New Rules

[annabelle_blue]

Okay, I know that New Rules really belong to BIll Maher (on whom I have a serious brain crush), but I am going to install some of my own.

New Rule: If you regularly buy and consume bottled water, you do not have the right to bitch about gas prices.

This country spends millions of dollars each year to ensure that the water we get is potable.  Yes, it

Comments

[sidhe_etain]

LOL...I love the price break down :)

About a year ago, I switched from bottled to tap after reading an article in a magazine about how long water bottles stay in landfills before biodegrading (um, basically forever?) A lot of magazines now run green living features, and a lot of those features talk about how switching from bottled to tap is one of the easiest and best first steps to take toward environmentalism. So really...the information is out there everywhere...there's no excuse for people to say "I didn't know!"

[annabelle_blue]

I agree! It's nuts! I read this morning that it takes about 1000 years for each bottle to disappear. I know that there is a company that has a bottle that is made from corn, and it biodegrades in compost in about three months. That's a better alternative than plastic, but it still requires corn, and frankly, we need to cut back on our production of corn as whole.

[trinity3x]

I admit to drinking distilled water...often bottled, but I always recycle the plastic. I also admit to having these same thoughts in Starbucks this morning...people pay $6 for a cup of coffee and think nothing of it, but bitch about gas prices. How much more spendy is that latte you're holding?

[annabelle_blue]

I agree. Starbucks is something like $28 per gallon when analyzed.

[moober]

I sometimes drink bottled water - I do always recycle it and often use the same bottle over and over. But I totally agree with you and also with trinity3x re: Starbucks.

[annabelle_blue]

What is usually your motivator for purchasing the water? For instance, do you just happen to be out and need something to drink, water being most appealing?

[moober]

I really hate the taste of tap water. I refill the bottles from a bottled water dispenser we have at work.

I've been looking into getting one of the water bottle machines at home, I think I'd drink more of that. Or even some sort of water filter pitcher thing (like Brita, if it will change the taste of the water).

And yes, when I'm out and it's hot and I want something to drink, I almost never want soda.

[annabelle_blue]

I love my water, but we have our own well, it isn't city water. I can understand when someone wants a bottle of water while out, and maybe something else isn't available. It isn't so bad for casual consumption. It's the people who buy cases of small bottles of water for everyday consumption that really create the big problems, I think.

Adam's boss is a good example. He buys several bottles of water per day, instead of just getting a nice Nalgene bottle to bring every day. That's what Adam has. And the boss wants to get all involved with "green building" but he is unwilling to reduce in that way. Irritating!

[skywayman]

I love you and want to have your baby.

Seriously, I had a coworker who took a bath with bottled water when the water was off in his condo. He also used to make tea with it by dumping bottles in to his teapot. I made him feel so horrible he went out and bought a filter the next day.

[annabelle_blue]

Ha. :)

It's just irresponsible consumption.

[sevenjades]

I'd like to add a caveat - people who reuse plastic bottles or buy them only when necessary get a pass. I've been reusing a vending machine water bottle at work for the past four months, refilling it from the tap or the bubbler. And those big water containers I see people toting around are often plastic too. :)

One thing that irks me is seeing companies and presenters offer lots of bottled water at the food table. They'll have metal dispensers for coffee, tea, even hot water- why not have another for plain water, like a cooler?

[annabelle_blue]

Keep in mind though, the the kind of bottles that you buy with water in them and then refill can also leech over time, releasing some pretty crazy toxins. I have a stainless steel Nalgene, as does Adam, and then there are resin-eco-made bottles. Even so, buying one safely reusable bottle of plastic that potentially eliminates hundreds over the course of the year is a better option altogether.

And yes, there is a caveat to the minimal use purchaser. Sometimes, one might need a bottle of water someplace, such as some of the people on my f-list have mentioned, and then they reuse it a few times before recycling. That's one thing.

ANd yes, the big companies that provide bottled water at meetings gross me out. I was glad to see that they didn't do that at the new job. This is an area where people could turn to some lower-budget non-profits. They cannot afford bottles for everyone, so they use pitchers and so forth. It saves the money and it's consciously responsible.