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Bottle Water Food for Thought

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Submitted By Lauraelli
Words 507
Pages 3
Op-Ed Article 1
Laura Melanek
A00384723

The simplicity and ease of disposable bottled water has become the “norm” for most Americans. This generation has become increasingly dependent on the plastic pollutant. Each bottle purchased does not just relieve our thirst, but affects our planet too. Back in 2008 Nestlé Canada released an ad stating that bottled water “is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world.” My question is, exactly how is destroying our planet to make a product that will be disposed of within 10 minutes of purchasing it environmentally responsible? Due to consumer demand in the US, 17 million barrels of oil are used to make the bottles that house the same water that comes flowing out of your tap at home. To put this into perspective 17 million barrels is capable of fuelling 1.3 million cars for one year. Another way to look at it is by envisioning that the same bottle you are drinking out of is filled a quarter of the way with oil. Now that mental image you thought of is how much oil was needed for that single bottle. And if that weren’t bad enough, the pollution involved in shipping this product around the planet has greatly contributed to our worldwide crisis! Does this really make sense?
Not only is it the product leaving a huge ecological footprint in production but also in the end of its life cycle. As a global effort, society does a very poor job at preforming the basics of recycling. In which case it leaves about five in every six bottles sitting in landfills where they sit, out living you and your grandchildren. So where do the “recycled” plastic bottles go? This is a common question that is posed however, there are very few answers. Truthfully, shiploads are sent around the world, a majority being in India. Real recycling would turn these bottles back to bottles. However that is not the case in India. Instead these bottles are just being down cycled, which means turning them into lower quality products that would just be thrown out later.
It is time that society educates themselves and realize how harmful their thirst quencher really is. This can only start if people, every single one of you, make the personal commitment to not buy or drink bottled water. This does mean making the conscience choice to grab a refillable bottle and actually fill it, but I’m sure that’s manageable. If you are still convinced that drinking bottled water either, tastes better, or is healthier, buy a home filter or a reusable filtered bottle because in reality, it is exactly what the bottle companies are doing. In doing this simple everyday tasks you’re joining a nationwide campaign that is rebelling against the soft drink companies like, Nestlé, Pepsi and Coca Cola, just to name a few, whether you’re aware of it or not. Many say “think before you drink” and it couldn’t be any truer when analyzing the multitude of negative aspects of bottled water.

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