Bottled NYC Tap Water For Sale
By Jenn (TinyChoices.com) | October 28, 2008
Wow. Just, wow. Today I surfed across Tap’dNY, a local company which bottles and sells NYC tap water:
From their homepage: “Tap’dNY is a New York City bottled water company with a local twist and knack for honesty. We don’t travel the world from Fiji to France seeking water or offer the usual bottled water gimmicks. We work with NYC’s public water system to source the world’s best tasting tap water, purify it through reverse osmosis and bottle it locally, leaving out ludicrous transportation miles. We offer an honest and local alternative to thirsty New Yorkers, giving them a smarter choice: to drink their own (award winning) water.”
According to their manifesto (PDF) it seems like they know what’s what– the greenest choice is always to drink local (unbottled) tap water (see page two of the manifesto), with the second greenest choice being to drink locally bottled tap water (page three of the manifesto). They also promote the reuse/refill of their bottles (page 6 of the manifesto), which I don’t agree with– BPA can possibly migrate into the water as the bottle begins to break down, and bacteria often grow in these hard-to-clean bottles.
You might remember that NYC tap water recently won a statewide taste test– and is generally heralded as being high quality and delicious. So in theory I can understand someone thinking of bottling this liquid deliciousness for all the world to taste– but in practice? It’s absolute insanity. Bottling tap water isn’t a new idea– both Coca-Cola (Dasani brand water) and Pepsi (Aquafina brand water) have been making millions off this idea for years– but that doesn’t lessen the absurdity of this practice.
Is it better for New Yorkers to buy this water instead of, say, Fiji water (which is shipped halfway around the world and is causing industrial pollution in a previously pristine tropical paradise? Yes. And this water also has a slightly smaller footprint than the other bottled tap waters mentioned above, since it doesn’t travel as far. But is it an environmentally sound decision? Absolutely not. So much energy is used to produce plastic bottles– from drilling for the oil, to shipping the oil, to powering the plastics plants, to shipping the bottles, to then collecting the used bottles for trash or recycling– that it is sheer madness to even consider this as a sustainable practice.
Did you know that the total amount of energy used to bottle water is equivalent of filling a bottle a quarter full of oil? Just picture that… yikes! And another did you know: a bottle of water uses 7 times as much water to produce as is contained in each bottle.
Granted, even the most die-hard reusable water bottle carriers have times when we’ve forgotten to bring our bottles along, and are absolutely about to perish from dehydration. At those times we might look for a water fountain to sate our thirst, or ask for a glass of water from a restaurant, or just cup our hand underneath a sink faucet and slurp. And yes, of course, all but the most dedicated will occassionally purchase a bottle of water when they deem it necessary– this is all about Tiny Choices, after all, and no one is perfect.
But! It’s really not hard to carry a reusable water bottle. And if you feel it’s too heavy to schlep, just fill it up part-way, or even keep it empty until you get thirsty — no need to carry a full bottle all the time, especially when most of us have ready access to clean tap water.
What are your thoughts on bottled water vs. tap water?
Related Posts:
- Even MORE reasons not to drink bottled water
- NYC: Hybrid Taxis & Fab Water
- FDA Says BPA A-OK
- Down With BPA
- Water Bottles: How Necessary Are They?
- Mason Jars & Further Water Bottle Insanity
- Water Bottles, Again…
- Mountain Equipment Coop Stops Selling Bisphenol-A
- Reusable Water Bottle Options
[Image by Plinkk via Creative Commons]
Topics: Food | 14 Comments »
It’s just ridiculous, isn’t it? When I was growing up, there was no bottled water. And, for the most part, people survived! We need cities to invest in public drinking fountains. Not bottle up their water and allow private companies to sell it.
Beth
We LOVE water fountains. Some folks find them gross (not sure why?) but they just make me feel like a little kid again!
gracious! not only is this ridiculous, it also seems foolhardy – who would even dare think of selling THEIR OWN WATER back to New Yorkers?
also reverse osmosis on something that is already pretty awesome is a huge waste of energy. that stuff is pretty energy-spendy. maybe one of our wastewater experts knows a link to how inefficient it is really?
not only is this ridiculous, it also seems foolhardy – who would even dare think of selling THEIR OWN WATER back to New Yorkers?Apparently, we’re just lazy enough to fall for it!
That reminds me, I’ve been meaning to read Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why we Bought it.
On the one hand I am totally for drinking tap water – but on the other I worry about our crumbling infrastructure, especially now that I live in a state with such bad water quality. The well that provides water for my part of the city had to be shut down last year due to contamination. Perhaps drinking too much bottled water has made us ignore these problems!
I’ve been meaning to get to Bottlemania, as well… perhaps we should start a TC book group! Hmmm…
Great point about the crumbling water infrastructure– reminds me of this Salon article on crumbling public transportation infrastructure in many cities, even ones experiencing record numbers of riders.
speaking of books, have you read the book Green Chic by christie matheson? i received it as a birthday gift, and looking at the cover and title, i thought it was going to be the worst bit of greenwashing ever. but i guess that whole thing about not judging a book by its cover (which, as a graphic designer, is hard for me) must be good advice because man, that book is great! this quote (from the amazon description) basically sums up what i love about this book, and words i try to live by myself:
we did, and even reviewed it! the link is here.
haha, i guess i should search next time. :) guess i missed that one!
Tap is obviously less destructive when it doesnt travel far – but drinking Chlorine is not good!!! I am highly allergic to chlorine and no filter on city water can get it out 100%… leaving me in a bad environmental delimma that gross fiji is a choice that keeps me less sick. If chlorine water even touches my skin i break out.
I think it’s really important for people to understand that filtering the tap is vital to our health…straight from the tap is going to be the next medical prob everyone is talking about in 10 years. Chlorine is not for drinking.
What I love about New Yorkers is that they’ll buy bottled water for the office but drink tap water in restaurants. Makes no sense.
Personally, I can’t get past the thought of paying for water — I get it straight from the faucet for free. But if I was to buy it, I would go this route. Aside from the great taste (I’m a NYer so I know), it’s the fact that they encourage refills. This concept should be expanded to all types of beverages.
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