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I made a consciously "green" effort last year when I made the switch from throw-away plastic water bottles to a reusable plastic one. I knew I was contributing in some small yet significant way, but what difference was I really making? And, furthermore, when I made another switch from a reusable plastic water bottle to a reusable glass bottle, what effect, if any, did this have on Planet Earth?
What got me thinking in the first place about quitting non-reusable plastic bottles was a documentary I watched last year in my AP Environmental Science class called Tapped. (For those of you wishing to be radically inspired to do the same, the documentary is on Netflix) Tapped covers the bottled water industry from plastic production to bottling and selling the water and ruthlessly criticizes industry practices. The documentary also sheds light on the governmental side of things over in Washington, D.C. It was shocking to me to learn how little federal regulation is given to this industry that is responsible for a very large percentage of our nation's drinking water (a.k.a the percentage of Americans who drink bottled water on the reg).
In short, think about how you get your water and which type of container you choose to drink it out of. Your choices do make an impact, I promise.
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Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteI decided to switch from bottled water to a reusable filtered system simply because it seemed more convenient at college. Instead of having a 32 count tray of bottles taking up space (like my roommate has), and instead of worrying if there's anything funky in the tap once I am out of water, I have found that having my single bottle just makes more all-around sense. I'm also saving money by not restocking on packaged water. Seeing information like this (and commercials that indicate a significant reduction in plastic use) reaffirms my decision because I know I'm doing good for myself and the world.
--Josh K.
I have been using a reusable water bottle for a long time now. Bottled water is too over priced and you're essentially getting the same water out of the tap. You're only paying for the label not the quality of the water. Most plastic water companies just use normal tap water and filter it a bit more to give it a distinct taste. I heard somewhere that for every liter of bottled water that you buy at around $2, you can actually get 1,000 gallons of water from the tap. Just something to think about.
ReplyDeleteHey Anna,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on making a conscientious change in your life that has a positive impact on the environment. Change is hard, that is why it is respectable.
I am an international student from India, and one of the biggest culture shocks I had was on my first day here at UCLA when I found out that the tap water was drinkable. Where I come from, drinkable tap water is almost unheard of.
After reading your post, I found it really interesting that despite having such easy access to purified water, people actually drink bottled water. In India, most houses have a water purifier attached to a wall in their kitchen. None of the other water in the taps is drinkable. If you did happen to drink tap water, then you would probably die of at least 15 different diseases.
Personally to me, using a reusable bottle makes so much more sense, especially when the water is pure. Back at home I used to drink bottled water, but after coming here, I started using a refillable on, and no I did not watch the documentary. For some odd reason they did not show the documentary in my school despite the fact that I took AP Environmental Science last year.
- Uddhav Mehra