Tap water is free!” Bruce just started an $11-an-hour job.
It’s vital.
“So is water from the faucet,” said I.
“The water from the tap has all sorts of chemicals in it.” “The water in bottles is tap water!” an older shelter guest chimed in, laughing heartily.
He added that “bottled water is not, on average, any cleaner or safer to drink than tap water.” Where bottled and tap are not equal is in the realm of pollution.
Producing a bottle of water actually uses about six times more water than is contained in the bottle itself.
And then there’s the energy used to make the bottle, make the label, fill the bottle and transport it (sometimes across entire oceans).
“So if you need the convenience of a water bottle,” I said to Bruce, “or if you love that particular bottle, at least reuse it.
Remember, Cervin added, we’re not eating the bottle; “we’re merely using it as a vessel to consume a beverage.” I didn’t have all this info at my fingertips at the shelter, but I did have some paper, so I taught Bruce and his friend how to make an origami cup the next time they are thirsty and don’t want to spend $3.
Then we filled the cups with tap water, toasted to better times and drank deep.