Sunday, August 29, 2004

Just say n'eau

Perrier Awards no, Tap Water Awards yes.

Why? It's not just because Perrier is a Nestle company. It's also because 1.1bn people live without clean water. 2.4bn have no proper sanitation. Every 15 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease. Yet those of us who have clean, safe water readily available, literally on tap at a neglible cost (so cheap we can afford to use it flush our toilets and wash our clothes and water our lawns) prefer to pay a thousand times more for bottled water. (Which may, in fact, be only bottled tap water). We think even our pets need bottled water.

So we participate in environmental carnage by buying this stuff that has to be moved many, many miles, usually by pollution causing congestion contributing road haulage. Then we throw all those plastic bottles away, to clog up landfills.

All of this when, in blind trials, even experts can't tell the difference between expensive mineral waters and corporation pop when it's chilled to the same temperature. When we say we prefer the taste of bottled water, what we're really saying is we prefer the taste of well chilled water.

Don't buy bottled water anymore. Instead invest in two water bottles (750ml ones about 4 quid each from bike and sports shops). One chills in the fridge while you're drinking the other. Easy. Save ££ and save dolphins, too. Give some ££ you save to WaterAid

More about water at
  • Guardian Special Report: Water
  • BBC News: The Water Debate
  • WaterAid
  • 1 comment:

    Jude said...

    she made me do it she bossy

    /me buys Zefal Water Bottle Brush :D