Sunday, April 17, 2011

In reponse to Ashley Guidi: Bottled Water! For Better or For Worse?



I must admit that I am one of those people who buy a lot of bottle water. We buy big one that sits on the counter and we always have a case for me to grab one as I leave in the morning. I am very particular about the taste of my water and have to agree that some bottled water taste a tad funny and it may just be the case that all the minerals that replenish what we have lost have been filtered out.
I remembered watching a show on T.V about bottled water; where people in a restaurant were given “bottle water” from exotic places and asked what they thought of it. Practically everyone said how refreshing, crisp and clean it tasted, not knowing that the water came from a hose at the back of the restaurant. I thought that it was very funny when they were told exactly where the water came from how surprised they looked.
There are some very valid points made in Ashley’s post about the cost of the water; from manufacturing the bottle to transporting it. We also have to contend with the fact that plastic is man-made and therefore not biodegradable. One of the ways that companies have tried to lessen the burden on the environment is through recycling and practically all water bottles now ask consumers to recycle.
Another thing that people don’t think about is the leaching of chemicals from the plastic bottle into the water, which have been proven to have a negative impact especially on women. People are cautioned not to leave their plastic bottles in areas that get hot because the heat increases the amount of chemicals leached into the water.
Marketing has played a big role in the bottle water fad and have even made drinking water – something that sustains life, a sign of prestige. People can now indicate by the brand on their bottle water their status. Very pretentious yes it’s water for goodness sake but I have to admit that some of the cheaper brands don’t taste as good.
Do you think that the more expensive the bottle water is the better it tastes and is the environmental price worth it?

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