Your Water Bottle Is One-Quarter Full Of Oil

[one...two...tree 2,762]

— By Julia Whitty

Still want to drink it? Because the truth is that bottle of water is up to 2,000 times more energy intensive than just turning on the tap. No one really knew that until now.

Researchers at the Pacific Institute in Oakland California ran the numbers and found that bottle production alone wastes 50 million barrels of oil a year (that's 2.5 days of US oil consumption). Add to that energy the energy needed to process the water, label the bottles, fill the bottles, seal the bottles, transport the bottles, cool them prior to sale… well, you get the idea.

Bottom line: Bottled-water drinkers in the US alone in 2007 squandered the equivalent of 32 to 54 million barrels of oil. Triple that number for worldwide use. For perspective, imagine each bottle is one-quarter full of oil.

....

Since oil and water don't mix, turn on the tap. Still want a container? Try reusable Nalgene or stainless steel. Not without impact but durable at least. Traveling overseas to the lands-of-unclean waters? Pony up for a Katadyn bottle/filter combination. I can personally attest that this all-in-one system is a miracle worker of good intestinal and environmental health.

Concerned about the one in six humans who must live in the lands-of-unclean waters? Consider tossing a doubloon or two at the LifeStraw people who've found a nifty and inexpensive way to survive deadly water supplies.

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/200...uarter-full-oil

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Last-i-checked, the bottles are (even if not labelled as such) reusable; I've personally reused several 591-mL Gatorade and pop bottles.

[kleach 0]

— By Julia Whitty

who cares

Still want to drink it? Because the truth is that bottle of water is up to 2,000 times more energy intensive than just turning on the tap. No one really knew that until now.

Researchers at the Pacific Institute in Oakland California ran the numbers and found that bottle production alone wastes 50 million barrels of oil a year (that's 2.5 days of US oil consumption). Add to that energy the energy needed to process the water, label the bottles, fill the bottles, seal the bottles, transport the bottles, cool them prior to sale… well, you get the idea.

Bottom line: Bottled-water drinkers in the US alone in 2007 squandered the equivalent of 32 to 54 million barrels of oil. Triple that number for worldwide use. For perspective, imagine each bottle is one-quarter full of oil.

....

Since oil and water don't mix, turn on the tap. Still want a container? Try reusable Nalgene or stainless steel. Not without impact but durable at least. Traveling overseas to the lands-of-unclean waters? Pony up for a Katadyn bottle/filter combination. I can personally attest that this all-in-one system is a miracle worker of good intestinal and environmental health.

Concerned about the one in six humans who must live in the lands-of-unclean waters? Consider tossing a doubloon or two at the LifeStraw people who've found a nifty and inexpensive way to survive deadly water supplies.

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/200...uarter-full-oil

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Last-i-checked, the bottles are (even if not labelled as such) reusable; I've personally reused several 591-mL Gatorade and pop bottles.

At home I filter my water and fill bottles I get from work. I have bottled water at work because I'm a fancy-man.

[pedroh 21]

i don't have bottles, i drink from the stream behind my apt..

I only have beer, but in cans..

drink more beer, less water, save the environment

Edited March 3, 2009 by pedroh

[HAL 9000 96]

i don't have bottles, i drink from the stream behind my apt..

I only have beer, but in cans..

drink more beer, less water, save the environment

Drink one Guinness a day and cut back on a meal.

Who needs Slim fast?

[dalegg 143]

But what about the jobs created in both manufacturing and recycling bottles?!

[pedroh 21]

anti bottled water people hate America

[HAL 9000 96]

But what about the jobs created in both manufacturing and recycling bottles?!

They can be all moved over to the Guinness factory.

[NickD 203]

Yeah, the same thing can be said about plastic bags, but what choice does the consumer have? If you buy something to drink or need something to carry that stuff home with, you get stuck with whatever these corporations decide to use.

What I find disturbing is that the quality of the plastic used in these throwaway bottles is of a much higher quality than that used in our vehicles and our homes. Same is true about the quality of the aluminum used in throwaway cans as compared to that cheap ####### used in the manufacture of radiators, heater cores, and evaporators in our vehicles, those are very expensive to replace. But has to be that way due to FDA regulations and product liability.

Also find disturbing is that I am responsible for the disposal of these throwaway items. Some is recycled in plastic bottles in the clothes and backpacks we wear and carry. But a lot more is being dumped in the Pacific ocean. Much prefer glass bottles, ha, use to walk in the parks of Chicago as a kid, a one quart pop bottle was an ice cream cone sitting there, now just trash.

In regards to oil, the stuff was what was left over in the bottom of the refinery, didn't know what to do with that ####### except burn it, and recycling these bottles is also killing the market for this once #######, but that will be solved once the oil wells run dry. Silicon on the other hand is overly abundant and also can be reused.

So exactly who is creating this mess? The corporations or the consumers? And who controls our congress? The corporations or the consumers?

[HAL 9000 96]

You could always reuse bags.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

But what about the jobs created in both manufacturing and recycling bottles?!

They can be all moved over to the Guinness factory.

just recycle the beer bottles into water bottles, call it guinness lite

[NickD 203]

You could always reuse bags.

Not the ones from Wal-Mart, toss a can in there and they split, much prefer our other grocery stores that ask paper or plastic, always say, paper. Use to use those paper bags for some blind dates I was on, can't use plastic, would kill them, then really be in deep trouble.

[HAL 9000 96]

But what about the jobs created in both manufacturing and recycling bottles?!

They can be all moved over to the Guinness factory.

just recycle the beer bottles into water bottles, call it guinness lite

Oh c'mon Charles... Guinness is only 110 calories/serving.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

But what about the jobs created in both manufacturing and recycling bottles?!

They can be all moved over to the Guinness factory.

just recycle the beer bottles into water bottles, call it guinness lite

Oh c'mon Charles... Guinness is only 110 calories/serving.

hey someone would buy it.