Bottlemania

Remember that fancy French water with the bubbles you drank on special occasions? It all started with green glass bottles about thirty years ago. Last month a book, Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale & Why We Bought It, came out about bottled water and asks whether it's really healthier than tap water. I heard the author, Elizabeth Royte, being interviewed today on NPR, and she was drinking a glass of tap water during the interview. She said she had her water tested for about $144, and learned that it was safe to drink. The book discusses the growth of the bottled water industry, which started with Perrier, and is projected to be a $16 billion industry this year in the United States alone. Royte, a scientist as well as a writer, also talks about the enormous ecological impact of all these plastic water bottles. I think it's important to educate yourself about the environmental effects of bottled water.

After reading Kevin Trudeau's book, Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About, I had a water filter installed, so I feel pretty confident about using our tap water for drinking, cooking, and bathing, even though I haven't had it tested. Here in Southern California we pay for our tap water, every single drop, because we have a lack of local water resources and drought conditions, but it's surely not as costly to people or the environment as bottled water.