PennacchiaMatrix1Post



American consumers are drinking more and more bottled water each year. While most people nowadays realize the harmful effects that plastic water bottles can have on the environment, they continue to buy, partly because they think that bottled water is somehow safer than tap water. Therefore they spend hundreds of dollars more per gallon for water in a plastic bottle than drinking water from their taps. Despite this belief, tap water is generally just as safe, and approximately 40% of bottled water is actually tap water that has been packaged, bottled and falsely labeled as natural spring water which is then sold at a much higher price.

In many cases, tap water may even be safer to drink than bottled water due to the hundreds of safety tests conducted per month by utility companies in the US as regulated by the EPA. In contrast, the FDA only requires bottling companies to test their water supply once per week. However, these regulations do not apply to water packaged and sold within the same state, leaving about 60% to 70% of bottled water free from regulation. The NRDC conducted a study to document the weakness in bottled water regulations by testing 1,000 bottles from 103 different brands. The tests found bacteria, carcinogens and other chemicals in about one-quarter of the brands that could be linked to either the water source, the purification process, or the plastic bottle itself. Most bottled water comes in PET bottles (polyethylene terephthalate), and are generally safe, however scientists from the American Chemical Society stated that when the bottles are stored in hot or warm temperatures, certain chemicals may leach into the water from the plastic.

Plastic bottles also have negative effects of the environment. In order to meet the US consumer demand, the annual production of the plastic bottles, not including transportation, uses about 17.6 million barrels of oil, which is equivalent to the amount required to fuel over one million vehicles for one year. The world-wide process of bottling water uses about 2.7 million tons of plastic per year. While many believe that a solution to this issue is to simply recycle, a study conducted in 2004 stated that about 86% of plastic water bottles consumed ended up in landfills or as litter on roads and waterways.

Given that the bottled water industry is innately harmful to the environment and consumers in many ways, some companies such as FIJI have emphasized their commitment to becoming more environmentally conscious. By reducing CO2 emissions, using energy from renewable resources, reducing product packaging, and investing in reforestation, FIJI states that their water is a carbon negative product. Other popular brands such as Nestle and Dasani have also tried to become more efficient by developing bottles that use up to 30% less plastic.

While these companies have made significant progress in their efforts to reduce their environmental footprint, they have not solved the problem. The main solution lies in the consumer's decision to drink water from the tap instead of buying a bottle. This is difficult in itself with America's fast paced culture, where it is much more convenient to grab a bottle of water on the go then to constantly fill a reusable bottle. Therefore, there must be increased awareness to the American consumers of the issues surroundings plastic water bottles, which will hopefully aid in their judgment against choosing an unsustainable product. The cost alone should be enough for most people to switch to tap water. The average bottled water product amounts to more than $10 per gallon, where the average gallon of tap water costs most Americans $.002. Therefore, switching to tap water will save you money, protect your health, and help to prevent environmental problems.

Annotations:

1. Gleick, P.H.. "Energy Implications of Bottled Water." . N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Nov 2011. . This article was written by P H Gleick and H S Cooley for the Pacific Institute of California. The main topic of the text describes the breakdown of energy implications of bottled water. The argument is fleshed out by estimating the energy footprint required for different phases of bottled water production, transportation and use. I was able to reference information regarding the phases of bottled water production and consumption to add to both the presentation and wiki post. 2. Jeffries, Adrianne. "Is it Green?: FIJI Bottled Water." //Inhabitat//. N.p., 2008. Web. 11 Nov 2011. . This article was written by Adrianne Jeffries who writes many articles for the Inhabitat website that ask whether or not a product is “green”. The main topic of the text was whether or not FIJI water is as green as they claim to be. The main topic is fleshed out in an intense interview with FIJI Sustainability Manager Barbara Chung. The most critical quote described FIJI's green initiative, “ To make FIJI Water a carbon negative product. We are **reducing CO ****2 **** emissions ** across our products’ entire life cycle by 25% over the next three years. By 2010, 50% of our **energy will come from renewable sources ** like wind to power our bottling facility in Fiji and biodiesel for transportation. We are **reducing product packaging ** by at least 20% by 2010. We are **investing in reforestation and renewable energy projects ** that will reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by at least 120% of the remaining life cycle emissions.” I was able to reference FIJI's green goals into my wiki post and presentation. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">3. . "Water." //Sustainable Table//. N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Nov 2011. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/water/ <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">There was no author specified for this article, however it contained a great deal of information regarding plastic bottles as a sustainability issue. The argument is fleshed out by discusses the main issues surrounding the problem of safety, environmental damage, cost, social problems, and solutions. The most critical quotes involved the data discussing issues of plastic bottle production and use in America. I was able to reference this data for both the wiki post and presentation.