Would You Pay 1000 Times More For Gasoline If It Came In A Bottle?

Posted: 08 Jul 2008 From: We All Live Downstream, A Blog by John DeCock, President of Clean Water Action

If you’re looking for a place to trim your budget in order to afford gasoline, you might start by cutting out bottled water. In most cases, the water you buy is the same as what comes out of your tap. When it’s bottled, you pay anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 times the price of tap water.


Modern municipal water systems comprise a mind boggling and tremendously successful public works project costing in the trillions and delivering a basic necessity of life for an amount of money so small that most people think of water as being delivered to their home for free. Although we still need to work hard to protect our water sources and ensure that our water infrastructure is in good shape, most American cities have water that is equal to or better than a given bottle.

In June of 2007, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom took forward-thinking action on this issue to reduce waste and cut down greenhouse gas emissions. He also saved the city about $500,000 per year. Mayor Newsom instituted a ban on the purchase of bottled water for use by the city. On June 23rd, the US Conference of Mayors voted to endorse this idea. In a non-binding resolution the mayors agreed to encourage bans similar to the ones in place in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and about 60 other cities. Mayor Newsom and 17 other big cities mayors led this effort against opposition from industry groups such as the American Beverage Association.

In commenting on the resolution, Newsom said “Cities are sending the wrong message about the quality of public water when we spend taxpayer dollars on water in disposable containers from a private corporation.”

According to the Pacific Institute, we used 17 million barrels of oil to manufacture bottles for water in 2006. That figure doesn’t come close to representing the full cost in oil. Transportation to point of sale and beyond is not included. The bottling process produced 2.5 million tons of CO2. It takes three liters of water to manufacture a one liter bottle of water. Not to mention the environmental impact of the plastic that is not recycled after all that bottled water is consumed.

And there is a cost to our water resources for all of this bottling. Some major corporations have a big financial interest in exploiting our ecosystems to feed the demand for bottled water that they create.

In Michigan the Nestle Corporation’s water pumping operations triggered an ongoing seven-year-long battle over control of the state’s waters when it started a bottling operation in rural Mecosta County. Local residents took the company to court in 2001. The local court ordered Nestle to stop pumping and diverting waters from Sanctuary Springs, but subsequent legal appeals ended with Nestle being granted permission to withdraw up to 250 gallons per minute despite the fact that pumping was impairing a nearby stream, lake and wetlands. The Michigan Supreme Court majority, in a decision that overturned 30 years of settled law, ruled that federal law superseded the Michigan Environmental Protection Act and greatly reduced the ability of citizens to sue to enforce the state’s environmental laws.

Nestlé’s political muscle was further flexed in a deal that exempted most bottled water exports from the proposed Great Lakes Compact agreement which bans water diversions from the Great Lakes, a win reinforced in 2006 when Michigan’s elected officials put the diversion loophole into state law. Clean Water Action helped lead the way in winning new protections against the impacts of bottled water withdrawals in legislation expected to be signed by the Governor this month, but the diversion loophole remains.

Is there ever a circumstance in which bottled water makes sense? Of course there is, but every day routine use in most places do not require that we waste money, generate trash and burn oil to get an overpriced consumer product that is as close as your kitchen sink.

Routinely using bottled water for your drinking water is like buying alkaline batteries to power your refrigerator. It is insanely inefficient. You can take action to change this irrational consumer habit by switching to tap water in safe, refillable bottle. You can also contact your mayor’s office and public utilities commission and tell them you want them to adopt the ban on buying bottled water with taxpayer funds.

So this summer, stay healthy and hydrated, but BYOB to the beach, the gym or in the lunches you pack for day camp. Cut down on waste, damage to watershed, CO2 emissions and save money in the process. Isn’t it great to know you can do so much good for the environment, save money and stay healthy all at the same time? All that, and you don’t need to carry those heavy cases of water around anymore!

PROTECTING POLLINATORS

North American Pollinators Program Campaign (NAPPC) is working to educate the public about pollinators and how we can better protect them. For more information on NAPPC, contact www.nappc.org and for schools, contact http://www.pollinationcanada.ca/
Photo taken at Sandy Island, Week 7 2008 on the ball field.

New Shower Curtain Smell is Gross

It may not be news to regular Enviroblog readers, but it's official: new shower curtain smell is caused by toxic chemicals.

A study commissioned by the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice looked at the chemical composition of PVC shower curtains bought at a variety of retailers (from Sears to Bed Bath & Beyond).

They found, unsurprisingly, that shower curtains contain high levels of phthalates. They also found high levels of organotins, and the single shower curtain tested for off-gassing released 108 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Click to continue reading.

Child of Wonder

Written by Ginger Carlson, Child of Wonder is a thoughtful and engaging resource for parents and educators seeking to understand creativity and to encourage it in practical ways. With sections on imaginative play, math, movement, music, cooking, science, storytelling, visual arts, questioning, cooperative games, and nature, Child of Wonder provides tools to develop a creatively supported environment in a way that cultivates family participation. Carlson skillfully demonstrates that the things we need to inspire our children are within ourselves and our homes. Her love of wonder is infectious and her prescription for nurturing children is both creative and practical.

Eco Labels Around the world

World Eco Labels

Use Plain Soap and Water

Triclosan is no more effective than ordinary soap and water and poses health risks to humans and creates anti-bacterial and antibiotic resistance. The American Medical Association recommends that consumers avoid antibacterial products.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/Triclosan.pdf


Photo: Sandy Island May 2008

Needless Waste

EcoAlert from American P.I.E. 5/28/08

"...untreated materials go directly into nearby ecosystems, harming wildlife, plant life and drinking water."


Household hazardous wastes, while toxic in nature, are not regulated under federal or state laws. In the average home fifteen pounds of toxic waste are generated each year. Included are such items as pesticides, auto batteries, gasoline, kerosene, metal polish with solvent, paint brush cleaners with solvent, solvent-based glue, paint, paint thinner, paint stripper, varnish, turpentine, wood preservative, adhesives, flea powder, rat poison, mothballs, photography chemicals, drain cleaners, floor and furniture polish containing nitrobenzene, pool chemicals, mercury batteries, lighter fluid, fluorescent lamps, and more.

In the outdoor environment, toxic materials can be harmful. When we throw them in the trash, they end up in the public landfill or incinerator. Buried in the landfill, toxic substances pollute the soil and eventually find their way into the water supply. Burned, they immediately pollute the air. When poured down the drain, any residual materials that cannot be broken down by water treatment plants will end up in nearby lakes, streams and rivers.

Homes using septic systems rather than public sewers similarly risk soil and water resources. Storm drains are perhaps the most dangerous dumping site of all; untreated materials go directly into nearby ecosystems, harming wildlife, plant life and drinking water.

When you must buy a hazardous substance for a specific purpose, buy only the amount you need, so that you can use it up. And if you have any left over, dispose of it properly. The most ecological way to approach toxins is to avoid them in the first place. Repeated or excessive contact with toxic household material can lead to lung, brain and nerve damage, and, in some cases, can even prove to be deadly, e.g., methylene chloride, an ingredient found in some aerosols, can cause nerve damage and cancer.

To avoid the dangers of hazardous substances, buy safe, effective alternatives whenever you can. Here are some examples: applications of boric acid can provide substantial control of cockroaches and fleas; vinegar cuts through mildew, stains and wax; baking soda cleans, deodorizes, polishes, removes stains and softens fabrics; borax disinfects, deodorizes, removes stains and softens water. There are also new, as well as time-proven, environmentally sound products on the market.

Procedures for the collection of hazardous wastes vary widely across the country. Some communities have special pick-up days; others have designated areas at recycling centers where wastes must be transported by the homeowner; others, unfortunately, have no systematic procedures. Call your local public works department to determine the operative procedures in your community. Best of all, avoid needless waste.

Act today on this EcoAlert, and thank you for your environmental responsibility.

American P.I.E., Public Information on the Environment, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, P.O. Box 676, Northfield, MN 55057-0676 Telephone: 1-800-320-APIE(2743); fax 507-645-5724
E-mail: Info@AmericanPIE.org

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