Facts About Water Consumption Today
Written by Nedalee Ruiz
• The taste facts
An obvious issue in the consumption of bottled water is taste. In some areas, tap water simply isn't drinkable, and in those situations bottled water is a useful resource. Other consumers simply prefer the taste of bottled water. Consumers have lots of preferences and some people want mineral water for taste. Everyone has their own reasons for buying products. And some people have a preference for bottled water. But perceptions about the taste of tap water and realities about the taste of tap water can be very different things. To test the hypothesis that tap water tastes at least as good as bottled water, has been conducting a series of taste tests at Ithaca College in the past year. In five blind taste tests over the last year, the tap water has won four times. The growth in advertising and consumption of bottled water has occurred frankly since the big soda companies bought up water. They would buy up the Dasanis, and they would buy up the Poland Springs, and you get into the huge marketing machines of the major soda industries, Coke and Pepsi, notably, and they take it to a whole different field."
• Water and waste
Then there's the waste stream. In roughly the last 10 years, the amount of polyethylene terephthalate plastic bottles being recycled increased from about 775 million pounds in 1995 to about 1,170 million in 2005, according to the Container Recycling Institute. But during the same time period, the amount of PET bottles going into landfills skyrocketed from 1,175 million to 3,900 million pounds. Water bottles are a big part of that problem because there are so many more of them, and because in many states, water bottles don't have a redemption value like soda and beer bottles do.
• Hidden costs of water
Strictly speaking, tap water isn't free — it costs about $0.00002 per ounce. But single-serve bottled water costs between 1,000 and 4,000 times more, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Some cities, including San Francisco, Albuquerque, Minneapolis, and Seattle, have banned city purchase of single-serve bottled water because of waste impact from the bottles and because it's viewed as an unnecessary cost to taxpayers.
• So then what?
How can you save money while actually drinking tasty water that you know for a fact is good for you and the environment? Well, luckily the answer is simple and can be summed up in three simple words, ionized alkaline water. Do you know what your current drinking water is doing to your health? Studies show that drinking purified or distilled water can lead to mineral deficiencies in your body…your tap water contains measurable particles of drugs and pharmaceuticals…and most waters are too acidic for your body’s pH! For optimal wellbeing you need alkaline water, a “living,” electrically-charged water that easily passes through your tissues and allows your body to absorb essential alkalizing minerals. Alkaline water, which is full of antioxidants, comes out of a ionizer, or, an alkaline water machine. An alkaline water machine is an easy-to-use device that attaches to your faucet. Your alkaline water ionizer will turn your unhealthy tap water into fully filtered, electrically-charged, great-tasting “living” alkaline water. This will save you money by purchasing this one-time-buy ionizer as opposed to buying hundreds of nutrition-less water bottles in your lifetime; most of which get dumped into our Earth as waste. So the answer truly is simple, save money, environment and your health by switching to alkaline water.
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