Why Do We Buy Bottled Water?

amen

Makes a good point but the last panel is misleading. Bottled water may not be all that great, but they could be slightly better than the average person’s tap water. Bottled water is at the very least filtered slightly more. Sure it’s probably not worth the price, but at least there’s some method to people’s madness in buying them.

Clever but self serving, and not very helpful.

Bottled water is closer to pure water, you can taste the difference. It doesn’t matter if its from a different tap, the point is its from a *better* tap. (else no repeat business)

The solution is simple, though, not easy.

Develop a low cost (from the American perspective, since that’s the target audience) home distiller unit. (But wait, then people could start catching rain water for home use, oh noes!)

The easiest way to purify water is to pull it out of everything else.

Make a better product easier and the problem will go away. Quit blaming consumers.

Technology is the answer to every problem if properly developed and applied.

Bottled Water is more convenient – Americans are willing to pay extra for the convenience rather than spend time filling up their own [reusable] water bottles.

Tap water is regulated by the Clean Water Act that was passed in the U.S. Congress during the 1970s. This means that there are stringent regulations on the way this water is tested for existing bacteria and additives to treat the growth of this bacteria. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration which does not regulate bacteria levels in the water or any additives added to the water. Ironically, as the cartoon suggests, a lot of bottled water is just filtered tap water.

Buy. A. Brita. Filter. Or something similar.
It solves your problems.

If we don’t put the water in the bottle, how do we keep the water in refrigerator ?

Anybody have a taste test between bottled water vs. tap? There is very little difference in taste between the two – honestly, you have to be looking for it and you probably still won’t find it.

Drink from the tap. Use a filter. Get a well.

It’ll save you money in the long run.

Does anybody notice that there are hundreds of views regarding this whole “ban the bottle” campaign because most cities have different water qualities? We cannot blame those who have awful tasting water, or yellow or brownish water coming out of their tap from preferring bottled water. Of course there are filtering systems for the home, but people get used to certain tastes and they are willing to pay for it. As far as getting rid of bottled water from government buildings and schools – I sure hope these people put as much enthusiasm and energy to getting rid of soda and other sugar-based drinks as well as those “energy” drinks. I doubt that will happen.
Why don’t cities and water utility companies start reporting on how many water fountains they have available throughout the cities and their maintenance programs, why don’t they tell us how they will guarantee that all our plumbing will be to par and we will receive the same quality water from our tap that was put in at the other end? Has anyone tried to read the water analysis report that water utilities put out? You need a Chemistry degree to figure out what it all means and whether its good or not.
It will be a few years before we realize that we should have just invested in more recycling programs instead of banning the healthy choice that people are willing to pay for. If we think there is an obesity problem with kids now, just wait until they ban bottled water – we’ll be blaming it on McDonalds on I am sure. And as far a carrying a canteen of water with me wherever I go – I may as well have to pack a lunch to please the whole world.

Anybody who wastes their hard earned cash on bottled water, needs to wath this video.
[url=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPAjUvvnIc]Penn and Teller[/url]

I’m in New York and gas is $3.49 by the gallon if you luck upon a cheap place but I specifically remember ringing up a gallon of water when working at a supermarket and each gallon was $1.09. Bottled water is more convenient when on the go and it tastes better anyway.

you know what my favorite thing in the world is? tomorrow someone can say ” paper clips have been found to cause global warming” oh sorry “climate change” my fault, i forgot global warming is to “real” of a term for american ears. any way…. someone says that paper clips are causing “climate change” and everyone will immediately get rid of every paper clip they see and harass endlessly the people that dont based on what the idiot box said. then every company to do with anything will come out with paper clip alternatives and all those people will spend every penny they have on them to prove they’re better than everyone else because they bought these useless insignificant paper clip alternative.

I’ve never met ANYONE in my city who’s had a problem with the water, so unless there’s a pipe break the tap is good enough for me. So what if there’s poison and/or steroids in the tap water? It’s good for the immune system.

Besides, fluoride is good for your teeth, and it’s delicious! Can’t get enough of that tasty fluoride!

ha funny! i keep telling my wife not to buy bottled water, but she doesnt listen. we have filtered water in the fridge anyway. good arguments above…ill forward here this. funny too!

Hahaha, it makes ZERO sense.

Dasani and Aquafina are both just municipal(city water) that has been purified……

Because fluoridation is a lot more than what most people believe it to be.

http://healingdeva.com/flouride.htm

Simply googling ‘fluoridation’ can lead to a bunch of informative sites that will explain why a number of people choose bottled water, and why many countries have stopped fluoridating.

People often drink bottled water because it’s better for them than picking up a soda when they’re out and about. A lot of public places have crappy tasting water. Like most schools I attended, for example.

If they weren’t drinking bottled water, they’d probably be drinking soda out of plastic bottles anyway. At least water’s healthier.

We simply need to make recycling more of a priority. Like putting a 5 cent deposit on all the bottles. It’s a cheap way to ensure that folks don’t send them all to the landfills.

One can also have a problem like exists in many of the towns like the one I grew up in. Our tiny hamlets and post rural-mining communities are lucky to get funding to patch a pot hole, let alone take care of the fact that most of our municipal water lines were made of LEAD.

Chlorination is a practice that is becoming ‘fashinable’ again and the studies on long term effects of regular flouride use will not be in until it’s plain too late for our generation, should they prove to have any ill effects at all.

Prescription medicines leaching ito ground water and river sources are also of primary concern, yes, but so is the run off from vehicles and tar lined roofs. Personally, in my town, our local plant has been cited at least two times in the past 4 years for having unexceptable levels of heavy metals and organic compounds in the mix. SO much for stringent regulations.

As far as I can see, it comes out to this: There are a few people out there who’ve nothing better to do than throw wealth around and it is true that a number of them have made bottled water the in thing to do. But the elitism of the few does not somehow trump the reality that uv exposure, coal filtration and distilation (often which all three of these meathods are employed) make for a cleaner, healthier product. The sad part is not that people buy bottled water, but that the same level of care is not put into basically ANY municipal supply in the land.

http://www.surfthechannel.com/episode/2749/48584.html

Watch this. Second half is about bottled water.

Edit by moderator: This comes in at about Minute 16.30. It is a good video. Thanks

irrelevant, the bottled water will be manufactured regardless of you deciding you dont wish to purchase it