Written 2.22.08
I was just reading a one page article in Mother Earth News entitled, Water Wars: Bottled or Tap? I was surprised to find that because of the growing consumption of bottled water the production has caused some water shortages in areas near bottling plants. These shortages are affecting agriculture and consumers in the nearby communities. Not only is the extraction used for plastic-making depleting the resource, but according to this article, for each gallon of water purified there are two gallons wasted in the process. That is scary!
The article goes on to promote the non-profit organization, Food and Water Watch, which is campaigning to ”Take Back the Tap” to raise awareness and lower consumption of bottled water. In an effort to harness the power of our youth on college campuses across America, the organization is hosting the I Heart Tap Water Student Video Contest. Contestants declare their love for tap water, along with other criteria, in a video to upload on youtube.com. Entries must be submitted no later than April 14, 2008. Aspiring movie makers or green campaigners might get their big break with a 2 minute video about bottled water consumption and its evils.
I have to say that I was very proud of myself. I bought that nice water bottle to take to ball games with me. At our last game, for a change, I filled it with iced tea. Well, what a disaster! I had it under my bench and then DH and I changed seats. He jumped up to video the game over someone who had jumped up in front of him and he kicked the bottle over. He kicked it so hard that it hit the wall behind us, opened up, and spilled 24 ounces of tea down the concrete bleachers…step by step, damaged purse by purse, and even included a diaper bag in the destruction. I was never so embarrassed! Guess I am going to have to figure something else out. Maybe I will just recycle the plastic water bottles and refill with my own tap or tea. That way I will have a lid and he can kick away!
Just a side note, I have been saving the bottles to either send to the recycle bin or for storing rice and pasta. Today I was cleaning my vermicomposting bin and decided to save the water that used to clean my compost sifter. I funneled the water into a couple of those small water bottles and added the small amounts of compost stuck to the side of my pots. I figure I can let the water sit for awhile to de-chlorinate and make compost tea at the same time. I left them on a shelf at the top of the basement stairs so that I would remember to shake them every time I go down the stairs. I am excited to see how this works.
