tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438900550453238104.post-21281435185266639342008-02-15T16:54:00.003Z2008-02-16T10:20:17.133Z2008-02-16T10:20:17.133Z4 x 4s, plastic bags, bottled water. Tonnes of oil, loads of waste, bottled water evil, drink from the tap.<br /><br />This sounds great. Save money, salvage conscience. But there is a real danger that common sense could be turned upside down.<br /><br />Water is as healthy as can be. It has almost no downsides, unlike any other product.<br /><br />Stop bottled water in its tracks and people will become <ul><li>less well hydrated and less healthy, because 50% of bottled water is drunk on the move and they will drink less liquid</li><br /><li>fatter when obesity is already a major social concern, because most of bottled water's recent growth has been as a replacement of calorie containing drinks. </li></ul><p>Ah, but switching from bottle to tap will save the environment. Well, no actually. Bottled water uses less water and packaging than any other ready to drink beverage. Only a tiny proportion comes from outside Europe.<br /><br />Two action points would be good though. </p><ul><li>Government should encourage local authorities to recycle more plastic. Levels could be doubled if all areas followed best practice. </li><br /><li>Public water supply companies could do more to reduce leakage. At present leakage is over 1,000 times the level of bottled water consumption. </li></ul><p>What about the 1 billion plus people around the world without proper access to water ? Well, bottled water companies are doing proportionately more than any other grocery sector.<br /><br />But isn't all water the same ? Shouldn't we just go back to the tap ? I'm a fan of tap water. I drink it a lot. But in the office we have water coolers for chilled water and jug filters for hot drinks. Sometimes I prefer a water from a protected known source where the water has had no chemical treatment. In other instances, it's a matter of convenience or taste. Should I be made to feel guilty for these entirely reasonable and informed healthy choices ? I believe bottled water is much more on the side of the angels than a sinner.<br /><br />So how should one respond to a Minister who says bottled water is morally unacceptable ? First, he should retract it because he is wrong. Second, he should concentrate more on real answers to public health, climate change and world poverty. Bottled water's carbon footprint is just 0.1% of the UK total. What about the other 99.9% ? If that's not tackled, then bottled water will be needed for more flood relief emergencies, not less. </p>Richard Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213418829950623446noreply@blogger.com0