by Brian Tuck

If you are reading this from the comfort of your own home, you are one of the world's richest to have a personal computer, therefore most likely have access to clean tap water. The irony is, major corporations would have you believe otherwise so they profit from your fear of municipal water supplies and sell you something that's readily available in your kitchen for free.

We have commodified a natural resource. This sets the precedent for corporations to have control over a basic human necessity and not your government. Less money gets used to ensure clean and abundant ground water supply in locations that could benefit from continuously improved systems.

The myth tap water is unclean

The truth is, your tap water is tested more than 10 times a day, whereas bottled water is not regulated by the FDA and has been recalled on many occasions. There are no guarantees to the safety of bottled water you drink. In fact, most bottled water does not have the same testing standards your city uses, yet obtains it from the same source. Read the labels, if it doesn't say it's from a spring or iceberg, it was filtered in a plant and sold back to you for about 400% more the cost of obtaining it.

Eliminate the use of bottled water to help make the greatest impact

North Americans throw away more than 2.5 million plastic bottles per hour and less than 30% of these bottles end up in a recycling bin. The rest end up in landfills and our oceans. Unless you are relying on disaster relief efforts or a city advisory notice, your tap water is just fine. The plastic bottle alone contains PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate), used in the production of plastics that are harmful to you and the environment throughout the production process.

Tips to make an environmental difference

-Carry a reusable canteen with you throughout your day and use a filter for your kitchen sink.

-If you don't have recycling in your area, petition to get a program started

-Petition to include a $0.10 refund on the bottle similar to soft drinks and beer if your city doesn't do this already. This tax encourages people to return their finished bottles and places the recycling cost on the corporations instead of your tax dollars.

-70% of the earth is covered in water and only 1% of that is drinkable. Your unspent dollar is one of the best initiatives to make a positive environmental impact, keeping water free and out of corporate hands.

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