Sales of
bottled water have quadrupled in
the past twenty years. In just the US, sales accountedfor $11.7
billion in 2007, which was the year of record sales. More and more people make
health-conscious decisions to buy water instead of soda,
sugary juices, and caffeinated drinks. However, one liter of bottled water
produces as much as half a pound of greenhouse gases once the plastic is
produced and the product shipped halfway around the world. With all the
water consumed in the US, you could power 250,000 homes
for a year. It's a drain on and an
unnecessary use of resources.
Bottled
water can be useful, though. For example, it provides a healthy alternative at large events because people will
need to buy something to drink. In areas without access to clean water sources, bottled water is
beneficial. Yet too many people reach for bottled water instead of tap water at
home. Both bottled water and tap water are equally healthy, and tap water costs
a lot less. In addition, most people would find it difficult to notice any
difference between the two. In taste tests at Ithaca College in New York, tap
water beat out bottled water four out of five times.
Many people
recycle the plastic bottles, which of course helps the environment. But too many
plastic bottles still end up in landfills - in the US, 3900 million pounds
(1770 million kilograms). Many states in the US don't redeem plastic, which worsens the problem. More
importantly, though, people should strive to
reduce their use of resources, reuse resources whenever possible, and lastly
recycle resources. All those empty water bottles simply don't allow that.
Do you agree
or disagree? Why?
1.Tap water is better than bottled
water.
2.There is a big difference in taste
among the varieties of bottled water.
3.I drink at least five bottles of
water every day.
4.Bottled water is a waste of
resources.
5.I recycle the plastic from bottled
water.
Remember how
the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article.
1.More and more people make health-conscious
decisions to buy water...
2.With all the water consumed in the
US, you could...
3.Yet too many people reach for...
4.In addition, most people would find
it difficult to...
5.Many states in the US don't redeem
plastic...
Talk about
the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers!
1.How concerned are you with plastic
bottles and their use of resources? Why?.
2.Will this article cause you to stop
buying bottled water? Why/not?
3.What problem causes the greatest
damage to the environment? Why do you think so?
4.If we continue to use resources and
pollute, what will the world be like in fifty years? Please explain.
5.Were you surprised by how much
Americans pollute? Why/not? How does your country compare
