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Parent Category: Upper-Intermediate News Lessons

Category: Environment Lesons

Written by Chris Cotter

Sales of bottled water have quadrupled in the past twenty years. In just the US, sales accounted for $11.7 billion in 2007, which was the year of record sales. More and more people make health-conscious decisions to buy water instead of soda, sugary juices, and caffeinated drinks. However, one liter of bottled water produces as much as half a pound of greenhouse gases once the plastic is produced and the product shipped halfway around the world. With all the water consumed in the US, you could power 250,000 homes for a year. It's a drain on and an unnecessary use of resources.

Bottled water can be useful, though. For example, it provides a healthy alternative at large events because people will need to buy something to drink. In areas without access to clean water sources, bottled water is beneficial. Yet too many people reach for bottled water instead of tap water at home. Both bottled water and tap water are equally healthy, and tap water costs a lot less. In addition, most people would find it difficult to notice any difference between the two. In taste tests at Ithaca College in New York, tap water beat out bottled water four out of five times.

Many people recycle the plastic bottles, which of course helps the environment. But too many plastic bottles still end up in landfills - in the US, 3900 million pounds (1770 million kilograms). Many states in the US don't redeem plastic, which worsens the problem. More importantly, though, people should strive to reduce their use of resources, reuse resources whenever possible, and lastly recycle resources. All those empty water bottles simply don't allow that.