U.S. activists: ban the water bottle

[glorybebe]

Activists and environmentalists on Wednesday are rallying behind a U.S. campaign that aims to convince consumers to opt for tap water rather than bottled.

The campaign, launched by the activist group Corporate Accountability International, argues that tap water is safer and more eco-friendly than bottled water. Activists are also urging city officials to stop using public money to purchase bottled water for offices.

U.S. activists on Wednesday are urging consumers to ban the bottle.

(CBC) "When I see people at the airport go over to a vending machine and waste their money buying bottled water at the vending when it's standing right next to a water faucet, you really have to wonder at the utter stupidity and the responsibility sometimes of American consumers," said campaign supporter Rocky Anderson, the mayor of Salt Lake City.

Public speaking rallies will be held in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Oakland and Portland. Organizers have prepared taste tests comparing tap and bottled water.

The movement against bottled water has gained considerable momentum with American celebrity chefs including Alice Waters and Mario Batali banning the bottle at their restaurants.

In Canada, delegates to the United Church of Canada's general council voted to discourage the purchase of bottled water within its churches. The motion called on church members to advocate against the "privatization of water" and to support healthy local supplies of water.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/10/1...tled-water.html

Yes, it is bad for the envirnment. BUT, at least the kids (mine and my sister's) will ask for water when they are thirst instead of pop or juice. We just pack our own water in the car. In times when we forget I am glad that I can buy some for the kids rather than the crap out there.

[Neognosis]

This is irresponsible journalism and the writer should be ashamed to call themselves a journalists.

Consumers can't "ban" anything. But it does get you all excited, doesn't it? The subliminal suggestion of a "ban" on something?

In times when we forget I am glad that I can buy some for the kids rather than the crap out there.

Nobody in the article that I saw wants to make bottled water illegal. They just point out that when there's tap water available, you should be encouraged to drink it.

Plus, your kids ask for water because it's in a bottle? Just use refillable bottles then. ( I think you allude that you do this anyway.)

How about an actual ban on plastic shopping bags? The other day, I went to a store and bought a duffle bag. They put it in a plastic bag for me. A BAG to carry my BAG around in. What's wrong with this picture? What the heck is wrong with a society when I need a BAG to carry a gallon of milk out of a store? do we really need to bag a single item? When I forget my canvas bag, and I tell the cashier that I'll jsut carry out my milk and bread without a bag, they look at you like you are crazy.

If you don't trust tap water, filter it. A lot of bottled water is just RO filtered anyway. If you HAVE to have spring water, get a multi-gallon bottle and empty it into a permanent lexan container if you want something to carry around.

Eh, that's just my take. There's no real need for so many plastic bottles and bags.

[questionmark]

well, let me put it this way, a bottle of water, bottled in Vichy, France need several gallons of gas before it gets to the USA.

And sincerely, if you cannot get wholesome water out of your tab you should ask your city council why you have to live in the same hygienic situation as someone in Africa or India while paying much more (council) taxes than any African or Indian pays as income tax.

[BiffSplitkins]

Some tap water really stinks (pardon the pun). I have well water and the sulfur smell is nothing that smells very drinkable to me. I have a water cooler and (3) 5 gallon jugs that I take once per month to a local spring and fill them myself. So I guess I'm still being eco-friendly while using bottled water.

I do agree that buying water out of a vending machine is sort of waste if you have a alternate (good) water resource available.

[glorybebe]

Some tap water really stinks (pardon the pun). I have well water and the sulfur smell is nothing that smells very drinkable to me. I have a water cooler and (3) 5 gallon jugs that I take once per month to a local spring and fill them myself. So I guess I'm still being eco-friendly while using bottled water.

I do agree that buying water out of a vending machine is sort of waste if you have a alternate (good) water resource available.

That's the problem, a lot of times we don't have good tap water since the cities chlorinate the water. Chlorinated water has been contributed to cancer, yet they still do it. It does not kill Beaver Fever, which was the main point that the city I used to live in said they needed to use cholrine for. I think that the treating of good clean water from rivers and creeks is a crock. And it is all for $$$ for the makers of these chemicals.

[Neognosis]

Then buy a large water cooler size bottle, rather than a hundred little plastic bottles, eh? Push for change in policy in your local gov't. If you really believe that your municipal water supply is poison, that seems like a pretty good catalyst for becomming politically active.

Edited October 10, 2007 by Neognosis

[glorybebe]

Then buy a large water cooler size bottle, rather than a hundred little plastic bottles, eh? Push for change in policy in your local gov't. If you really believe that your municipal water supply is poison, that seems like a pretty good catalyst for becomming politically active.

Where I live, they have a boil water notice. I don't bother, and I am not sick. I only buy bottles for travelling.

[Neognosis]

Where I live, they have a boil water notice. I don't bother, and I am not sick. I only buy bottles for travelling.

Interesting. I have a theory about building up a tolerance to certain organisms. I can drink water that many of my fellow backpackers can't without getting sick. But I also do a lot of wakeboarding in local bays, and I theorize that I've injested enough "bad" water to build up a tolerance. Just a theory.....

[glorybebe]

Interesting. I have a theory about building up a tolerance to certain organisms. I can drink water that many of my fellow backpackers can't without getting sick. But I also do a lot of wakeboarding in local bays, and I theorize that I've injested enough "bad" water to build up a tolerance. Just a theory.....

I agree. We grew up drinking water from a creek. The only thing we had was a filter for the dirt, not for germs. We never got sick from water, yet others who lived in town, did.

[Stixxman]

i've got to add something here. I used to live in Fort MacMurray. The local water there is undrinkable because of high mercury content. Most of it comes from the oil production plant.. Your not allowed to eat more then one fish a year from the local river. Your not supposed to drink the water directly from the tap. The town welcoming commity makes an effort to tell you these things. So for two years of college I drank bottled water or used a Brita filter. I moved back home and was griping to my wife one day that it takes forever to fill the brita and she says 'idiot.......we're back in Yellowknife you don;t need to filter the water anymore you can make juice straight from the tap' What a refreshing change, local water you can actually drink.

[AROCES]

What I don't understand is the thought of water from France is somehow better. I mean I flush my toilet, goes to sewer, gets treated, then out to the sea, evaporates, goes up and become clouds, travels all the way to France and pour down as rain, gets collected, purified and then ship back here as bottled water from France.

[questionmark]

I agree. We grew up drinking water from a creek. The only thing we had was a filter for the dirt, not for germs. We never got sick from water, yet others who lived in town, did.

I grew up drinking the water of our farm's well, has not hurt me either despite that it was never treated for anything (only did an e-coli test every year).

[glorybebe]

What I don't understand is the thought of water from France is somehow better. I mean I flush my toilet, goes to sewer, gets treated, then out to the sea, evaporates, goes up and become clouds, travels all the way to France and pour down as rain, gets collected, purified and then ship back here as bottled water from France.

LOL, true enough. Wasn't there a big thing a while back about water from a glacier selling for huge bucks since it was more "pure"?

[Neognosis]

I WILL say, however, that I can tast the difference between certain brands of water. I think, Aroces, that you are failing to consider the effects of where water has been on taste. Water that has filtered through rock that is heavey in silicates tastes different than water that has gone through reverse osmosis and had silicates stripped out.

I honestly believe i can tell Fiji water from Aquafina, etc.

[questionmark]

I WILL say, however, that I can tast the difference between certain brands of water. I think, Aroces, that you are failing to consider the effects of where water has been on taste. Water that has filtered through rock that is heavey in silicates tastes different than water that has gone through reverse osmosis and had silicates stripped out.

I honestly believe i can tell Fiji water from Aquafina, etc.

Naturally you can, but you don't taste the water, you taste the impurities every water has.

[Neognosis]

Naturally you can, but you don't taste the water, you taste the impurities every water has.

Indeed. So then all WATER tastes the same, but impurities, whether desireable or not, affect taste.

I think water from a glacier might actually taste different than water from someplace else.

anyway, I'm still against bottled water on principle, but admittedly I do like an occasional Aquifina or Fiji.

I just don't make it a habbit and mostly stick to my home filtered tap water.

[EmpressStarXVII]

Some water companies (like aquafina) get water the same place everyone else does, municipal treatment centres; they just run it through more filters.

Edited October 11, 2007 by EmpressStarXVII

[Guardsman Bass]

Don't get too worked up over this. All he's talking about is discouraging the use of water bottles in vending machines, and encouraging people to use tap water. He's hardly banning water bottles.

[Stardrive]

I work for a water bottling company so I'll tell you what I know.

We produce three types of bottled water.

Drinking water (Aquafina is a good example) which, as previously pointed out, uses reverse osmosis on municipal water sources to remore any chemicals and contamanants. This process uses high grade membrane filters to purify the water source.

Distilled. This process uses electricity to vaporize water molecules in order to seperate chemicals and contaminants from a municipal water source. Distilled water is the most clinicly pure form of water. However, the distillation process adds an extra electron to the water molecule. When consumed, the extra electrons attach themselves to any positively charged molecules in the body. This comes in handy if you wish to rid your body of contaminants. But once the contaminants are gone, it can potentially do more harm than good. Prolonged consumption of distilled water is not advisable.

Then there's spring water. This is the best water source for consumption because it cleans the blood and at the same time provides the body with natural minerals your body needs and uses. And in my opinion, taste the best.

[Lt_Ripley]

Some tap water really stinks (pardon the pun). I have well water and the sulfur smell is nothing that smells very drinkable to me. I have a water cooler and (3) 5 gallon jugs that I take once per month to a local spring and fill them myself. So I guess I'm still being eco-friendly while using bottled water.

I do agree that buying water out of a vending machine is sort of waste if you have a alternate (good) water resource available.

I have to agree - we actually , so I have heard , have some of the best tap water in the country here in Detroit , but after using a Brita filter at home - from the tap to drink is an overwhelming chlorine taste. It's like drinking pool water.

Ban the bottle ? Mandate recycling , use more glass. stop importing bottled water even from other states. Or better yet filter your water coming into your home.

distilled water is also needed for certain medical needs - like my O2 machine.

Edited October 11, 2007 by Lt_Ripley

[tigger]

Interesting. I have a theory about building up a tolerance to certain organisms. I can drink water that many of my fellow backpackers can't without getting sick. But I also do a lot of wakeboarding in local bays, and I theorize that I've injested enough "bad" water to build up a tolerance. Just a theory.....

ahh but go to a third world country and drink their water.. main reason why ppl get grumbly tumblies is due to the giardia (amounnt of poo) that is in the water.

they are thinking of banning the bottles here in oz. due to the fact that it costs more water to make the plastic, than what goes into the bottles..

[Caesar]

I work for a water bottling company so I'll tell you what I know.

We produce three types of bottled water.

Drinking water (Aquafina is a good example) which, as previously pointed out, uses reverse osmosis on municipal water sources to remore any chemicals and contamanants. This process uses high grade membrane filters to purify the water source.

Distilled. This process uses electricity to vaporize water molecules in order to seperate chemicals and contaminants from a municipal water source. Distilled water is the most clinicly pure form of water. However, the distillation process adds an extra electron to the water molecule. When consumed, the extra electrons attach themselves to any positively charged molecules in the body. This comes in handy if you wish to rid your body of contaminants. But once the contaminants are gone, it can potentially do more harm than good. Prolonged consumption of distilled water is not advisable.

Then there's spring water. This is the best water source for consumption because it cleans the blood and at the same time provides the body with natural minerals your body needs and uses. And in my opinion, taste the best.

Thanks for that information, Stardrive. I never really looked into the types

[Bill Hill]

We must all do our part.

Edited October 11, 2007 by Billy of the Hill

[AROCES]

Then there's spring water. This is the best water source for consumption because it cleans the blood and at the same time provides the body with natural minerals your body needs and uses. And in my opinion, taste the best.

How do you prepare or process spring water?

[Stixxman]

first take a cup......then dip it in the spring......preprations complete

im sorry all i can think of is Austin powers

"preperations a through g were unsuccessful but preperation H worked".

Edited October 11, 2007 by Stixxman