A New Year's Resolution that is Crystal Clear: Kick Your Bottled Water Habit

It's almost that time again. Time to make your New Year's resolution. So what's it going to be: Quit smoking? Lose weight? Start saving? All good ideas, but you must admit, not very original ...and, in most cases, not very easy to accomplish.

Well here's a new resolution for you. It's easily achievable, it saves you money and it's good for the environment. Kick your bottled water habit! The reasons to quit are as transparent as the product itself.

This year, Americans will spend over $12 billion on bottled water, double what the category sales were only 8 years ago. Why do people continue to spend their hard-earned dollars on a product that flows freely and cleanly from the pipes in their own house? In a single word... Marketing!

The Cola giants got into the bottled water business back in the mid-1990's and have been extremely successful launching brands Aquafina (Pepsi) and Dasani (Coke). Despite the fact that these two brands are not spring water, but simply purified tap water, they make up over 30% of all bottled water sold in the USA. How is that possible? Convenience. The cola companies have a goal to always make a cold beverage available within an arm's reach. They have vending machines and coolers at every deli, every gas station and nearly every school. They have replaced the old public drinking fountain. Why do people drink bottled water - because they make it easy!

Bottled water brands spend hundreds of millions each year to convince people that their sources are cleaner and purer (Poland Spring, Arrowhead, etc.). Others such as Evian and Fiji promote the mystique of their sources, sponsor high profile events and attempt to give their brands cachet. Fiji ran an ad campaign recently, "The label says Fiji because it's not bottled in Cleveland." In response, disgruntled representatives from Ohio had Fiji tested and traces of arsenic were found. Cleveland's water had none.

It's a fact that tap water is regulated by the EPA under much stricter guidelines than the manner in which the FDA monitors bottled water. And a home filter like PUR or Brita can replicate the quality of Aquafina, Dasani and other brands at far less cost. In the current economy, all of us are looking for ways to make our dollars go farther. An investment in a home filter and reusable water bottles for the family can result in saving thousands of dollars on bottled water.

But kicking the bottled water habit can not only help to save you money, it can also help to save the planet. According to the Container Recycling Institute, less than 10% of PET plastic water bottles are actually recycled resulting in over 30 million bottles going into America's landfills - every day! Plastic is particularly dangerous because it is non-biodegradable and eventually becomes part of the food chain. Neil Seldman, a waste recycling expert, has labeled our growing plastic waste problem as, "potentially more dangerous than global warming."

And simply improving our rate of recycling does not solve the problem. "More than 90% of the environmental impacts from a plastic bottle happen before the consumer opens it," states Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the NRDC, "Oil for plastic, oil for shipping, oil for refrigeration - and in the end, most of the effort goes to landfills." There was a time back in the 90's when carrying an Evian bottle was considered a fashion accessory or a status symbol. Today, it's a symbol that you're not paying attention to the world around you.

So after you ring in the New Year and while others are applying their nicotine patch or signing up for their new gym membership, tap into a novel idea which protects your savings and protects the planet. Take the challenge to kick your bottled water habit. You'll be surprised at how easy it is.

Comments

[ashb]

It's not necessarily about purity -- Evian tastes much better than tap water. That's why I drink it. If I stopped buying bottled water, I'd just drink soda instead. Are we supposed to give up soda too? Are all coffee drinkers supposed to start bringing their own mugs to Starbucks? Spread the guilt trip around.

[erinker]

I have never understood the bottled water craze. Maybe it's because I never feared my tap water, but I could never understand why so many people willingly PAID for something that is pumped into their homes for free (well, close to free)! And the "convenience" thing doesn't make sense to me, either. I have two refillable portable jugs. I fill them with tap water when they are empty. Done. I can't get my mind around why lugging dozens of jugs of bottled water around is easier than tucking my jug into my purse and going about my business.

I think the marketing gods have done a good job of convincing us that bottled water is easier, without ever really producing that result.

[jan55]

All extra containers are an environmental problem - so why is only water targeted? Tap water is NOT a solution - when I travel I can't drink tap water because it is either a)chlorinated which hurts my stomach, or b)well water which I would not trust - how do you know which gas station is on a well? Also, many public bathroom sinks are set up so you can't fill a bottle from the tap. Also, Dasani and Aquafina both taste awful - I never buy either one. In addition, people with health problems can't always buy coffee, pop or milk or whatever you think it is just fine for people to buy in non-recyclable containers. I can't drink cold fluids, or caffeinated beverages or juice, so fountain drinks, and other items are not an option for me. (No, I can't wait for them to warm up except in summer). Home bottled water can't always be lugged along with you on long days, especially without that environmental nightmare - the car. A real solution would be stores with spring water coolers and you bring your own cup and pay by the glass with water offered cold or room temp. Practical solution - with the economy like it is people aren't working or travelling anyway.

[cylindar]

Well, I have only had bottled water perhaps two to three times becuase of what you have just said. It was apparent early on when bottled water became big that it was a bit of a joke to say the least. What I do is distill the water at home powered by a solar distiller and then put it into one stainless steel bottle that I reuse. There is an art to it all.

[RightWingMarine]

I like bottled water for the convience. I work in an office building so I don't have my glasses and dishwasher available to me here. I'm not interested in washing dishes at work but I still want to have some water to drink so I bring bottled water. I like my water cold so I fill a disposable cup with ice and pour my bottled water in there. Disposable cups are made from polystyrene and are 100% recycleable, it just isn't cost effective.

[wrhack]

If the EPA has "stricter guidelines" for tap water, why even buy in to using the filter at the tap? You might want to consider having your water tested first, and decide if you want the chlorine and floride, or need the filter for other reasons.

I agree with the message the article is trying to send, but am puzzled by the format. This article is sandwiched by ads for Fontis water and a FijiWater link. What better way to get away from bottled water than to stop promoting it on a "Green" web site like this?

[apoyo]

Both my girls did a water experiment while in middle school. One tested different brands of commercial bottled water and tap water. The other tested various waters: sea, lake, canal and tap water.

In both experiments the only petri dish that had absolutely no bacterial growth was the tap water.

[ianrthorpe]

Excellent article, you are absolutely correct.

Many people choosre to drink only bottled water because they have concerns about the quality of the water that comes out of their tap. UK bloggers Boggart Blog ran a special investigation however and we can confirm that any water that comes out of your tap has been passed by public health and safety inspectors.

http://greenteeth.blog.co.uk/2008/12/06/water-bottles-at-dawn-5173373

[apoyo]

Thank you for addressing what you might call one of my pet peeves even though I consider it much more substantive than that. We have to think of the planet but also of decreasing our use of oil. Bottled water was the biggest scam ever. Many countries don't even have enough potable water, people die from water-borne disease and one of the selling points for bottled water is that it is not bottled here!!!!

Think of the science that went into providing this country with the luxury of turning on your kitchen faucet and getting all the drinkable water you need.

Along with a gas tax there should be a plastic bottle tax. Same stuff is used to make and transport them.

[elizaconnors]

Absolutely. I agree that there should be a tax on bottled water. I also think that there should be a massive advertisement campaign to legitimately convince people that their tap water is safe. It should also provide simple ways to safely make tap water convenient. People are also, wrongly, convinced that reusable bottles are less safe than the plastic bottles that envelop bottled water.

It is so easy. So, what the hey?