Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 25
“Pop Culture in a Bottle”
PETWATER
M R . M C G UIRE , to B ENJAMIN : “I want to say one word to you. Just one word…. Are you
listening? … Plastics.
—The Graduate,1967
Manufacturing plastic water bottles consumes water and energy. So does pumping water
from underground, filling the plastic bottles with water, and transporting them by truck,
rail, airplane, or container ship. Sometimes water and energy are used to recycle or dis-
pose of the bottles. Bottled water is a cultural phenomenon and one of the most popular
beverages in the world, but it has also been criticized as a prime example of the misuse of
resources.
In 2001, Americans drank over 5 million gallons of bottled water and spent over $6
billion to do so, according to the International Bottled Water Association. In 2007, we
consumed over 8.7 million gallons of bottled water, worth $11.5 billion. And though con-
sumption has slipped a bit, due to the global recession and changing tastes, Americans
still spent $10.6 billion to drink 8.4 million gallons of bottled water in 2009.
These are phenomenal statistics for any product, but especially for one that is readily
available from fountains and nearly free at home. Drinking eight glasses of water a day
(recommended for health) costs 49 cents a year, if taken from a New York City tap. The
same amount of water costs twenty-nine hundred times more—about $1,400 a year—if
it is commercial bottled water, and bottled water adds greenhouse gases and landfill
waste. But bottled water's perceived convenience and healthfulness led Americans to
drink about 29 gallons of bottled water per capita per year in 2007. While soft drinks
remain the most popular beverage overall, bottled water is the fastest-growing beverage
category in the world .
The number of independent brands that have appeared in the United States in recent
years is mind-boggling. They include, among others, Tibet 5100, water from Tibetan gla-
ciers; Jana Skinny Water, from Croatia, a “no-calorie water … to help people lose and
maintain their weight”; K9 Water for dogs, including Toilet Water (chicken-flavored),
Gutter Water (beef), and Puddle Water (liver); Liquid OM, said to contain vibrations
Search WWH ::




Custom Search