Grace Huckins, Grade 8
Ms. Corley and Ms. Mercury, Teachers / Weston Middle School
"The Bottled Water Alternative"
Global warming. Many will cringe at the phrase, unwillingly reminded of the fate of our planet that grows more imminent each day. And yet, as is human nature, we attempt to deny Earth's plight with empty excuses such as, "It won't happen in our lifetime."
However, due to the efforts of environmental activists such as former Vice President Al Gore to publicize this issue, some of us have begun to attempt to save our planet. Hybrid cars and fluorescent lights are becoming increasingly popular, and we can often see people providing their own bags as an alternative to plastic grocery bags.
Still, people might not realize realize the vast impact that bottled water has on our environment. Our country consumes 7 billion gallons of bottled water annually; it has become an integral part of our daily lives.
Many refuse to drink tap water because they consider it "dirty" or "unhealthy," and thus create vast volumes of discarded plastic bottles through their constant drinking of Poland Springs and Dasani, as well as various other brands. 2.7 billion tons of plastic is used to make water bottles every year, and only 14% of those bottles are recycled.
Additionally, water bottles are principally composed of polyethylene terephthlate, which is made from crude oil. Thus 1.5 million barrels of oil are used annually to create water bottles, and the overwhelming percentage of those bottles is used only once! Through our continuous consumption of bottled water and the discarding ofthe bottles, we continue to waste one of our planet's most valuable resources.
It is not just the loss of resources that makes bottled water so harmful to our environment. The creation of the bottled water is also quite wasteful. It requires 17.5 kilograms of water to make 1 kilogram of bottled water.
We waste a vast amount of water to simply achieve "purer" water, while people in Africa are suffering from drought and many lives could be saved by that wasted water. Moreover, the production of the water bottles used more than 17 million barrels of oil in 2006, and released great masses of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
Production is not the only way bottled water harms our environment. The transportation of bottled water throughout the world greatly contributes to the pollution of our atmosphere. Many well-known companies, like Evian, ship the majority of their water outside the country in which they are based. In fact, at least a quarter of all bottled water is shipped across country borders.
Bottled water caused at least 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere in 2006 alone. All of those green house gasses are simply quickening the already rapid warming of our planet.
Polar ice caps are not the only item that bottled water is shrinking.
Purchasing bottled water rapidly depletes the money in our pockets. Many of us are worried about rising gasoline prices, but bottled water costs more than gasoline at $10 a gallon! We fret about filling our cars with expensive gasoline, without realizing that the Aquifina we are drinking costs far more than the gas we use. If we didn't consume so much bottled water, maybe we wouldn't be so concerned about rising gas prices.
Many still refuse to drink tap water. Why?
With its benefits to the environment and our wallets, tap water is clearly the more intelligent alternative to bottled water. However, many have the misconception that tap water is "impure".
Some may argue that the FDA regulates bottled water, but the Environmental Protection Agency regulates tap water in the US. In fact, the regulations on tap water are far stricter than those imposed on bottled water. For example, tap water cannot contain E. coli or fecal Coliform bacteria, yet bottled water can contain small amounts of bacteria. Some companies will even remove various minerals from their water and then put many of these minerals back into the water, thus making their water quite similar to unfiltered tap water!
If one is still wary about tap water having various impure elements, tap water filters can be purchased at relatively low prices.
Others may claim that tap water is inconvenient. Filling a bottle with water from the faucet takes nearly the same amount of time as grabbing a bottle from the refrigerator. To have bottled water, one must go to a supermarket, which can be quite inconvenient. Tap water is no less healthy or convenient than the bottled water we consume daily.
Despite the fact that tap water has far more benefits than bottled water, many still are hesitant to drink it. This may be due to the way bottled water is portrayed in advertisements.
Words like "pure," "crisp," and "clear" are thrown around against a backdrop of a pristine spring somewhere in Canada. We are entranced by this glamorous façade, and feel compelled to voluminous packs of bottled water without considering the consequences. We will blindly grab one on the way to a soccer practice or work, barely noticing as we do so.
Bottled water has become such an integral part of our lives that many cannot fathom what they would do without it.
People must be informed that there is a better alternative to bottled water. One merely needs to purchase a filter and a bottle, and periodically fill the bottle as is needed. If our entire country switches to tap water, we may be able to, if not completely halt, at least slow global warming.
If we are willing to rise to the occasion and begin drinking tap water, we will be one step closer to ultimately saving our planet.
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