Recently, I worked with Irene O’Connor on a story she did about people and businesses moving away from using disposable bottles of water. You can see that story by clicking this link: http://www.wfsb.com/news/14099430/detail.html
While researching this topic I came across some startling statistics. National Geographic’s “The Green Guide” says that Americans spent $11 billion on bottled water last year. They say 22 billion empty plastic bottles end up in landfills every year, even though the containers are recyclable. If you do the math, bottled water costs more than a gallon of gas. There are 128 ounces in a gallon. At one vending machine at WFSB, you can get two 16.9 ounce bottles of water for $1. At that price, a gallon of bottled water would cost about $3.79. So what’s the fascination with this bottled beverage? The following article looks at the history of bottled water, and why Americans are so hooked:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/features-message-in-a-bottle.html
This got me thinking about my own consumption of water. For years, I’ve owned a Nalgene bottle. I try to use the indestructible plastic whenever I can, instead of buying and throwing away a disposable bottle. But sometimes it’s just more convenient to pick up a nice cold pre-bottled beverage while I’m out or at work. After reading these statistics, I’ll be thinking harder about where that container ends up.
Is this something that you’ve considered? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
