U.S. activists call for consumers to ban the water bottle

[CBC News]

Activists and environmentalists on Wednesday are rallying behind a U.S. campaign that aims to convince consumers to opt for tap water rather than bottled.

U.S. activists on Wednesday are urging consumers to ban the bottle.
(CBC) ​

The campaign, launched by the activist group Corporate Accountability International, argues that tap water is safer and more eco-friendly than bottled water. Activists are also urging city officials to stop using public money to purchase bottled water for offices.
"When I see people at the airport go over to a vending machine and waste their money buying bottled water at the vending when it's standing right next to a water faucet, you really have to wonder at the utter stupidity and the responsibility sometimes of American consumers," said campaign supporter Rocky Anderson, the mayor of Salt Lake City.
The movement against bottled water has gained considerable momentum with American celebrity chefs including Alice Waters and Mario Batali banning the bottle at their restaurants.
In Canada environmentalist David Suzuki also urged consumers to choose tap water, saying bottled water produces excessive waste.
Full Story
What do you think about using bottled water instead of tap water?


More...

 

[Walter]

I don't have a tap in my car or at my desk. Bottled water is convenient.

 

[Tonington]

So are reusable bottles which can be filled at home.

 

[Unforgiven]

Good idea!

 

[lone wolf]

A lot of those bottles are filled with tap water anyhow....

 

[Sal]

I like the convenience of being able to have a case of water in my car. Different areas have different chemicals in their water. My stomach can't handle it. With bottled water, there is consistency. Do I feel guilty about the bottles getting thrown out. Yup.

 

[#juan]

If you are really worried, spend a hundred and twenty dollars on a filter system that filters out or kills all bacteria and viruses as well as taking out the chlorine, etc..
When we changed over from gallons to litres, a litre of regular gas cost about twenty cents a litre. Right now a litre of water in a plastic bottle costs 69 cents at the grocery store. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that 99 percent of bottled water came out of a tap.

 

[Curiosity]

The writer obviously has never choked down southern California residential water....

I even feel sorry for the gardens and grass having to accept it.... I have the large home dispenser at home and at my office.

I carry water filled from the same dispensers in old water bottles in my car...or away from home.

 

[Sal]

If you are really worried, spend a hundred and twenty dollars on a filter system that filters out or kills all bacteria and viruses as well as taking out the chlorine, etc..
When we changed over from gallons to litres, a litre of regular gas cost about twenty cents a litre. Right now a litre of water in a plastic bottle costs 69 cents at the grocery store. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that 99 percent of bottled water came out of a tap.

I have looked into Reverse Osmosis, closer to a thousand though. And it takes up a lot of room under the sink. Still in all it's a good investment and the direction I will likely go in eventually. Right now I just use the cheap Brita system for at home. Now even the cats prefer filtered water.

 

[#juan]

First, I'm talking about water in Canada since I know nothing about water in California.

http://www.rainfresh.ca/productinfo/undersink.html

We have the UCS2 that includes a little tap on the kitchen counter. The cost was about $120.00 a couple years ago. It took me twenty five minutes to install it.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I don't care how 'safe' they say it is ... the water we drink comes from Lake Ontario. Among the other toxic sludge dumped in the lake there is also the matter of dumping our sewage in the same lake.

So ... I will continue getting my water from a cooler. Bottled water for the car. I can't be bothered hauling bottles up and down 9 floors to be refilled.

I donate my used water bottles to a local food bank so they can distribute laundry detergent, etc. So its not like my bottles are winding up (well not directly) in a landfil somewhere.

 

[#juan]

I don't care how 'safe' they say it is ... the water we drink comes from Lake Ontario. Among the other toxic sludge dumped in the lake there is also the matter of dumping our sewage in the same lake.

So ... I will continue getting my water from a cooler. Bottled water for the car. I can't be bothered hauling bottles up and down 9 floors to be refilled.

I donate my used water bottles to a local food bank so they can distribute laundry detergent, etc. So its not like my bottles are winding up (well not directly) in a landfil somewhere.

Toronto water is very safe by any standards. The fact that the water came from lake Ontario is no big deal. In some crowds there is some sort of snob appeal to drinking water out of a plastic bottle. That bottle at some point was likely filled from a Toronto tap.

 

[EagleSmack]

Activists and environmentalists on Wednesday are rallying behind a U.S. campaign that aims to convince consumers to opt for tap water rather than bottled.

U.S. activists on Wednesday are urging consumers to ban the bottle.​

(CBC) ​

The campaign, launched by the activist group Corporate Accountability International, argues that tap water is safer and more eco-friendly than bottled water. Activists are also urging city officials to stop using public money to purchase bottled water for offices.
"When I see people at the airport go over to a vending machine and waste their money buying bottled water at the vending when it's standing right next to a water faucet, you really have to wonder at the utter stupidity and the responsibility sometimes of American consumers," said campaign supporter Rocky Anderson, the mayor of Salt Lake City.
The movement against bottled water has gained considerable momentum with American celebrity chefs including Alice Waters and Mario Batali banning the bottle at their restaurants.
In Canada environmentalist David Suzuki also urged consumers to choose tap water, saying bottled water produces excessive waste.
Full Story
What do you think about using bottled water instead of tap water?


More...

Diapers are also excessive waste. They are. I think all of you with young children should go back to cloth and wash them.

What about phone books? They keep coming and coming. At one time i had two land lines in my house when dial up first came out. Therefore the Phone Company sent 2 Yellow Page and Two White Page phone books.

 

[karrie]

plenty of activists urge people to use cloth eagle.

I see nothing wrong with bringing a wasteful area to society's attention. 'Banning' them though seems excessive. Target the consumer, get them to stop buying them, demand goes down, and so will supply. It's simple really.

 

[EagleSmack]

plenty of activists urge people to use cloth eagle.

I see nothing wrong with bringing a wasteful area to society's attention. 'Banning' them though seems excessive. Target the consumer, get them to stop buying them, demand goes down, and so will supply. It's simple really.

I also bet plenty of activist use disposable diapers which are most wasteful than bottled water. I would say a baby is changed 5 or 6 times a day... maybe more. It has been so long since I needed to change diapers.

I personally drink tap water. Why are we not targeting the tonic (soda) companies?

 

[karrie]

why one or the other? why can't a group point out the waste of water bottles, and reserve their distaste over other issues for another time?

I also bet plenty of activist use disposable diapers which are most wasteful than bottled water. I would say a baby is changed 5 or 6 times a day... maybe more. It has been so long since I needed to change diapers.

I personally drink tap water. Why are we not targeting the tonic (soda) companies?

 

[EagleSmack]

why one or the other? why can't a group point out the waste of water bottles, and reserve their distaste over other issues for another time?

I suppose activist can do whatever they want and protest whatever they want. But I am always amazed how when they have the ball rolling they ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK.

Come on...the mayor of a major city calling everyone who drinks bottled water "stupid". Most of us suck down a bottle of water from time to time. Are we all stupid?

 

[karrie]

I suppose activist can do whatever they want and protest whatever they want. But I am always amazed how when they have the ball rolling they ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK.

Come on...the mayor of a major city calling everyone who drinks bottled water "stupid". Most of us suck down a bottle of water from time to time. Are we all stupid?

yeah... they're usually dumb about the way they go about it. like I pointed out, 'banning' them? Come on now. But, their rabid devotion to the issue of the day gets these issues a lot of press they wouldn't normally, which serves a purpose in the end. If it was just a general 'use less consumer packaging' message, it's too broad for many people to actually get how it applies to day to day living. They'd still probably buy just as much packaging, and never give that water bottle a thought as they chucked the fifth of the day into the nearest receptacle.

 

[Tonington]

Anyone seen the new Aquafina commercial recently? Filtered seven times, that's not a spring where the water is coming from. Probably the same municipal water source that any other bottling plant uses.

That stuff isn't as clean as the Marketing execs would have you believe. Unacceptable levels of organic chemicals, bacteria, and heavy metals.

Disinfection is required for Municipal water, not for bottled water or for carbonated waters.

Confirmation of E.coli and other fecal bacteria, municipal water is banned until good tests, the other two are not.

Mandated testing frequency, hundreds per month for municipal, 1/week for bottled, not at all for carbonated water.

Must filter to remove pathogens and have protected source, yes for municipal, no for the other two.

Must test for viruses and parasites like Giardia, yes for municipal, no for the other two.

That's all from the EPA guidelines.


Giardia

 

[EagleSmack]

I never once thought that thousands of Ompa Loompas were filling bottles by a pristine stream.