i'm thirsty

just read an interesting article this morning. if you're interested in reading the whole thing, go to www.macleans.ca/science/environment/article.jsp?id=0&content=20070514_105163_105163

the focus of the article is on the environmental 'issue' of bottled water...which may seem mildly ironic to some of you. however, research is beginning to surface on the misplaced trust of our culture in this highly destructive 'luxury'. the article talks about how the plastic bottles used to hold spring/filtered water require more water in their production than they hold when they're sold...meaning they actually waste water. on top of that, more than 88% of water bottles are NOT recycled, leading to concerns of toxic chemical contamination in future landfills.

coupled with that is the financial hypocrisy of the product. bottled water was apparently first marketed and produced for the wealthy...giving them access to an exclusive and apparently more-healthy water supply. with the product's market explosion over the last ten years [with everyone from Donald Trump to Sylvester Stallone buying into the boom], the price for a litre of bottled water has risen to 3000 times the cost of a litre of tap water. crazy!!! these facts lead one to agree with one critic quoted:
"The vanity of it (drinking bottled water vs tap water)! While half the world dies of thirst or puts up with water you wouldn't pi## in, or already have, we have invested years and years, and vast amounts of money, into an ingenuous system which cleanses water of all of the nasties that most other humans and animals have always had to put up with, and delivers it, dirt cheap, to our homes and workplaces in pipes, which we can access with a tap."

what i found interesting was the fact that the united church of canada has encouraged its members to boycott the product 'on the moral grounds that water is a basic human right, not a commodity to be sold for profit.' i thought it fascinating [and quite appropriate] that a church would call its members to engage in a global issue...one that only requires that we drink the water from our taps. so...what issues are we grappling with...and addressing with our lifestyles?

if your interest is peaked, check out the whole article. and in the meantime, let's enjoy our vancouver water missionburnaby. you estevaners feel free to do the filtration thing. chuckle.
sw