I'm a hypocrite!
I like Perrier water in a French restaurant. I like the bubbles, the chalk, the bottle even. But is it right that I then drink the same (or similar - and usualy in a plastic bottle) when I go out and about on public transport, a walk in the park or in my office?
I fear not. And why?
About 2.5% of the world's oil consumption (or 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide) are used to produce 7.5 million tonnes of plastic for bottling water.
Here in Britain we throw away 15 million water bottle every day . . .
Why, oh why, haven't I bought shares in bottle water companies? It has to be the biggest environmental and commercial rip off of all time! According to the Worldwatch Institute, for whose statistics I am extremely grateful, bottled water costs between 240 and 10,000 times more than tap water.
And it's all marketed to us so well: every corner shop, supermarket, news agent sells the stuff as if it is the new tobacco - the coolest of accessories, the absolute must have. Where once Marlboro Man strutted so today water bottle ozzes! When did you last see an athlete without a plastic bottle of water in his or her hand, or a running track without plastic bottles strewn on both sides? Better than cardboard fag packets these things take between 100 and 1000 years to break down!
So what should we do about it?
One - ban the wrapping. Stop the trade in plastic bottles.
Two - replace it with really well designed water bottles - Swarovski Portable Waters, Dunhill Water Carriers, the Nike Rehydrator . . . there must be a name / concept in there somewhere.
Three - film and photograph our cinema starlets and athletic heroes clutching these.
Four - restore public drinking fountains to our streets.
Five - bring back stoppered glass bottles and put a deposit on them so that they are recycled rather than discarded.
It doesn't take long to change attitudes - look at the return of the man bag, the demise of the plastic shopping bag in favour of paper or, better still, silk or callico.
There'll always be a demand for (glass) bottled water and that's fine: but let's keep it for special occasions in restaurants.
And if you're not convinced: just read those statistics again!
