Should I drink bottled water or use a reusable bottle?

[Evo]

I just want one billion of that. I think I need to start selling water.

 

[turbo]

What really kills me is that the article I posted states WHAT? If they don't make much profit off of water, are they losing money on selling Coke and Pepsi which actually contain ingredients other than water? Where I work a 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi costs $1.15, the 20 ounce bottle of water from Pepsi costs $1.25!

In the US alone, $15 BILLION dollars were spent on bottled water last year. Water they could basically get for free out of a drinking fountain.

Oh, yeah, I believe that selling bottled water makes the no real money. How stupid! You can buy any brand of soft drink here by the bottle and get it cheaper than bottled water. Let's see...fill bottles with tap water from a municipal supply and sell that vs mixing up syrups, flavorings, sweeteners (real or artificial) and carbonating the soda and bottling and selling THAT for less than the water. Hmmm.

Bottled water is a huge, growing, and profitable business and has been for years. Even in towns up here with good tap-water, Poland Springs suckers businesses into water-cooler deals with weekly water jug deliveries. At least that's cheaper than the >$1/bottle deals in the "convenience" stores. A couple of months ago, Staples was selling case-lots of bottles of PS water for cheaper than the stores could buy them, so the proprietor of the local liquor/beverage store bought a whole van-load, broke up the cases and sold individual bottles for a BIG profit. I can't imagine paying a couple of dollars a day to save myself the 10 seconds it takes to fill up a couple of refillable water bottles. $12/minute ($720/hr) is a pretty hefty wage, and even if you pay it a little at a time, it adds up pretty fast. I don't need "convenience" that comes at such a price.

 

[Kurdt]

One of my favourite jokes is about bottled water and could be changed in a campaign to stop people buying bottled water (or at least a particular brand). A comedian was on the subject of perrier nominations for comedy which he was trying to get boycotted as the winner of the tap water award for comedy. He noted that perrier were owned by Nestle, near the top of the list of unethical companies. Unicef have suggested that the milk marketing policies of nestle contribute to the deaths of 1.5 million children every year. So every time you laugh at a perrier nominated act a little baby dies.

So for those who are swayed by the aspirational marketing in the hope they'll have a certain image by buying bottled water might want to think about that.

 

[moose]

I can't stand the taste of tap water or even the taste of brita filtered or whatever water. The best bottled water is Aquafina, Dasani, and Sparkletts. Whem I'm at the gym or at judo, I do refill my bottle with fountain water (instead of bringing 2 or 3 bottles, lol).

 

[Evo]

I can't stand the taste of tap water or even the taste of brita filtered or whatever water. The best bottled water is Aquafina, Dasani, and Sparkletts. Whem I'm at the gym or at judo, I do refill my bottle with fountain water (instead of bringing 2 or 3 bottles, lol).

Moose, those are bottled tap water. Did you read the article in my first post?

 

[MaWM]

I like the taste of bottled water. Well.. some of them. If tap water is all that's available then I don't drink water. Filtered water is ok if you are very thirsty, but a good bottled water I will drink just because I like to. The brand makes a huge difference.

 

[moose]

Moose, those are bottled tap water. Did you read the article in my first post?

I don't care if they get it from filtering cow urine. It tastes so much better than any tap water or home filtered water I've ever had. Isn't Aquafina water tap water that has gone through their filtering system?

Anyway, people who think all water tastes the same and try to force that upon others are extremely ignorant. Just because they think it all tastes the same, does not mean that I do.

Also, Arrowhead is the worst water in the world. It tastes so bad. Ugh!

I like the taste of bottled water. Well.. some of them. If tap water is all that's available then I don't drink water. Filtered water is ok if you are very thirsty, but a good bottled water I will drink just because I like to. The brand makes a huge difference.

Exactly how I feel.

 

[arildno]

OK I'm bored I'll bite

You mean fresh from a mountain spring? I don't know, I would challenge that, but I'm not 100% sure, I'm just going buy the environment agencies propaganda, it ought to be true they are scientists, well those in the field are. I hear that our drinking water is subjected to such rigorous purity measures and tests that is actually comes out with less particulates than bottled water, less radioactivity, less organisms, etc. Could be wrong though.

Anyway fact is no one gets ill from drinking our water unless it's contaminated after the source, so bottled water is a rather pretentious luxury as are water filters really unless you live in high limestone/chalk areas.

mmm..there aren't many mountains in Oslo, but hundreds of lakes here (about 60% of Oslo are woodlands area).
Some of those lakes provide our drinking water.

Some humus cleansing does occur, but in general, the water quality is so good that little else is needed.

 

[K.J.Healey]

Michigan has really good tap water. I guess its some of the best in the country.(Detroit area). I'm not really sure why, unless its just great filtration plants.
I'll drink tap water but I prefer bottled because:
1. It DOES taste better, or should I say tastes less. Ice Mountain is my water of choice.
2. Convinient. I keep bottles in the fridge. This makes it easy to access when busy.
3. Bottles are cold. Tapwater is not that cold. Its OK, but not what I want to drink when I get back from KungFu.
4. Portable. I can take it in my car. Sure I can get some big thick plastic waterbottle that I have to wash every other day to carry with me. OR I can use small bottles that are fresh each day, and just recycle them when I get home.

Just to add: When I worked in the desert and drank a LOT more than I do in michigan, I would buy a water each day, and then fill it up from the water cooler. I was fine with that, I didn't want to waste any plastic or money. They just say not to reuse it too much due to the bacteria.

 

[K.J.Healey]

PS:
Someone should make an in-line tap cooling system like water coolers have. Basically like they have for some hot-water heaters at the sink level (the small spout for tea-temp water). Same for cold, I'd much rather drink tap water if it came out ice cold.

 

[BobG]

What really kills me is that the article I posted states WHAT? If they don't make much profit off of water, are they losing money on selling Coke and Pepsi which actually contain ingredients other than water? Where I work a 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi costs $1.15, the 20 ounce bottle of water from Pepsi costs $1.25!

In the US alone, $15 BILLION dollars were spent on bottled water last year. Water they could basically get for free out of a drinking fountain.

Marketing - the ancient art of fooling people.

So when do they come out with dehydrated water? It would be easier to pack for trips. One bottle and several packets of dehydrated water.

 

[K.J.Healey]

Ohh that gave me a great marketing product for Pop companies!
Dehydrated soda! You take a bottle of their $1.50 water, and add a $0.50 packet to make your own soda. Basically like coolaid, but you'd have to have some reagent that reacts with water to make it release co2. That way when you're hiking in the woods and need a refreshing drink, you can have a Coke! Thats what they want right? To replace water? I can be a millionaire...

 

[Evo]

When I was growing up we had fruit flavored tablets called
"Fizzies" that you dropped into a glass of water and it created a carbonated fruit flavored drink. I loved them.

Oh my, they're back!

http://www.fizzies.com/

 

[turbo]

PS:
Someone should make an in-line tap cooling system like water coolers have. Basically like they have for some hot-water heaters at the sink level (the small spout for tea-temp water). Same for cold, I'd much rather drink tap water if it came out ice cold.

All you need are some empty soda bottles or something similar. Party fill with tap water, shake to oxygenate, and stick them in the fridge. It's just a matter of making it a routine, and you'll have nice cool drinking water available anytime. Pour the water from a bottle to a glass and avoid the bacteria problem (don't drink from the bottles) and the bottles will last a LONG time. There is no need to buy special chillers for drinking water when most of us have nice refrigerators already.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

mmm..there aren't many mountains in Oslo, but hundreds of lakes here (about 60% of Oslo are woodlands area).
Some of those lakes provide our drinking water.

Some humus cleansing does occur, but in general, the water quality is so good that little else is needed.

I had some friends visit Norway this year and they said the natural water purity was amazing, it was literally tasteless and very very cold, probably part of the reason. It's not something I'm an expert on which is why I'm reserving judgement until I see a comparative test until then I'll believe the hype but won't be making any firm assertions.

 

[turbo]

When I was growing up we had fruit flavored tablets called
"Fizzies" that you dropped into a glass of water and it created a carbonated fruit flavored drink. I loved them.

Oh my, they're back!

http://www.fizzies.com/

Fizzies? I hated those things! They ended up tasting nothing like Kist strawberry or orange sodas or Coke. More like someone threw an Alka-Seltzer into a glass of Kool-Aid.

That was back in the day when Coke was so heavily carbonated that it had to be distributed in very thick bottles. And if you drank Coke too fast, the phosphoric acid would irritate your sinuses. My grandfather had a heavy-equipment repair business, and he had a little cooler that dispensed 6-oz cokes for 3 cents each. It was originally 1 cent each, but by 1962 or so, the price increases had caught up with him and you had to put in 3 pennies to get a Coke. He insisted that you drink the Coke right there and put the empty bottle in the wooden crate because Coke wasn't making those bottles anymore and the local bottler needed all those tiny bottles they could get if they wanted to keep putting out runs of that size.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Aw poor old Coke they were always struggling what ever happened to them?

Actually I don't like Coke it's too sweet, I prefer non brand cokes or even Pepsi if there's nowt else.

 

[arildno]

I had some friends visit Norway this year and they said the natural water purity was amazing, it was literally tasteless and very very cold, probably part of the reason. It's not something I'm an expert on which is why I'm reserving judgement until I see a comparative test until then I'll believe the hype but won't be making any firm assertions.

One shouldn't drink water coming from the underside of glaciers, though..far too much minerals in it..(lots of crushed rock..)

 

[Evo]

Actually I don't like Coke it's too sweet, I prefer non brand cokes or even Pepsi if there's nowt else.

I find Pepsi too sweet, so I prefer Coke, but I drink diet Coke. Diet Pepsi has a funny taste.

 

[turbo]

Aw poor old Coke they were always struggling what ever happened to them?

Actually I don't like Coke it's too sweet, I prefer non brand cokes or even Pepsi if there's nowt else.

Coke (in the 60's) used to be potent and snappy-tasting. Later, they got into price-wars with Pepsi, stopped using cane sugar and switched to corn syrup for sweetening then eventually morphed into the cloying bland crap they are today. In the 60's you could not gulp Coke like today's fountain drinks. You sipped it, so that it wouldn't come fizzing out of your nose and burning out your sinuses. Strawberry and Orange Kist and 7-Up were a bit milder, but still WAY potent compared to today's watered-down sodas.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

One shouldn't drink water coming from the underside of glaciers, though..far too much minerals in it..(lots of crushed rock..)

Oh don't worry they had a water purifier as well, pump action dealy. One of them's a bit of a Ray Mears type, know's everything about survival, probably could survive without food or water in any environment, given a television crew and a mobile

Aye Turbo, they no doubt ruined it.

Evo I don't really like Pepsi either but if there's no choice?

You can literally feel Coke eating away at your teeth, I believe even in diet stuff it is pretty enamel damaging. Not a Coke fan, I really prefer mixed fruit drinks, like Um Bungo, or Fanta: Fruit Twist, there sweet but at least they have a bit more flavour than cola.

 

[Evo]

About the only soda I drink anymore is Fresca, it's grapefruit flavored, crisp and tart, not sweet.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Now your talking I'm a big fan of grapefruit juice

Why are grapefruit called grapefruit I wonder?

 

[Evo]

Now your talking I'm a big fan of grapefruit juice

Why are grapefruit called grapefruit I wonder?

Good question, they sure don't resemble grapes in any way.

 

[moose]

About the only soda I drink anymore is Fresca, it's grapefruit flavored, crisp and tart, not sweet.

It used to be so much better, but then they slightly changed it...

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Why are grapefruit called grapefruit I wonder?

From the OED:

grapefruit ("greIpfru:t). Also grape-fruit. [f. grape
n.1 + fruit n.; so called because it grows in clusters.]

On the other hand, the first quotation in the same OED article is:

1814 J. Lunan Hortus Jamaicensis II. 171 The shaddock
was originally regarded by Linneus as only a variety of the
orange... There is a variety known by the name of grape-fruit
on account of its resemblance in flavour to the grape; this
fruit is not near so large as the shaddock.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Actually I don't like Coke it's too sweet.

I note that Coke (and most national brands) has less sugar in it than the local brands. A can of Coke has around 28 grams of sugar I believe. But the local stuff has 40 and up. The most I have seen is 48 grams. Fruit juices also have much more sugar than Coke. Even Coke at 28 grams is overwhelmingly sweet. I wonder if there is a market for less sweet soda.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Ohh that gave me a great marketing product for Pop companies!
Dehydrated soda! You take a bottle of their $1.50 water, and add a $0.50 packet to make your own soda. Basically like coolaid, but you'd have to have some reagent that reacts with water to make it release co2. That way when you're hiking in the woods and need a refreshing drink, you can have a Coke! Thats what they want right? To replace water? I can be a millionaire...

No you can't.
http://www.sodaclubusa.com/default.htm

 

[J77]

Shamefully, I only drink bottled water -- tho' I have tried to argue the environmental benefits of tap water with my gf -- plus I told her the plastic makes you impotent -- she was having none of it

 

[ranger]

I was just watching the news this morning and NYC is among the best cities in the country with healthy tap water.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

I note that Coke (and most national brands) has less sugar in it than the local brands. A can of Coke has around 28 grams of sugar I believe. But the local stuff has 40 and up. The most I have seen is 48 grams. Fruit juices also have much more sugar than Coke. Even Coke at 28 grams is overwhelmingly sweet. I wonder if there is a market for less sweet soda.

Remember I live in the UK, You'd have to provide a link to sugar in colas before I'd believe that, I've heard the opposite you see. I know they use inordinate amounts of sugar because they did a documentary on Coke and colas in general. I never liked it anyway, the documentary explained why, I grew out of my sweet tooth ages ago. Apparently the ridiculous amount of sugar has to do with balancing out the bitter taste of the phosphoric acid and the caffeine. I stopped drinking Coke age 12. The last time I drank it was in a whiskey I tend to go for natural fruit juices in general, where I can be sure there is no sugar added, even if they are very sweet.

I don't no why people defend Coke? Aren't they one of the axis of evil of business?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

You'd have to provide a link to sugar in colas before I'd believe that, I've heard the opposite you see.

Here is a link. The figure of 28 grams in my previous post is a mistake. I think that is the figure on the 2 liter bottle for the amount of sugar in 8 oz. of soda, while a can contains 12 oz. I will look into this a little closer next time I see a bottle of a local brand of soda. In the link you will see that while Coke has around 40 grams of sugar per can, it is relatively low on the list compared to other sodas and fruit juices. I was taken aback by the standard deviations in the data.
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/scripts/popreslt.pl

 

[J77]

"oz."s don't sit well with us British folk either

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

"oz."s don't sit well with us British folk either

An oz. is a measure of liquid volume equal to 0.00017361111 barrels, OK? Look 200 years ago we bloodied your noses because you were forcing us to use the metric system without representation. Get over it.

 

[J77]

An oz. is a measure of liquid volume equal to 0.00017361111 barrels, OK? Look 200 years ago we bloodied your noses because you were forcing us to use the metric system without representation. Get over it.

Pah -- you were all Europeans back then