We stopped buying bottled water about a year ago. Here’s a few good reasons why:
From Think Outside the Bottle:
Worldwide, consumers spent $100 billion on bottled water in 2005.
Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil last year – enough fuel for more than 1 million U.S. cars for a year – and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
Each year more than 4 billion pounds of PET plastic bottles end up in landfills or as roadside litter…
Studies have shown bottled water is on average no safer than tap water and can sometimes be less safe…
To visualize the entire energy costs of the lifecycle of a bottle of water, imagine filling up a quarter of each bottle with oil.
Although the water from our tap is pretty clean, we do filter it for taste.
If you need to take it further than your living room, think about picking up a cheap, reusable bottle or thermos.
Think about this: how many other things can you do that are better for the environment, will save you money (both in the short term and long term), and you can start right away… without any effort? Hell, I could argue drinking from the tap takes less effort. Water is friggin’ heavy! Imagine not having to lug it home from the store.
So when you pass by that water at the store, give in to your inner slacker. Think about how heavy it’s going to be. Give those back muscles a break, and feel good about it.