Remember those days back in elementary school when we would drink free water from drinking fountains during breaks? We would wait in a long line with our friends gossiping about who has a crush on who; just to take a few sips of fresh cold water. It feels like those days have long past, and now we are in the age of the water bottle. Water bottles are something that everyone uses and sells, from babies to athletes, from gas stations to restaurants. We use bottles for going to the gym or when we go on a trip. But as your drinking that tall bottle of Smart Water or Dasani have you ever actually wondered where that water came from or how that plastic bottle was made? Water is a resource that we shouldn't take for granted and we should question whether the plastic water bottle we are drinking from is safe, or cleaner than tap water, and if it's convenience is worth all of it's hazards to the environment. .
People often buy bottled water is because it is easily accessible, has a refreshingly good taste, it's quality, and it provides hydration. Bottled water often has a pretty label of a picturesque mountain over a beautiful lake to depict that their water is the purest drink around and that is one of the reasons that we are so geared towards buying bottled water. We often think that the label says it's pure and fresh and full of extra vitamins so why not buy bottled water instead of drinking yucky tap water. Eric Goldstein who is the co-director of the urban program at the Natural Resources Defense Council to protect health and the environment says "But no one should think that bottled water is better regulated, better protected or safer than tap" (Readers Digest Magazine). Some bottled water does come from natural sources like springs, but more than twenty five percent comes from a municipal supply such as regular tap water. The tap water is treated, purified, and then sold back to us for a higher price; essentially we are paying for water that we could get for free from our sinks.
