I have never understood the concept of bottled water in the Global North. In the Global South it is a necessity due to the inaccessibility of clean water. But here in the North, where the water that comes out of our taps is free and safe, I fail to understand why people buy bottled water which costs 2000 times more. Some people say it tastes better, I think I need to get my taste buds checked because I can not tell the difference. Some people say the quality is of a higher standard because it comes from some exotic natural spring but are you really sure about that? I think its all a big scam and here is why.
We live in a world where advertising is everywhere. It plays into our emotions and desires and it is defiantly one of the major driving forces of the economy. In the 1970's, giant soft drink companies such as Coca Cola and Pepsi realized that their growth projections were starting to level off and they were in need of the next big product. The health craze was just around the corner, and people were soon going to realize how unhealthy soda is, which would result in more people drinking free tap water. So what did these mega corporations do? They manufactured demand through advertising. First they manipulated people's insecurities by undermining the city's purification procedures. Second they seduced consumers by using marketing techniques such as pictures of luscious mountain streams to make people believe that is the source of the water that they are consuming. But in reality, most bottled water such as Dasani and Aquafina are actually tap water.
So what's the big deal if you don't mind spending your money on a product that you can acquire at no cost? Its your money after all. Well producing bottled water has many detrimental effects on our environment. The amount of oil that is used to produce plastic bottles in the U.S is enough to fuel millions of cars. Disposal is another huge concern. Have you ever thought about where your bottles end up? Most of them either end up in landfills where they take thousands of years to decompose, or they are burned in an incinerator which releases toxic pollution that affects the entire globe. Most developing countries do not have access to clean water because of polluting industries such as bottled water companies, and as a result the water crisis is rampant. Did you know that more people have access to a phone than clean water? Water is a basic human right that should be available to all. Sadly the cost of just one case of bottled water could supply a person in Africa with clean, safe drinking water for a year.
The choice is yours. If you live in an area where clean water is inaccessible then you have a right to bottled water, otherwise there is simply no excuse. If we continue to buy into fads such as these, who knows if we will be buying air in the near future. Sounds pretty delusional don't you think? Well this is no different!
Completely delusional! I've been trying to drink water out of glass bottles lately because I heard that drinking out of plastic can be pretty detrimental to your health so it's pretty funny that you're writing about this. I can't believe believe that more people have access to cell phones than water! Do you have any suggestions and or ideas on how this can be corrected/ how more people could have access to this basic human right?
ReplyDeleteHey Farah thanks for your comment! Yeah its crazy that most people have a phone but not clean water. I think the first thing we can do to correct this problem is to stop drinking bottled water. I also think it is important to disseminate information about the importance of clean water for all. Unfortunately water is not considered a basic human right, so awareness is key. In terms of actually increasing peoples accessibility, I came across a great invention on a friends blog called the Lifesaver which converts water into clean drinking water which costs about 5 cents a day to run. I think its inventions such as these that will make the difference rather than spending millions on foreign aid which doesn't really address the root cause of the problem. Here is the link to the Lifesaver
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXepkIWPhFQ
I'm definitely guilty of being a regular purchaser of bottled water! Those who have questioned these habits just got the same response from me; its my money, I can do what I want with it! But this post makes me realize how ignorant I am to the ill-effects this habit has on the world. It may take some time for me to stop buying them, but you've at least inspired me to go out and buy a glass one!
ReplyDeleteGreat work on this post! It was very insightful. It got me thinking and I wonder what the main reason for people's bottled water obsession is? Do you think it's simply that they've fallen victims to the marketing scheme? Or is there more to it.. something with today's health frenzy? or an indifference to the environment?
ReplyDeleteA lot of me believes it's a lack of education, and your blog is a good first step to correcting that! Hopefully people can now make more informed decisions when it comes to buying water.
One thing is for sure, after 7 months in Nepal, all I can dream about is drinking a glass of water straight from the tap when I get home!
Great blog aalia ! I definitely have this conversation with people all time. I never understood the concept of bottled water...i always thought isn't it the same thing ? People always argued that bottled water is healthier than tap water but that never made sense to me. Tap water is tested more often than water from companies that produce bottled water.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it is that we live in a country that is fortunate to have clean water so why not take full advantage of that!? I think your blog will really inspire people to switch over or at least become aware of these detrimental effects.
Bottled water vs. tap water- what a great topic to discuss. You've brought forth such great insight! It's also interesting how water is much more expensive than gas. A bottle of water in the vending machine (500ml) costs upto $2.50 and a litre of gas is around $1.30!
ReplyDelete