Wednesday 20 July 2011

Straight Talk about Bottles and Oil

There are many articles and studies that have been done to demonize bottled water.  It's difficult to find objective data on the subject.  All of the top search results are dripping with rhetoric and fast math (and some mighty big belt buckles).  This agenda makes it difficult to put one's hands on the actual data.  Statistics can say anything if one is creative enough.

After a few hours of research, its clear that America consumes about 9.26 million barrels of oil per day to fuel its cars.  By contrast, it takes about 46,000 barrels of oil per day to supply America's demand for bottled water.  So America uses 200 times more oil to fuel its cars than it does to make the bottles for its bottled water demand.  It's also true that soft drinks, milk and beer account for 75% of America's bottled water demand.  Yet water seems to be the only product under public scrutiny.

99.7% of America's oil consumption is for things other than bottles.  So before we demonize the industry responsible for less than one third of one percent of the nation's aggregate oil demand, let's look at alternative modes of transportation and alternative forms of energy and put the emphasis in the right place.  Of this one third of one percent, Luna and Lara accounts for less than 1% of the US bottled water market.

It is important for us as parents to stress the importance of recycling to our children.  PET plastic is 100% recyclable, and every effort should be made to ensure that it is recycled and reused.

Luna and Lara exists to encourage children to drink more water.  The characters, songs, attractive design and stories all serve this one single purpose.  It is 100% pure Irish spring water, not filtered, purified tap water.  The difference is real, and it is clear.  If children naturally gravitated toward what was good for them, there would be no need for all of this song and dance.  But children are overwhelmed with advertising for things that are not good for them, so we have to fight the battle where it is, in the minds of our children on the internet, the television, and other media.  Left to themselves, children do not tend to choose plain water over its fizzy or juicy competitors.

Nothing would please us more than to hear that children's consumption of tap water increased to the point where they are properly hydrated each day.  Pure spring water is better than tap, but tap is still better than sugary sodas.  According to child nutritionists, it's better than fruit juice as well.

Until the statistics concerning child obesity and child dehydration change, we will continue encouraging children to drink pure spring water.  We will also continue to encourage responsible recycling and keep in proper perspective its impact upon the environment.

Sincerely,
The Pin

World Energy Consumption
Bottled Water Statistics
US Vehicle Oil Consumption
Energy Implications of Bottled Water
Water Not Juice

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