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October 25, 2007
Bottled water--good or evil?
Much has been written lately about the environmental and economic effects of bottled water. Some groups claim that irresponsible disposal and inadequate recycling of these bottles is causing an environment crisis. Some claim that carbon effects of producing and shipping these bottles is the problem. Some claim that increasing reliance on bottled water is rendering this country's staggering capital investment in potable tap water useless.
An article in Time magazine this summer looks at some of the issues, while a recent story in Packaging World also looks at the pros and cons of bottled water.
I don't have the necessary knowledge to argue the environmental implications of our culture's obsession with bottled water, but I have always been puzzled by our willingness to pay so much for something we can get free almost anywhere. In most cases, a bottle of water costs the same or more than a bottle of soda or juice, which obviously required additional ingredients and processing. I guess it's sort of like our ridiculously overpaid professional athletes--as long as people are willing to pay, the costs will continue to go up.
Let me know what you think.
- Keith Hevenor
Editorial/Conference Director
CMM International
Posted by khevenor at October 25, 2007 12:55 PM
