Times Herald-Record
Sustainable Living: Bottled water's environmental ills
October 14, 2007-Shawn Dell Joyce
"Many of us choose bottled water because we think it is the healthier choice.
There is much more to the ubiquitous water bottle than meets the lips. It actually takes three to five times more water to make and fill one plastic water bottle than the bottle contains. (Water is used in the production of the plastic in water bottles, then also to rinse those bottles.) If you add to that the average energy cost of making the plastic, filling the bottle, transporting it to market and then processing the empty bottle, you begin to see the hidden environmental costs.
"It would be like filling up a quarter of every (water) bottle with oil," says Peter Gleik, a water policy expert and director at the Oakland, Calif.-based Pacific Institute, which studies "real life solutions to water crises."
WATER BOTTLES, like other plastic containers, are made from natural gas and petroleum, which are both nonrenewable resources. More than 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to produce PET, the plastic in water bottles. The manufacturing processes that produce PET cause serious emissions, affecting both the environment and human health. The Pacific Institute calculates that the process of making the plastic bottles consumed in the U.S. uses approximately 17 million barrels of oil per year."
If you are using bottled water, there is an Eco-Friendly option avavilable-Read about it at www.be-alkaline.com & www.be-alkaline.net. There's even a free e-book to read delivered via email-Never will your information be sold or shared.
Our earth is a resource to be cherished and passed on to our children as unstained as we can possibly make it for them. It is the only "home" they have. Very healthy, super hydrating water is possible right from your tap-no more plastic bottles. If you read the information and watch the videos on the site and would like to share this with others, contact me. Grandparents, this is something for us to do for our grandchildren and generations to come.
Blessings-Donna, aka-Nana
donna@be-alkaline.com
