Bottled Water

Bottled water really pisses me off. There really are few things in the world that piss me off more. It is bad for the environment, economically absurd, and no better for you or better tasting than regular tap water. In fact, most bottled water is nothing more than tap water put into a plastic bottle in a bottling facility... it is the exact same water that comes out of your sink.

A 20 ounce bottle of water usually will cost you about a buck. That breaks down to five cents an ounce, or a whopping $6.40 a gallon. For the same water that comes out of a sink. Compare that to, say, gasoline, which starts out as oil, gets shipped halfway around the world, refined into gasoline, and still manages to cost NOT EVEN HALF AS MUCH AS BOTTLED WATER!!!

I know, people say bottled water is safer than tap water... it must not occur to them that the EPA has incredibly strict standards regulating tap water, while the FDA is very loose about bottled water. Tests have shown tons of contaminants, like arsenic (a very deadly poison), coliform (a type of bacteria that includes E. Coli), and toulene (used in paint thinner), in bottled water. Yummy. Then, the environmental part. You know, the 1.5 million tons of plastic used yearly in the production of bottled water in the United States alone, or the 1.5 million barrels of oil yearly in the bottle production process.

Of course, many people argue that bottled water tastes better than tap water. I don't know if these people are just giving into the ridiculous fad that is bottled water, or really do think it tastes better, or what. But I do know that numerous blind taste tests have been done, by agencies such as ABC News, where the municipal tap water routinely wins the best tasting (Evian routinely loses, it is the worst tasting water, so if you are an Evian fan it might really be time to rethink).

The fact that this has become a multi-billion dollar per year industry quite frankly is insulting to the entire human race, it is an absolute joke. So do yourself, and the world, a favor... Go buy yourself a nalgene and next time you are thirsty, fill it up from your sink.