Bottled Water Versus Water Filters

In today’s world, it seems people choose water in bottles instead of water filters. Why is that and what seems to be driving people to water in plastic bottles? Everyone (except the bottlers) will be better off if people will filter their own water and take it with them. The Readers Digest August 2011 issue has a quote by Pete Gleick, PhD and author of Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. Dr. Gleick says, “Sales of bottled water have skyrocketed from around a gallon per person per year in the early 1970s to over 30 gallons today.” That is amazing yet it is mainly because we don’t trust our water sources today. If you do some basic searching on the Internet, you can turn up some reasons to go along with Dr. Gleick’s remarks. If you look for “reasons to drink bottled water” most of the articles are why you should NOT drink bottled water. Yes, you should drink lots of water just not bottled water. Most of these sites are dedicated to the environment and individual’s health. For example, the website Barefoot Runner’s Life points out that, “Plastic bottled water contains a harmful chemical, BPA. Studies suggest that BPA mimics hormones. Exposure to BPA can cause a wide variety of health issues.” Another issue Dr. Gleick points out is, “we don’t like the taste, and it’s become easier to find bottles of water at the same time that it’s become harder to find water fountains.” It is true that you can buy bottled water in ever gas station and convenience store in America. At the same time, more and more public places do not have water fountains. The water is in a machine somewhere in the building. On the website Spirit Directors International, there is an article titled “Eight Good Reasons NOT to Drink Bottled Water.” In the eight reasons, they list that water is often not regulated, it contains contaminants, and that 90% of the cost of the water is making the bottle! So you really aren’t paying for the water, you are paying for the bottle and you throw that away. Item no. “6. North Americans use over 28 billion plastic water bottles per year; over 80% of bottles end up in landfills.” One of the issues listed on the website Mother Nature Network is that of corporate ownership of water. This site lists 5 reasons not to drink bottled water and their no. 5 is, “In the documentary film Thirst, authors Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman demonstrated the rapid worldwide privatization of municipal water supplies, and the effect these purchases are having on local economies.” This issue has even worked its way into fiction. The author Clive Cussler wrote one of his adventure novels called Blue Gold and this is exactly what is happening. We have to hope that some hero comes forth as they did in the book to save us. The bottled water industry is “an important component in their drive to commoditize what many feel is a basic human right: the access to safe and affordable water.” The simple answer that many of these sites recommend is to get a carbon water filter of some type and a stainless steel container. If you don’t have a water filter pitcher, faucet water filters, countertop water filters, or under counter water filter, be sure to take the time to get one of these. They are relatively inexpensive and over time will pay you back in better health, fewer trips to a doctor, and less need for medication. For people who want or need to filter larger amounts of water you can buy under counter water filters or even a reverse osmosis water filter.