A trivial, nagging care that had been crumbling under the surface of the American water consumer’s mind has, in recent weeks, erupted to the surface, causing a wide-ranging ripple effect in the newspapers. It’s about bottled water.

Many North Americans (and consumers worldwide, as well) have come to rely on bottled water as their primary source of drinking water. They’ve invested untold sums of cash in supplies of bottled water, mostly manufactured by large corporations such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, but often bottled by small, specialty shop companies. All of these companies have claimed that their bottled water offers consumers a healthier, safer alternative to tap water.

Naturalists have expressed concerns about these bottled waters. One concern was that no one was really secure in their belief that the waters were in fact any better than most area’s tap waters. Another concern – and a dire care, as the price of oil has gone up since 2001 – was that the production of all the plastic bottles was causing environmental problems. The bottles’ manufacturing process and post-consumer processing provoke serious environmental costs. A recent New York Times article quotes a scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, who states that more than 90% of the environmental impact of plastic bottles is made before the consumer even opens the bottle.

This is, in other words, a serious environmental headache, with extensive costs, and it is not easily solved through recycling, a notoriously under-utilized process.

In addition, this summer it came to light that at least one of these very famous bottled waters was basically just tap water poured into plastic bottles. At this point, companies are going to have to modify their labeling in order to maintain consumer confidence and justify their positions in the marketplace. Pop sales are going down, which is definitely a good sign for the health of the average consumer, but is the increase in bottled water sales actually benefiting anyone except the companies who bottle the water? To the point: Is it helping you?

The answer is almost definitely no. At a portion of the cost of bottled water, anyone can consume filtered water. If the concern is having access to water while away from home (whether you’re going on a outing or just walking around the neighborhood) it is very easy to use a refillable bottle (which you can keep clean by washing it out often) and have your own, homemade bottled water with you everywhere you go.

Some areas are even catching on to filtered tap water as the next trend. This past spring, there was much discussion of Chez Panisse, the well-known restaurant in Berkeley, California, giving up on bottled water and turning to filtered tap water for its customers’ dining experience. The change was made by Alice Waters and restaurant management as an act of support for sustainability, green living, and concern for the customer. The trend is moving to every part of the country. More and more people are even talking about the “snob appeal” of drinking tap water.

Every person who reaches for a glass, aluminum tumbler, or re-useable plastic bottle of filtered tap water is doing the right thing not only for himself or herself, but for the local community, and for our global community.

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