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Hitting the Bottle

Bottled water certainly costs more than tap water (as much as 15,000 times more). But is it better for you



Not typically, according to tests conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Many bottlers just use H2O reprocessed from municipal water supplies. In fact, reprocessed water makes up as much as 40% of the bottled water market. For example, your Aquafina might have come from the local water utility in Wichita, KS. It'ss a matter of taste, some might argue. However, the reality is that in blind taste tests, most people can'st tell the difference.



Money down the drain



While soda sales are projected to decline over the next few years, a financial drought is the furthest thing from water bottlers's minds. Between 1999 and 2004, global bottled water consumption grew 57%. The US bottled water market alone is closing in on $10 billion per year. Manufacturers are smiling all the way to the bank, seeing big profits on a commodity that costs mere pennies to make store-ready.



The world at large would be a whole lot healthier if just a fraction of this money were instead refueled into creating a safer water supply for people in developing countries. The UN estimates that to cut the number of people without safe drinking water in half by 2015, about $30 billion per year would have to be invested. $30 billion seems like a lot, but when compared to the $100 billion consumers spend unnecessarily on water each year it'ss (almost) a drop in the proverbial bucket.



Environmentally speaking, the worst water is the stuff that'ss imported from far-off locales like Fiji. With about 8,000 miles to travel, we's8217;d bet your Fijian bottle of water is more well-traveled than you are. Alone, the planes, trains and automobiles used to transport bottled water use millions of gallons of gas every year. And to make the bottles themselves we use about 1.5 million barrels of oil in America annually - only 15% of these bottles are recycled.



Added minerals andphthalates



It should be crystal clear by now that bottled water'ss a no-no when it comes to the planet'ss health, but what about your own



Arguably, the US has the cleanest tap water in the world and the most efficient system for collecting, purifying and delivering this water to our communities. While the EPA tests our tap water for approximately 90 contaminants under the Safe Drinking Water Act, bottled water doesn'st have to meet these standards, and as a result isn'st tested as often for bacteria (even including Giardia!). In addition, bottles exposed to scratching or heat can cause the plastic to leach chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol-A, both linked to birth defects and cancer.



A watershed moment: quality thirst-quenching



If bottled water is worse for your wallet, your health and the planet, what is the best alternative Combine easy home filtration systems with portable stainless steel, aluminum or glass containers. Ideal Bite recommends SIGG Swiss-made bottles, shown above at right and available at Ideal Bite'ss website (www.idealbite.com). Each year, you's8217;ll save about $400 purchasing pitcher or faucet filters instead of bottles, reduce the 1.5 million tons of plastic used to package water globally and keep nasty chemicals from leaching into your drinking water.



Quick Facts



>   
Every year, more than 1.5 million barrels of oil are used to produce water bottles to meet US demand. That'ss enough oil to fuel about 100,000 cars for a year.

>   
86% of plastic water bottles used in the US become garbage or litter.

>   
Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

>   
If 10,000 people stopped buying bottled water for a year, they's8217;d keep the weight of a small elephant in plastic bottles out of the waste stream.



US per capita consumption (in gallons)



>   
1980: 2.7

>   
1990: 8.8

>   
2000: 16.7

>   
Year-End 2005: 26.1





Costs Per Gallon (as of May 2006)



>   
Bottled water (Evian): $21.19

>   
Beer (Corona): $12.89

>   
Milk: $3.12

>   
Gas: $2.87

>   
Coca-Cola: $2.64

>   
Tap water (Denver): $0.0019



Buying Bottled: Top 3 Reasons

from a 1998-1999 EPA/CDC public perception survey



1.   
Improved taste or odor (49.1% of respondents)

2.   
Avoiding chemicals (28%)

3.   
Avoiding germs (16.5%)



Heather Stephenson and Jennifer Boulden developed Ideal Bite, Inc. (www.idealbite.com) while working together as green business consultants. After realizing that there was no online source that connected good companies to appreciative consumers, they decided to create one. Both have backgrounds in startup ventures and a burning passion for taking 's8220;green's8221; mainstream by sharing their advice on how to align daily decisions with personal values. Ideal Bite launched in the U.S in June 2005, and has since introduced the concept of 's8220;light green living's8221; (ie: that it is okay to drive your SUV to Whole Foods) to tens of thousands of daily readers.



Sources: American Water Works Association, Beverage Marketing Corp., Earth Policy Institute, Energy Information Administration, FoodNet, National Resources Defense Council, World Wildlife Fund.

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