the consumption of bottled water, thus helping the environment.
The days of bottled water being seen as trendy are numbered. Due to the wide range of environmental issues and the cost of bottled water, this is a trend that needs to be reined in. The key is getting the knowledge out about the environmental concerns that are associated with bottled water to help people realize the effect that it has on the environment and on their wallet. Knowledge plus a little guilt can help to make bottled water less popular and decrease the effect upon the environment.
