Climate Action Day 43 – Ditch the Bottled Water

Shopping and Consumer Choices

The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024

There are plenty of situations where bottled water saves lives, when there is a disaster, for instance, or no ready access to potable water. But bottled water is not a long term solution to addressing water scarcity of quality. The US consumed 15.9 billion gallons of bottled water in 2022 which makes the US the largest global bottled water consumer market.

Given the ready supply of potable tap water in most of the US, we increasingly choose plastic bottles with brands such as Aquafina, Glacéau Smart Water, Dasani, and Poland Spring. We are marketed to relentlessly as callous companies seeking profits try to convince us that their water tastes better or is safer than what comes out of the tap.

Water should be free, but has been turned into a commodity. Pure. Pristine. Natural. 25% of the water bottled in the US comes from municipal water sources – Aquafina and Dasani in particular. To make other claims, the FDA thankfully has regulations for standards of identity. For example, if has more than 250 parts per million of total dissolved solids, you can call it “mineral water”. If you claim it is “spring water” the water has to be sourced from an underground formation which flows naturally to the surface.

FIJI Water is sourced entirely from an artesian aquifer in Viti Levu, an island in the Fiji archipelago. The product is marketed as “Earth’s finest water”. Wow. Refreshing. But Fiji is in the Pacific and it is a long way from there to here. Vox does not like them much. Among other indictments, apparently FIJI water has higher levels of arsenic compared to tap water.

So reach for the Dasani or Aquafina. It may be municipal water that you could otherwise get cheaply, but at least you know it wasn’t on a boat or plane to get it to your local store.

Hold a bottle of water and consider the source. As always we trace the entire supply chain from pumping and processing, manufacturing the bottles, filling and packaging, and transportation. From an energy standpoint and thus climate impact, municipal water from reusable containers is the clear choice. In a review of life cycle analyses it was clear that “tap water always has the best environmental performance, even in the case of high energy-consuming technologies for drinking water treatments”.

“It takes 1000 to 2000 times more energy to produce bottled water that tap water”

Heidi Roop

Oakdale MN provides its citizen a reliable source of clean drinking water at low cost. According to the 2022 water report, there were no violations or adverse events. Oakdale treats the water with additives for disinfection and fluoride to promote strong teeth. Many complain about the flavor, which stems from the disinfection process.

We have a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter in our refrigerator that removes all the additives and trace compounds to deliver a fresh, clean glass of water with little waste, no plastic (except the filter housing), and low expenditure of energy. I am also satisfied with the commitment that my company has made to provide ready sources of filtered municipal water for their employees.

I have adopted habits and invested in infrastructure so that rarely am I forced to drink from a plastic bottle bought from a store. My choice. My lifestyle. For others, convenience seems to be the driving factor for many to choose bottled water. We need voices online and in our communities to help people realize the impact on climate change and plastic pollution. Remember to stay hydrated (preferably from your tap)!

Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 44: Cut Down on Plastic

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