But I do remember thinking that it was crazy!
That’s more than 246 million gallons a week and an increase of nearly 9 percent over 2015 volume.
Around the world, we now drink as much bottled water as we do packaged milk.
And bottled water now surpasses carbonated soft drinks as the largest beverage category in the United States, a major milestone, with all but 1 percent of it sourced domestically.
Even though we are less than 5 percent of the world’s population, Americans consume about 60 percent of the world’s bottled water.The vast majority of U.S. bottled water companies are small, community-based businesses using local water sources and distributing their products within an average radius of 300 miles from their bottling facilities.
All of these brands are purified (filtered) tap water which generally sells for about $1.00 for a 16.9 to 20 ounce, single-serving plastic bottle, making water sold in single-serving plastic bottles worth twice as much as gasoline.
Then there’s the energy that’s required to manufacture all of those plastic bottles.
Cornell University, along with several other colleges and universities across the country have advanced student-piloted ‘Take Back the Tap’ initiatives; education and awareness campaigns to reduce bottled water consumption and the associated costs, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions.
It’s estimated that bottled water costs the Cornell University campus community $640,000 annually.
The same volume of filtered tap water would cost just $1,000.