To the world,
H2O.
In chemistry this compound can be described as electronegative, in which two hydrogen atoms are covalently bonded to a singular oxygen atom. It has a molar mass of 18.02 g/mol, its molecular geometry is bent, and it can exist in three forms: gas, liquid and solid. It also comprises 80 % of my body, 75 % of the planet, creates $ 100 billion annually in global sales, and forms the basis of all life. In Canada, water is clean, it is abundant, and it is free. So why is it that so many people purchase bottled water every day? Unfortunately, I do not know. However what I do know is this...
From an environmental (and logical) perspective buying bottled water is perhaps not the greatest idea. Many consumers partake in this industry for health and safety fears however, in most cases these worries are unfounded. Often marketed as "pure" the water which fills your plastic bottles is water that has come from a community source or reservoir. Furthermore, public water works have much more stringent regulations than those of bottling plants, and the chances that contamination is going to occur in the latter is close to that of the former. Secondly, the processes of bottling, shipping, and refrigerating the water consumes a high amount of energy which in turn has a negative bearing on the environment. With x billion of bottles consumed per year it is inevitable that a large fraction of those are going to end up in landfills, further causing an incredible amount of unnecessary waste.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, there are currently 1 billion people in developing countries living without access to clean drinking water. That is 1 in 5 children. 80% of those children are suffering or have died from waterborne diseases, making unsafe drinking water the second largest cause of death for children under five.
So next time you reach for that bottle of glacial fresh water, perhaps pause a moment and think about the spin-off created from that singular inanimate object.
Websites:
NY Tap Project
NDRC
Business Week
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3 comments:
"The world is 90% water. The other 35% is wheat. Think about it. No, YOU THINK ABOUT IT!" - Derek Zoolander
i love it.
i posted my own rant, but it's not as informative as yours. i linked you, whether you like it or not.
fact: tap water has 4% less pee than bottled water. how do i know this you ask? cuz i pee in your water when you sleep, so when you pee you pee out my pee.
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