While standing in line at Starbucks in Brighton, the bottle of Fiji water looks so exotic and inviting. When running out the door to work, the gym, or the kids' sporting events, it is so easy to grab bottles of Poland Spring.
However, like many conveniences indoctrinated into our daily lives, it is too good to be true and has a downside. There are countless issues with bottled water pertaining to the environment, but not everyone is concerned about the environment, unfortunately. So, let us focus on the issues of most universal concern: money and health. Below is a basic summary, taken in part from a pamphlet produced by the Sierra Club.
Money
It can cost between 500 and 4,000 times more to consume bottled water than tap water.
It is much more cost-effective to utilize a PUR or Brita water filtration product on your tap water and then transport the filtered water in a stainless steel bottle by Sigg or a Nalgene BPA-free plastic bottle. Or, some reusable bottles even come with their own filters.
Health
The production process to turn plastic into bottles for water emits toxic chemicals into our air and leaves toxic residue inside the bottles, both ultimately thought to be strongly linked to deadly diseases such as cancer and diabetes, as well as harmful to reproductive and neurological development.
Bottled water is regulated, but the standards are weaker than those applied to tap water. Tests conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) of over 100 brands of bottled water found arsenic, synthetic organics, and bacteria exceeding allowable limits.
What can you do?
- Support organizations who promote the message about eliminating the use of bottled water, such as the Sierra Club and Tap'd NY.
- Spread the message to your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and community via Facebook or in casual conversation.
- If you do occasionally find yourself using bottled water, be sure to recycle the bottle on your next trip to Wegmans; and use the refund toward your next water filter.
Summer is the season when we use the most water. This is a great time to make the switch to tap water and let it become your newest healthy habit.
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