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Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession With Bottled Water
Peter Gleick knows water. A world-renowned scientist and freshwater expert, Gleick is a MacArthur Foundation "genius," and according to the BBC, an environmental visionary. And he drinks from the tap. Why don't the rest of us? Bottled and Sold shows how water went from being a free natural resource to one of the most successful commercial products of the last one hundred years-and why we are poorer for it. It's a big story and water is big business. Every second of every day in the United States, a thousand people buy a plastic bottle of water, and every second of every day a thousand more throw one of those bottles away. That adds up to more than thirty billion bottles a year and tens of billions of dollars of sales. Are there legitimate reasons to buy all those bottles? With a scientist's eye and a natural storyteller's wit, Gleick investigates whether industry claims about the relative safety, convenience, and taste of bottled versus tap hold water. And he exposes the true reasons we've turned to the bottle, from fearmongering by business interests and our own vanity to the breakdown of public systems and global inequities. "Designer" H2O may be laughable, but the debate over commodifying water is deadly serious. It comes down to society's choices about human rights, the role of government and free markets, the importance of being "green," and fundamental values. Gleick gets to the heart of the bottled water craze, exploring what it means for us to bottle and sell our most basic necessity.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
56 people are currently reading
919 people want to read
About the author
Peter H. Gleick
22 books27 followersDr. Peter H. Gleick (born 1956) is a scientist working on issues related to the environment, economic development, and international security, with a focus on global freshwater challenges. He works at the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, which he co-founded in 1987. In 2003 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for his work on water resources. Among the issues he has addressed are conflicts over water resources [1], the impacts of climate change on water resources, the human right to water, and the problems of the billions of people without safe, affordable, and reliable water and sanitation.
Gleick received a B.S. from Yale University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley. Gleick is the author of the biennial series on the state of the world's water, called The World's Water,[2] published by Island Press, Washington, D.C., regularly provides testimony to the United States Congress and state legislatures, and has published many scientific articles. He serves as a major source of information on water issues for the media, and has been featured on CNBC, CNN, Fresh Air with Terry Gross [3], NPR, and in articles in The New Yorker,[4] and many other publications. He has also been featured in a wide range of water-related documentary films, including "Running Dry" [5] and "Flow: For Love of Water" [6], accepted for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
He is the brother of noted author James Gleick and editor Elizabeth Gleick.
Gleick received a B.S. from Yale University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley. Gleick is the author of the biennial series on the state of the world's water, called The World's Water,[2] published by Island Press, Washington, D.C., regularly provides testimony to the United States Congress and state legislatures, and has published many scientific articles. He serves as a major source of information on water issues for the media, and has been featured on CNBC, CNN, Fresh Air with Terry Gross [3], NPR, and in articles in The New Yorker,[4] and many other publications. He has also been featured in a wide range of water-related documentary films, including "Running Dry" [5] and "Flow: For Love of Water" [6], accepted for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
He is the brother of noted author James Gleick and editor Elizabeth Gleick.
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April 6, 2017
Berkeley scientist questions safety of bottled water
Put down that bottle of water, please, take a deep breath, and listen up. It’ll only take a few minutes, and when I’m done, you may never pick up a bottle of water again.
“Bottled water? This is a problem?” Yes, to Berkeley scientist Peter Gleick, co-founder and president of the world-renowned Pacific Institute, “bottled water is a symptom of a larger set of issues: the long-term decay of our public water systems, inequitable access to safe water around the world, our susceptibility to advertising and marketing, and a society trained from birth to buy, consume, and throw away. . . Suburban shoppers in America lug cases of plastic water bottle from the grocery store back to homes supplied with unlimited piped potable water in a sad and unintentional parody of the labor of girls and women in Africa, who spend countless backbreaking hours carrying containers of filthy water from distant contaminated sources to homes with no water at all.”
Bottling water on a large scale is a relatively new phenomenon. “In the late 1970s,” Gleick writes, “around 350 million gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States — almost entirely sparkling mineral water and large bottles to supply office water coolers. . . In 2008, nearly 9 billion [author's emphasis] gallons of bottled water were packaged and sold in the United States and five times this amount was sold around the world.” That’s a 25-fold increase in three decades, and “Americans now drink more bottled water than milk or beer.” (Betcha didn’t know that, did you? I sure didn’t!) Now, “data on beverage consumption reveals that on average, each of us is actually drinking around 36 gallons per year less tap water.”
Gleick notes that “when we do actually look, we find evidence that there are potentially serious quality problems with bottled water. . . [However], [t]he system for testing and monitoring the quality of bottled water is so flawed that we simply have no comprehensive assessment of actual bottled water quality.”
So, why hasn’t somebody done something about this? It turns out that the FDA is the culprit. Bottled water falls within the FDA’s purview. Gleick cites a study by the Government Accountability Office to the effect that “while the FDA does very few actual inspections of water bottlers, the few they conducted between 2000 and 2008 found problems a remarkable 35 percent of the time. Even this warning sign led to ‘little enforcement action.’”
OK, maybe you feel bottled water tastes better than water from the tap. But you’re probably fooling yourself. As Gleick reports, “test after test shows the same things: people think they don’t like tap water, but they do. Or they think they can distinguish the taste of their favorite bottled water, but they can’t.” Just check out “bottled water taste test” on YouTube, if you don’t believe this.
Here, then, are the Top Ten Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water:
10. Tap water is free, and bottled water isn’t.
9. The quality of tap water is rigorously regulated, and bottled water’s isn’t.
8. Discarded plastic water bottles end up in landfills or on roadsides by the billions. For example, “Berkeley (population 114,000) sends around six tons of PET [the plastic used in water bottles] a week to plastics recyclers — much of it used water bottles.”
7. Large scale water-bottlers sometimes drain aquifers and cause wells to run dry in communities where their plants are located.
6. Large corporations such as Nestle (Pure Life), Coca-Cola (Dasani), and PepsiCo (Aquafina) own the major bottled water brands and suck in massive profits, making them even larger.
5. Most bottled waters are marketed in a misleading way. For examples, “Yosemite” brand water is actually municipal tap water from Los Angeles.
4. “Making the plastic for a liter bottle of water actually takes three or four more liters of water itself.”
3. If you live in California “and buy Fiji Water, the energy cost of transporting the water to you is equal to the energy embodied in the plastic bottle itself.” If it’s Evian water instead, the energy expended is even greater.
2. The total energy cost of bottled water, including the materials used, the production process, and the transportation, “is a thousand times larger than the energy required to procure, process, treat, and deliver tap water.”
1. Smart restaurateurs like Alice Waters are starting to ban bottled water on their tables. And who are you going to believe if you won’t believe Alice?
So, are you ready now to reconsider the balance between the convenience of bottled water and the safety of tap water? Chances are the water from your tap is a much better bet. That’s certainly the case where I live in Berkeley.
Our own personal considerations aside, Gleick draws policy implications from his study of bottled water. He advocates five major reforms: state-of-the-art tap water systems; smarter water regulations; truthful labeling; consumer protection; and lower environmental impact.
If you’ve heard of Peter Gleick, it may be because you came across his name when he won a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant — or perhaps in connection with global warming, international development, national security, California’s water resources, or something else to do with water. Gleick, editor of the biennial sourcebook The World’s Water for many years, is widely acknowledged to be the world’s leading authority on that subject. However unfortunately, it’s a little more likely you heard Gleick’s name during the flurry of news awhile back — his true “15 minutes of fame” — that a group of right-wing climate change-deniers had caught him masquerading as a supporter on their website. That nasty little brouhaha soon boiled over, and sensible people — I count myself as one — never thought it amounted to much, anyway.
So, what now? Are you going to finish that bottle of water, drink up any others you’ve still got around the house, and switch to using the tap? No? Think about it!
Put down that bottle of water, please, take a deep breath, and listen up. It’ll only take a few minutes, and when I’m done, you may never pick up a bottle of water again.
“Bottled water? This is a problem?” Yes, to Berkeley scientist Peter Gleick, co-founder and president of the world-renowned Pacific Institute, “bottled water is a symptom of a larger set of issues: the long-term decay of our public water systems, inequitable access to safe water around the world, our susceptibility to advertising and marketing, and a society trained from birth to buy, consume, and throw away. . . Suburban shoppers in America lug cases of plastic water bottle from the grocery store back to homes supplied with unlimited piped potable water in a sad and unintentional parody of the labor of girls and women in Africa, who spend countless backbreaking hours carrying containers of filthy water from distant contaminated sources to homes with no water at all.”
Bottling water on a large scale is a relatively new phenomenon. “In the late 1970s,” Gleick writes, “around 350 million gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States — almost entirely sparkling mineral water and large bottles to supply office water coolers. . . In 2008, nearly 9 billion [author's emphasis] gallons of bottled water were packaged and sold in the United States and five times this amount was sold around the world.” That’s a 25-fold increase in three decades, and “Americans now drink more bottled water than milk or beer.” (Betcha didn’t know that, did you? I sure didn’t!) Now, “data on beverage consumption reveals that on average, each of us is actually drinking around 36 gallons per year less tap water.”
Gleick notes that “when we do actually look, we find evidence that there are potentially serious quality problems with bottled water. . . [However], [t]he system for testing and monitoring the quality of bottled water is so flawed that we simply have no comprehensive assessment of actual bottled water quality.”
So, why hasn’t somebody done something about this? It turns out that the FDA is the culprit. Bottled water falls within the FDA’s purview. Gleick cites a study by the Government Accountability Office to the effect that “while the FDA does very few actual inspections of water bottlers, the few they conducted between 2000 and 2008 found problems a remarkable 35 percent of the time. Even this warning sign led to ‘little enforcement action.’”
OK, maybe you feel bottled water tastes better than water from the tap. But you’re probably fooling yourself. As Gleick reports, “test after test shows the same things: people think they don’t like tap water, but they do. Or they think they can distinguish the taste of their favorite bottled water, but they can’t.” Just check out “bottled water taste test” on YouTube, if you don’t believe this.
Here, then, are the Top Ten Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water:
10. Tap water is free, and bottled water isn’t.
9. The quality of tap water is rigorously regulated, and bottled water’s isn’t.
8. Discarded plastic water bottles end up in landfills or on roadsides by the billions. For example, “Berkeley (population 114,000) sends around six tons of PET [the plastic used in water bottles] a week to plastics recyclers — much of it used water bottles.”
7. Large scale water-bottlers sometimes drain aquifers and cause wells to run dry in communities where their plants are located.
6. Large corporations such as Nestle (Pure Life), Coca-Cola (Dasani), and PepsiCo (Aquafina) own the major bottled water brands and suck in massive profits, making them even larger.
5. Most bottled waters are marketed in a misleading way. For examples, “Yosemite” brand water is actually municipal tap water from Los Angeles.
4. “Making the plastic for a liter bottle of water actually takes three or four more liters of water itself.”
3. If you live in California “and buy Fiji Water, the energy cost of transporting the water to you is equal to the energy embodied in the plastic bottle itself.” If it’s Evian water instead, the energy expended is even greater.
2. The total energy cost of bottled water, including the materials used, the production process, and the transportation, “is a thousand times larger than the energy required to procure, process, treat, and deliver tap water.”
1. Smart restaurateurs like Alice Waters are starting to ban bottled water on their tables. And who are you going to believe if you won’t believe Alice?
So, are you ready now to reconsider the balance between the convenience of bottled water and the safety of tap water? Chances are the water from your tap is a much better bet. That’s certainly the case where I live in Berkeley.
Our own personal considerations aside, Gleick draws policy implications from his study of bottled water. He advocates five major reforms: state-of-the-art tap water systems; smarter water regulations; truthful labeling; consumer protection; and lower environmental impact.
If you’ve heard of Peter Gleick, it may be because you came across his name when he won a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant — or perhaps in connection with global warming, international development, national security, California’s water resources, or something else to do with water. Gleick, editor of the biennial sourcebook The World’s Water for many years, is widely acknowledged to be the world’s leading authority on that subject. However unfortunately, it’s a little more likely you heard Gleick’s name during the flurry of news awhile back — his true “15 minutes of fame” — that a group of right-wing climate change-deniers had caught him masquerading as a supporter on their website. That nasty little brouhaha soon boiled over, and sensible people — I count myself as one — never thought it amounted to much, anyway.
So, what now? Are you going to finish that bottle of water, drink up any others you’ve still got around the house, and switch to using the tap? No? Think about it!
August 8, 2023
Very interesting book on bottled water and why we continue to drink it in places where tap water is just fine (and often even better!). I never knew that regulations on bottled water were less strict than tap water. I realised how weird it is that people want spring water from an another country, and what a waste of resources that is. I never bought bottled water before, because I think the feeling of drinking from plastic is ick, but now I have even more reasons to continue not buying bottled water (unless the tap water where I am is undrinkable, ofcourse).
January 30, 2023
one of my references for 271a term paper about public perception tap water. this book did a great job summarizing the main arguments for bottled water (supposed increase in safety, taste, style, and convenience) & responding with validated facts and science.
drink local, ladies!
drink local, ladies!
October 31, 2010
Terrific history and analysis of a contemporary phenomenon, bottled water. Gleick covers the development of public water delivery systems, the history of water borne diseases and the marketing of bottled water in a way I read as balanced and full of interesting talking points. My boyfriend wanted to know if it was like Fast Food Nation, and it's not written in such a humorous (and gross out) fashion.
I need a lot of water due to medication I'm on. I carry my own bottle to refill but still buy bottled water a few times a week. Gleick's writing about the history of public water fountains and the problems (even disasters) of places that have not installed them was particularly interesting. I really appreciate places that have public drinking fountains now (I'm sitting next to two at the library) and what a great alternative this could be to our obsession with bottled water. So even though I started out as a bit of a know it all, plastic bottles create waste and cost oil to ship etc., I definitely learned a lot from this book.
I need a lot of water due to medication I'm on. I carry my own bottle to refill but still buy bottled water a few times a week. Gleick's writing about the history of public water fountains and the problems (even disasters) of places that have not installed them was particularly interesting. I really appreciate places that have public drinking fountains now (I'm sitting next to two at the library) and what a great alternative this could be to our obsession with bottled water. So even though I started out as a bit of a know it all, plastic bottles create waste and cost oil to ship etc., I definitely learned a lot from this book.
March 7, 2010
Bottled water is seductive. We drink it thinking it's healthier and better for us than the water that comes out of our sinks. When we are done with the bottles, they typically go into landfills. Reading Bottled And Sold by Peter H Gleick has further opened my eyes to this 'scam.' As basically the manufacturers of this product put out ads about how it's so much more healthy than tap water, it'll make you lose weight, and in some instances will cleanse the soul of the sinner, via blessed holy water which is also sold for profit.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
December 12, 2023
Informative and interesting book, and I recommend it to anyone who buys bottled water thinking it is a safer and healthier choice.
I always cringe when I see people buying crates of individually bottled water for their personal use, and always thought about the huge waste they are creating. However this book also allowed me to see the problems beyond the obvious plastic waste this habit creates.
Gleick does a great job at comprehensively review the claims being the preference for bottled water, dissects them one by one with facts and evidence and allows us to see many of those are clever marketing gimmicks to turn something that should be freely avaiable to all of us to a market commodity. While doing that he also provides insight into the bottled water industry, the manipulation we all face, the health risks that are covered up, and the marketing of 'wellness' in a bottle with false claims. He also demonstrates the 'bottle water tastes better' perception is so misleading and over and over the bottled waters fail in their blinds tests for tasters.
I was surprised to hear that bottled water actually subject to less safety standards and monitoring than tap water in the US, and in most places the municipal water is higher quality. This might not be true in every part of the world, and there are places that I would still prefer to buy bottled water while travelling, but I refuse to buy it if I am in the US or any other well developed country with proper infrastructure.
Good book, some parts are repetitive but very informative.
I always cringe when I see people buying crates of individually bottled water for their personal use, and always thought about the huge waste they are creating. However this book also allowed me to see the problems beyond the obvious plastic waste this habit creates.
Gleick does a great job at comprehensively review the claims being the preference for bottled water, dissects them one by one with facts and evidence and allows us to see many of those are clever marketing gimmicks to turn something that should be freely avaiable to all of us to a market commodity. While doing that he also provides insight into the bottled water industry, the manipulation we all face, the health risks that are covered up, and the marketing of 'wellness' in a bottle with false claims. He also demonstrates the 'bottle water tastes better' perception is so misleading and over and over the bottled waters fail in their blinds tests for tasters.
I was surprised to hear that bottled water actually subject to less safety standards and monitoring than tap water in the US, and in most places the municipal water is higher quality. This might not be true in every part of the world, and there are places that I would still prefer to buy bottled water while travelling, but I refuse to buy it if I am in the US or any other well developed country with proper infrastructure.
Good book, some parts are repetitive but very informative.
July 30, 2012
Excellent and thought-provoking book about the bottled water industry -- and our obsession with it. Sadly, the bottled water industry contributes to real social justice and environmental concerns. Many companies privatize water in third world countries, selling it to developed nations at exorbitant prices -- meanwhile leaving those in poverty without. I highly recommend that all read this book. It changed my practices, and I think it will yours.
July 29, 2023
2021-09-02
In summary an excellent book by eminent scientist Peter H Gleick. The book is about the story behind our obsession with bottled water. US bottled water sales have been growing insanely from 1976 to 2008 and maybe leveling of a little bit. Anyway this book presents the subject in a nuanced way - good science. Both the bottle side and non-bottle side gets a hearing. And where is that water fountain?
Five reforms of the water industry:
1. Support and expand state-of-the-art tap water systems.
2. Develop, pass, and enforce smarter water regulations.
3. Require truthful labeling.
4. Protect consumers from fraud and misrepresentations.
5. Reduce bottled waters environmental impact.
(From “the future of water”, chapter 12)
Quote:
“We are now, I believe at the beginning of another transition, this time to the Third Water Age. The second age brought enormous benefits to us, but has ultimately proven inadequate to the growing need. Billions of people still suffer unnecessary water related diseases because they lack safe water and sanitation. Aquatic ecosystems are dying due to our use, diversion and contamination of the freshwater they need to survive.” 174
Three Takeaways:
1) Water is essential for life. At this stage we have safe water in many countries which is a huge achievement. Enter the bottle. And enter Penn and Teller. Along the way we have a war on tap water. We have all the varieties of bottled water from strange to fraudulent. Some companies with weird scams (oxygen water, penta, Kabbalah water, “restructured” water) to much to go into detail about. And then there is Masaru Emoto. But I digress.
Bottled water becomes an all time marketing success. And trucks are rushed and planes filled with “arctic” ultra pure water straight from mountain springs without ever touching common filth. Except that it’s more convenient to take a garden hose and put a fancy looking label with snow covered mountains on the bottle and sell for… $33. In fact the cost can be up to x1000 times the cost of tap water.
2)Two visions for the future: one where our tap water deteriorates and we turn to the bottle with bad consequences for the environment; or one vision of the future where we learn to preserve clean water doing what we already know how to do and improve our understanding of water and how to use it smarter in the future. Cutting back on the bottle.
3) There is an anti-bottled water movement. But there is also marketing trying to make tap water look bad. Humans are susceptible to this fear based narrative. In fear of one thing we risk moving away from one great triumph of civilization: clean tap water. Or garden hose-water- it might not matter to taste or health. I’m going to get some tap water now.
In summary an excellent book by eminent scientist Peter H Gleick. The book is about the story behind our obsession with bottled water. US bottled water sales have been growing insanely from 1976 to 2008 and maybe leveling of a little bit. Anyway this book presents the subject in a nuanced way - good science. Both the bottle side and non-bottle side gets a hearing. And where is that water fountain?
Five reforms of the water industry:
1. Support and expand state-of-the-art tap water systems.
2. Develop, pass, and enforce smarter water regulations.
3. Require truthful labeling.
4. Protect consumers from fraud and misrepresentations.
5. Reduce bottled waters environmental impact.
(From “the future of water”, chapter 12)
Quote:
“We are now, I believe at the beginning of another transition, this time to the Third Water Age. The second age brought enormous benefits to us, but has ultimately proven inadequate to the growing need. Billions of people still suffer unnecessary water related diseases because they lack safe water and sanitation. Aquatic ecosystems are dying due to our use, diversion and contamination of the freshwater they need to survive.” 174
Three Takeaways:
1) Water is essential for life. At this stage we have safe water in many countries which is a huge achievement. Enter the bottle. And enter Penn and Teller. Along the way we have a war on tap water. We have all the varieties of bottled water from strange to fraudulent. Some companies with weird scams (oxygen water, penta, Kabbalah water, “restructured” water) to much to go into detail about. And then there is Masaru Emoto. But I digress.
Bottled water becomes an all time marketing success. And trucks are rushed and planes filled with “arctic” ultra pure water straight from mountain springs without ever touching common filth. Except that it’s more convenient to take a garden hose and put a fancy looking label with snow covered mountains on the bottle and sell for… $33. In fact the cost can be up to x1000 times the cost of tap water.
2)Two visions for the future: one where our tap water deteriorates and we turn to the bottle with bad consequences for the environment; or one vision of the future where we learn to preserve clean water doing what we already know how to do and improve our understanding of water and how to use it smarter in the future. Cutting back on the bottle.
3) There is an anti-bottled water movement. But there is also marketing trying to make tap water look bad. Humans are susceptible to this fear based narrative. In fear of one thing we risk moving away from one great triumph of civilization: clean tap water. Or garden hose-water- it might not matter to taste or health. I’m going to get some tap water now.
February 12, 2011
While traveling abroad I often drink bottled water, usually due to the fact that the water from the tap tastes like liquid chlorine or like swamp water. Living in a country with one of the best water quality worldwide you should think I don't drink bottled water at all back home. I rarely do and now, in fact, I'm glad about it.
With his book Bottled And Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession With Bottled Water Peter H. Gleick gives a fascinating insight into the whole industry of bottled water production and its implications on frighteningly many aspects of our lives. Apart from the obvious, the impact on the environment, it definitely makes you think twice whether you shouldn't just stick to good old tap water when you learn that more stringent quality tests are performed on it than on bottled water.
This is a very comprehensibly written must-read book on the topic, highlighting not only environmental, but even more so, safety, health, and ethical concerns when it comes to the bottled water industry. While the main focus is on the US, the author also dips into and compares the industry with other regions, like Europe or Australia. Trust me, after reading this book you're going to seriously reconsider your drinking habits when it comes to water.
In short: A well written and highly informative book on the hazards of bottled water for both the environment and those who drink it!
With his book Bottled And Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession With Bottled Water Peter H. Gleick gives a fascinating insight into the whole industry of bottled water production and its implications on frighteningly many aspects of our lives. Apart from the obvious, the impact on the environment, it definitely makes you think twice whether you shouldn't just stick to good old tap water when you learn that more stringent quality tests are performed on it than on bottled water.
This is a very comprehensibly written must-read book on the topic, highlighting not only environmental, but even more so, safety, health, and ethical concerns when it comes to the bottled water industry. While the main focus is on the US, the author also dips into and compares the industry with other regions, like Europe or Australia. Trust me, after reading this book you're going to seriously reconsider your drinking habits when it comes to water.
In short: A well written and highly informative book on the hazards of bottled water for both the environment and those who drink it!
January 27, 2016
This book served its purpose. It beats you over the head a little bit, but it's packed full of really good information and written in a way that is accessible to laypeople like myself. I feel much more informed about the global water crisis and the bottled water controversy after reading this book. It provides good authoritative data to reference in conversations or writing. It's obviously not completely a page turner, but I think it does a really good job informing (and swaying- it's not at all unbiased, although I felt that Gleick adequately addressed counterpoints) readers who want to learn more about the global environmental, economic, ethical impact of bottled water.
April 27, 2012
I was assigned this book for a water management class. It's easy to read and quite informative, but heavily biased as you can imagine. He leaves out the part where drinking water constitutes such an incredibly small amount of the water we use. I will say this though. I haven't bought a single bottle of water since I read this, and I used to buy a fair amount. Read this knowing it's not very holistic and enjoy it for what it is.
October 17, 2024
actually life changing, must-read for everyone
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2011
Bottled and Sold / 978-1-597-26528-7
I picked this book up as an advance review copy from NetGalley; I already knew enough to be dangerous on the problems with bottled water from an environmental and ethical standpoint, so I wasn't sure if this book would be a dry retread over material I already knew.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it really could be called "The Complete Bottled Water Story". Everything you might ever want to know about bottled water is here, in a clearly organized and compellingly written format. Author Gleick writes smoothly and with a sense of humor as he explains the differences between tap water and bottled water composition, regulation, and inspection facts; readers will laugh when the Fiji vs. Cleveland ad campaign is covered, and long-time skeptics like myself will be pleased to note that the incomparable James Randi is invoked in the chapter on "super-oxygenated" (and other mystically-endowed) water and it's supposed health benefits.
It's really pleasantly surprising to find a well-organized book on the subject that clearly understands the importance of the science behind both the environmental/ethical aspects, but also the social aspects as well. Gleick brings fascinating tables and studies to the forefront, ranging from the results of blind taste tests (most people prefer tap water!), to the bottling locations of most major brand waters (just because the brand has a 'place name' doesn't mean the water in the bottle has ever been there!).
"Bottled and Sold" really understands the importance of laying out an argument factually and calmly, without giving way to hysterics. The point is made that while tap water is usually safe in America - indeed, most often *safer* than the water in your bottle - not everywhere has the same luxury, and we need to address that. 'Bottled water' isn't excoriated merely for being water in a bottle as opposed to a pipe; but, rather, the serious environmental, safety, health, and ethical concerns that come along with commercial water bottling are addressed. It's obvious that the author hopes that the reader will come away from the book with a deeper understanding of the issue and a willingness to kick the bottle habit, but there's no shaming on the reader if they eventually choose otherwise.
If you are interested in the subject, or love reading "greenie" books in general, I highly recommend this treatise. I enjoyed "Bottled and Sold" from start to finish, and found that it contained quite a bit of information on the subject matter that I hadn't anticipated and had not come across before now.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.
~ Ana Mardoll
I picked this book up as an advance review copy from NetGalley; I already knew enough to be dangerous on the problems with bottled water from an environmental and ethical standpoint, so I wasn't sure if this book would be a dry retread over material I already knew.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it really could be called "The Complete Bottled Water Story". Everything you might ever want to know about bottled water is here, in a clearly organized and compellingly written format. Author Gleick writes smoothly and with a sense of humor as he explains the differences between tap water and bottled water composition, regulation, and inspection facts; readers will laugh when the Fiji vs. Cleveland ad campaign is covered, and long-time skeptics like myself will be pleased to note that the incomparable James Randi is invoked in the chapter on "super-oxygenated" (and other mystically-endowed) water and it's supposed health benefits.
It's really pleasantly surprising to find a well-organized book on the subject that clearly understands the importance of the science behind both the environmental/ethical aspects, but also the social aspects as well. Gleick brings fascinating tables and studies to the forefront, ranging from the results of blind taste tests (most people prefer tap water!), to the bottling locations of most major brand waters (just because the brand has a 'place name' doesn't mean the water in the bottle has ever been there!).
"Bottled and Sold" really understands the importance of laying out an argument factually and calmly, without giving way to hysterics. The point is made that while tap water is usually safe in America - indeed, most often *safer* than the water in your bottle - not everywhere has the same luxury, and we need to address that. 'Bottled water' isn't excoriated merely for being water in a bottle as opposed to a pipe; but, rather, the serious environmental, safety, health, and ethical concerns that come along with commercial water bottling are addressed. It's obvious that the author hopes that the reader will come away from the book with a deeper understanding of the issue and a willingness to kick the bottle habit, but there's no shaming on the reader if they eventually choose otherwise.
If you are interested in the subject, or love reading "greenie" books in general, I highly recommend this treatise. I enjoyed "Bottled and Sold" from start to finish, and found that it contained quite a bit of information on the subject matter that I hadn't anticipated and had not come across before now.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.
~ Ana Mardoll
February 3, 2011
Note: Free review copy received from NetGalley.
Gleick raises some excellent questions about the safety and sustainability of relying on bottled water over tap water. However, the main focus of the book seems to be on the advertising done by bottled water companies and how outlandish the claims are. Much of this information filters its way into other chapters and does become a bit hammer-over-the-head repetitive.
The chapters on the overall environmental cost of producing bottled water were far more informative, but could have benefited from an overall breakdown. The historical analysis about where our fear of tap water comes from, the creation and regulation of tap water, and it's current problems was excellent and could have been expanded on as it was one of the more interesting topics covered.
I think many people could benefit by reading this book, even just portions of it. I imagine anyone who reads the chapter about contaminants found in bottled water will gladly switch to tap, even if they're still present at least you're not paying a premium price to poison yourself.
The reviewer is the author of the blog A Librarian's Life in Books.
Gleick raises some excellent questions about the safety and sustainability of relying on bottled water over tap water. However, the main focus of the book seems to be on the advertising done by bottled water companies and how outlandish the claims are. Much of this information filters its way into other chapters and does become a bit hammer-over-the-head repetitive.
The chapters on the overall environmental cost of producing bottled water were far more informative, but could have benefited from an overall breakdown. The historical analysis about where our fear of tap water comes from, the creation and regulation of tap water, and it's current problems was excellent and could have been expanded on as it was one of the more interesting topics covered.
I think many people could benefit by reading this book, even just portions of it. I imagine anyone who reads the chapter about contaminants found in bottled water will gladly switch to tap, even if they're still present at least you're not paying a premium price to poison yourself.
The reviewer is the author of the blog A Librarian's Life in Books.
August 15, 2013
This book is pure propaganda, not objective journalism. The author admits up front that he is out to get rid of bottled water and uses "evidence" to build a case against it. The book does have a few interesting stories of false claims (that anyone could have gotten off the Internet) but overall this is much ado about nothing. Even his trip to a Nestle spring water plant produces nothing but praise over how clean the place is!
The guy pushes his anti-bottled water agenda under the "human rights" and "environment" flags, but he doesn't offer any proof that bottled water takes away anyone's human rights nor does it actually harm the earth, which has plenty of water to pull from for the next few millennia. The book's subtitle is misleading--this isn't "the story behind our obsession with bottled water." It's one man's obsession to try to keep consumers from having the freedom to buy water they feel is safer and tastes better. Instead of criticizing people for having the right to make choices based on health and taste preference, he should have focused his energies on how to help municipalities make tap water safer and tastier. His liberal agenda is aimed at the wrong source of the water problem.
The guy pushes his anti-bottled water agenda under the "human rights" and "environment" flags, but he doesn't offer any proof that bottled water takes away anyone's human rights nor does it actually harm the earth, which has plenty of water to pull from for the next few millennia. The book's subtitle is misleading--this isn't "the story behind our obsession with bottled water." It's one man's obsession to try to keep consumers from having the freedom to buy water they feel is safer and tastes better. Instead of criticizing people for having the right to make choices based on health and taste preference, he should have focused his energies on how to help municipalities make tap water safer and tastier. His liberal agenda is aimed at the wrong source of the water problem.
December 6, 2011
Principal message of book is beware of bottled water safety. In reality, city tap water is better for you, it’s regulated and safer to drink. But since big bucks can be made by hyping bottled water, companies large and small heavily push the product. Some promotions are dubious: water has no special energizing and curative qualities. Also, nowadays since water fountains are fewer, when you want or need a drink, a nearby bottle of water is a handy thing to have. Why are fountains fewer? Well, because bottled water is readily available. And promoters are quick to let you know that. How to snub the hype? Take with you a suitable container filled with tap water. It’s doubtless better for you and certainly cheaper. The book seems padded with excess verbiage, as if the author needed to stretch out to book length.
January 17, 2014
Buying bottled water is silly. Especially in the western world, or in areas where water is safe and clean enough to drink. But what makes us do it anyway? This interesting look into the culture and business of bottled water, makes the reader think about the entire situation. Not just from an economic standpoint, but an environmental, and to some extent even moral point of view. Engadging and interesting, this text will make you think twice about the way our society deals with water, plastic and packaging. And forces you to reflect on your stance in this debate.
June 3, 2019
I was given the last chapter as an assignment but I liked it so much I wanted to read the whole book. Worth it. I want to share it in a more accessible form with my family so they will read this. Bottled water has lots of issues and I’m sick of seeing them in our house, this book is very objective and fair about it too.
May 10, 2019
A lot has happened in the nine years since this book was published, but it is still a very thorough examination of the bottled water industry. It isn’t preachy or supercilious, but this Berkeley scientist, Peter Gleick, really knows his stuff and is very passionate and thoughtful about it. He’s likely interviewed or tried to interview everyone of consequence on both sides of the bottled water argument and gives well researched arguments for why we need to enter a new third stage of water consumption that involves reducing bottled water's environmental impact, protecting consumers from fraud and misrepresentations, requiring truthful bottle labels, developing, passing, and enforcing smarter water regulations, and supporting and expanding state-of-the-art tap water systems.
He talks about EVERYTHING you’d want to know about tap water and the bottled water industry that continually vilifies our tap water, about the history of tap water as it has been subjected to cholera and widespread epidemics but also a free source being privatized and more importantly sold as “magical” and “healing” by charlatans and “snake oil salesman”, stealing a public resource and marketing it with pseudoscientific catchy phrases capitalizing on societal ignorance or fear. Examples: “H2X Scalar Wave Activated Water is made with "state of the art Quantum Star Scalar Wave Generators, Tesla Coils, proprietary Orgone Technology, gy, Radionics Equipment, proprietary Hypersonic Frequency Generator ator Equipment, and Hyperdimensional Sacred Geometry and unique imprinting frequencies."54 This last stuff is sold as a "concentrate," centrate," just like Dr. Emoto's Hexagonal Indigo water or Vitamin O-just add a milliliter of it to a liter of tap water or spring water. They sell it for around $3o for 30 ml, which means it costs around $zooo a liter!” YIKES.
I used to buy loads of bottled water. I didn’t realize how much of it was a gimmick, that oxygen water was doing nothing at all, that Penta (one of my favorites) was bullshit, that there were water “sommeliers” pretending to be like wine sommeliers selling bottles of water for hundreds when often water we thought came from a glacier or mountain was actually from a municipal source, and if tested by a blind subject was often the second or third or fourth choice in an assortment of tap waters.
“I urge people to adopt a "drink local" philosophy to match the growing movement to "eat local” says Gleick. He informs us that "Yosemite" brand bottled water comes from the Los Angeles municipal water system. "Everest" brand water, complete with a picture of a tall snowy mountain on the bottle, comes from southeastern Texas...
I already was ashamed of my old habit of stocking (in uniform lines) bottled water in my fridge, even giving it to massage clients. I believed I was actually getting Fiji water from Fiji and had no reason to suspect otherwise, like an ignorant consumer at a 19th century rural fair buying healing potions. The prevalence of “molecularly rearranged” magic waters makes this clear.
Gleick also talks extensively about the FDA’s lazy regulations, the environmental impact of plastic bottles and the depletion of found and spring water in locations where large corporations are over consuming and impacting the local wildlife and biosystem, and the fact that most bottled water contains more contaminants and has less regulation than municipal water, with the added contaminants is the plastic it comes in. So this book is eye-opening and extremely informed and a good read for anyone who cares about their own health, about truth, the environment and our future as a society.
He talks about EVERYTHING you’d want to know about tap water and the bottled water industry that continually vilifies our tap water, about the history of tap water as it has been subjected to cholera and widespread epidemics but also a free source being privatized and more importantly sold as “magical” and “healing” by charlatans and “snake oil salesman”, stealing a public resource and marketing it with pseudoscientific catchy phrases capitalizing on societal ignorance or fear. Examples: “H2X Scalar Wave Activated Water is made with "state of the art Quantum Star Scalar Wave Generators, Tesla Coils, proprietary Orgone Technology, gy, Radionics Equipment, proprietary Hypersonic Frequency Generator ator Equipment, and Hyperdimensional Sacred Geometry and unique imprinting frequencies."54 This last stuff is sold as a "concentrate," centrate," just like Dr. Emoto's Hexagonal Indigo water or Vitamin O-just add a milliliter of it to a liter of tap water or spring water. They sell it for around $3o for 30 ml, which means it costs around $zooo a liter!” YIKES.
I used to buy loads of bottled water. I didn’t realize how much of it was a gimmick, that oxygen water was doing nothing at all, that Penta (one of my favorites) was bullshit, that there were water “sommeliers” pretending to be like wine sommeliers selling bottles of water for hundreds when often water we thought came from a glacier or mountain was actually from a municipal source, and if tested by a blind subject was often the second or third or fourth choice in an assortment of tap waters.
“I urge people to adopt a "drink local" philosophy to match the growing movement to "eat local” says Gleick. He informs us that "Yosemite" brand bottled water comes from the Los Angeles municipal water system. "Everest" brand water, complete with a picture of a tall snowy mountain on the bottle, comes from southeastern Texas...
I already was ashamed of my old habit of stocking (in uniform lines) bottled water in my fridge, even giving it to massage clients. I believed I was actually getting Fiji water from Fiji and had no reason to suspect otherwise, like an ignorant consumer at a 19th century rural fair buying healing potions. The prevalence of “molecularly rearranged” magic waters makes this clear.
Gleick also talks extensively about the FDA’s lazy regulations, the environmental impact of plastic bottles and the depletion of found and spring water in locations where large corporations are over consuming and impacting the local wildlife and biosystem, and the fact that most bottled water contains more contaminants and has less regulation than municipal water, with the added contaminants is the plastic it comes in. So this book is eye-opening and extremely informed and a good read for anyone who cares about their own health, about truth, the environment and our future as a society.
November 2, 2020
I have never been a bottled water drinker, so while this book was really "preaching to the converted", there was a lot that I found new and interesting in this book.
1. The sheer volume of bottled water consumed - "every second of every day in the USA, a thousand people buy & open up a plastic bottle of commercially produced water".
2. The poor level of recycling (<10%!)
3. The lack of publicly available free water (including a sporting events)
4. The poor level of safety monitory in US municipal water supplies.
5. The fact that, despite what they claim, most people can't taste the difference.
I think the issue of "free public water" is important. I have always been a water fountain person, and since reading this book I have become much more aware of their presence in my local area. I try to drink from one whenever I see one.
1. The sheer volume of bottled water consumed - "every second of every day in the USA, a thousand people buy & open up a plastic bottle of commercially produced water".
2. The poor level of recycling (<10%!)
3. The lack of publicly available free water (including a sporting events)
4. The poor level of safety monitory in US municipal water supplies.
5. The fact that, despite what they claim, most people can't taste the difference.
I think the issue of "free public water" is important. I have always been a water fountain person, and since reading this book I have become much more aware of their presence in my local area. I try to drink from one whenever I see one.
December 19, 2017
There were a number of interesting facts about the problems associated with bottled water, not very often the water itself but everything associated with the industrial side of the issue such as the accumulation of massive amounts of plastic and the economical impact of the industry. The author presented the issues without hype or fanaticism. It seemed to be well documented.
The overall impression I got from the book supported my pre-reading opinions - except for convenience while traveling or storage, bottling water is silly and an unnecessary expense.
If you are interested in the topic you could scan the chapters but there is way too much detail used to present the various sub-topics.
The overall impression I got from the book supported my pre-reading opinions - except for convenience while traveling or storage, bottling water is silly and an unnecessary expense.
If you are interested in the topic you could scan the chapters but there is way too much detail used to present the various sub-topics.
March 29, 2019
科學家到底適不適合寫這類大規模的社會問題調查？還是記者是較合適的人選？我算是看過幾本調查報告，農業工業化、速食業、世界糧食、塑膠，甚至iPhone等，資深的記者們都能將問題深入淺出，抽絲剝繭，讓一般讀者得知全貌。難得的是過程有趣，讀書就像看了部偵探電影，教人回味再三。
可惜這本《瓶裝水的真相》所欠缺的，正正就是趣味。別誤會，它的內容相當充實，由瓶裝水的衛生、標籤、誤導性廣告、環保議題到另類的良心瓶裝水都可收錄在本書，絕對是全面且紮實的深入調查報告。問題是內容的鋪排相當平鋪直敘，平淡得如無加糖的淡咖啡一樣，或許健康得人畜無害，但就是欠了味道。
如果你想對瓶裝水的一切議題有興趣，這本書就是給你看的。基本上它幾乎無所不包，總會找到你喜歡的議題。但若你看本類似傳媒「爆料」的報告，這本就算不上好書：有太多的調查報告比它好看了。
三星！
可惜這本《瓶裝水的真相》所欠缺的，正正就是趣味。別誤會，它的內容相當充實，由瓶裝水的衛生、標籤、誤導性廣告、環保議題到另類的良心瓶裝水都可收錄在本書，絕對是全面且紮實的深入調查報告。問題是內容的鋪排相當平鋪直敘，平淡得如無加糖的淡咖啡一樣，或許健康得人畜無害，但就是欠了味道。
如果你想對瓶裝水的一切議題有興趣，這本書就是給你看的。基本上它幾乎無所不包，總會找到你喜歡的議題。但若你看本類似傳媒「爆料」的報告，這本就算不上好書：有太多的調查報告比它好看了。
三星！
March 24, 2018
Extremely informative and insightful. It went above my expectations of what I thought it would talk about. I enjoyed this book because it made me look at water differently and showed me better ways to appreciate and learn about how it sustains our daily lives.
October 31, 2019
*3.5* People need to read more books like this one and understand that is not ok to buy bottled water.
"Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need" - Will Rogers
"Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need" - Will Rogers
September 14, 2021
This had such potential, but it ultimately ended up reading more like a dry report than anything else, despite tons of interesting things only barely mentioned.
May 13, 2024
Cool book- nice background into the history of bottled water companies and the tension between govt regulation (or lack thereof) and the need to support municipal water sources.
June 23, 2025
Slightly outdated info, but very interesting. It answered the questions that I had about regulation, contamination, and definitions of water types.
Read
June 30, 2025Dated and a bit repetitive, but important.
January 16, 2013
A copy of this book was provided for free via Netgalley for the purpose of review.
A few years back, I picked up a used copy of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte from the for-sale shelf at a local library. I still have this book buried somewhere in the teetering piles that are threatening to take over my bedroom... and I have yet to read it. That's what happens to books I buy: they end up in my ever-growing “to read” piles, and eventually “to read” has to be qualified as “to read someday”. Having my own copy of a book seems to invite procrastination, as if I assume that I'll have the rest of my life to read the books I personally own, so why should I read the now?
But bottled water is an intriguing subject to me, hence why I bought the book in the first place--and hence why I ended up reading Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water.
And I was right; the phenomenon that is bottled water is genuinely fascinating. Having been born in the early nineties, I can't recall a time when bottled water wasn't present in my life. By the time I was born, the industry was coming into its own, and my parents bought into it easily. They didn't trust the well water at their recently purchased suburban home (as opposed to the city apartment they'd left behind), and they still don't. So for all of my childhood, tap water was for baths, showers, sinks, and toilets, hose water was for washing cars and playing in sprinklers, and bottled water was for drinking. I can say, however, that during my childhood, our parks and schools still had clean, functioning water fountains that we had no qualms about using. (Not that it lasted long.)
As I can't remember a time before bottled water, Bottled and Sold was eye-opening for me. The propaganda campaigns it recounted from the birth of the industry amazed me, because I know first-hand how much those very ads subconsciously shaped my view of water itself. The lamenting of the degradation of the public water system struck a cord, as I recall the slow decay of the water fountains in our local parks, which worked wonderfully when I was a young child but haven't worked at all in the past decade. All of the legal loopholes and downright absent law enforcement was astounding—and distressing, seriously exacerbating my tentative disdain for bottled water (having been exposed in an environmental science class to some of Nestle's bottled water related shenanigans).
Above all else, however, the notion that city tap water was just as safe or perhaps ever safer to drink than bottled water was something of a culture shock.
I am part of a generation that drinks much more soda than water, and that water always bottled instead of tap. I am part of a generation without well-maintained public water fountains. I live in a semi-rural area where I know nothing of the quality of my own tap water and my house's well. Bottled and Sold was just the book I needed to read.
With the wealth of information provided in Bottled and Sold, the only flaw I can point out is that the focus leaned toward city tap water, which doesn't address my house's water supply. But the absolute best thing I can say for Bottled and Sold is that I'm thoroughly convinced I need to dig deeper into the subject of water. I want to read my copy of Bottlemania, as soon as I can find it. I want to learn more about my house's own water supply. I want to learn more about the safety, origin, and cost of the bottled water brand my mother drinks every day. I want to learn more about how to promote tap water and the notion of water as a human right, not a privatized commodity.
And I think that's what Gleick was going for with Bottled and Sold: if people's interest can be piqued, perhaps we really can bring about his optimistic vision of the “Third Age of Water” he proposes.
A few years back, I picked up a used copy of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte from the for-sale shelf at a local library. I still have this book buried somewhere in the teetering piles that are threatening to take over my bedroom... and I have yet to read it. That's what happens to books I buy: they end up in my ever-growing “to read” piles, and eventually “to read” has to be qualified as “to read someday”. Having my own copy of a book seems to invite procrastination, as if I assume that I'll have the rest of my life to read the books I personally own, so why should I read the now?
But bottled water is an intriguing subject to me, hence why I bought the book in the first place--and hence why I ended up reading Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water.
And I was right; the phenomenon that is bottled water is genuinely fascinating. Having been born in the early nineties, I can't recall a time when bottled water wasn't present in my life. By the time I was born, the industry was coming into its own, and my parents bought into it easily. They didn't trust the well water at their recently purchased suburban home (as opposed to the city apartment they'd left behind), and they still don't. So for all of my childhood, tap water was for baths, showers, sinks, and toilets, hose water was for washing cars and playing in sprinklers, and bottled water was for drinking. I can say, however, that during my childhood, our parks and schools still had clean, functioning water fountains that we had no qualms about using. (Not that it lasted long.)
As I can't remember a time before bottled water, Bottled and Sold was eye-opening for me. The propaganda campaigns it recounted from the birth of the industry amazed me, because I know first-hand how much those very ads subconsciously shaped my view of water itself. The lamenting of the degradation of the public water system struck a cord, as I recall the slow decay of the water fountains in our local parks, which worked wonderfully when I was a young child but haven't worked at all in the past decade. All of the legal loopholes and downright absent law enforcement was astounding—and distressing, seriously exacerbating my tentative disdain for bottled water (having been exposed in an environmental science class to some of Nestle's bottled water related shenanigans).
Above all else, however, the notion that city tap water was just as safe or perhaps ever safer to drink than bottled water was something of a culture shock.
I am part of a generation that drinks much more soda than water, and that water always bottled instead of tap. I am part of a generation without well-maintained public water fountains. I live in a semi-rural area where I know nothing of the quality of my own tap water and my house's well. Bottled and Sold was just the book I needed to read.
With the wealth of information provided in Bottled and Sold, the only flaw I can point out is that the focus leaned toward city tap water, which doesn't address my house's water supply. But the absolute best thing I can say for Bottled and Sold is that I'm thoroughly convinced I need to dig deeper into the subject of water. I want to read my copy of Bottlemania, as soon as I can find it. I want to learn more about my house's own water supply. I want to learn more about the safety, origin, and cost of the bottled water brand my mother drinks every day. I want to learn more about how to promote tap water and the notion of water as a human right, not a privatized commodity.
And I think that's what Gleick was going for with Bottled and Sold: if people's interest can be piqued, perhaps we really can bring about his optimistic vision of the “Third Age of Water” he proposes.
Want to read
May 19, 2010Haven't read this yet, but I had some interconnecting thoughts as I listened to this author, Peter Gleick, as he was interviewed on NPR's "Fresh Air". Here are my thoughts:
The bottled water obsession is a more than just a metaphor for what is wrong with this country and the kind of thinking that is going on in it(perhaps more so in my “home” state, California). It works like this: let individuals in industry take over a government run system that works for all, privatize it, advertise it as better and a choice you deserve even though it is not, then let the government run system fall into disrepair as people begin to buy into the hype (thus making their own advertising lies into a kind of truth), let those who can't afford the product then suffer because the government supplied product is unusable, and let the individuals who started it all make a lot of money. This model is working to tear down Public Education in America. "Since I send my kids to private schools, why should I pay for Public Schools?" "Since I pay for Toll Roads what do I care if Public Highways go into disrepair?" "What do I care if Libraries cut hours or close? I can go to the book superstore or buy from amazon." “Why do we need mail delivery to accessible to every one? Couldn’t we just let people who live in rural areas pay extra and wait longer?” "Why should I pay for Democracy when I can have Mobocracy, drive a humvee, use foreigners to do the really hard labor while disallowing their kids an education, and guzzle bottled water by the high-carbon-printed truckload?"
The bottled water obsession is a more than just a metaphor for what is wrong with this country and the kind of thinking that is going on in it(perhaps more so in my “home” state, California). It works like this: let individuals in industry take over a government run system that works for all, privatize it, advertise it as better and a choice you deserve even though it is not, then let the government run system fall into disrepair as people begin to buy into the hype (thus making their own advertising lies into a kind of truth), let those who can't afford the product then suffer because the government supplied product is unusable, and let the individuals who started it all make a lot of money. This model is working to tear down Public Education in America. "Since I send my kids to private schools, why should I pay for Public Schools?" "Since I pay for Toll Roads what do I care if Public Highways go into disrepair?" "What do I care if Libraries cut hours or close? I can go to the book superstore or buy from amazon." “Why do we need mail delivery to accessible to every one? Couldn’t we just let people who live in rural areas pay extra and wait longer?” "Why should I pay for Democracy when I can have Mobocracy, drive a humvee, use foreigners to do the really hard labor while disallowing their kids an education, and guzzle bottled water by the high-carbon-printed truckload?"
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