Why Give Up Bottled Water?
A Call to Action
We're asking you to give up bottled water and consider donating the money you save to The Water Project or another charity working to provide access to clean water.
1 person's average yearly bottled water consumption in the U.S. could buy an entire Kenyan family's water for over TEN years!
Yes it matters... yes it makes a difference... yes you can give up bottled water and help today!
You can choose to...
Why pick on bottled water?
Bottled water is one of many luxuries we afford ourselves in the developed world. We could have chosen fancy cars, 80GB IPods, 52" TVs, or any other excessive use of the resources we have. But given the nature of our project, we recognized that bottled water is an obvious and symbolic choice. Should you decide to apply the principle of "simplifying your life" to other products and services so that you can live more responsibly, we applaud you. We will be too!
What's "wrong" with bottled water?
Essentially there are three big reasons we believe spending money on bottle water makes little sense.
What defines luxury? Find out and learn why in the face of the needs of real people, suffering the real effects of water scarcity, luxury should not be our choice.
Most luxuries are, but bottled water has enormous costs that rival some of the biggest offenders. See how our environment, as an example, is hurt by this product.
3.) The Money Spent Can Be Used Better Elsewhere.
Waste not, and others will want less. Learn how your resources can change someone's life!
Some More Info...
Read this editorial in The New York Times.
"Buying bottled water is wrong, says Suzuki" - CBC Report
| Top Bottled Water Consuming Countries and Compound Annual Growth Rates, 1999-2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millions of Litres | Compound Annual Growth Rates | |||
| 2004 Rank | Countries | 1999 | 2004 | 1999/04 |
| 1 | United States | 17,336.8 | 25,766.1 | 8.2% |
| 2 | Mexico | 11,571.6 | 17,671.4 | 8.8% |
| 3 | China | 4,606.8 | 11,886.6 | 20.9% |
| 4 | Brazil | 5,654.6 | 11,590.9 | 15.4% |
| 5 | Italy | 8,918.8 | 10,653.7 | 3.6% |
| 6 | Germany | 8,307.5 | 10,306.2 | 4.4% |
| 7 | France | 6,942.8 | 8,544.8 | 4.2% |
| 8 | Indonesia | 3,433.7 | 7,356.9 | 16.5% |
| 9 | Spain | 4,074.6 | 5,502.1 | 6.2% |
| 10 | India | 1,680.7 | 5,122.8 | 25.0% |
| Top 10 Subtotal | 72,527.7 | 114,401.2 | 9.5% | |
| All other countries | 25,867.6 | 39,879.3 | 9.0% | |
| TOTAL | 98,395.3 | 154,280.5 | 9.4% | |
| Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation | ||||
Bottled water can come from any source. Here's a quick reference guide.
Mineral and spring water
This must come from an underground source (not a public water supply) and can't be altered with chemicals. Mineral water has a higher amount of dissolved mineral salts.
Bottled water
This can be water from any source, distilled, carbonated or treated in any manner. Dasani (owned by Coca-Cola) is filtered municipal tap water, bottled in Brampton, Ont., and Calgary. (Pepsi owns Aquafina, which is also sourced from municipalities.)
Artesian water/Artesian well water
Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand).
Sparkling water
Water that has been carbonated. Soda water, seltzer water and tonic water are not considered bottled waters.
Glacial water
Water from a source directly from a glacier.
Natural water
Water(such as spring, mineral, artesian or well water) obtained from an approved underground source and not from a municipal or public water-supply system. This water is untreated other than by filtration.
Purified water
Water produced by distillation, de-ionization or reverse osmosis, which contains not more than 10 mg/L of total dissolved solids.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/consumers/bottled-water.html
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The Water Project, Inc. is a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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