I had a Twitter conversation with a pro-bottled water person today. She goes by Bottled Water Babe and her profile page includes a link to the site for a coalition formed in 2007 by the International Bottled Water Association.
One of the main points that she makes in her tweets is that many people who are shamed out of drinking bottled water are turning to soft drinks as an alternative. This assertion was pause for thought to say the least. I personally choose to avoid soft drinks except for rare occasions and I actively discourage my kids from drinking them. They still use some of their discretionary funds on the stuff. In a society like America, with its skew towards obesity, pushing people toward the HFCS is not a move in the right direction.
What remains to be seen is whether this argument is based on solid research. A reduction in the consumption of bottled water combined with an increase in soda sales is not evidence. A survey that asks questions about the reasons for beverage choices could be suggestively worded. You ask people if they are doing something out of concern for the environment and they are pretty likely to say yes.
Soft drinks are marketed so aggressively that it’s pretty hard to point at something like environmental concern about bottled water as influencing consumption.
Photo Credit: FoundPhotosLJ
The frustrating thing about the industry backlashes against environmental activism is that they often have a fundamental dishonesty that prevents dialog with those who hold an opposing view. It seems to me that they often word their press releases like they are helping to inform that general public while the real objective is to influence legislators. In a democracy, those legislators are interested in public opinion and the intellectually lazy ones can have their perceptions skewed by corporate lobbyists.
UPDATE: The source that Bottled Water Babe used to support her claim that people are switching from bottled water to bottled soft drinks is a Telegraph item that relies heavily on information and interpretation supplied by the National Hydration Council. This council was founded by the UKs three biggest water bottlers. As I suspected, they take dry numbers about sales trends for beverages and use them to support their viewpoint.
The Telegraph recently published a bizarrely upbeat report on an American woman killing an elephant in Zimbabwe. It was a perfect example of lazy journalism. The tone of the reporting mirrored the bravado and self promotion of the woman’s blog and talk about her on hunting forums.
This particular vanguard of old media seems to be like one of those poor albatross mothers who picks up any brightly colored garbage that is floating around and then regurgitates it for her chicks to swallow.
May 31st, 2009 at 6:58 pm
I think there is SOME truth to what Bottled Water Babe claims, in that if a person doesn’t have immediate access to a reusable bottle or cup, the only options for hydration are bottled or canned beverages, and water is better for the health than most other beverages. I used to drink bottled water on rare occasions when I spent hours outside in extreme heat and didn’t think I’d make it home without a drink.
HOWEVER, Bottled Water Babe doesn’t seem to acknowledge that people who carry reusable cups or canteens are, in general, able to obtain water without resorting to a new bottle each time. I now carry a telescoping cup with me everywhere, and have had no trouble filling it as needed. I find it much more convenient than the enormous canteens favored by most environmentalists, and highly recommend it to anyone who spends all their time in an urban environment where tap water is safe to drink.