I recently stumbled across an article created by our friends at the highly controversial International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) encouraging consumers to increase consumption of bottled water in 2012.  Essentially encouraging consumers to create a New Year’s resolution to drink more bottled water.

I read the article and immediately chuckled.

The article, entitled “5 Reasons to Make Bottled Water Part of Your Healthy Lifestyle in 2012″, makes bold, unsubstantiated claims that are far beyond the truth of what bottled water truly is. The IBWA wants consumers to think bottled water is some magical substance, when in reality we’ve seen time and time again that bottled water is not a healthy, sustainable solution for hydration.

True to our mission here at Ban the Bottle, I thought it fitting to address each of their 5 statements with 5 reasons why we should not be drinking bottled water.

1. IBWA claims bottled water is safe and convenient. Ironically, the bottled water industry is less regulated than plain old tap water.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled drinking water, which is classified as a “food”. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water. Amazingly, the EPA guidelines for municipal water are stricter than the FDA restrictions for bottled drinking water! You might buy bottled drinking water that is acceptable to the FDA but is not acceptable for use as ordinary bathroom tap water.

Is bottled water truly safer than tap water? The most recent tests by the National Resources Defense Council tested 103 bottled waters and showed the following:

• Nearly one in five tested waters contained, in at least one sample, more bacteria than allowed under microbiological-purity “guidelines”
• Four waters (4 percent) violated the generally weak federal bottled water standards (two for excessive fluoride and two for excessive coliform bacteria
• In eight cases arsenic was found in at least one test at a level of potential health concern.*

There is no assurance that bottled water is any safer than tap water.

Drinking tap water more convenient than using bottled water. Consumers have a plethora of reusable water bottles they can purchase and tote throughout the day, helping to reduce bottled water waste. Additionally, the ability to stay hydrated in public places is becoming easier with the advent of hydration station units and drinking water fountains.

* http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-bottled-water-industry-2011-10?op=1#ixzz1j5yysSru

2. IBWA claims bottled water tastes better, but blind taste tests prove otherwise.

In taste tests, tap water consistently ranks at or above the (more…)

Water used to be free.

In fact, it still is — at least in nations blessed with plentiful clean tap water like the U.S. — but that doesn’t stop the world from spending over $100 billion on bottled water a year.

This strange industry is exploding overseas as well.

Who got the idea to sell us something we can get for free? And how did it get so popular that now more than half of Americans drink it?

Business Insider recently revealed 15 outrageous facts about the bottled water industry that you may not know about.

For example, this fact was shocking:

The production of water bottles uses 17 million barrels of oil a year, and it takes three times the water to make the bottle as it does to fill it.

For a product that claims to be environmentally responsible, the bottled water industry does more than its fair share of planet trashing. The amount of oil used to make a year’s worth of bottles could fill one million cars for a year, and more water is used in making the bottle than filling it.

Read the full article at BusinessInsider.com »

Bottled water is clean and pure, right? Not necessarily. Bottled water can be less pure than municipal tap water in some parts of the United States. In fact, bottled water can actually be municipal tap water.

What is bottled water?

The United State FDA describes bottled water in this way: “Bottled water is water that is intended for human consumption and that is sealed in bottles or other containers with no added ingredients except that it may optionally contain safe and suitable antimicrobial agents. Fluoride may be optionally added within the limitations established.”

Who regulates what bottled water has in it?

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled drinking water, which is classified as a “food”. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water. Amazingly, the EPA guidelines for municipal water are stricter than the FDA restrictions for bottled drinking water! You might buy bottled drinking water that is acceptable to the FDA but is not acceptable for use as ordinary bathroom tap water.

The FDA’s specific regulations for bottled water are found in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR).

What are FDA standards?

Under the standard of quality (21 CFR, 165.110[b]), FDA allows certain levels of contaminants in bottled water.

Contaminants bottled water may have in it.

1. Coliform. Coliform are rod-shaped bacteria, such as E. coli, that are normally present in the human intestine. The FDA says that bottled water may have up to 9.2 coliform organisms per 100 milliliters. See 21 CFR 165.110[b]. (more…)

A couple of years back Dr. Timothy Hollingshead experienced firsthand the hydration benefits of coconut water while traveling down a tributary of the Amazon River in a dugout canoe.

The former podiatric surgeon was searching remote areas of Brazil for acai fruit sources to be used in a drink produced by his St. George-based company, Dr. Tim’s Juices. Although he had served a mission for his church in Brazil many years earlier, Hollingshead discovered that he was trying to stay hydrated in the equatorial climate.

Some Brazilians traveling with Hollingshead inspired him to try some coconut water they had with them. He claims the positive results were speedy.

Immediately I felt better, he says. My thirst was gone. I stopped sweating. I got my focus back.

It was then he realized that he could do something commercially with coconut juice.

Upon returning to the U.S., Hollingshead began researching coconut juice, which is present in young coconuts. It isn’t the same substance as coconut milk, which is culled from the fruit of more mature coconuts.

During his research, Hollingshead revealed that coconut juice had been employed as a temporary intravenous drip during World War II because the juice contains lots of the same characteristics as blood plasma. The IV stem would run from the coconut itself through tubes to a needle in the arm of an infantryman. (more…)

Sometimes I feel like tossing bottled water down the toilet to show my disdain. Maybe I’m not the only one?

A recent post at the Intuit Blog featured a great visual guide / infograph describing how small cutbacks in the home can lead to great savings. Things like changing to CFL’s, insulating the home, etc. were noted. One thing I found interesting was their idea to help save money with each flush:

A 20oz or 32oz bottle filled with water and placed in the toilet tank will reduce water use. Each flush is about one cent, roughly $48 a year.

What a great way to make use of bottled water, should you have it lying around. I’m sure I’ve never mentioned this before, but this is certainly a way you can actually save money by using bottled water [in a way I'm sure companies like Dasani and Aquafina are not quite embracing].

Budgeting: A Visual Guide to How Small Cutbacks Lead to Great Savings [Quicken Personal Finance Tips]

A blogger at Bon Ap�tit magazine recently complained about restaurants attempting to trick him into buying bottled water when all he wants is some lovely, refreshing tap water with ice in it. Instead, the waiters offer water without offering tap as an option at all. Most customers either didn’t notice the ruse, or didn’t care.

Here’s the scene, at a seafood restaurant in Las Vegas:

Tall Suit: “It looks like you don’t have any water yet. Can I get you flat or sparking?” Me: “Flat is fine, thanks.” Tall Suit: “Okay, I’ll bring you a bottle of flat.”

He starts to walk away. I’ve seen this trick before, so I catch him before he’s out of earshot.

Me: “Actually, we don’t need a bottle. Tap is fine.”
Tall Suit (thrown off): “Oh. Okay. Tap then.”

By not offering tap water as an option, it’s clear that he intended to trick us into buying a bottle of water. Judging from the amount of bottles of water at the tables around us, a lot of people fell for it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been through this routine at restaurants and, frankly, I’m tired of it.

I haven’t been through this routine, at least in the US, but maybe I don’t eat in nice enough restaurants. Have you experienced it?

I’m Sick of Restaurants Trying to Trick Me Into Buying Water [Bon Ap�tit]

It’s no secret we advocate for the use of reusable bottles. But how often have you found yourself at the reusable bottle aisle at REI and had no idea what to choose? I mean, how many sleepless nights must one lose trying to figure out exactly what bottle to purchase!?

Well, I probably have not lost sleep over this issue, but nonetheless it’s important to once-and-for-all lay the rest the myths and facts about different types of bottles available for purchase.

Reusable Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles come in a multitude of shapes, sizes and flavors. From squeezable bike bottles to heavy-duty plastic bottles like those by Nalgene, plastic bottles offer the greatest variety and versatility for consumers.

Lately, however, the news surrounding a key ingredient used in the production of plastic bottles has seen quite a bit of backlash from consumers. BPA, as it is commonly known, has been linked to cancer in lab tests and, predictably, many consumers quickly moved away from plastic bottles. Major bottle companies like CamelBak and Nalgene quickly changed their bottle production techniques to remove this chemical from their bottles. (more…)

Are people beginning to realize that carrying bottled water is almost as bad as smoking while pregnant? A recent CNN article discussed how many consumers are beginning a backlash against bottled water companies.

The article noted:

“Carrying bottled water is on its way to being as cool as smoking while pregnant,” claims the video “The Story of Bottled Water,” which debuted on YouTube last month and garnered more than 450,000 views.

Is it true? Are liters of Evian now beyond the pale? Is Dasani d�class�? Has bottled water become the new eco-no-no?

Not quite yet. Though water sales have seen a recent downturn, plenty of folks are still paying for their daily hydration.

In fact, Annie Leonard’s video points out, Americans buy more than 500 million bottles of the stuff every week. It’s second only to soda in popularity, and some industry analysts believe that by next year water will become the most-purchased beverage in the country.

She wants to redirect the flow of water. The bottled water companies, the video insists, are “scaring us, seducing us, misleading us” into buying their products. Leonard, the writer and narrator, gives plenty of reasons why more and more people want to “take back the tap.”

Add the fact that, according to Leonard, the amount of petroleum used to make water bottles every year is “enough to fuel a million cars” and that 80 percent of supposedly recyclable plastic bottles end up in landfills, you have the makings a ecological crusade.

Also, she says, tap water is certainly cheaper — thousands of times cheaper. Not to mention that some of the best-selling bottled waters — Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani among them — are, actually, nothing but filtered tap water. The companies have spelled this out on labels after pressure from the consumer watchdog group Corporate Accountability International.

However, Leonard argues that not only does tap water often beat out bottled in blind taste tests, but bottled is often less regulated than tap. Tap water is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, whose standards are generally stricter than the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees most bottled-water sales.

Here’s a link to the full article: Bottled Water Faces Backlash

Here’s the YouTube video that’s creating such a stir: