The High Cost of The High Cost of Bottled WaterBottled Water

By John FarmerBy John Farmerhttp://integreatscience.wikispaces.comhttp://integreatscience.wikispaces.com

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What’s the Issue What’s the Issue with with

Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

• Bottled water is a Bottled water is a growing industry in growing industry in the United States the United States and throughout the and throughout the worldworld

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

• Members of the United Members of the United Nations estimate that if Nations estimate that if the world took half of the world took half of what it currently spends what it currently spends on bottled water on bottled water (half of $100 billion (half of $100 billion annually) and invested annually) and invested it in water infrastructure it in water infrastructure and treatment, and treatment, everyone in the world everyone in the world could have access to could have access to clean drinking water. clean drinking water.

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

POLLUTIONPOLLUTION

• Plastic bottles used Plastic bottles used to package bottled to package bottled water are made water are made using fossil fuels using fossil fuels that pollute the that pollute the environmentenvironment

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

POLLUTIONPOLLUTION

• 1.5 billion barrels 1.5 billion barrels of oil are of oil are consumed each consumed each year to produce year to produce the plastic for the plastic for water bottleswater bottles

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

POLLUTIONPOLLUTION• That’s enough oil That’s enough oil

to fuel 100,000 to fuel 100,000 cars!!!cars!!!

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

COSTCOST• Bottled water is Bottled water is

much more much more expensive than tap expensive than tap waterwater

$$$$$$

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

COST !!!COST !!!• Bottled water costs Bottled water costs

$1.25 to $12.00 $1.25 to $12.00 per gallon!per gallon!

• Tap water costs Tap water costs LESS THAN A LESS THAN A PENNY PER PENNY PER GALLON!!!GALLON!!!

The image reads: Drink Bottled Waterbecause it is way better to buy something than to get it for free

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

MYTHMYTH

• Bottled water is Bottled water is cleaner than tap cleaner than tap water.water.

FACTFACT

• Purity standards for Purity standards for bottled water are not bottled water are not as strict as standards as strict as standards for tap water.for tap water.

• About 40% of the About 40% of the bottled water sold bottled water sold ISIS tap water!!! tap water!!!

What’s the Issue with What’s the Issue with Bottled Water?Bottled Water?

• REMEMBER: If REMEMBER: If HALFHALF of of the money we spend the money we spend on buying bottled on buying bottled water (half of 100 water (half of 100 billion dollars a year) billion dollars a year) were spent on water were spent on water treatment programs in treatment programs in less fortunate less fortunate countries, NO ONE IN countries, NO ONE IN THE WORLD would be THE WORLD would be without clean, without clean, drinkable water. drinkable water. Hmm…Hmm…

What Can You and I What Can You and I REALLY REALLY

Do about It?Do about It?

What Can You and I REALLY What Can You and I REALLY Do about It?Do about It?

• REDUCE the REDUCE the amount of amount of bottled water bottled water that you that you purchasepurchase

What Can You and I REALLY What Can You and I REALLY Do about It?Do about It?

• REUSE REUSE wide-mouthed wide-mouthed plastic bottles by plastic bottles by washing them and washing them and refilling them with refilling them with tap watertap water

What Can You and I REALLY What Can You and I REALLY Do about It?Do about It?

• DONATE the DONATE the money you money you normally spend on normally spend on bottled water to bottled water to organizations that organizations that bring clean, bring clean, drinkable water to drinkable water to less fortunate less fortunate countries.countries.

What Can You and I REALLY What Can You and I REALLY Do about It?Do about It?FIND OUT MORE TONIGHT AT HOMEFIND OUT MORE TONIGHT AT HOME• Students and ParentsStudents and Parents:: Get on Get on

http://integreatscience.wikispaces.comhttp://integreatscience.wikispaces.com tonight tonight and share this slide show with your parents. Ask and share this slide show with your parents. Ask them to consider using money spent on bottled them to consider using money spent on bottled water purchases to fund global clean drinking water purchases to fund global clean drinking water efforts. Compare and contrast the water efforts. Compare and contrast the information presented in the following links. information presented in the following links.

• TeachersTeachers:: Ask students to debate/write/discuss Ask students to debate/write/discuss the similarities and differences. the similarities and differences.

• EveryoneEveryone: Discuss media advertising and how it : Discuss media advertising and how it affects our choices. affects our choices. – http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/Bottled020606.cfmhttp://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/Bottled020606.cfm– http://www.dasani.com/flash.htmhttp://www.dasani.com/flash.htm– http://www.pbs.org/pov/borders/2004/water/index.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/pov/borders/2004/water/index.html