9/15/11 My Position on Bottled Water

The use of bottled water is a controversial topic. Some people claim that drinking bottled water is a waste of money and natural resources, and that more people should drink tap water. Others however, believe that the convenience and other benefits of bottled water outweigh the arguably overdramatized costs. Although both sides of this issue have merit, I believe that a major reduction in the use of bottled water is the optimal plan of action because the case for saving money and natural resources seems both more convincing and important when you consider the amount of petroleum used to produce and transport plastic bottles that are rarely recycled, and the possible options to make up for the convenience of the practice.

Revised with friends opinions:

The use of bottled water is a controversial topic. Some people claim that drinking bottled water is a waste of money and natural resources, and that more people should drink tap water. Others however, believe that the convenience and other benefits of bottled water outweigh the arguably overdramatized costs. For example, my friend Natalia loves drinking bottled water and easily just throwing away the bottles, and does not worry about the consequences of this for the planet. Although both sides of this issue have merit, I believe that a major reduction in the use of bottled water is the optimal plan of action because the case for saving money and natural resources seems both more convincing and important when you consider the amount of petroleum used to produce and transport plastic bottles that are rarely recycled, and the possible options to make up for the convenience of the practice. My friend Bekka points out the easy use of more permanent containers and the water refilling station on campus, and I agree with this more conservative approach.