Why Give Up Bottled Water For Good

Did you ever pay for something you could get for free? We are doing just that when buying bottled water.

When did we switch to drinking bottled water instead of plain old tap water? In 1977, Perrier relaunched their brand to America. They marketed health benefits and played up the sophistication of drinking refreshing and thirst-quenching French sparkling water.

Soft drink companies such as Pepsi and Coca Cola noticed the booming sales of bottled water and now convince us to become healthy, hip, and fashionable by drinking their bottled water.

This marketing strategy is called manufactured demand—companies manufacture products and convince consumers to buy them even if they do not need them.

Commit to take back the tap! Here are three reasons to give up bottled water for good.

The environment

Using single use plastic water bottles affects the environment throughout the supply chain. For example, oil is used to manufacture the plastic bottles. Then shipping the bottles by trucks or airplanes to retail locations consumes fuel.

Used bottles end up buried in landfills, in bodies of water such as the oceans, or burned, producing toxins in the air. We only recycle about 10% of the world’s PET plastic (the most common type of plastic in water bottles).

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains mostly tiny bits of plastic called microplastics, since the lifespan of a plastic bottle is 500 years.

Katharine Harvey, To the Depths, 2011

The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California commissioned the artist to create a permanent sculpture for their Fragile Seas exhibit. The work aims to educate the public about how plastic pollution destroys marine life in our oceans and the importance of recycling or reusing household containers.

Katharine creates massive sculptures from items like water bottles, packing material, and egg cartons to highlight the glut of plastic waste in our society.

Cost

Americans spent approximately $12.3 billion on bottled water in 2013. (Source: https://www.creditdonkey.com/bottled-water-statistics.html) Up to 40% of bottled water is filtered tap water. So, we are paying 300 times or more for bottled water than for tap water.

Health hazards

1. Harmful chemicals such as BPS (bisphenol S) and BPA (Bisphenol A) in plastic bottles can leach into the water, especially at high temperatures (such as in the car trunk or hot garage). Even BPA-free is not safe because other chemicals such as BPS replace BPA.
2. Arsenic, bromate, E. Coli, and microplastics may contaminate bottled water.
3. Never reuse single use plastic bottles because bacteria and mold may lodge into cracks in the plastic.

How to give up bottled water for good

Drinking filtered tap water is an easy step to take on our journey to wellness. How much water should we drink per day? See this useful article for guidelines, or consult your healthcare provider.

Invest in a water filter and a reusable water bottle, preferably stainless steel.

Consider drinking bottled water only in these situations:

• If your tap water is unsafe to drink
• If not able to filter your tap water, such as during travel away from home

See my previous post for more information on why you should drink filtered tap water.