More than 780 million people lack access to safe drinking
water, two and a half times the population of the United States. More than half of all Americans drink bottled
water, yet almost every U.S. household has access to safe drinking water.
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The United States is the largest consumer of bottled
water. Mothers in the grocery stores buy
cases everyday for their children’s lunch boxes, college students buy cases to
store underneath their beds, and fathers in line at the gas station for a
bottle of water are all examples uses of bottled water. When traveling throughout
the US no one questions the safety of drinking water.
So, what is wrong with water fountains, the kitchen or
bathroom sink taps, or simply reusing plastic water bottles from the collection
in the cupboard? Despite the accessibility of safe water we are still the
greatest consumers of bottled water with over a dozen brands of water from
which to choose including: Dasani, Aquafina, Poland Spring, Deer Park, Evian,
and Fiji.
Has our society defined a social standard based on the brand
of water bought? Is water shipped from
far away, like Fiji, better than a generic bottle bought at Walmart? Do we
judge those people who drink a certain type of water? I definitely notice when people drink from
what I call “designer” brands of water, especially those who do it every single
day. It stands out. I also notice a
completely different person who carries around a banged up, colored, metal,
bumper stickered water bottle.
We seem to develop a social grouping for people solely based
upon their endless use and re-use of an old, metal bottle
versus the people we
see sporting a fresh, new water bottle every single day. Would a celebrity drink from an old banged up
metal bottle? Would we ever see an
environmentalist drink from a plastic designer bottle? The whole concept is mind-boggling.
At an average of $1.75 per bottle prefer to stick to my old
water bottle, which appears to be broken in and stickered up and I will fill it
from the bathroom or kitchen sink.
Although not ideal to all, it seems a whole lot better to me than trying
to fit in with the newest designer water bottle.
Water
bottle image via Shutterstock.
This story is part of the Collegiate Corner, a section of ENN dedicated to student work. All work in this column is the product of the student. If you have questions about the Collegiate Corner or would like to submit please contact: rblackstone@enn.com.
