Feb 8, 2010
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gleick/detail??blogid=104&entry_id=56836
In a month or two, I have a new book coming out from Island Press called "Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water." Look for it at your local... well, wherever you buy books now.
The book is a popular account of the reasons we buy bottled water, the manipulations of the private water bottlers to get us to buy it, the industry war on tap water, the history of weird claims made for bottled water, and much more. It explores the remarkable explosion in bottled water sales and the recent consumer revolt that is beginning to threaten sales.
But make no mistake. The war for what you drink continues.
More...
Nov 30, 2008
Bottled water is an environmental and social endangerment
"How did we get to the point where we're paying for bottled water? That must have been some weird marketing meeting over in France. Some French guy's sitting there like, 'How dumb do I think the Americans are? I bet you we could sell those idiots water.'" More...
Dec 19, 2009
Group criticizes state for spending more than $500,000 on bottled water
A Boston-based nonprofit is calling on state and local governments to pledge to stop pouring money into bottled water, saying public employees can drink just as safely from the tap.
State agencies spent $527,107 last year on bottled water 5-gallon jugs for coolers says Corporate Accountability International in its report, "Getting States Off the Bottle." More...
Nov 1, 2009
The Environmental Impact Of Bottled Water
Sales levels of bottled water have been increasing by around 7 or 8 % annually for the past ten years. Between 1997 and 2005, it's estimated that global consumption of bottled water doubled.
Approximately 200 billion bottles of water are consumed worldwide each year. The US market is the largest by far, accounting for 25% of total sales.
There has been quite a backlash against the use of bottled water recently. The key concern for many being the environmental impact of bottled water. Polyethyleneterphthalate (PET) is the material used for most of these bottles. It is, to be fair, a material which can be recycled. The trouble is that recycling levels are estimated at less than 25%. More...
Oct 25, 2009
The Bottled Water Swindle
Bottled Water: I call it one of the greatest “con job” of the preceding 3 or 4 decades and a marketing dream…aimed at the gullible. It is also my main pet hate. One of the biggest untruth in our world is the following line: “bottled water is safer than tap water.” It is not. It is…errr…the same. More...
Oct 4, 2009
London's new drinking fountains a challenge to bottled water industry
London may soon follow in the footsteps of Bundanoon, the Australian town that last week banned bottled water and set up drinking fountains for thirsty locals.
The capital's first water stations will be set up this month in a move that could have serious repercussions for the £1.5bn-a-year bottled water industry, with companies finding it increasingly difficult to justify their carbon footprint as the quality of tap water improves. More...
Oct 2, 2009
What Do You Know About Bottled Water Quality?
If you are like me and thought that from the recent reports shown on the television that the quality of bottled water is just the same as tap water then I have some news for you. There are some other interesting things that you should know.
I watched the reports that were coming out awhile ago that said that bottled and tap water were basically the same. They said that you can get the same quality of water from the tap in your home. I took this a step further and asked myself, how good is tap water coming into my home? That comparison that I just saw is meaningless if the tap water was contaminated.
I started looking into water quality and found that there are a number of contaminants that have been found and that the list has grown to over 2,100. Herbicides, pesticides, and drugs are what have generally been found across the U.S. If the quality of bottled water is the same as tap water then this makes me nervous. More...
Sep 30, 2009
The harsh reality of bottled water
Only 24 percent of plastic bottles are recycled into products such as clothing, fleece blankets and artificial lumber, according to an American Chemistry Council report.
The other 76 percent of water bottles end up in landfills, where they take hundreds of years to decompose while producing a toxic chemical called phthalate that is released into the soil.
In Florida, the water bottle could easily end up in the ocean, polluting the water and allowing marine life to eat toxic particles.
Locally, the environmental group ManaSota-88 has recommended that plastic bottles and bags be banned from landfills. More...
Sep 28, 2009
NewsChannel 11 Investigates: Bottled vs Tap Water
Many people drink bottled water daily, but is what you're drinking from the bottle really better than what you can get from the tap? NewsChannel 11's investigative reporter Nicole Pesecky has the answer.
Americans drink millions of gallons of bottled water every day. And whether you prefer to drink bottled or tap, what's really the difference? We tested for metals and minerals in four popular bottled waters and Lubbock tap water to answer that question: Osarka, Dasani, 50 cent Spring Water and the more pricey water, Fiji. More...
Sep 28, 2009
Toxic Waters? Rarely, but let’s keep it that way!
Before you panic and revert to bottled water, you might want to follow the advice of the New York Times on-line article “How safe is your tap water?“ First visit the EPA drinking water quality reports that are available on-line to check out the quality of water in your town. Then, find out the names of the polluters that are located near you, by visiting the interactive data-base of water pollution records for the United States that was amassed by The New York Times. If you are one of the small percentage of people who have impared drinking water from your private well or your public water system, your next best step would be to use some sort water filtration at home while you lobby your legislators for cleaner water. Don't assume that bottled water is any safer, by the way. It is regulated by the FDA, an even more poorly funded and staffed governmental agency. More...
