What is Think Outside the Bottle and who is behind it?
What is Think Outside the Bottle and who is behind it?
The Think Outside the Bottle Pledge is the collective effort of major national organizations, cities, prominent people, communities of faith, student groups, and concerned consumers across North America - click here for a full list of endorsers. Think Outside the Bottle encourages consumers to choose tap over bottled water and support the efforts of local elected officials to do the same at the city, state, and national level.
How can I get more involved in Think Outside the Bottle?
The best way to get more involved is to organize your own events and use your networks to spread the word. You can find action guides on how to organize your own event by clicking here and then update the events page with your event.
Also, be sure also to leave the “Online Activist Network” box clicked when taking the pledge so that we can notify you of future actions.
How is bottled water and corporate control of water bad for the environment and my pocketbook?
Up to 40% of bottled water comes from the same source as tap water, but is sold back to consumers at hundreds of times the cost. Producing bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required more than 17 million barrels of oil last year – enough fuel for more than 1 million U.S. cars for a year - and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide. Read more.
Isn’t bottled water safer/cleaner than tap water? Isn’t it better regulated or treated?
Bottled water corporations spend tens of millions of dollars each year to convince us their products are safer and more pure than tap water. But studies have shown bottled water is on average no safer than tap water and can sometimes be less safe. Both tap water and bottled water are evaluated using similar standards, but tap water is tested far more frequently and has more independent oversight by state and federal environmental authorities (EPA and DEP). Lacking adequate capacity to regulate bottled water, the government relies on bottled water corporations to police themselves, which in some cases has resulted in bottled water contaminations that have lasted for weeks before the public was warned. Read more.
I’m concerned about tap water quality, should I buy a filter to avoid buying bottled water?
Filters can be a useful tool to address potential problems with water quality or taste, and one that can be more economically and ecologically sustainable than relying on bottled water corporations to sell us water. To begin with, it can be useful for you to know more about your local water system – who runs it, where your water comes from, and how it is treated. There are occasions where public water systems have struggled with breaches in water quality, but a great thing about public water systems is that they make information available about local water quality; the same can’t be said for the bottled water industry. In general, trusted advocacy groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council recommend that most people can rely on their public water systems for reliable quality dinking water without concern.
What is the role of bottled water in climate change?
To bottle, transport, dispose of, and even to recycle bottled water containers requires a massive amount of energy. Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required more than 17 million barrels of oil last year – enough fuel for more than 1 million U.S. cars for a year - and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide. To visualize the entire energy costs of the lifecycle of a bottle of water, imagine filling up a quarter of each bottle with oil. Read more.
What are U.S. mayors doing on this issue?
At this year’s U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting (June 22-26 in Los Angeles), San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Salt Lake City Mayor Ross “Rocky” Anderson, and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak introduced a resolution that highlighted the importance of public water and called for research into the impact of bottled water on city waste. Read more.
What is the global outlook on bottled water and corporate control of water resources?
The United Nations warns that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population – more than five billion people– will lack access to water. There are many causes, from pollution to overuse, and corporations have contributed to all of them. Now some corporations are seeking to profit from water itself by bottling it and turning it into a $100 billion global market. Read more.
Where can I find a list of groups and cities working on this issue?
On our Endorsers Page you can find a list of groups and cities working on this issue with links to reports and information on related campaigns.
Where can I read news about Think Outside the Bottle and the bottled water industry?
Continue checking back to our Press Room for the latest coverage.
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Check out events near you
Find an event near you or tell us about your Tap Water Challenge, World Water Challenge or Think Outside the Bottle house party. see the events page for more details. |
Seventy-four percent of Americans drink bottled water, and one in five drinks only bottled water.