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There are a real disadvantage that may come from allowing children to drink water from the fountain at school. Read to find out what that is.

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This story is part of a special series that explores the global water crisis. For more clean water news, photos, and information, visit National Geographic's Freshwater Web site.

As the U.S. taste for bottled water grows, environmentalists have been trying to sell people on good old-fashioned-and free-tap water.

But tap water's place in schools is thorny, since some experts say children should actually be drinking more bottled water to head off two stubborn health threats: obesity due to sugary drinks and lead poisoning.

"If children go from sugary beverages to bottled water, you get a benefit to public health, but not so much the environment," said Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.

"If they go from sugar beverages to [clean] tap water, you get a public health home run and environmental home run."

Bottled water is a drain on the environment: The U.S. public goes through about 50 billion water bottles a year, and most of those plastic containers are not recycled, according to Elizabeth Royte's 2008 book Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It. Transporting the bottles and keeping them cold also burns fossil fuels, which give off greenhouse gases.

Groundwater pumping by bottled-water companies also draws heavily on underground aquifers and harms watersheds, according to the environmental nonprofit the Sierra Club. And a 2008 investigation by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found some bottled water is sullied with untested industrial chemicals, and may not necessarily be cleaner than tap water.

(Related: "Bottled Water Isn't Healthier Than Tap, Report Reveals.")
Lead Dangers

But switching to tap water could be a bad idea in some schools where the risk of lead contamination from old pipes-known to affect physical and mental development-is high, particularly in large urban areas such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

For instance in September 2009, the Associated Press published a nationwide investigation showing that the drinking water in schools in 27 states is contaminated with lead and other toxic substances from lead-soldered pipes generally installed before 1985.

(Related: "Cocaine, Spices, Hormones Found in Drinking Water.")

Schools that rely on their own wells are subject to regular testing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But the agency does not regulate drinking-water quality for the rest of the nation's schools, which get their water from local utilities.

Most school districts do not test their water because of the costs associated with lead remediation, said Marc Edwards, a civil engineer at Virginia Tech.

"Even when we offer to do the analysis for free, the majority of schools don't want to know," Edwards said.

But some solutions are much less costly than replacing a whole pipe system, he said. Those range from putting filters on taps to remove lead, to flushing water fountains after a period of stagnation.

Still, for some school districts, the most cost-effective measure may be providing kids with bottled water.

In 2007, Baltimore City public schools switched their entire system to bottled water after a study of 84 randomly selected water fountains found 10 with lead levels high than the EPA's cutoff of 20 parts per billion. The school district decided it would be cheaper to provide bottled water than testing and remediation efforts.

Edwards applauds Baltimore's decision.

"I'm a huge proponent of tap water, but if your child going to one of schools where pieces of lead are falling into the tap water on a random basis, that risk pales in comparison to the small cost of bottled water."
Sugar High

Margo Wootan, director of nutrition for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), added that environmental groups that have demonized bottled water should refocus their campaigns on all bottled beverages, including soda.

"Environmentalists place a higher burden on people who drink water instead of soda, and that isn't fair," Wootan said.

School beverages, particularly sugar-laden soda and sports drinks sold in vending machines, have come under increasing fire from nutrition-advocacy groups such as CSPI.

Obesity rates among children aged 6 to 11 have more than doubled in the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2006 study by Harvard nutritionists found sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is linked to higher body weight among adolescents.

"Soda in schools has been such a huge problem for the last couple of decades, and getting rid of sugar-sweetened beverages and shifting to bottled water should be a top priority," Wootan said.

The School Nutrition Association is also advocating for the elimination of all sugar-sweetened beverages from all schools when Congress takes up the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act in March 2010.

Low-fat milk, 100-percent juices, and bottled water are the new recommended beverages for school meal programs and vending machines.

But other health experts intend to keep fighting for tap water.

"There's more demand for bottled water now in schools, and the beverage industry says they have public health in mind," Yale's Brownell said. "But we're hoping to do a big campaign to encourage consumption of tap water instead."

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What's Best for Kids: Bottled Water or Fountains?

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This story is part of a special series that explores the global water crisis. For more clean water news, photos, and information, visit National Geographic's Freshwater Web site. As the U.S. taste for bottled water grows, environmentalists have been trying to sell people on good old-fashioned-and free-tap water.

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scholastic article

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Would Banning Water Bottles Help or Hurt the Planet? Video 

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Would Banning Water Bottles Help or Hurt the Planet? Video 

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Would Banning Plastic Bottles Help or Hurt the Planet?

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Bottled water always there when you need it. Video 

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Bottled water always there when you need it. Video 

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Bottled Water - Always There When You Need It

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Bottled Water Helps People Save Calories and Water

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What are some advantages of bottled water 

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What are some advantages of bottled water 

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What Are Some Advantages of Bottled Water?

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While some people might argue that it’s silly to spend money on something you can get for…

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Research shows bottled water bans bad for your health

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Research shows bottled water bans bad for your health

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Bottled Water, Environmental Issues, Health
Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, announced in 2013 that they would ban bottled water sales on campus in an effort to be more green. Dozens of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada have instituted similar bans; however, new research shows that banning bottled water sales have actually caused greater health problems with no environmental improvement.

The American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) published the study "The Unintended Consequences of Changes in Beverage Options and the Removal of Bottled Water on a University Campus," which concludes that bans and restrictions on bottled water sales lead to more consumption of unhealthy beverages and plastic waste. The study examined beverage sales and plastic waste at the University of Vermont (UVM).

Health Impacts of Bottled Water Bans

College students are constantly on the go, so campuses that offer bottled water for purchase provide a healthy, convenient, low-cost product that keeps students hydrated. When bottled water is not available in campus community centers or vending machines, however, the consumption of sugary and caffeinated beverages increases significantly. In the UVM study, unhealthy beverage sales increased by 25 percent.

Sugary beverages-even beverages with artificial sweeteners-are hard on the human body. High sugar intake from soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks can lead to obesity, diabetes, fatigue, poor focus, difficulty recalling information, and dehydration.

Environmental Effects from Bottled Water Restrictions

The whole purpose for restricting bottled water sales on college campuses was to reduce plastic waste by encouraging students and staff to fill reusable water bottles from the tap. The AJPH study shows that removing bottled water from campuses has had the opposite effect. At UVM, there was an 8.5 percent increase in the amount of plastic bottles entering the waste stream.

Chris Hogan, Vice President of Communications for the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) cites data from the EPA, saying that bottled water containers are the most highly recycled containers in curbside programs.

"These bans are a misguided attempt to deal with a waste issue that would be better addressed through efforts to increase the recycling rates of all packaged drinks. ... [P]lastic water bottles make up less than one-third of one percent of U.S. waste stream. So, getting rid of bottled water on campus will not make a significant improvement to waste issues," Hogan said.

Long-Term Implications of Bottled Water Sales Limitations

Since the publication of the study at UVM, IWBA has noticed an increasing number of social media posts that indicate similar results are found at other colleges and universities that have restricted or banned the sale of bottled water on campus. Although efforts have been made at these institutions to encourage reusable water bottles, such as installing goose-neck spouts at water fountains and giving away free water bottles to students, the data show people are not using these alternatives. In fact, they are consuming less healthy beverages and improperly disposing even more plastic waste. Furthermore, bottled water bans inhibit students' freedom of choice when it comes to selecting the healthiest beverage option from vending machines and community centers.

"Telling students that they cannot buy bottled water is a step backwards, especially with the growing rates of obesity and diabetes in the U.S," Hogan said. "I would encourage students and schools, if they want to make a real difference for the environment, to focus their efforts of improving recycling rates of all beverages, not single out one the healthiest drinks on the shelf."

Learn more about the AJPH study on the effects of school water bans.

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New Research Shows Bottled Water Bans Bad for Your Health and the Environment | Crystal Clear Bottled Water

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Bottled Water, Environmental Issues, Health Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, announced in 2013 that they would ban bottled water sales on campus in an effort to be more green. Dozens of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada have instituted similar bans; however, new research shows that banning bottled water sales have actually caused greater health problems with no environmental improvement.

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Author: Catherine Clarke Fox
Source: National Geographic Kids

If your family is like many, unloading the week's groceries includes hauling a case or two of bottled water into your home. On your way to a soccer game or activity, it's easy to grab a cold one right out of the fridge, right?

But all those plastic bottles use a lot of fossil fuels and pollute the environment. In fact, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, adding 29 billion water bottles a year to the problem. In order to make all these bottles, manufacturers use 17 million barrels of crude oil. That's enough oil to keep a million cars going for twelve months.

Imagine a water bottle filled a quarter of the way up with oil. That's about how much oil was needed to produce the bottle.

So why don't more people drink water straight from the kitchen faucet? Some people drink bottled water because they think it is better for them than water out of the tap, but that's not true. In the United States, local governments make sure water from the faucet is safe. There is also growing concern that chemicals in the bottles themselves may leach into the water.

People love the convenience of bottled water. But maybe if they realized the problems it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carrying water in a refillable steel container instead of plastic.

Plastic bottle recycling can help-instead of going out with the trash, plastic bottles can be turned into items like carpeting or cozy fleece clothing.

Unfortunately, for every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin. The rest are sent to landfills. Or, even worse, they end up as trash on the land and in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Plastic bottles take many hundreds of years to disintegrate.

Water is good for you, so keep drinking it. But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change.

And yes, you can make a difference. Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.

Read article in National Geographic Kids

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Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap? - Cool Australia

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Author: Catherine Clarke Fox Source: National Geographic Kids If your family is like many, unloading the week's groceries includes hauling a case or two of bottled water into your home. On your way to a soccer game or activity, it's easy to grab a cold one right out of the fridge, right?

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What is best for kids, bottled water or fountains? 

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What is best for kids, bottled water or fountains? 

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This story is part of a special series that explores the global water crisis. For more clean water news, photos, and information, visit National Geographic's Freshwater Web site.

As the U.S. taste for bottled water grows, environmentalists have been trying to sell people on good old-fashioned-and free-tap water.

But tap water's place in schools is thorny, since some experts say children should actually be drinking more bottled water to head off two stubborn health threats: obesity due to sugary drinks and lead poisoning.

"If children go from sugary beverages to bottled water, you get a benefit to public health, but not so much the environment," said Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.

"If they go from sugar beverages to [clean] tap water, you get a public health home run and environmental home run."

Bottled water is a drain on the environment: The U.S. public goes through about 50 billion water bottles a year, and most of those plastic containers are not recycled, according to Elizabeth Royte's 2008 book Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It. Transporting the bottles and keeping them cold also burns fossil fuels, which give off greenhouse gases.

Groundwater pumping by bottled-water companies also draws heavily on underground aquifers and harms watersheds, according to the environmental nonprofit the Sierra Club. And a 2008 investigation by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found some bottled water is sullied with untested industrial chemicals, and may not necessarily be cleaner than tap water.

(Related: "Bottled Water Isn't Healthier Than Tap, Report Reveals.")
Lead Dangers

But switching to tap water could be a bad idea in some schools where the risk of lead contamination from old pipes-known to affect physical and mental development-is high, particularly in large urban areas such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

For instance in September 2009, the Associated Press published a nationwide investigation showing that the drinking water in schools in 27 states is contaminated with lead and other toxic substances from lead-soldered pipes generally installed before 1985.

(Related: "Cocaine, Spices, Hormones Found in Drinking Water.")

Schools that rely on their own wells are subject to regular testing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But the agency does not regulate drinking-water quality for the rest of the nation's schools, which get their water from local utilities.

Most school districts do not test their water because of the costs associated with lead remediation, said Marc Edwards, a civil engineer at Virginia Tech.

"Even when we offer to do the analysis for free, the majority of schools don't want to know," Edwards said.

But some solutions are much less costly than replacing a whole pipe system, he said. Those range from putting filters on taps to remove lead, to flushing water fountains after a period of stagnation.

Still, for some school districts, the most cost-effective measure may be providing kids with bottled water.

In 2007, Baltimore City public schools switched their entire system to bottled water after a study of 84 randomly selected water fountains found 10 with lead levels high than the EPA's cutoff of 20 parts per billion. The school district decided it would be cheaper to provide bottled water than testing and remediation efforts.

Edwards applauds Baltimore's decision.

"I'm a huge proponent of tap water, but if your child going to one of schools where pieces of lead are falling into the tap water on a random basis, that risk pales in comparison to the small cost of bottled water."
Sugar High

Margo Wootan, director of nutrition for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), added that environmental groups that have demonized bottled water should refocus their campaigns on all bottled beverages, including soda.

"Environmentalists place a higher burden on people who drink water instead of soda, and that isn't fair," Wootan said.

School beverages, particularly sugar-laden soda and sports drinks sold in vending machines, have come under increasing fire from nutrition-advocacy groups such as CSPI.

Obesity rates among children aged 6 to 11 have more than doubled in the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2006 study by Harvard nutritionists found sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is linked to higher body weight among adolescents.

"Soda in schools has been such a huge problem for the last couple of decades, and getting rid of sugar-sweetened beverages and shifting to bottled water should be a top priority," Wootan said.

The School Nutrition Association is also advocating for the elimination of all sugar-sweetened beverages from all schools when Congress takes up the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act in March 2010.

Low-fat milk, 100-percent juices, and bottled water are the new recommended beverages for school meal programs and vending machines.

But other health experts intend to keep fighting for tap water.

"There's more demand for bottled water now in schools, and the beverage industry says they have public health in mind," Yale's Brownell said. "But we're hoping to do a big campaign to encourage consumption of tap water instead."

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What's Best for Kids: Bottled Water or Fountains?

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This story is part of a special series that explores the global water crisis. For more clean water news, photos, and information, visit National Geographic's Freshwater Web site. As the U.S. taste for bottled water grows, environmentalists have been trying to sell people on good old-fashioned-and free-tap water.

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Plastic Water Bottle Pollution: Where do they all End Up? 

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Plastic Water Bottle Pollution: Where do they all End Up? 

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Toss your plastic bottled water habit for good! A cultural shift can change the way plastic water bottles affect our environment.

Break your bottled water habit by filling your cabinet with 100% BPA-free, stainless steel water bottles that will not only help you improve the health of the environment, but will also be safer and better for your own health as well.

Ditch the habit: Make sure to stock your home with plenty of reusable stainless steel water bottles that will improve the environment and your health.

Purchase a water filter: Purchase a water filter to keep in your refrigerator and use it every morning to refill your reusable water bottles for the day.

Raise awareness: Tell your friends and family about the impact bottled water is having on our environment. Encourage your workplace to ban plastic water bottles, and educate your children about the positive impact they have on the environment when they use reusable stainless steel bottles.

Find alternatives: It's not just plastic water bottles that are causing environmental harm. Try to find household items, such as soap and cleaning supplies that are in environmentally-friendly packaging.

Recycle: When you do use a plastic bottle, make sure that you recycle it. When you see an empty, used water bottle sitting on the street or in a park, pick it up and recycle it.

Use water fountains: Ask your local representative if your county can install more water fountains so people in your community can refill reusable bottles more easily.

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Plastic Water Bottle Pollution: Where do all the Bottles End Up?

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Toss your plastic bottled water habit for good! A cultural shift can change the way plastic water bottles affect our environment. Break your bottled water habit by filling your cabinet with 100% BPA-free, stainless steel water bottles that will not only help you improve the health of the environment, but will also be safer and better for your own health as well.

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SHOULD you ever travel to one of the many uninhabited* islands that dot the most remote reaches of Earth's oceans, chances are you'll find plastic bottles littering the shore.

Even if there's nothing else to be found there, civilisation's obsession with plastic waste is having a profound impact on every corner of the globe. And it's getting worse.

One million plastic bottles are bought every minute around the globe, fuelled by our insatiable* thirst for bottled water.

Figures obtained by UK based newspaper The Guardian show the annual sale of plastic bottles will soar* to a staggering one trillion by the end of this decade - a 20 per cent increase.

Most of those bottles end up in landfill*, where they take a significant time to break down, or in the ocean where they kill marine life.

A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in January found the equivalent of a garbage truck worth of plastic bottles was being dumped into the ocean every minute.

"(Without change), the ocean is expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish (by weight)."

Even if recycled, the sheer number of them being produced means conservation efforts are struggling to keep up.

Figures show that 480 billion plastic bottles were produced globally in 2016 and less than half of those were recycled. Of those collected, just seven per cent were reused as drinking bottles.

"Although plastic bottles are recyclable, many end up in landfill and take up to 1000 years to break down," according to Clean Up Australia Day.

"When littered they often end up in the sea where they break up in small pieces, killing marine life that mistake them for food."

The organisation reports that of all the waste collected by its volunteers, 10 per cent of items are plastic bottles.

"By avoiding bottled water and refilling your own bottle you can help conserve virgin* resources and protect our pristine nature," it said.

While hard to believe, producing one litre of bottled water typically requires three litres of water in the manufacturing and transport.

Experts in the United States say the oil required in meeting the country's manufacturing demand for bottles is the same as the fuel required to power 1.3 million cars for a year.
TIPS TO REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE
1. Carry a metal water or re-usable water bottle with you

2. Take a green bag or calico bag with you when you go grocery shopping to avoid plastic bags

3. Read the label on bottles and put recyclable ones in the right bin

GLOSSARY
uninhabited: no one lives there
insatiable: never ending
soar: increase greatly

landfill: buried or piled waste
virgin: pristine and untouched
LISTEN TO TODAY'S STORY CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES Activity 1. How many?
How many plastic bottles are bought per minute around the globe?

Figure out how many bottles are sold around the world in:

* 45 minutes

* One hour

* Six and a half hours

* A day

Extension:
How many bottles would be sold around the world each day if everyone reduced of bottles they bought by:

* Half

* A third

* A quarter
Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity Curriculum links: Mathematics Activity 2.
After reading the story, list all of the problems that are caused by plastic bottles.
Then think of at least three things that can be done, actions, to solve these problems.

One action must be something our government could do, one action should be something your local community or school can do and one action should be something that you can do.
Write a description of each action and why it would help.
Extension:
In some countries people are using more bottled water because they may not have clean or safe water to drink.
Find out what has caused this problem in some countries.

Use this information to create a storyboard or script for a TV or radio ad.
The purpose of your ad is to help our community understand why clean or safe drinking water is important and what we can do to keep our water clean and safe.
Time: allow 85 minutes to complete this activity Curriculum links: Critical and Creative Thinking, Geography, Media Arts VCOP ACTIVITY(Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers, Punctuation)
The glossary of terms helps you to understand and learn the ambitious vocabulary being used in the article.
Can you use the words outlined in the glossary to create new sentences? Challenge yourself to include other VCOP elements in your sentence/s.

Have another look through the article, can you find any other Wow Words not outlined in the glossary?

Extension: Can you up-level the article and add in any other Wow words?
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity Curriculum links: English, Big Write, VCOP EXTRA RESOURCES TURNING FOOD SCRAPS INTO ENERGY
REMOTE ISLAND PLAGUED BY PLASTIC

TRAM TRASH TO TREASURE

FACTS BEHIND A FURPHY
WOULD YOU WEAR PET HAIR?

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SHOULD you ever travel to one of the many uninhabited* islands that dot the most remote reaches of Earth's oceans, chances are you'll find plastic bottles littering the shore. Even if there's nothing else to be found there, civilisation's obsession with plastic waste is having a profound impact on every corner of the globe.

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One late-summer day, a team of cleanup volunteers was exploring the shore of the Anacostia River, in Washington, D.C. The water rippled under a hazy blue sky. Tall grass swayed on the mudflats. But something else caught the group's eye.

Along the shore were heaps of plastic bottles. They had drifted down the river and gotten caught in branches that dipped into the water. The more the group looked, the more bottles they found. They gathered about 500 that day. But how many more had made it downstream and into the ocean?

The world has a plastics problem, and not just with bottles. Candy wrappers, straws, toothbrushes, toys-all kinds of plastics are piling up in landfills. A recent study published in Science Advances estimates that landfills contain a large part of the world's 5 billion tons of plastic waste. By 2050, the amount could reach 13 billion tons.

INDRANIL MUKHERJEE-AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Governments are realizing that recycling may not be enough. Many want to eliminate some plastic items altogether. It could have a huge impact on the planet. "The problem can seem overwhelming," says Wallace. "But it's a solvable problem."

Plastic Pollution

Plastic litters beaches. Whales have been entangled in discarded plastic fishing nets. Plastic packing bands have strangled sea lions. Birds have starved, with bellies full of plastic straws and bottle caps.

Yet another danger is harder to see. Sunlight causes plastic to become brittle. Ocean waves then break the plastic down into smaller pieces. These bits collect pollutants already in the sea. Marine animals that eat them are poisoned.

ARFA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The Last Straw

"It's everyone's responsibility to make sure that plastic products are disposed of properly," Ashley Stoney says. She works for the Plastics Industry Association. But not all types of plastic can be recycled. Stoney says companies should find a way to make and use plastics that can be.

In December 2017, 193 countries signed a United Nations pledge to eliminate plastic pollution in the sea. Britain has outlawed the manufacture of products containing microbeads. Rwanda has made plastic bags and packaging illegal, except in hospitals. Scotland and Taiwan have banned plastic straws, and several coastal cities in the U.S. are following suit.

GARY BELL-GETTY IMAGES

"Saying no to a plastic straw is an easy way to make a big difference in the world," Lofflin told TFK.

After all, she says, it's our future that's at stake. "Do we really want to pass on to the next generation a world that's choked by plastic?"

Chew On This

Here's a tasty way to reduce waste. Bakeys, a company in India, has made the first-ever spoons you can eat. Their edible cutlery is made of millet, rice, and wheat. It comes in flavors like ginger-garlic and black pepper, in a paper wrapper. If you throw a spoon away, it decomposes in just a few days.

BI/BARCROFT MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES

Harvard University scientist David Edwards has designed an edible packaging material called WikiCell. It protects the food or liquid inside as a peel protects an orange. The translucent skin is made of food particles from chocolate, fruit, seeds, or nuts, so it's a delicious replacement for plastic wrap.
Assessment: Click for a printable quiz. Teacher subscribers can find the answer key in this week's Teacher's Guide.

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One late-summer day, a team of cleanup volunteers was exploring the shore of the Anacostia River, in Washington, D.C. The water rippled under a hazy blue sky. Tall grass swayed on the mudflats. But something else caught the group's eye....

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No Part of the Ocean Untouched by Humans 

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No Part of the Ocean Untouched by Humans 

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Newsela - No part of ocean untouched by humans, study says

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Human activity, including climate change, increases stress on oceans.

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A giant trash collector to clean up the Pacific garbage patch. 

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A giant trash collector to clean up the Pacific garbage patch. 

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Newsela | Giant floating trash collector sets its sights on large ocean garbage patch

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As much as 9.5 million tons of trash is deposited into the ocean each year.

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Flint residents mad over health problems caused by changing water 

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Flint residents mad over health problems caused by changing water 

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Newsela | Flint residents angry over health issues caused by switch in water supply

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Flints residents pay for water but can't drink it. 

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Flints residents pay for water but can't drink it. 

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Newsela | It's been three years since Flint residents have had access to safe water

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Flints pollution makes effort to promote water benefits

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Flints pollution makes effort to promote water benefits

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Newsela | Got water? Promoting H2O's benefits is a struggle after Flint's nightmare

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National parks reverse their stance on bottled water. 

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National parks reverse their stance on bottled water. 

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Article about national parks ending the ban on plastic water.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Opinion Tap Water is better than bottled water for people and the EARTH

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Opinion Tap Water is better than bottled water for people and the EARTH

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This article is an opinion piece on the benefits of drinking tap water.

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Newsela | Opinion: Turn on the taps! Bottled water industry is bad for the Earth

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Bottled water is a big business that depletes aquifers, harms ecosystems and adds to the garbage disposal problem. Plus, tests show bottled water is no healthier than tap water.

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If you have to use plastic, use it more than once. 

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If you have to use plastic, use it more than once. 

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How one person changed their actions.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.headline
Affect of Plastic Pollution on the Ocean 

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Affect of Plastic Pollution on the Ocean 

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Pollution in the ocean is harmful to the zooplankton according to this article.

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Newsela | Evidence shows that microplastics are harmful to ocean zooplankton

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News ElA article about a change in water bottle policies in the National Parks.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Pollution of the Ocean is a Crisis

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Monday, July 1, 2019

We have all seen the photos: birds nesting in piles of garbage along the shore, fish fatally caught in discarded netting, and huge mosaics of debris floating in the ocean. Even more alarmingly, what we see in these poignant images is only a portion of the problem. Approximately half of all plastic pollution is submerged below the ocean surface, much of it in the form of microplastics so small that we may never be able to clean them up completely.

To cut through the enormity of the ocean pollution crisis, one approach is to focus on something recognizable within these images of debris. Identify something you personally have used that may have ended up in the ocean-a water bottle perhaps. Find one in an image and ask yourself, how did it get there?

Plastic is a human-made, synthetic material that was first discovered more than one hundred years ago but did not broadly enter the public sphere until the 1950s. While currently a major culprit in ocean pollution, plastics are not inherently bad for humans or the environment. In fact, in a United Nations (UN) report on combatting the negative effects of plastics, the head of the UN Environment Programme Erik Solheim made a point to acknowledge that plastic is in fact a "miracle material."

"Thanks to plastics, countless lives have been saved in the health sector, the growth of clean energy from wind turbines and solar panels has been greatly facilitated, and safe food storage has been revolutionized," Solheim wrote in his introduction. Yet plastic bottles are one of the most common items within marine debris. So how did such a promising material become a symbol of human environmental desecration?

Plastic bottles are a single-use plastic, a product designed to be used only once and then discarded. Single-use plastics also include plastic packaging, for example of meats and fresh produce, which accounts for almost half of all plastic pollution. This type of plastic product is distinct from multi-use plastics, which can also pollute the ocean, but tend to amass less frequently due to their multi-use nature.

For example, refillable bottles can store water in a way that does not produce the repeated waste of a single-use plastic water bottle. Refillable bottles can be made of many materials, including plastic, but last much longer than a single-use bottle and can be recycled when they become old or damaged. For both types of bottles, how they are discarded determines their ultimate resting place and whether they become pollutants of the ocean.

A single-use plastic water bottle was manufactured, filled with water, and likely transported to a store, where it sat on a shelf waiting for a thirsty purchaser. Many of us drink out of plastic bottles several times during an average day, week, or month. Once we are finished with it, we have a choice where we leave that bottle:

Recycling bin: Bottles destined for recycling are unlikely to end up in the ocean, in their current form, unless they are mismanaged or lost in transit to a processing facility. However, due to recent limitations in how recyclables are internationally transferred and accepted for processing, many of these bottles will unfortunately end up in landfills rather than recycling facilities.

Trash can: These bottles also will not likely end up, in their current form, in the ocean. However, in areas across the globe with poor waste management or a lack of properly sealed landfills, as a bottle breaks down into microplastic particles over time, some particles may seep into the soil and eventually make their way into our waterways, ultimately entering and polluting the ocean.

Litter: These bottles may very well be carried by wind, storm water, or other processes to sewers, rivers, lakes, and other waterways that may ultimately deposit the bottle in the ocean.

Multi-use plastic bottles face these same pathways at end of their life-but of course this happens much less frequently since they can be used many times.

National Geographic Explorer Heather J. Koldewey works to empower communities around the world to participate in solving the ocean pollution crisis from single-use plastics via incremental individual actions-including a campaign called One Less, which encourages people to stop using single-use plastic water bottles altogether. One Less is currently based in and focused on London, England and its inhabitants, but anyone can make the choice to use one less single-use bottle.

Once in the ocean, a single- or multi-use bottle moves with the wind and ocean currents as it faces the elements. Plastics can take hundreds of years to break down into microplastic, which gives them plenty of time to sail the seas. After a certain amount of time, much of the debris from the coast will have met an oceanic gyre-a large system of rotating currents. The Pacific Garbage Patch, a widely known icon of ocean pollution, is within one of these gyres.

National Geographic Explorer Jenna Romness Jambeck has described the movement of plastics into such ocean gyres. Her work has influenced testimony to U.S. Congress and inspired discussion in the UN regarding policies that may help mitigate the marine debris crisis. She also co-developed an app to encourage public participation in identifying and cleaning up marine debris, including plastics, enabling citizen-science solutions at the grassroots level.

Specifically, Jambeck published research findings in the journal Science that provide details about the amount of plastic that makes its way into the ocean. Jambeck noted in this publication that the quality of waste management within a country substantially influences its contribution to marine pollution. As an immediate action to combat marine pollution, Jambeck and her colleagues suggest that industrialized countries address the growing use of single-use plastics. According to a 2018 UN report, sixty countries have passed such regulations to curb the use of plastic bags and polystyrene foam (commonly called Styrofoam) products.

Hopefully, future government and community solutions to ocean pollution will move toward an end to the crisis. In the meantime, individuals can get involved in citizen-science initiatives like Jambeck's Marine Debris Tracker app and make smart choices about how to use and dispose of plastics, particularly the single-use items that dominate marine debris.

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Monday, July 1, 2019 We have all seen the photos: birds nesting in piles of garbage along the shore, fish fatally caught in discarded netting, and huge mosaics of debris floating in the ocean. Even more alarmingly, what we see in these poignant images is only a portion of the problem.

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When Disaster Strikes Bottled Water is the Hero

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When Disaster Strikes Bottled Water is the Hero

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In 2008, the New York City Council announced that bottled water would no longer be available at city council events or official functions.

A New York Times article covering that initiative stated, "Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a co-sponsor of the resolution, is a self-professed consumer of New York City tap water."

"Not only at home, but at every restaurant," he said. "Every time they say, 'Would you like tap or still?' I say, 'New York City. This is the best water in the world. Restaurants like to sell bottles of water, I understand, but I always drink tap water."

This statement was made before anyone suspected that just a few years later, a hurricane would menace the East Coast with powerful winds and a record storm surge.

Hurricane Sandy has affected millions along the East Coast and caused massive destruction. Recovery efforts are underway and a very familiar friend might be a saving grace in a seemingly hopeless situation: bottled water.

In the wake of Sandy, Bloomberg announced the city would send prepared meals and bottled water to residents having difficulty acquiring food and drink.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently issued an executive order to suspend regulations to allow drinking water donations for New Yorkers affected. The State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued individual waivers of container deposit requirements for water donated by manufacturers and will consider other requests for waivers, according to a news release from the governor's office.

"It is critical that safe drinking water supplies can reach New Yorkers in need as soon as possible," Gov. Cuomo said in the news release. "The actions taken by the state today to help companies distribute bottled water to hard hit communities are the right and practical thing to do, while still protecting the public's health and safety. I thank the companies for their donations to help New Yorkers during this time of emergency."

While plastic water bottles are commonly viewed as the healthy alternative over soda for consumers, concerns about landfill waste have sparked outcry and various bans across the country, pre-hurricane that is.

For example, Concord, MA recently become the first city in the U.S. to ban the sale of single-serving PET bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less in Concord, and stores could be fined up to $50 for violating the ban. The state Attorney General's office has approved the new bylaw. No word on what happens if any type of environmental disaster hits the city and they're left without tap water.
Bottled water industry steps up to the plate
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is working with its member bottlers to deliver supplies of bottled water to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

IBWA member bottlers began preparing to provide substantial supplies of bottled water as the storm approached, according to the news release. Working in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); state, county, and municipal emergency management agencies; and emergency relief partners including the American Red Cross and AmeriCares, IBWA's members are supplying clean and safe drinking water to hurricane victims in New Jersey, New York, and other stricken areas in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

For example, one company has so far delivered 12 truckloads of bottled water to Red Cross warehouses in Middletown and Somerset, New Jersey, for immediate distribution to Jersey Shore towns most in need of clean drinking water. Additionally, through AmeriCares, bottled water has been distributed to The Salvation Army for Nassau County, the Food Bank for New York City, and Vermont food banks to help residents affected by the storm.

Other IBWA members are working through Convoy of Hope, which has deployed a rapid response team, complete with emergency relief supplies, to its Long Beach, New York, distribution facility. The organization is receiving and distributing daily tractor-trailer loads of supplies including bottled water, microwaveable meals, trash bags, and other basic essentials.

The New Jersey Department of Health noted in a recent email to IBWA, "We at NJDOH and the citizens of New Jersey appreciate your organization's and its members' generosity and concern during our time of need."

Nestlé Waters North America announced that five million bottles of water will be arriving to New York and New Jersey communities hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. Approximately 100 trucks will be converging on the region from (NWNA) plants in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas and Maine, where employees are working to meet the acute needs of storm victims. FEMA and the New York Office of Emergency Management made the request for bottled water to meet immediate need in the region.

Nestlé Waters North America is also donating 200,000 bottles of Poland Spring water that had been designated for the NYC Marathon. After the event was cancelled, all of that bottled water is being turned over to relief agencies. This brings total bottled water donations by NWNA to more than 775,000 bottles, most of which have by distributed through disaster relief partners AmeriCares and The American Red Cross.

Walmart has donated roughly one million bottles of water, half going to the five boroughs of New York City and half going to the state of New Jersey.

"The bottled water industry has always been at the forefront of relief efforts during natural disasters and other catastrophic events," said Chris Hogan IBWA VP of communications, in the news release. "Throughout the years, bottled water companies have immediately responded to the need for clean water after disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, flooding, and wildfires; or the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center."

"Having access to safe, clean drinking water is important to everyone's survival, but this becomes paramount during disasters such as this when municipal supplies may become compromised," Hogan continued. "During these times, bottled water is a necessary and reliable option to deliver clean, safe drinking water."

If bottled water bans became widespread, what would happen in times of crisis when clean drinking water is not available? I'm not sure if that is something people consider when they rush to ban various products.

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When disaster strikes, bottled water is the superhero

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In 2008, the New York City Council announced that bottled water would no longer be available at city council events or official functions. A New York Times article covering that initiative stated, "Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a co-sponsor of the resolution, is a self-professed consumer of New York City tap water."

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If you're thinking about stopping by Concord, Mass., you'll want to bring your own reusable bottle. The historic town, which is the birthplace of the Revolutionary War and the home of famous thinker Henry David Thoreau, has a ban the ubiquitous water receptacle.

In Jan. 2013, Concord became the first city in the nation to ban this plastic menace, a charge led by octogenarian Jean Hill and her activist partner Jill Appel.

A documentary of the battle, " Divide in Concord," premiered in July. Proponents of the ban wanted to curb waste and fossil fuel use. According to the Ban the Bottle website, "Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.'s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles - more than $1 billion worth of plastic - are wasted each year."

Meanwhile, opponents (led by Adriana Cohen, a political commentator) called the ban an intrusion on corporate interests as well as "an attack on freedom," EcoWatch notes.

MORE: 37 Ways to Shrink Your Use of Plastic

"You have this supremely educated base of people that are focused on ideals. People know their facts. People were only speaking if they knew what they were talking about, which was refreshing. The overall debate would come down to free commerce versus the environment," documentary director Kris Kaczor says in an interview. "Basically the rights of corporations to make a profit, and for a populous to be able to choose a product that is legal and safe, versus banning a product completely in service of the environment."

After a campaign that lasted three years, the bottle ban activists won. It now states in section 1 of the city's water bottle ban bylaws, "It shall be unlawful to sell non-sparkling, unflavored drinking water in single-serving polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less in the Town of Concord on or after January 1, 2013." Violators of the ban will first receive a warning, a second offense results in a $25 fine, third and following offenses result in a $50 fine per violation.

The debate is still raging and you can read comments surrounding the issue here. For instance, one dissenter of the ban wrote, "I have found, as a resident of Concord, that if I'm out and I or my children want a drink, the only options are sugary drinks!"

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Still, more and more parts of the country are waking up to the unsustainable reality of plastic use. San Francisco recently followed in Concord's path becoming the first major American city to ban plastic bottles, and other activists have been inspired to bring the ban to their own towns. (That's not to mention all the cities and states banning the plastic bottle's pesky cousin: plastic bags.)

Change, slowly but surely, can be made. As Kaczor says about his documentary's leading lady, "At our current state in history, people are becoming pretty apathetic and pessimistic about our ability to change, and this is a true example of how one person can make a difference, potentially and ultimately at a global level."

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The Story of the First American City to Ban the Plastic Water Bottle

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If you're thinking about stopping by Concord, Mass., you'll want to bring your own reusable bottle. The historic town, which is the birthplace of the Revolutionary War and the home of famous thinker Henry David Thoreau, has a ban the ubiquitous water receptacle. In Jan.

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Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know

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After officials repeatedly dismissed claims that Flint’s water was making people sick, residents took action. Here’s how the lead contamination crisis unfolded—and what we can learn from it.

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This article is from Britannica Pro/Con.com

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Americans consumed 14.4 billion gallons of bottled water in 2019, up 3.6% from 2018, in what has been a steadily increasing trend since 2010. In 2016, bottled water outsold soda for the first time and has continued to do so every year since, making it the number one packaged beverage in the United States. 2020 revenue for bottled water was $61.326 million by June 15, and the overall market is expected to grow to $505.19 billion by 2028.

Globally, about 20,000 plastic bottles were bought every second in 2017, the majority of which contained drinking water. More than half of those bottles were not turned in for recycling, and of those recycled, only 7% were turned into new bottles.

In 2013, Concord, MA, became the first US city to ban single-serve plastic water bottles, citing environmental and waste concerns. Since then, many cities, colleges, entertainment venues, and national parks have followed suit, including San Francisco, the University of Vermont, the Detroit Zoo, and the Grand Canyon National Park.

Should Bottled Water Be Banned?

Pro 1

Banning bottled water would reduce waste and protect the environment.

About 70% of plastic water bottles bought in the United States were not recycled in 2015, which means the majority end up in landfills or in the oceans, harming the ecosystem and poisoning animals.

Almost all plastic water bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the raw materials for which are derived from crude oil and natural gas. The Pacific Institute found that producing enough plastic for the bottles of water consumed by Americans in 2006 took about 17 million barrels of oil. Since 2006, American consumption of bottled water has increased 65% from 8.3 billion gallons in 2006 to 13.7 billion gallons in 2017, increasing the need for more plastic water bottles and thus more oil and gas.

Between 2012 and 2016, a ban on plastic water bottles in 23 US National Parks prevented (per year) up to 2 million plastic water bottles being purchased and up to 111,743 pounds of PET being produced.

A nationwide ban on bottled water would lead to an estimated 68 billion fewer plastic water bottles being manufactured, purchased, used, and discarded.
Read More

Pro 2

Banning bottled water is good for your health.

Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and requires weekly testing; tap water is more stringently regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency through multiple daily tests.

A study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that the chemical antimony (Sb) can leach from plastic PET bottles into the water within. After six months storage at room temperature antimony (Sb) concentrations increased on average 90% in 48 brands of water from 11 countries. Exposure to antimony (Sb) can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, higher blood cholesterol, and low blood sugar.

Banning bottled water would reduce the number of plastic bottles manufactured via a process that emits harmful chemicals. Studies indicate that communities living close to PET factories suffer from increased levels of chronic illness and birth defects. In Corpus Christi, TX, where the US' largest PET factory is located, birth defects are 84% higher than the state average.
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Pro 3

Banning bottled water would save money, and public water fountains are convenient and plentiful.

Mathematicians at Penn State University estimate that spending $20 on a reusable water bottle can save the average American up to $1,236 a year. For a family of four that amounts to nearly $5,000.

In San Francisco, where single-use plastic water bottles are banned, 31 water fountains have been added to public areas with 20 more planned. New York City, where Mayor Bill DeBlasio banned single-use water bottles via executive order in Feb. 2020, has 51 water fountains, with another 500 planned by 2025. With public fountains easily available, people can refill reusable water bottles.
Read More

Pro 4

Banning bottled water would protect local water supplies.

Almost 64% of the water being bottled comes from municipal supplies, which can drain water sources relied upon by local communities.

In Michigan, the state allowed Nestlé to pump and bottle clean water from the state's reserves while local residents in Flint fought for access to clean water.

In Pakistan, groundwater levels were depleted in a village neighboring a Nestlé bottled water production plant, resulting in the local water supply turning to sludge.

According to Matthew Davis, PhD, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of New Hampshire, "during droughts, bottling plants could dry up wells and wetlands or deplete the streamflows in the immediate area."
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Con 1

Banning bottled water removes a healthy choice and leads to increased consumption of unhealthy sugary drinks.

Increased consumption of zero-calorie bottled water in place of high-calorie juices and sodas has cut trillions of calories from American diets.

Michael C. Bellas, Chairman and CEO of the Beverage Marketing Corporation, says "Imagine a person cutting 161 hot dogs, 126 chocolate doughnuts or 87 cheeseburgers from their diet last year. That's the kind of difference we're talking about when we quantify the number of calories saved due to this widespread shift to bottled water."

In Aug. 2017, the National Park Service discontinued its policy that encouraged national parks to ban sales of plastic water bottles stating that, "The ban removed the healthiest beverage choice... while still allowing sales of bottled sweetened drinks."

The International Bottled Water Association noted, "research shows that if bottled water isn't available, 63 percent of people will choose soda or another sugared drink - not tap water."

In Spring 2013, the University of Vermont banned the sale of single use plastic water bottles on campus. The ban resulted in increased sales of higher calorie beverages in place of zero-calorie water; sales of low-calorie (10-50 calorie) beverages increased 12%, juices increased 11%, and sugar-sweetened beverages increased 10%.
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Con 2

Other types of beverages have plastic containers that are more harmful than plastic water bottles, and bans don't necessarily reduce waste.

Plastic water bottles contain much less polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic than soft drink bottles that require a thicker plastic container due to the drinks' carbonation - 9.89 grams of PET v. 23.9 grams for a 16.9oz bottle.

A study by Quantis found that between 2007 and 2015, bottled water providers reduced the amount of material used in 8oz-2.5 gallon plastic water bottles by 42.8% - PET plastic is the most common material used in these bottles.

Another study by Quantis, commissioned by Nestlé Waters, found that the packaging and distribution of "sports drinks, enhanced waters and soda produce nearly 50% more carbon dioxide emissions per serving than bottled water."

Plastic water bottles make up 3.3% of all drink packaging in US landfills, which is less than both plastic carbonated soft drink containers (13.3%) and aluminum cans (7.9%).

A study on the University of Vermont's ban on selling single-use plastic water bottles found that total shipments of plastic bottles actually increased 20% as consumers increased their consumption of less healthy bottled beverages rather than switching to using reusable bottles and drinking from water fountains.
Read More

Con 3

Bottled water is a practical emergency water supply.

If tap water is not drinkable, then bottled water is a necessary replacement, making its availability essential to public health.

Ready.gov, the Department of Homeland Security's preparedness website on how to prepare for natural and man-made disasters, recommends everyone "buy commercially bottled water and store it in the sealed original container in cool, dark place."

In Apr. 2014, officials in Flint, MI, changed the city's water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Flint River water is highly corrosive - it eroded water pipes delivering tap water to residents' homes resulting in iron and lead leaching into the water, poisoning those who drank and bathed in it. Between Jan. 2016 and Apr. 2018, the state distributed free 16oz bottles of water to residents for use instead of tap water - it was estimated that a family of three used 151 of these water bottles a day.
Read More

Con 4

Banning bottled water restricts consumers' access to a product they want, and negatively affects small businesses.

A survey by Harris Poll for the International Bottled Water Association found that 93% of Americans think "bottled water should be available wherever drinks are sold," with 31% saying that they only, or mostly only, drink bottled water.

Research by Kantor Panel Worldwide found that "40% of all water servings come in the form of bottled water."

As one blogger said, "everyone tells me that I'm wasting away money and harming the environment, but if it weren't for bottled water I honestly wouldn't drink any water at all... My personal choice is just not tap. I don't like it."

Daniel Kenn, owner of Sudbury Coffee Works in Sudbury, MA, where a plastic water bottle ban was enacted, said, "people want water, it's probably the biggest money maker in that cooler... almost every other town still allows plastic water bottle sales, which will put Sudbury Coffee Works at a competitive disadvantage when the ban takes effect."
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Discussion Questions

1. Should single-use plastics, such as water bottles, be banned? Why or why not?

2. Should other single-use beverage bottles (soda, sports drinks, etc) be banned? Why or why not?

3. What other ways might we prevent plastic from ending up in the ocean? Explain your answer(s).

Take Action
1. Consider the argument that single-use plastic is a " serious climate change hazard."

2. Explore which cities and states have single-use plastic bag bans.

3. Evaluate the argument that bottled water bans harm the environment and public health.

4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the "other side of the issue" now helps you better argue your position.

5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives.
Sources More Environmental Debates
Should the United States Continue Fracking? - Proponents say natural gas is a bridge fuel to 100% clean energy. Opponents say we need to immediately move away from all fossil fuels.

Should Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Be Grown? - Proponents say GMO foods have been proven safe. Opponents say studies have not confirmed the safety of GMOs.

Can Alternative Energy Effectively Replace Fossil Fuels? - The pros and cons of the alternative and renewable energies debate include arguments for and against solar, wind, and nuclear powers.

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Bottled Water Bans - Pros & Cons - ProCon.org

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Proponents say bottled water bans protect the environment. Opponents say bans lead to increased consumption of unhealthy sugary drinks