Environment all bottled up
A letter writer suggests consumers should support the local high-quality water system rather than the bottling industry.
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Updated: July 23, 2009 4:24 PM
Re: “Bottled water industry leaves light footprint,” The Leader, July 17.
Letter writer John Challinor II says that it is unlikely that plastics end up in the Pacific Ocean.
However, according to a 2006 study by the United Nations Environment Program, there has been a massive increase in the concentration of plastic in the ocean in recent years.
In the North Pacific there is approximately six times more plastic than zooplankton in some areas.
Despite current waste management practices, our plastics are still finding their way into the ocean.
Waste generated by the bottled water industry is only one part of the problem.
The movement to ban bottled water is not just about environmental impacts, it’s also a very important social issue.
Water is necessary for life and everyone should have an equal right to clean drinking water regardless of income.
Globally, one billion people lack access to clean drinking water and 6,000 children die every day from water-related diseases. In the meantime, according to the Polaris Institute, the bottled water industry makes $50 billion a year from the commodification of water.
Here in Metro Vancouver we are fortunate to have some of the best drinking water in the world. We should be supporting our local water system, not the bottled water industry.
Karin Johnson, Surrey
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