E-Weekly-4/40
Green Earth Movement
An E-Newsletter for the cause of Environment, Peace, Harmony and Justice
Remember - “you and I can decide the future”
• Over 1 billion people lack
access to clean, safe
affordable drinking water.
• By 2025 two-thirds of the
world’s population is
predicted to lack access to water.
• The World Bank has predicted that the wars of
tomorrow will be fought over water.
• The problem is exacerbated by global warming
which is spreading droughts.
Drinking plenty of water is important
for your health, because it maintains
bodily functions, carries nutrients to
cells and helps you stay hydrated and
energized.
But you've probably wondered: Is fancy
bottled water somehow better for you
than plain tap water? And is it even OK
to drink tap water without using a
water-filtration device?
Bottled water is water
which has been packaged
in sealed containers for
human consumption.
the water can come from
a variety of sources
including springs,
aquifers, or municipal supplies and
may be treated to make it fit for
human consumption.
Although some bottled water comes from springs,
more than 25% of bottled water comes from the
municipal supply. Natural mineral water and spring
water is bottled at the source and may not be subject
to any processing except the introduction of carbon
dioxide. However, some bottled water comes from
other sources, including municipal
supplies, and can be treated
with UV light to kill bacteria,
filtration, and ion exchange to
get rid of excessive minerals. No
residual disinfectant is included.
BOTTLED WATER - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
►Making the plastic bottles for bottled water for sale in the
U.S. required the equivalent of 17 million barrels of oil last
year and generated 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
►To visualize the entire energy
costs of the lifecycle of bottled
water, imagine filling each bottle
with a quarter of oil.
► Each year, more than 4 billion
Pounds of PET plastic bottles end
up in landfills or as roadside litter.
►Less than 20% of plastic water bottles are recycled.
►It can cost cities more than $70 million in tipping fee
disposal costs alone, not including the costs of collection,
trucking and litter removal. This is funding not available
for other pressing city needs like water infrastructure and
public safety.
►Extraction: Some
bottlers take water in
large volumes from
springs and aquifers,
which can dry up
wells, deplete
wetlands and drain rivers. Water pumps
can extract water 24/7, taking millions of
gallons each day.
SOCIAL IMPACT
♦ In the US Up to 40%
of bottled water
comes from already
treated municipal
water systems; paid
for at taxpayer expense.
♦ Water bottlers then sell this water back
to the public at thousands of times the
price, virtually unchallenged.
♦ In 2007, 8.8 billion gallons of bottled
water were sold in the U.S.
♦ If the public and the future generations
increasingly believe that the only place to
get clean, safe drinking water is from a
bottle, there will be
decreased political
support to fund our
public water systems.
COST
Most of the price of a
bottle of water goes for its
bottling, packaging,
shipping, marketing,
retailing and profit.
Transporting bottled water
by boat, truck and train
involves burning massive
quantities of fossil fuels.
More than 5 trillion gallons
of bottled water is shipped
internationally each year.
Is bottled water safer?
Many people believe that because bottled
water goes through a filtration process that
improves its taste, odor and color, it's also
healthier for you. Filtration eliminates possible
contaminants such as lead, parasites and
byproducts of chlorine, so it's gotta be better,
right?
Well, not really. "While [filters]
can reduce exposure to
[harmful] elements, it doesn’t
necessarily mean bottled
water will be better for your
overall health,“ says Katherine Patton, M.Ed, RD,
CSSD, LD. In the U.S., tap water is already treated
to remove particles, chemicals and bacteria.
During the process of treating public water,
chlorine is added as a disinfectant, and fluoride is
added for its dental health benefits (though there
are those who say fluoride does more harm than
good).
Water Quality: Is Tap Water Safe?
You need to stay hydrated -- that’s clear -- but is the
tap water in your home safe? It is considered
generally safe if it comes from
a public water system in the
United States, such as one run and
maintained by a municipality.
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has the authority to monitor all public
water systems and sets enforceable
health standards regarding the contaminants in
drinking water.
FIVE REASONS TO BREAK THE BOTTLED WATER
HABIT
REASON 1
At least 40 percent of bottled
water is tap water anyway.
That’s right: you are paying a
huge premium on water that
you could have just gotten
from your tap in the first
place. (Natural Resources
Defense Council) You probably
like tap water more than
bottled water, too! Want to test that out?
REASON 2
Your tap water is fine to drink. Tap water is more
highly regulated than bottled water and over 90
percent of water systems meet EPA's standards for tap
water quality. (If the taste or color is a little off from
your tap, your pipes are
probably at fault—a
simple filtration system
should do the trick to
take both aesthetic
problems away.)
REASON 3
Bottled water is expensive! Drinking the
recommended daily amount of water using
bottled water can cost an average of
$1,400 per year; drinking the same amount
from the tap costs around 49 cents for the
year. (NY Times)
REASON 4
Bottled water is full of oil. Making bottles to meet
Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 17
million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000
cars for a year. To put it another way, the entire energy costs
of the lifecycle of a bottle of water is equivalent, on average,
to filling up a quarter of each bottle with oil. (Pacific Institute)
REASON 5
Disposable plastic water bottles are not meant for
multiple uses.
The #1 polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) is
fine for a single use,
but reuse can lead
to bacterial growth
and leaching of
dangerous chemicals.
When disposed these
bottles takes hundreds of years to decompose.
Bottled water usage is a
hard habit to change.
The ease and
convenience, plus its
obvious benefits over
consuming sugary soda
drinks makes it hard to
give up. But by making
a few simple changes in
your home, as well as buying a reusable bottle
for on the go, you'll be sure to stick with it!
This educational PowerPoint Presentation (editable)
is prepared by GEM Team
(courtesy: internet).
For other similar GEM PowerPoint Presentations on
various environmental issues see next slide.
These PPTs may be downloaded from our website
www.stfrancisxavierpanvel.in
Or visit GEM FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/gemenewsletter
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Solar Energy -(Darkness
to Light)
Junk Food
Twenty Tips To Save
Nature
Plastic – a boon or
bane?
Green Passion
Soft drink – A Health
Hazard
Waste to energy
Rain Water Harvesting
Eco-friendly Religions
Happy Green Diwali
Climate Change
The future of Biodiversity
Genetically Modified
Foods
Waste Water Treatment
Give thanks, Give Life
(Body, Organ, Tissue
Donation)
Organic Farming
Waste to cooking gas
Reduce, Reuse. Recycle
Protect Mangroves
Say NO to Bottled water