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May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
April 27, 2005
/ 18 Nissan, 5765
From bottled water, hypocrisy springs
By
Lenore Skenazy
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Oh, please, spare me your clean-living, pore-hydrating, toxin-flushing aria about why you cannot put down your water bottle! Go ahead and guzzle if you must. But did you realize that every time you buy a plastic bottle of what is likely to be simply overpriced tap water, you are actually committing an eco-sin that, ironically, will end up polluting the very spring water you so venerate?
You are. Here's the deal: Every day millions of Americans buy bottled water instead of turning on the tap.
Water isn't bad for you (unless you drink too much of it while exercising, dilute your blood and die, as doctors are starting to warn). But anyway, usually water is fine. What is NOT fine is what those water bottles are doing to the environment.
For every ad showing a sun-dappled brook (or sweaty hunk) there is a water bottle lying in a landfill, leaching toxic chemicals and guaranteeing us toxic brooks (and hunks) for years.
"Unfortunately, millions of plastic bottles are being landfilled every year and many of them are from the fast proliferation of bottled water," says Mark Izeman, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "These bottles break down and seep chemicals. Leaching landfills are one of the largest sources of contaminated underground water."
Well golllllly! Bottled water prances around pure as the polar ice cap but secretly, it is putrefying our water. Coca-Cola alone sells almost 2 billion bottles of Dasani a year, according to Ray Crockett, Dasani spokesman. While those bottles are, in theory, recyclable, only three states require a deposit on water bottles (as opposed to soda bottles). That means untold Dasani empties — and the empties from Aquafina, Poland Spring, etc. — end up either buried or incinerated, which also releases toxins.
As our environment grows ever more disgusting, many Earth Day types will praise bottled water as the perfect, purifying antidote. But in truth, says Erik Olson, NRDC's water expert, "Bottled water is not necessarily any purer or cleaner or safer than the stuff that comes out of your tap." After testing over 1,000 bottles of water, NRDC found most of it fine. But in a third of the brands, "We found things like arsenic and bacteria and components of gasoline."
Tap water is not only free, it is better regulated. What's more, it is exactly what you find in a quarter of all bottled water bottles — sometimes purified and sometimes straight from the faucet!
"You could take a hose, fill up water bottles and sell the stuff," says Olson.
Not a bad idea. But an even better idea is to drink water the old-fashioned way. Go to the sink and fill a glass. Remarkable how many well-intentioned people have forgotten how to do this. Remarkable what they're doing to the Earth.
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JWR contributor Lenore Skenazy is a columnist for The New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
Lenore Skenazy Archives
© 2005 NY Daily News
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