Water, also referred to as blue gold, is a precious resource that is becoming increasingly scarce as time goes on.  It is important that we understand the severity of the issue and how to make the best choices when using and conserving water.  I have been interested in water issues for a while and spent much of my time studying the issues while earning my master’s in Environmental Policy and Management.  The more I read and learn about the issues surrounding water the more I am amazed at how little we really know.

I just finished reading the book Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water and couldn’t believe the fight people are in around our own country to protect their valuable water sources.  I hadn’t realized that water privatization is a problem in our own country- all this time I thought it was a fight taking place only over seas.

One issue that really stuck out to me in the book had to do with bottled water- a form of water privatization.  Remember when we were younger and we couldn’t believe we would pay money for water?  What happened to that mentality?  Now, it is habit to buy bottled water and avoid tap water all together.  I can’t say that I didn’t fall into that pattern as well.  I lived in San Diego for 9 years and everyone always talked about the tap water and how bottled water was much better.  Well, after reading Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water, it is clear this is so wrong- bottled water doesn’t even have the same regulations as tap water!  Here is a great quote from describing the issue…

Consumers of bottled water pay roughly one thousand, some times even ten thousand, times more for bottled water than for tap water. And what do we get? Study after study has concluded that bottled water is neither cleaner nor greener than tap water. The Natural Resources Defense Council discovered that a surprising number of bottled water they tested contained contaminants, pesticide residues, and heavy metals. The results shocked most people, who had not realized that bottled water is less regulated than tap water.  While the Environmental Protection Agency enforces strict standards on municipal tap water, the FDA oversees bottled water and is concerned more with the accuracy of the label than with the contents of the bottle.  Water bottled and sold inside a single state isn’t covered by federal regulations at all but by state regulations, which vary from strict to virtually nonexistent.

Filtering Water

I know that not all tap water tastes great and that you may not be convinced that drinking straight from the tap is a great idea.  Luckily, there are some great options out there. A great filtration system that sits on your counter top is the Premium 10-Stage Water Filter, which uses a 10 stage filtration system that removes 3 times as much as a common carbon block filter.  The filter leaves you with all natural, good for you minerals such as potassium, magnesium, chlorides and fluoride, which most bottled water is missing.

Aside from health issues, bottling water can have adverse effects on the environment and our pocket books.  Last year Americans spent nearly $11 billion on over 8 billion gallons of bottled water, and then tossed over 22 billion empty plastic bottles in the trash. In bottle production alone, the more than 70 million bottles of water consumed each day in the U.S. drain 1.5 million barrels of oil over the course of one year.

By kicking our bottled water habit we can not only protect our health, the environment but we can also save money.  We can also help eliminate the social impact that some water bottling companies have on a communities like those mentioned in Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water.

What Can I Use Instead of Bottled Water?

Some easy replacements for bottled water are the popular stainless steel bottles.  These help save landfills from billions of plastic bottles and help  you utilize tap water around your community.  If you prefer filtered tap water don’t worry, you still have options. There are a great line of  stainless steel bottles with built in filters and you can also use corn resin bottles with a built in filter.  These are great because they can be reused but when your done with them they will biodegrade.

These are great products that are easy to use and don’t cost a lot.  You can save money, plastics, and your health by reusing your stainless steel bottles and you even have the freedom to even design your own bottle with a logo or design that will let everyone know you are green!