This source features information about the pros and cons of drinking bottled water vs tap water. It emphasizes on the bottle companies gimmicks and branding to convince the public to consume bottled water vs tap. The author Martin W. Lewis, who is a senior lecturer at Stanford University and author of Green Delusions: An Environmentalist Critique of Radical Environmentalism, offers a bias point of view on the subject, especially pointing out the influence bottling companies have on the consumers. Most of the research he uses in his source is from water expert Peter Gleick. His intended audience are consumers of bottled water. I like this source because Lewis makes it a point to shine a light on the gains and gimmicks that companies such a Coca-Cola,
Another way bottled water is the way to go is because it helps aid in healthy choices. In the article, “Grab the Bottle”, it states that “bottled water has helped consumers choose to drink more water because it presents it in a convenient way (Giroux). In many cases, consumers buy more objects that appeal to the eyes. Bottled water comes in different sizes and shapes. What is trending in society, the public wants automatically. In the article, “Comment-Soft Drinks and Water- The Future of Bottled Water”, he told that “attractive packages alone can make us feel that what we are drinking is beneficial” (Rowlands). Trendy shapes, sizes, and colors are what the public is drawn to. If a consumer sees a unique water bottle in the store, he or she will buy that because it’s trendy and popular in society.
Billions of gallons of bottled water are consumed in the United States every year. Many Americans choose bottled water for its convenience and say that the taste is much better than tap water. They say tap water is flat and tasteless. Some argue that the cost of bottled water far exceeds the cost of tap water. One study showed that one bottled water per day would cost the consumer $365 per year while the same amount of tap water would cost ten cents. While bottled water is more expensive, it provides over 130,000 jobs resulting in over six billion dollars in salaries for american workers “Bottled Water Matters.” In the article, “ Bad To The Last Drop,” Tom Standage says that bottled water is too expensive and encourages people to stop buying bottled water and give the money to charity. In the article “ In Defense of Bottled Water,” Thomas J. Lauria says that eliminating bottled water would have the unintended consequence of driving people to choose more unhealthy beverages which have thicker plastic bottles and would be worse on the environment. He also says that bottled water is an important choice in situations where there is a lack of tap water or concern about water
The benefits of bottled water do not outweigh the costs. Bottled water is pointless. It has been around since the 1700s and is sold more and more almost every year (Hall, 2009). It is sold in grocery stores, gas stations, and anywhere that sells food. Bottled water is readily available to everyone in America, and people take advantage of it. It is convenient to grab a bottle that is already filled with clean, cool water after a long day. Many people purchase a bottle of water to drink while traveling somewhere. People even drink bottles of water while sitting in their own home. These things are all done quite often but most do not realize what it costs them. Bottled water has very little upside and many disadvantages.
I have always found it sort of curious when I see people buying bottled water. My grandfather told me that when he was a boy they drank water from the hose and it was free. I know growing up our household certainly didn’t bother with things like that, so facet water is what we got as well. The costs of groceries these days is expensive, spending extra money on water always seemed like such a waste to me. Now, that being said, some people live in areas where the water isn’t very clean, and buying bottled water is much safer than drinking the city’s water. Also, bottled water has become more popular because it is paired as a service; Bottled water is easy to grab on the go. It takes more time to find a water bottle, with a lid, and fill it up than to grab an already bottled water.
In Peter Gleick’s “Selling Bottled Water: The Modern Medicine Show” and Cynthia Barnett’s “Business in a Bottle”, bottled water is argued to be an excessive commodity falsely advertised as healthier and more beneficial than tap water to society and the environment. Both authors discuss that bottled water is actually equivalent in quality to tap water and in some cases even more hazardous to the human body. Public water itself is a less expensive resource that is more accessible to the masses. However, due to fraudulent companies focused on profit and the lack of effective oversight, people are deterred from realizing that there does not need to be an alternative to municipal water. Gleick
As aforementioned, there are explanations to believe that bottled water does outweigh its repercussions. Thomas J. Lauria, author of “In Defense of Bottled Water”, states, “Bottled water provides a healthy choice when tap water is not accessible” (“In Defense of Bottled Water”). In this article, Lauria states that bottled water is a topic of great interest. He goes on to discuss that in the United States, “Adults consume 450 calories a day from beverages and sixty-eight percent of those twenty years old and older are classified as overweight or obese, bottled water provides a healthy choice when tap water is not accessible, preferred, or convenient” (“In Defense of Bottled Water”). Sure, this is fact and definitely a benefit to bottled water. Lauria continues to say that if bottled water is not offered then people will be more likely to choose soda, juices, or options similar to those. He says that banning bottled water will urge people to consume unhealthy beverages because
The author of “Bottled Versus Tap” said, “In light of such facts, bottled water may seem preferable. But coming as it does from many of the same sources as tap, bottled water is subject to many of the same contaminants2.¨Bottled water may not only have the same contaminants, but it the water may even have more chemicals in it, due to the plastic in the bottle itself2. Of course, in big families, the cost can be high for running tap water, but many researchers have proven that 1 billion water bottles are thrown away every year, almost equaling the high price of gasoline2. The author of “Goodbye Bottled Water?” said,“‘Thronson explained that 1.5 million barrels of petroleum are used to produce plastic water bottles in the United States each year. That’s enough to supply 250,000 homes with electricity for a year´¨. Americans are wasting valuable money on water that we can get very easily out of our faucet. Mayors from all around the United States have held meetings about the idea of banning bottled water2. Many are against the decision of banning bottled water, they argue that by taking away bottled water, the healthiest beverage out there is being taken away too. Although there is reasoning behind why people might be upset about this decision, the environment would greatly improve if people drank less bottled water. It is true that bottled water is very clean and reliable in times of
Many have asked, is bottled water better than tap? Which is better for our health? People have a fascination with bottled water. Somehow, someone decided that tap water was not good for us and along came the idea that bottled water is better. I believe that many of us would agree that the taste of bottled water and the way it provides a more safer way to consume the water we need overrides tap water. As consumers we try to make a safe decision in which water to drink but with all the controversy, which is better? Despite thinking bottled water is the best of the best, bottled water companies have a public system as well, just like tap. As stated in Source two, “ Contrary to what you might hear, the bottled water industry supports a strong public
Have you ever had any concerns about bottled water? Do you think that bottled water is better than tap water? Bottled water is water packed in plastic containers and sold for human consumption (Health Canada, 2013). Currently, the amount of bottled water consumed has increased considerably since many people feel it is safer drinking bottled water than tap water (Parent and Wrong, 2014). According to The Statistics Portal the global sale of bottled water took a leap from 161, 589 to 181, 608 liters from 2009 to 2011. In the United States, each American citizen consumed around 32 gallons of bottled water in 2013, thus meaning an equivalent growth of 15% over 2009 (Statistics & facts, 2014). In fact, due to good portability, bottled water has been helpful in both simple and complex situations such as daily exercises and natural disasters. Even though having those few considerable advantages, bottled water still have been less benefits; especially due to the negative impact in the socio-economic, health and environmental fields.
In these days, people are concerned about what they drink every day and they always pick the right things to drink. People can find many sources of water in everywhere nowadays and they always prefer bottled water for being purified. They abundant tap water because they think that bottled water is much healthier. Companies such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola makes their bottled water looks healthier in their advertisements to get people attentions when they are watching. People have their reasons to choose bottled water over tap water just because of the advertisements that have being featured in televisions with a temptation. Tap water has been avoided when the bottled water can be found almost everywhere. Bottled water is not what people think it
“Myth:Bottled water is not as regulated as well regulated as tap water. Fact:the FDA controlling the safety and quality of bottled water must be as good as the EPA regulations which controls tap water” (Bottled Water Question and Answer). Also, bottled water has lower levels of sodium, which helps many people with health conditions. Another cool fact is bottled water has an “indefinite shelf life”(Bottled Water Maters), meaning if the bottled water were to stay unopened and in a cool spot it is good to go for a long time. Additionally bottled water companies are also a major asset to our economy, the companies make and sell the bottled water employed about 137,000 Americans and pay them about $6.3 billion in wages and benefits. Another good thing about water bottles is it can be donated from big companies, such as Walmart. Walmart has donated 6.5 billion bottles of water to the school kids of Flint, MI (Adamczyk). Many people do not realize how wonderful bottled water really is, bottled water can be transported easily, bottled water can also be used in many situations, also bottled water can
Does bottled water or tap water have more advantages than disadvantages? Environmental pollution, cost efficiency, and health raise concern in the bottled and tap water discussion. Becoming aware of the advantages and disadvantages of bottled and tap water, Americans have brought more awareness to the debate on which proves better.
Over the past 25 years, bottled water industry has climbed into the top of the world market. (M.A. & A.B., 2008) In the late 1970s, the demand for bottled water has been increasing as people started to worry about the quality of tap water and began to purchase bottled water. (M.A. & A.B., 2008) Furthermore, followed with a promotion campaign by processors of bottled water, the need of bottled water has gradually escalated, became a multibillion-dollar industry and the major
People all around the world are wasting their money on water bottles every day. Many believe that water bottles are so much better than the tap water, when the water in the bottle is your tap water. The only difference is that the water in the bottle is purified tap water. The generation that we have today rely strictly on drinking water bottles instead of tap out of the faucet. All of those people are wasting their money on bottled water, when all they need to do is invest in a cheap filter for their faucet. There are many pros and cons to water bottles. For example, water bottles are convenient, and they help you to stay hydrated easier because you can easily grab it and go. In contrast, when you use water bottles, you are harming the
Have you ever had any concerns about bottled water? Do you think that bottled water consumption should be banned? Bottled water is water packed in plastic containers and sold for human consumption (Health Canada, 2013). Currently, the amount of bottled water consumed has increased considerably since many people feel it is safer drinking bottled water than tap water (Parent and Wrong, 2014). According to The Statistics Portal, the global sale of bottled water took a leap from 161, 589 to 181, 608 liters from 2009 to 2011. Only in the United States, each American citizen consumed around 32 gallons of bottled water in 2013, thus meaning an equivalent growth of 15, 94% over 2009 (The Statistics Portal, 2014). In fact, due to good portability, bottled water has been helpful in both simple and complex situations such as daily exercises and natural disasters. Even though having those few considerable advantages, bottled water still have been less beneficial; especially due to the negative impacts in the socio-economic, health and environmental fields.