How To Reduce Your Bottled Water Footprint

REDUCING YOUR BOTTLED WATER FOOTPRINT Eating local saves water, but might not be possible 100% of the time for everyone in the U.S., with seasonal vegetables and the need to import things like bananas and coffee. However, almost everyone can REDUCE THEIR WATER FOOTPRINT BY DRINKING LOCAL. How much water do we use each day? Water consumption goes beyond how long you run the tap. Everything you eat and use - including granola bars, books, cars, and everything in between - has a "water footprint." 10-25 gallons per 5 minute shower! gals/min from the avg. faucet! the avg. U.S. consumer uses as much as 1,320 gals/day What is bottled water anyway? 44% 56% MUNICIPAL TAP WATER that has undergone further purification. SPRING WATER derived from underground springs. The U.S. is the world's largest consumer of bottled water. In 2011 we bought a record 9.1 billion gallons of bottled water nationwide, equaling 29.2 gallons per person. 9.1 billion gallons Environmental impact of bottled water NATURAL RESOURCES Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Nearly all water bottles are made from PET a plastic produced from crude oil.6 OIL 3x THE WATER The amount of water used to produce the bottle can be up to 3 times higher than the actual amount of water in the bottle.6 RECYCLING VS TRASH 100% A27% 35 ACTUALLY RECYCLED BILLION RECYCLABLE IN TRASH RECYCLING RATES FOR WATER BOTTLES AREN'T HIGH. Only 27% of water bottles are recycled in the U.S., despite PET being 100% recyclable.9 Unfortunately, 35 billion plastic water bottles are thrown in the trash each year in the U.S.7 LANDFILLS & OCEANS Bottles that aren't recycled end up in landfills, where they never truly degrade, and in oceans where they break down and can be ingested by birds and other marine life.3 Bottles also end up in incinerators, and litter streets and parks across the country. RECYCLED GOODS Recycled bottles are shredded and melted into pellets, which can be used to make hundreds of items, such as fleece, t-shirts, car bumpers, dog beds and even other plastic bottles.10 DID YOU KNOW? Trash covers up to 40% of the ocean's surface 90% is plastic7 In the ocean, water bottles can break down into such small pieces that just one 1-liter water bottle could end up on every mile of beach in the world." CARBON FOOTPRINT 82.8g The total carbon footprint of one 500 ml (16.9 oz) bottle of water is 82.8g of CO2. This figure OF CO2 includes producing the PET bottle, distribution and transportation, the cardboard tray used in its packaging, and the energy used by the retailor.5 WATER FROM OVERSEAS »> CAN HAVE A HIGHER FOOTPRINT Fiji water travels up to 5,000 miles to reach San Francisco. French brands travel up to 6,200 miles to get there.5 Do We even need bottled water? AROUND THE WORLD In many areas of the world, the drinking water is unsafe, making sources like bottled water a necessity. IN THE U.S. Most drinking water in the U.S. is completely safe. Utility companies are required to test municipal water hundreds of times a month for more than 100 chemicals. If you're still not sure, check the consumer confidence report that the EPA requires utility companies to provide." BOTTOM LINE %24 500x Bottled water can Nearly half of bottled water is be up to 500 times as expensive as your tap water.12 Imagine how much you could save with a reusable just tap water. water bottle! WHEELS SOURCES 1 http://www.treehugger.com/green-home/11-clever-ways-conserve-at-home.html 2 http://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/personal-water-footprint/ 3 http://www.gracelinks.org/2379/bottled-water-and-water-conservation 4 http://phys.org/news156506896.html 5 http://elua.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Elua-Bottled-Water-and-Our- Environment.pdf 6 http://www.dw.de/life-cycle-of-a-plastic-water-bottle/g-17266360 7 http://ecowatch.com/2014/04/07/22-facts-plastic-pollution-10-things-can-do-about-it/ 8 http://www.container-recycling.org/index.php/issues/bottled-water/91-media/outsidenews/275-down-the-drain 9 http://www.mrcpolymers.com/PlasticRecyclingFacts.php 10 http://www.napcor.com/PET/whatispet.html 11 http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/water-filters/buying-guide.htm 12 http://thewaterproject.org/bottled-water-on-campus FOR WISHES wheelsforwishes.org/bottled-water-footprint