Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tapped

"Oh, it's just a bottle of water", you say.

But it's not so simple--there's a whole industry and a slew of health and conservation issues lurking behind each sip you take.

The thoughtful new documentary Tapped presents three major points that all of us should be aware of and, if we feel the case is proven, should make us participate in solutions.

1. Much bottled water is just tap water, siphoned from rich watersheds around the country. Who owns this water? The community or the business harvesting it? Who should profit? Should these businesses participate in water conservation efforts during time of drought?
2. What sort of medical implications are there? Is the plastic bottle packaging commonly used safe? There are real concerns about chemicals leaching into the water from plastics labeled #1 PET/PETE (typical water bottle) & #7 PC/PLA (water coolers, etc.)
3. What happens to all the water bottles? They aren't all recycled; many are discarded. Even if bottles ARE recycled, communities wind up paying the bill for disposal--the businesses don't. The bottles thrown away go into landfills. Many have wound up in our waterways--and the oceans. The bottles help make up huge floating garbage dumps, or disintegrate into tiny pieces ingested by sea critters. This all has a huge negative impact on nature and our environment.

Obviously, this is a button-pushing issue. Take the time to get informed. The Urbana Free Library has a copy of Tapped available for you to check out and watch at home.

We have several books on bottled water which might be of interest:
Bottled and sold : the story behind our obsession with bottled water by Peter H. Gleick
Bottlemania : how water went on sale and why we bought it by Elizabeth Royte

Visit the Tapped documentary website, to find out more about the issues and how to take action.

Watch the trailer:

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