|
Water
We live in a state where water is extremely abundant. It takes little or no effort to obtain a glass of water, and is readily available nearly everywhere we go. Then why does everyone insist on buying and carrying around a bottle of water? It costs about 100 times as much as it is worth in tap water, is often not filtered as well as tap water, and uses precious resources to make the plastic. The truth is, our society is very focused on convenience, and it is very convenient to be able to take a sip whenever you feel like it. The problem is that we are wasting plastic (which uses oil to manufacture) on carrying around something that can just as easily be carried around in a reusable cup or bottle. Although some people do reuse their water bottles, most are thrown straight into the trash. Only about 19% of water bottles are recycled, probably due to the lack of cash deposit (which makes no sense since they are essentially soda bottles with different labels).  Now consider the ethics. Does it make sense to put so much effort into making a product that we already have? Is it really ethical for bottled water companies to make a profit on something that is really an inherent human right? Does it make sense to waste oil and other resources on something so simple as something to carry around water? It will be hard to convince people to stop carrying around their bottles of water, and even harder to convince producers to stop making an unnecessary product, so the least we can do is make a small investment on a reusable water bottle and reduce the amount of water bottles cluttering landfills. ~ Sarah Palmisano For more information on water systems, contact Ruth Kline-Robach (517) 355-0224 E-mail: kliner@msu.ed |