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Tag: bottled water

Throwaway Economy Headed for Junk Heap of History

In their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, American architect William McDonough and German chemist Michael Braungart conclude that waste and pollution are to be avoided entirely. “Pollution,” says McDonough, “is a symbol of design failure.” The challenge is to re-evaluate the materials we consume and the way we manufacture products so as to cut down on waste.

The Real Costs of Bottled Water

Bottled water is sold to us as a fresh, healthy, and pure product. Yet in reality, when you buy a bottle of water you’re may just be buying back your local tap water at a mark-up of up to 1000 times the actual cost. Not only is bottled water no better for you than plain old tap water, but the environmental cost of the packaging used to beautify it is a serious issue.

One Glug at a Time: The Rise and Fall of Bottled Water

U.S. bottled water sales peaked in 2007, though. That year, Americans drank an average of 29 gallons of bottled water—astonishing growth considering the figure had only been 16 gallons as recently as 2000. If my math is right that’s 181 percent more bottled water consumption than just seven years earlier.

But since that time, bottled water has become decidedly uncool. Environmental and corporate justice activists (and particularly Corporate Accountability International’s “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign, launched in 2004) have raised hard questions…

Greener Bottled Water? Really?

Still have bottled water as a regular item on the grocery list? Or just pick up the occasional bottle when you’re out? It’s so convenient… As you probably know, that [ … ]

Boxed Water, Anyone?

[social_buttons]It had to happen: boxed water is here. Recently, commentator/comedian Bill Maher hypothesized what would happen if the only sacrifice required to curb climate change was for people everywhere to [ … ]

The Hidden Cost of $40 “Bling Water”

Simran Sethi and Sarah Smarsh are writing a series on the impacts of everyday things.They will be posting previews on Green Options before launching the posts on Huffington Post. Here’s [ … ]