Okay, so everyone knows they shouldn't drink bottled water. But when you walk into your local grocery store, you can't help but to see bottles of water imported from the Alps and all over the world. Americans drink about 110 liters of bottled water every year and even more bottles of soda pop! Italians drink about 200 liters of bottled water a year!
I don't buy bottles of just normal or imported water, but some of you may be familiar with my "Ribena and Soda Water" obsession. I have also been known to indulge in the occasional bottle of mineral water or Minute Maid juice.
The bottled-water issue really got me thinking that drinking soda water or any other bottled liquid beverage is just as bad as drinking normal old bottle water. Carrying the heavy bottles home from the supermarket made me realize that these heavy bottles had to be trucked from some factory far away to my local Safeway! The luxury of having bubbly water for my Ribena just doesn't justify the carbon cost!
Not only do I have to consider the fossil fuels used in the transportation of the water, but also the production and recycling of the plastic bottles. According to David Suzuki's Green Guide, most plastic beverage bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate, a petroleum-based plastic that is requires a lot of water and energy to make, and also releases harmful by-products in the manufacturing process.
Apparently, according to the Pacific Institute, making plastic bottles uses 17 million barrels of oil and produces 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually in the US alone. While plastic bottles are recyclable, many of them end up in landfills, and, recycling actually isn't nearly as sustainable as we think it is (I'll go into this is a future post).
Furthermore, soda water and most pops/sodas contains potassium citrate, a food additive used to regulate acidity. It has a caustic effect on the stomach lining and has a potential for other health hazards (although mild). But really, do I want to be ingesting this?
UBC seems to be thinking one step ahead, and have free water fountains where students can fill-up their reusable bottles. I think I may have to investigate these fountains to see if it is just filtered local water (a great, sustainable choice) or a (not-so-good) big bottle of transported water.
So, my challenge to myself and to you is to not only eliminate your bottled water consumption, but also significantly reduced the amount of other bottled beverages that you consume!
*Note* Bottled water does have it's place in emergencies and humanitarian crises, but here in Canada water from the tap is well monitored and just as safe as bottled water!
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