This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Ban The Bottle

Joe McGowan

The popularity of bottled water seems to be going down the drain. In the past year, the mayors of several U.S. cities have asked people to turn on the tap and drink city water instead of bottled.

Some cities have even passed laws encouraging the drinking of tap water. In June, Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, California, signed a bill prohibiting city offices from buying bottled water. Rocky Anderson, the mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, has also banned bottled-water use in government buildings. In New York City and Los Angeles, California, ads promote tap water as a better-tasting and healthier choice than bottled H2O.

Why all the fuss about plastic bottles? Many people believe that producing and using bottled water wastes money and harms the environment. They say that bottled water is unnecessary because public water supplies in the U.S. are among the best--and safest--in the world. "Utilities spend millions of dollars to deliver clean, safe, affordable water right to the kitchen sink," says Susan Leal, general manager of San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission. "Relying on bottles that use lots of energy to produce just makes no sense."

It takes about 1.5 million barrels of oil a year--enough to fuel 100,000 cars--to make the 38 million plastic water bottles Americans use in that time. Oil is a fossil fuel that creates pollution as it burns. And, instead of being recycled, some 86% of empty water bottles land in the garbage and then in landfills, where they take years to decompose.

The makers of bottled water argue that plastic bottles make up a small portion of the nation's total waste. They says it's unfair to single out their product when so many other items are packaged in plastic containers. To lessen the impact plastic bottles have on the environment, some companies have begun to use thinner bottles.

Still, environmentalists want to encourage people to give up the bottle. San Franciscans who sign an online pledge not to buy bottled water get a free reusable container. One consumer rights group is petitioning Congress to create a fund that will pay for upgrades to the country's public water systems. Clearly, the bottled water debate will continue flowing.

Next: A Time To Serve