Bottled Water Blog

Water Intake Linked to Blood Sugar Level

2011-10-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

People who drink less than a couple of glasses of water per day are more likely to develop abnormally high blood sugar, a study suggests. When someone's blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to fit the definition of diabetes, doctors often consider that person to have "pre-diabetes," meaning that they are at risk of developing the disease. In the study, adults who drank only half a liter - about 2 glasses - or less each day were more likely to develop blood sugar levels in the pre-diabetes range, versus people who drank more water. The findings shoe a correlation between water in-take and blood sugar, but do not prove cause and effect, said senior researcher Lise Bankir of the French national research institute INSERM. Still, it is plausible based on biology, Bankir said.Vasopressin, also known as the antidiuretic hormone, helps regulate the body's water retention. When we are dehydrated, vasopressin levels go up, causing the kidneys to conserve water. There are vasopressin receptors in the liver, the organ responsible for producing glucose (sugar) in the body, Bankir explained. One study found that injecting healthy people with vasopressin caused a temporary spike in blood sugar.

2011-10-04T09:21:00.001-07:00

Light from a water bottle could brighten millions of poor homes (w/ video)

As simple as it sounds, a one-liter plastic bottle filled with purified water and some bleach could serve as a light bulb for some of the millions of people who live without electricity. Originally developed by MIT students, the "solar bottle bulb" is now being distributed by the MyShelter Foundation to homes throughout the Philippines. The foundation’s goal is to use this alternative source of daylight to brighten one million homes in the country by 2012.

Super Models Promoting Super Water

2011-05-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mention the guy who works in a bottling plant, or the owners of a family bottled water company and you will likely get blank stares. Mention Jennifer Anniston and the room lights up. "We all know hot models and celebs move products off shelves, but now even bottled water companies are using super hot stars to push their products," says major news provider CNN.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford recently signed with Propel Fitness Water to use traditional media as well as social media campaigns touting the benefits of water. Ken Tate of the Huston Oilers pitches HINT water; talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is the face of Vitamin water, and the reality TV juggernaut Kardashian family will be private labeling their own water. But it was Jennifer Anniston's mini-movie or long format commercial, depending on your perspective, which Smartwater is banking on to change the face of advertising. In the two minute ad, viewed by more than two million people as a viral video, and shown only on-line, she plays with puppies, makes fun of herself, watches babies dance and a whole lot more. Estimates range from one to four million dollars as her paycheck. No one really knows, but Smartwater is betting on a likable Anniston promoting tried and true humor to sell water. A poll conducted by the Huffington Post showed that 59 percent of respondents felt the ad would make them buy Smartwater. If those numbers hold true, Smartwater might be very smart indeed. "Marketers are now beginning to target an online demographic directly with content that draws on elements of Internet culture," says Sara Marie Watson of the Brightcove Community, a leading online video platform which promotes and monetizes Internet video, of the Anniston ad. "These campaigns target impressions not based on advertisement buys on broadcast networks, but on social networks, blogs, and YouTube." And this is exactly where some bottled water sales are needing help the most; creating non-traditional media campaigns. "What's so interesting about this co-option of Internet culture into branded advertising is that it achieves something relatively unique to the online medium," Watson adds. "These ads are subject to social sharing, and are actually serving as destination content that is directly navigated to and searched, rather than the traditional advertising mode of imposing an impression on a viewer who is actually in the middle of watching something else." And that is a key point as the bottled water industry seeks to reinvent itself. "The flip from push to pull is an important distinction in this new social media-inspired mode of advertising. It suggests that marketers have a new remit not only to find ways to put their product in front of viewers, but to be providing value and entertainment in that content, such that it's able to stand on its own." That may be a hard pill to swallow for medium to small-sized bottlers who may not have the discretionary income to pursue such advertising, however things are changing.

Let's face it; most companies cannot afford Jennifer Anniston. "So what responsibility do celebrities have when they endorse a product?" complains bottled water critic and director of the anti-bottled water film Tapped, Stephanie Soechtig. "We know their endorsement sells more product or companies would have stopped using them ages ago. We often vilify younger celebrities for being bad role models when they are out partying yet we say nothing when Jennifer Aniston credits Smartwater for her killer abs." First off, water is healthy and if the ad connects the health dots with water, so be it. Second, inherent in most celebrity endorsements are programs designed to support viable charities. Smartwater donates a percentage of their sales to Action for Healthy Kids, a non-profit group making changes in schools to help students eat and drink well and exercise more. Smartwater donates $.05 for each 1-liter bottle sold, and they claim they guarantee a minimum donation of $1,000,000. Right there, that is generous seed money to help fight childhood obesity. Granted, Smartwater is part of Coca Cola, and therefore their advertising budget is different than most, but the basic concept of utilizing available social media is the latest and currently best trend. But that alone does not guarantee success. A recent case in point was Pepsi's Refresh Project which accomplished everything a social media program was expected to: over 80 million votes were registered on the website; over 3.5 million "likes" on the Pepsi Facebook page; over 60,000 Twitter followers. They donated money to good causes and planned to sell a lot of Pepsi. But they didn't. For whatever reason, this multimedia platform failed expectations.

Smartwater may or may not sell a ton of bottled water. It is however good entertainment and it capitalizes on pop culture in a way that is humorous and honest. It seems when advertising is forced, say a high concept idea, it doesn?t work, but when an organic idea is allowed time to germinate and be explored, the company does far better. In the case of Smartwater, the Anniston video is proof that entertainment is critical in today's fickle buying public. The water may not sell, but seeing Jennifer Aniston with a bunch of puppies is still appealing.

By Michael Cervin, Senior Editor - Bottled Water Web.com

azzCardfile 4.0 Replaces Outdated MS Cardfile

2011-05-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

OK, this isn't a bottled water story. But I feel the need to talk about this great program I found, after much time spent researching, to replace my very old, I mean really really old Microsoft Cardfile.exe. I needed to replace my tried and true Cardfile.exe program because it was not compatible with the Windows 7 OS in my latest PC.

Cardfile.exe was a very simple program that I used to store all of my personal contacts and important personal information. I have been using it ever since MS 95 was the hot OS. But now it was time to find a replacement and I found a great one. It's called azz.Cardfile and it can be found at http://www.azzcardfile.com/.
It not only does for me what Cardfile did but it can also manage any personal information like addresses, phone numbers, references, notes, recipes.
It can serve as personal organizer, contact manager, address book, rolodex, personal information manager (PIM) or small database software. Replaces Microsoft Cardfile.
Modern customizable user interface, ease of use and extensive features makes this information management software equally suitable for business office or home use.

I find this program indispensable and use it daily. Give it try.

What If Apple Sold Bottled Water

2011-05-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

What if Apple sold bottled water? As far fetched as it sounds I would never rule it out. May be they would let BottledWaterStore.com private label it for them. Their adds would probably look like this:

Problems With Hydrofracking You Didn't Know

2011-02-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

There were more than 493,000 active natural-gas wells in the United States in 2009, almost double the number in 1990. Around 90 percent have used hydrofracking to get more gas flowing, according to the drilling industry.

Gas has seeped into underground drinking-water supplies in at least five states, including Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia, and residents blamed natural-gas drilling.

Air pollution caused by natural-gas drilling is a growing threat, too. Wyoming, for example, failed in 2009 to meet federal standards for air quality for the first time in its history partly because of the fumes containing benzene and toluene from roughly 27,000 wells, the vast majority drilled in the past five years.

In a sparsely populated Sublette County in Wyoming, which has some of the highest concentrations of wells, vapors reacting to sunlight have contributed to levels of ozone higher than those recorded in Houston and Los Angeles.

Industry officials say any dangerous waste from the wells is handled in compliance with state and federal laws, adding that drilling companies are recycling more wastewater now. They also say that hydrofracking is well regulated by the states and that it has been used safely for decades.

But hydrofracking technology has become more powerful and more widely used in recent years, producing far more wastewater. Some of the problems with this drilling, including its environmental impact and the challenge of disposing of waste, have been documented by ProPublica, The Associated Press and other news organizations, especially out West.

And recent incidents underscore the dangers. In late 2008, drilling and coal-mine waste released during a drought so overwhelmed the Monongahela that local officials advised people in the Pittsburgh area to drink bottled water. E.P.A. officials described the incident in an internal memorandum as “one of the largest failures in U.S. history to supply clean drinking water to the public.”

Bottled Water Companies Help With Disaster Relief

2011-01-20T06:29:00.000-08:00

I love to report whenever bottled water companies donate water to disaster stricken countries. Remember that there is a movement afoot to ban bottled water.

Icelandic Glacial water has made it's third donation to Haiti. Under the company's "Water For Life" foundation,Icelandic Glacial has sent 42 tons of water to Haiti to help fight the cholera epidemic.

In January, Icelandic Glacial water was the first to arrive on the ground with the Icelandic Search & Rescue Team following the quake.

Study Finds Probable Carcinogen in 31 U.S. Cities' Tap Water

2010-12-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

A new analysis showing the presence of a probable carcinogen in the tap water of 31 cities across the country, including the District and Bethesda, has raised questions about what consumers in those communities can do to reduce their exposure.

The chemical, hexavalent chromium, got public attention via the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich" and has been deemed a "probable carcinogen" by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Although basic water filters such as those made by Brita and PUR do not remove hexavalent chromium, several reverse-osmosis systems designed for home use can take the chemical out of water.

The analysis, released Monday by the Environmental Working Group, is the first nationwide look at hexavalent chromium in drinking water to be made public. The advocacy group sampled tap water from 35 cities and detected hexavalent chromium in 31 of those communities. Of those, 25 had levels that were higher than a health goal proposed last year by the state of California.

The federal government has not set a limit for hexavalent chromium in drinking water but is reexamining the chemical to decide whether it should impose such restrictions.

Last year, California proposed a "public health goal" for a safe level of hexavalent chromium in drinking water: 0.06 parts per billion. If the state sets a limit, it would be the first in the nation.

Hexavalent chromium was a commonly used industrial chemical until the early 1990s. It is still used in some industries, such as chrome plating and the manufacturing of plastics and dyes. The chemical can also leach into groundwater from natural ores.

Public awareness about the possible health effects of hexavalent chromium was heightened when residents of Hinkley, Calif., accused Pacific Gas & Electric of leaking the chemical into groundwater for more than 30 years. The company paid $333 million in damages in 1996 and pledged to clean up the contamination. The case was the basis for the movie "Erin Brockovich," which starred Julia Roberts.

But a recent California study found that cancer levels in Hinkley are not elevated. The California Cancer Registry's third study on the town, released this month, found that cancer rates remained unremarkable from 1988 to 2008. The state survey did not explain why any individual in Hinkley got cancer. State epidemiologist John W. Morgan has said it is still important that PG&E clean up the groundwater contamination, which continues to migrate despite efforts to contain it.

PG&E has been giving affected residents bottled water and has sent letters to about 100 property owners expressing interest in buying their property. The company has said it will continue those efforts despite the recent cancer study.

Helping Those In Need With Bottled Water Donations

2010-09-10T07:45:00.001-07:00

Nestle Waters Canada, Toronto, donated $35,000 worth of bottled water to Project Water, an organization that distributes bottled water to people in Toronto who suffer from dehydration in the summer. The $35,000 of bottled water totals more than 209,000 bottles. The project will provide water to more than 160 social service agencies that work with the homeless and the needy. Organizations such as the Salvation Army, Canadian Red Cross and the Street Health Bus will benefit from the donation, the company says.

Great Re-Use of Plastic Bottles

2010-07-15T06:02:00.001-07:00

I am a big fan of recycling and reusing plastic bottles. Especially bottled water bottles. Recycling plastic has been going on for a long time but recently I learned of two novel ways used plastic bottles are being turned into new products. Well, the first one isn't exactly about turning water bottles into something different. It's about turning a water bottle, or bottles, into water bottles. A California company that specializes in private label bottled water now produces water bottles made from recycled water bottles. The product is called RPET and is 100% recycled plastic water bottles. You can see and learn more about these at Bottled Water Store.com.

And for for something completely different. I read about this in a recent issue of Time magazine. Nine World Cup soccer teams wore uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. Nike, Coke and Reebok are leading this new fashion trend. And, according to the article author Joel Stein, the uniforms are especially soft and very comfortable. And Nike says that the uniforms are lighter, sturdier, and breathier than and other Nike uniform shirt that has come before. And they are made solely out of plastic! Coca-Cola's shirts are made of half plastic and half cotton are are may be even softer than Nike.

In the future, look for of these shirts and uniforms on sale at boutique stores and at Wal-mart. Also, Reebok will soon be collecting bottles from NFL and NHL games and turning them into shirts to sell to fans.

Bottled Water And July 4th

2010-07-09T08:40:00.001-07:00

July 4th is a great American holiday and the milestone event of summer months. America's birthday is jubilant and exciting with barbecue, picnics, party's and fireworks. And lets not forget Bottled Water.

July 4th really kicks off the summer vacation season which is, especially this year, extremely hot. I just returned from a few days vacation in Washington DC where my family and I toured all of the great capital government buildings and monuments. We also watched the National July 4th parade. The temparature was 100+ degrees! Was it ever hot. There must have been a million people in DC last week end. The streets were packed and everyone was dealing as best they could with the heat. Thankfully, there were bottled water vendors everywhere. Really, everywhere. Apparently the July 4th holiday is a great opportunity for street vendors and people who might not normally sell things on the street, to sell bottled water. You could see them everywhere hauling coolers and cases of bottled water to "hot" spots on the capital streets. Very often they had their children in tow. For some vendors this was a family affair and an opportunity not to miss.

From time to time I couldn't help but think that the July 4th parade and the entire week-end might not have possible without bottled water. The only way to survive last week end was to stay hydrated. I have blogged many times on the insanity of considering a ban on bottled water. This was proof right before my eyes of how right I am. Bottled Water is a product and service that everyone wants. The city also impressed me with the way that they collected the empties. They had people walking through the crowds with large plastic bags collecting the empties and staging them in designated areas so that the could be picked up later by trucks.

My hat is off to DC. They endorsed a way for citizens to produce some income. They made sure that their visitors were properly hydrated and they efficiently cleaned the streets and recycled the bottles.

The Latest In Environmental Responsibility

2010-04-14T07:32:00.001-07:00

The past year has seen bottled water companies announcing various ways to reduce the carbon footprint of bottled water bottles. We now have "Environmentally Friendly" bio-degradable bottles, bottles with reduced volumes of plastic material, and recycled plastic bottles.

Now the latest development comes from a South African company, Stora Enso. The new product, called NeoSet, is a full wet strength paper label that contains "post-consumer-waste" (recycled) (PCW) fiber.

NeoSet is a one-side coated wet strength label containing a high percentage of PCW-fibers. It meets all the requirements of label papers specifically used for the production of labels for water and soft drink bottles. NeoSet is produced at Stora Enso's Uetersen Mill in Germany.

"With NeoSet we respond to the growing interest from brand owners in packaging solutions with further improved ecological efficiency characteristics," says Eckhard Kallies, VP for Packaging Papers. "We improve the environmental profile by replacing a high percentage of virgin fiber with post-consumer-waste content.

Going Green- Bottled Water Store.com Recycled Water Bottles

2010-03-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Bottled Water Store.com announces a “break-through” in private label bottle water packaging. Effective immediately, our new line of environmentally friendly Regenerate™ RPET water bottles will be made available to our customers that are served primarily from our California bottling facility. These bottles are made entirely from previously recycled beverage containers. This is truly an industry first.

Currently, about 33% of all plastic beverage containers in the U.S. are recycled. Most of these containers are made from PET which is a clear plastic polymer used in package and container manufacturing. As always, we are committed to finding ways to improve our products, and position ourselves as an industry leader. The use of previously recycled PET will allow all of us to reduce our CO2 emissions by 1 – 1 ½ pounds for every 1 pound of plastic recycled.

More information can be found at the Bottled Water Store.com.

Planet Green - The Environmenatlly Friendy Bottled Water

2010-03-03T14:20:00.001-08:00

The newest entry into the world of "Green" bottled water products is "Planet Green". What makes it green is it's bottle. It is made entirely of plant material, including corn. The bottle is 100% biodegradable, as long as it is returned to the manufacturer for special composting.

The water itself is highly purified using a process very similar to Smartwater. Filtration, deionization, reverse osmosis, vapor distillationand ozonation. Then minerals are added for taste. I wonder if Planet Green makes you as smart as Smartwater does?

The bottlers want you to be real smart and stop buying water packaged in petroleum based plastic bottles. They say that by drinking their water you will help reduce global warming, carbon emissions and our dependency on oil.

Green Planet is now available on-line at bottledwaterstore.com.

Bottled Water Plant in Middle Of The Ocean

2010-02-03T10:37:00.001-08:00

Thats right! With the permission of the Texas General Land Office, a Minneapolis based company is building a bottled water plant in the ocean. But that's not the big news. The big news is that the power for the desalination process will be provided by a patented pump called the "Seadog" which will harness wave power to generate electricity. That's very cool.

Desalinated sea water for use as bottled water is not new. There is a company operating a ship off the cost of Hawaii that is pumping sea water from the deep depths of the ocean then bottling and distributing it. There are also small operations in arid areas of the world that bottle desalinated seawater. But this company has developed a process that is claimed to be the first 100% fossil-fuel free bottled water! That's really cool. For more information on sea water desalination click on the link.

Faith Based Custom Labels On Bottled Water

2010-01-14T06:55:00.001-08:00

In earlier blogs I spoke about the popularity of custom label bottled water as an advertising medium for both large and small businesses. Custom Label bottled water is also popular as a fund raiser for non-profit groups. These can be churches, civic groups, little leaque, soccer and cheer leading organizations, just to name a few. But the largest group in the non-profit segment is probably churches and other faith based religious groups. These groups are very important customers for custom label water companies. It seems that spring and summer are the busiest times when faith based groups get the word out about their services and special events by passing our bottled water to the faithful with their message imprinted on the label. Many groups customize their own labels but many others choose to select a label from "The Living Water Project", a faith based organization and ministry. The organization offers about a dozen different pre-designed labels from which church groups and other faith based organizations can choose from. After choosing the label the customer can then have their organization name, address, telephone number and web site imprinted on the label. The most popular label by far is the "Living Water" label that includes quotations from Romans and also John 4:14. High quality graphics make the label a joy to behold.
"Our product is designed to encourage the Christian Community to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, in an innovative way, by means of Christian based labels on bottled water, said organization founder E.C. Florez. He adds " Each label contains an attention getting title and scripture that causes the reader to reflect on God’s word and the Holy Spirit to do His work. Each label offers a salvation invitation."

The Living Water Project was founded just a few years ago and the bottled water and labels are provided nationwide by Bottled Water Store.com.

Bottled Water Store.com Private Label Program Highly Praised

2009-12-21T12:56:00.001-08:00

Bottled Water Store.com has been selling brand name bottled water products on-line for over 10 years now. But, with the exception of there many customers, few realize that they also offer private and custom label bottled water. And not just regional but nationwide. Most bottling companies market and distribute their products to their regional market. This makes sense from a shipping pint of view. A case of bottled water is heavy.

Bottled Water Store.com partners with regional bottling companies that provide not only bottled water but also labels and label art services. Together with their partners, Bottled Water Store.com can ship economically to all parts of the USA. And because the price per bottle is usually lower than their competition, customers have the highest praise for this enterprising company.

To see a list of testimonials go to www.bottledwaterstore.com/Privatelabel.htm.

Smartwater is America's Sweet Heart

2009-12-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

New bottled water products are launched all the time. There are probably two dozen a year. Sadly, or luckily,depending on the product, most of these fail or disappear within months. But there is one product became highly successful but has won the hearts and minds of the American bottled water consumer. That product is Glaceau "Smartwater".

Smartwater was launched approximately 5 years ago along with Glaceau's other successful product line of Vitamin waters. But Smartwater is the purified water product with added electrolytes (calcium and magnesium additives) that promises to make you smart if you drink it. How can you go wrong with a promise like that. And thousands over the years have accepted the challenge.

The original bottles included a "Genius" meter printed on the side of the bottle. The more you drank the smarter you became and when the bottle was empty the meter indicated that you reached genius level. Very cute. Very creative.

Smartwater continues to be a huge selling product for the Coca Cola company which purchased the product line from Energy Brands in 2007. Smartwater can be found in many retail stores and also on-line at Bottled Water Store.com. Smartwater is the best selling product at Bottled Water Store.com. Customers like to have cases delivered to their door at home or work and often purchased Smartwater as gifts.

The US Is Using Less Water

2009-11-04T08:49:00.001-08:00

The US is using less water than during the peak years of 1975 and 1980, according to water use estimates for 2005.

Assistant secretary of the interior, Anne Castle, announced the report – ‘Estimated Use of Water in the US in 2005’ – as part of her keynote speech at the Atlantic Water Summit in the National Press Club.

The report shows that, in 2005, Americans used 410 billion gallons a day, slightly less than in 2000. The declines are attributed to the increased use of more efficient irrigation systems and alternative technologies at power plants.

Water withdrawals for public supply have increased steadily since 1950 (when USGS began the series of five-year trend reports) along with the population that depends on these supplies.

Nearly half (49%) of the 410 billion gallons per day used by Americans was for producing electricity at thermoelectric power plants. Irrigation accounted for 31% and public supply 11% of the total. The remaining 9% of the water was for self-supplied industrial, livestock, aquaculture, mining and rural domestic uses.

“Because electricity generation and irrigation accounted for a massive 80% of our water use in 2005, the improvements in efficiency and technology give us hope for the future,” Castle said.

The largest uses of fresh surface water were power generation and irrigation, and the states with the largest fresh surface water uses were California, Texas, Idaho and Illinois. The largest use of fresh groundwater was irrigation, and the states with the largest fresh groundwater uses were California, Texas, Nebraska and Arkansas.

The smallest use of ground water was for botted water - (this blogger).

Bottled Water Store.com Delivers In Space

2009-10-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Bottled Water Saves Lives, Again.

2009-10-06T14:07:00.001-07:00

I don't wish to offend anyone but I have to tell you that hardly a week goes by that I don't get an Email or a comment to a blog from someone who is anti bottled water. It is of course perfectly respectable to have an opinion pro or con about anything but what usually happens is that, in the end, the writer is just pushing a product of some sort. These are usually water filters, RO systems, tap water etc. Please don't misunderstand stand me, these are wonderful products and I am involved with all of them, more than you would think. So it is that when the writer recommends the end of bottled water for much overplayed reasons, I cant help but become dismayed. That is because not one of the substitutions for bottled water has ever saved lives in an emergency, such as a hurricane or flood.

Last week the Southeast, and Georgia especially, suffered from heavy rains and severe flooding. Ten people died while emergency crews searched for others reported missing. The Govenor of Geogia declared a state of emergency in the 17 counties hardest hit by the severe weather, which caused $280,000,000 in damage thoughout Georgia.

Today I read that Nestle Waters of North America quickly donated 5000 one gallon bottles of water to communities affected by the disaster. There were no water filters, RO systems or tap water donated. What would happen if bottled water companies were to close and disappear over time because of the "conspiracy" against it?

In 2008, Nestle Waters delivered more than 2.7 million bottles of water to citizens and relief workers affetced by natural disasters and emergencies, as per Alex McIntosh, director of corporate citizenship.

Read more about Nestle's donation and the Georgia Floriding at bottledwaterstore.com.

The Beverage Guidance System

2009-09-24T08:48:00.001-07:00

The Beverage Guidance System was developed by a panel of experts headed by Dr. Barry Popkin at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Over the past several decades, levels of overweight and obesity have increased across all population groups in the United States. Concurrently, an increased daily intake of 150–300 kcal (for different age-sex groups) has occurred, with approximately 50% of the increased calories coming from the consumption of calorically sweetened beverages. The panel ranked beverages from the lowest to the highest value based on caloric and nutrient contents and related health benefits and risks. Drinking water was ranked as the preferred beverage to fulfill daily water needs and was followed in decreasing value by tea and coffee, low-fat (1.5% or 1%) and skim (nonfat) milk and soy beverages, noncalorically sweetened beverages, beverages with some nutritional benefits (fruit and vegetable juices, whole milk, alcohol, and sports drinks), and calorically sweetened, nutrient-poor beverages. The Panel recommends that the consumption of beverages with no or few calories should take precedence over the consumption of beverages with more calories.

In an effort to help Americans make better decisions, the beverages are assigned categories from level 1 to level 6. Popkin recommends beverages in levels 1 through 3 while beverages in levels 4 though 6 should be consumed in great moderation.

Water of course, is the best hydration fluid and is level 1. The entire report can be dounloaded from bottledwaterstore.com by clicking on this link: http://www.bottledwaterstore.com/bevguidesys.pdf

More Disinformation in the Media About Water

2009-07-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

It seems that every six months or so, another delusive study about bottle water is released. What is worse is that the mass media loves to broadcast and print the disinformation. The result is that thousands of intelligent citizens are treated liked idiots.

The latest report to make my blood boil was released this week. The Government Accountability Office and the Environmental Working Group (who are they?)claim that consumers know less about the water they buy in bottles then the water that comes out of the tap. They say this is because bottles do not contain the same information that municipal water producers must disclose. Well, here is my first argument.

Does anyone know what their tap water contains? Do you know what the tap water your served in the restaurant contains? I don't remember a waiter ever offering me a water analysis when I'm in a restaurant. Maybe it was on the bottom of the glass!

The reality is that once a year municipalities are required to provide each customer with a water analysis. Most people would not understand them. Most people likely throw them away, I speculate. The labels on bottled water contain some information including the source of the water and some mineral content. They are too small to contain the whole 22 page water analysis. But mandatory on every bottle is a contact telephone number to call to request this information.

The Bottled Water industry is highly regulated and most reputable bottled water companies adhere to FDA regulations. Most are members of the IBWA, International Bottled Water Association which requires that their members adhere to their strict rules.

Because I defend the bottled water industry, as well as citizens rights to choose what ever beverage they please, you might think that I do not approve of tap water. Contrarily, I think the major municipal water utilities do a good job treating our water supplies and provide a safe product. A major problem that seems to be always overlooked by those that decry bottled water and recommend tap is that people do recognize that tap water has problems and is just not as convenient to obtain when away from home. The chief problem, particularly where I live in Florida, is the taste. The water contains chlorine necessary for sanitation but unfortunately departs a bad taste and odor. Many restaurants serve water with lemon for that reason. If you filter it with a carbon filter the water tastes very good. Yea for tap water. Unfortunately, most of use do not carry our filtration equipment with us when we travel to work, the park the gym etc. Much easier to buy a bottle of water.

Bottled water companies process water much the same way municipalities do. The difference is that one is a government entity and the other is for profit. If the for profit screws up they can be out of business. If the government entity screws up, we all boil water for a week but they keep on going. So we trust Nestle, Coke, Pepsi, Evian, Poland Spring and the many other well known brands to do the right thing.

When I watch video of government meetings I rarely see anything but bottled water on the table. When the GAO presented their report before a sub-committee of congress, I wonder what was on the table in front of every attendee, tap or bottled water?

Claims Against Bottled Water Unfounded

2009-05-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

One claim is that bottled water is no different than tap water. Well, it is different in a lot of ways. One being it is in a bottle so the delivery system is completely different, which makes it a convenient option for people who are on the go. The package also ensures that it is sanitary. It is different than tap water, which travels through pipes and has other issues.

Environmentalists have said that bottled water is simply bottled tap water, but in reality 75% of bottled water is from springs and natural sources. The rest of it, if it is bottled from municipal sources, is treated and has to meet certain standards and regulations beyond what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations are for tap water. The standards for bottled water are different—they basically meet EPA regulations plus packaging regulations, which are just as stringent, if not more.

Another claim is that bottled water is unduly wasteful, more wasteful than other products, but there is really no evidence for that. It is not a huge portion of solid waste, and putting taxes and bans on it is not going to have much of an impact on the amount of waste that goes into a landfill. Bottled water containers are recyclable and the part of the story that is not being told is that the 5-gal containers are recycled at nearly a 100% rate. They are used 30 to 50 times over, so they are an environmentally friendly product from that perspective.

There are also a lot of claims about the chemicals in the products, but a lot of times the chemicals referred to do not even appear in the bottles. BPA is not found in single-serving containers. It is found in the 5-gal containers, but at such a low level that it is inconsequential. There has never been a public health issue cited from [chemicals in bottled water containers], it’s just speculative and way overblown.

Bottled Water Is Here To Stay

2009-04-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Bottled Water, the fasted growing beverage category of the last 20 years is under attack. After being hailed as a natural healthy alternative to soft drinks and other sugary beverages, it is being maligned from environmentalists and those that seek favor in a "Green" sort of way. But all this shall soon pass.

Why? Because bottled water fulfills our need to be mobile and hydrated. Or, if in a meeting, have a source of sealed safe water to quench our thirst. There are many ways bottled water serves as a convenience in our daily lives. One common way that comes to mind is the bottle of water in our car. Or maybe when taking the baby or dog or both for a long walk. On the way to work out or play a sport and forgot to bring your bottle from home, buy a bottle of water.

Do you coach kid sports? Do you fill 15 bottles in your kitchen sink or bring do you fill a 3 gallon jug, buy and bring them to the field for the kids? A case of bottled water costs less than $5 and fits in a cooler. Easy. Also sealed and safe.

Don't get the idea that I don't believe in bottling tap water, because I do. And I have been doing it for years. But that is because my tap water is filtered and dechlorinated and tastes great. Like bottled water. But most people do not have filters on their tap water and when tap water is not cold it often tastes bad as a result of the chlorine and organic content that is normally present.

Bottled water provides many other conveniences so I think that once the assault is over it will emerge as healthy and desirable as ever. Bottled Water is here to stay.
Purchase or learn more about bottled water.

Bottled Water: The Government’s Top Priority? Shouldn’t Be.

2009-03-04T05:36:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, government actions are misinformed and misplaced, notes
Donald A. Mounce, the senior editor of Water Conditioning &
Purification Magazine. (Not quite as well known as Newsweek, but
still…)

Yet Mounce knows firsthand about wrong government actions, as a
former elected - and currently appointed - local official. “In some
cases, the egregious nature of government priorities is very clear and
becomes quite unbearable,” he writes.

And Mounce continues:

This is where we find ourselves on the argument of
banning bottled water. It is unconscionable that any level of
government or any bureaucratic unit would in any way find this a good
idea.

It is simply ridiculous.

Somehow the bottled water industry is targeted as the reason for
rising oil prices, improper waste management, the lack of complete
plastic recycling, global warming and probably, for some, the lack of
world peace…this is another case of unecessary government social
engineering for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way.

And as Mounce puts succinctly, in regard to tap, filtered, or bottled waters:

“Any way to get potable water in the hands of anyone
who needs it is an excellent method; there is no best, better, or worse
way. It is all good and it all has value to our health and to our
global societies, whether for convenience of individual s or necessary
use in times of global dsiaster.”

City of Chicago Levies Tax on Bottled Water

2009-02-05T07:32:00.001-08:00

I first learned of the tax several months ago when I received a letter from Tammy Steels, Executive Director of the Urban Sustainability Authority, based in Chicago.The Urban Sustainability Authority is a 5013c non-profit organization dedicated to environment and health.
The letter was sent to inform me that, effective July 1, 2008, the city had issued a special access tax on the sale of bottled water. The tax adds $1.20 to a case of bottled water purchased in Chicago. Urban Sustainability, www.urbansustain.org, is fighting to reverse this "misleading and unhealthy" tax. The group has created PROJECT H2GO as a way of saying no to Chicago's tax "on this planet's healthiest beverage".

It is assumed thast the tax was created to reduce the amount of plastic bottles in landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, cardboard and yard waste are the top trash in landfills, not plastic bottles.

There are great many reason why water, essential to life on this planet, is not taxed in most of the world, except Chicago. I believe they are very obvious and that water in any form should not be taxed. What do you think? I'd also like to know how the Urban Sustainability Authority is progressing with PROJECT H2GO.

All is Born of Water, All is Sustained by Water

2009-01-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

More than perhaps any other element of life on earth, water makes possible the existence of all living organisms. When two hydrogen atoms fasten to one oxygen atom, they create an asymmetrically shaped molecule. The hydrogen atoms are drawn together slightly on one side of the oxygen atom, creating a positive charge on one side of the water molecule and a negative charge on the other. The opposite charges create an effect similar to a magnetic attraction that bonds water molecules to neighboring water molecules and to other substances. This remarkable chemical circumstance knits together the fabric of life.
The aggregate accumulation of water molecules is a substance that flows at normal temperatures. Most other fluids i.e. milk and blood are water-based. They are made of non-liquids suspended in water.
Without the motion and the distribution system that moving water provides, the elements of life would never connect, their commingling under sunlight would not produce the complicated carbon compounds that lead eventually to cells, cells would not be able to gather as the moist organized and specialized cell colonies we call tissue, their aggregation would have no exchanging processes, no supply systems of food and breath, the eye would not see, the brain would not compute, the muscle would not move.
By and large, the characteristics of the water molecule that make it life-giving are freakish properties. They are, more often than not, exceptions to basic chemical rules.
Almost every other substance becomes heavier, smaller, and denser as it changes from a liquid to a solid. But water expands and grows lighter, so that ice floats. If that does not seem remarkable, it should. If water acted like other substances, its solid form, ice, would sink. The floor of the sea and the bottoms of lakes would accumulate ice. Gradually, winter after winter, the ice would lock up more and more water until there would be none running free on the planet. There would be no life on earth.
More substances can be dissolved by water than by any other material. The water molecule, with its magnet like opposite charges, is able to carry other substances suspended within itself, making it a nearly universal solvent.
Water is able to climb of its own accord, a feat that results in capillary action in soils and in plants. Without this characteristic, water would not travel from the deepest root tip to the highest leaf. There would be no internal flow of nutrients in complicated organisms, and thus no complicated organisms. The trick occurs because the attraction of water molecules to themselves and to other molecules is so strong that they are drawn upward from one foreign molecule to another, always pulling along the adjacent water molecules. The climb is halted only by gravity.
Great amounts of heat can be absorbed by water, making seas, rivers, lakes, and clouds vast energy storage banks. The release of stored heat from the ocean, for example, moderates climates, making coastal winters milder than those only a few miles inland.
Human blood, excluding the cells and proteins, has the same general composition as seawater.
Through a fortunate accident, Planet Earth is the right distance from the sun to make the existence of life-giving water possible. Closer to the sun the heat is so intense that water would be vaporized; farther away, water would be permanently frozen. Only Mars, of the other planets in the solar system, is in the narrow temperature band in which water can exist in all three states. But only Earth is blanketed by a living, water-built biosphere, in which the lifesource itself seems to issue from water's evaporation, precipitation, runoff, seepage, transpiration from plants, respiration from animals, melting, freezing, and flowing. Earth, as far as we know, is the only water planet.

The Great Flouride Debate - again.

2008-12-30T12:37:00.000-08:00

Gosh, the debate over whether to add Fluoride, or not, into public water supplies seems to have been going on forever. It is almost like if you have seen the successful results then you are very much for it. If you live in a water district where Fluoride is being considered, then you may be against it. In the 50's antagonists called it a "communist plot". Since then it has been argued and feared that Fluoride in drinking water may cause almost every kind of malady.

Fluoride, in very very large doses, roughly four times the amount typically added to public water supplies, has been associated with dental Fluorosis, in which teeth become mottled and pitted, and could cause bone fractures. A separate study linked fluoride with a very rare bone cancer in boys.

But while a few isolated studies have raised such questions, there has never been any compelling evidence that fluoridation has any harmful health effects in over 60 years of research, according to the CDC. In fact, the ADA, AMA and WHO and also five US Surgeons General, have endorsed adding Fluoride to public water supplies because it cuts the rate of tooth decay 18 to 40%.

Personnel experience has me convinced. I was born in NYC before fluoride was introduced to the water supply. I had cavities all the time and going to the dentist was routine. No child should have to endure the procedures in that I had to. My father was macho and didn't believe in Novocaine. He insisted that I shouldn't use it either. That only lasted a short time and finally I was allowed the luxury of that big, really big needle inserted into my gums to inject the Novocaine. It was worth it. But by the time I was about 8 or nine years old, NYC began adding Fluoride to our drinking water. And guess what, "Look Ma, no more cavities".

I have since moved to Florida, Palm Beach County to be more specific where fluoride is added and kids get Fluoride applied to there teeth in school once a year. My kids have grown up without cavities. Loss of a revenue stream for dentists, big savings for me.

Here is a parting thought for your consideration. Why is there this fuss about fluoride and not the other chemicals added to our water by municipalities routinely, like Chlorine,sometimes added in great quantities, and Corrosion inhibitor which is added into the finished water to protect the pipes that serve our homes.

Water Packed in Paper

2008-12-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is a great idea. Water packed in paper carton packages. The product: Aquapax, an award winning natural mineral water. The product was developed by “Just Drinking Water, Ltd.” Of Brighton England. “Finally, I got to a point in my career and life where I realized there’s no point in waiting for someone else to take every initiative. We’re providing an alternative next generation package for bottled water, which customers are embracing. We decided to prove market acceptance for the integrity and sustainability of carton water by doing it, rather than just talking about it.” – Neil Tomlinson, Founder and Managing Director.
I like PET #1 recyclable bottles but I also think that the Aquapax concept should be welcomed as well. I don’t have the picture to show you here but it appears that the twist top is still plastic. Well that is a lot less then the whole bottle. What do you think about it?

Hydration Boosts Concentration Among UK Students

2008-12-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

UK based bottled water manufacturer Willow Water has recently completed a joint initiative with Morecambe Community High School (MCHS) to provide free water for a school project to test the benefits of drinking water among pupils. The results showed that there was a statistically significant overall improvement in concentration levels, according to the company which also claims the eponymous branded water can improved the student’s skin conditions.
Students were asked to drink 1.5 litres of Willow Water each per day including weekends and to complete before and after questionnaires. Their parents and teachers were also asked to complete questionnaires both before the ‘trial’ started and at the end. These questionnaires were designed to monitor student concentration levels.
The project with MCHS ended recently and the results showed that drinking more (Willow) water definitely had a positive effect on concentration levels with 48% of the pupils noticing an improvement. A further 42% noticed a positive improvement in their level of excitability and 38% felt their anger control had improved. Throughout the trial several teachers reported that during the afternoon sessions the children were able to stay on task for longer periods of time. The school used the trial in a selection of lessons including statistics, science and math. The psychology students also looked at the effects of hydration and some of the teachers also participated.
Philip Sinclair, Chemistry and Science teacher at Morecambe School is delighted with the trial. “The trials went well although distribution of the water was hard work! There was a buzz in the whole school about it – in fact I had kids approach me in the corridor wanting to take part.” The results are in line with government recommendations which state that children should drink at least 1.5 – 2 litres of water per day. Water makes up about 80% of the brain and is an essential element in neurological transmissions.
Poor hydration adversely affects a child’s mental performance and symptoms include tiredness, headaches reduced alertness and ability to concentrate. Mental performance, including memory, attention and concentration, deteriorates progressively as the degree of dehydration increases.
MCHS is encouraging the children to maintain their water consumption so that this may reflect positively in their GCSE results.

Bottled Water: The Government’s Top Priority? Shouldn’t Be.

2008-11-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, government actions are misinformed and misplaced, notes Donald A. Mounce, the senior editor of Water Conditioning & Purification Magazine. (Not quite as well known as Newsweek, but still…)

Yet Mounce knows firsthand about wrong government actions, as a former elected - and currently appointed - local official. “In some cases, the egregious nature of government priorities is very clear and becomes quite unbearable,” he writes.

And Mounce continues:

This is where we find ourselves on the argument of banning bottled water. It is unconscionable that any level of government or any bureaucratic unit would in any way find this a good idea.

It is simply ridiculous.

Somehow the bottled water industry is targeted as the reason for rising oil prices, improper waste management, the lack of complete plastic recycling, global warming and probably, for some, the lack of world peace…this is another case of unecessary government social engineering for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way.

And as Mounce puts succinctly, in regard to tap, filtered, or bottled waters:

“Any way to get potable water in the hands of anyone who needs it is an excellent method; there is no best, better, or worse way. It is all good and it all has value to our health and to our global societies, whether for convenience of individual s or necessary use in times of global dsiaster.”

Why Consumers chose bottles water

2008-09-19T07:10:00.001-07:00

Bottled Water Matters » HOME

WHY CONSUMERS CHOOSE BOTTLED WATER

-Some groups have sought to frame drinking water issues as a "bottled water versus tap water debate" and that confuses consumers.

-Consumers are not uniformly replacing their public drinking water with bottled water; rather they are choosing bottled water over the other beverages available at the store and home. Consumers across the United States choose bottled water as an alternative to other packaged beverages because it does not include calories, caffeine, sugar, artificial flavors or colors, alcohol and other ingredients they may wish to moderate. Or, they choose bottled water because they are not always satisfied with the aesthetic qualities (e.g., taste, odor, color) of their tap water. There are thousands of public water systems across the US, most of which are succeeding; but others are faced with occasional "challenges," emergencies, or natural events that may cause service interruptions.

-Many consumers likely drink both bottled water and tap water depending on the circumstances. It does not, however, always amount to a tap versus bottled water choice.

Bottled Water Bottles Do not Contain BPA

2008-09-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a follow up to the BPA story. It turns out that the bottles (cans) that you should worry about are the hard plastic kind usually with the recycle # 7 stamped on them. Bottled water bottles that you by and recycle are made of PET and usually have the #1 stamped on them. Cans have inner coatings that contain BPA also.
Here are some good rules of thumb for reducing your intake of BPA.
1. Buy your tomato sauce in glass jars. Canned tomato sauce is likely to have higher levels of BPA because the high acidity of the tomatoes causes more of the chemical to leach from the lining of the can. Think beyond plain tomato sauce to any canned pasta—like ravioli and those fun-looking kids' meals.
2. Consume frozen or fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned. In addition to their BPA-free benefit, fresh and frozen produce usually have more nutrients, which often get lost in the process of canning. Eden Foods does offer canned beans that are BPA-free.
3. Purchase beverages in plastic or glass bottles. Canned soda and juice often contain some BPA. You don't need to worry, though, about disposable plastic water bottles. Most don't contain bisphenol A, and those that do are usually marked on the bottom with a number 7 recycling code.
4. Use powdered infant formula instead of ready-to-serve liquid. A separate assessment from the Environmental Working Group found that liquid formulas contain more BPA than powdered brands.
5. Think in terms of moderation. You don't need to avoid all canned foods. Just consult the chart below and follow a sensible approach, eating less of those foods that are high in BPA. Click here for the full report on canned foods.

The Safety of Bottled Water Bottles

2008-09-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

There has been a great deal of publicity lately about the safety, or lack of, concerning bottled water bottles. It seems that the media has jumped on the "danger" bandwagon and is suggesting that bottled water may be unsafe to drink. The culprit they say is a chemical called bisphenol A. The talking heads imply that bispehenol A will leach from the bottled water bottles into the water and cause us harm. Bisphenol A is a hormone mimicking chemical that can disturb the body's endocrine system. It has been found to leach from polycarbonate plastic which are used in those sturdy reusable bottles like the kind hikers carry, baby bottles and water coolers. But PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles don't contain bisphenol A, according to NAPCOR, the National Association for PET Container Resources. Scientific research on the potential for PET bottles to leach harmful substance is sparse. If anything, it's the reuse of PET bottles by some consumers that may pose a problem, since the bottles' narrow necks can make them difficult to wash. "The bigger risk to consumers is probably bacterial contamination," says Rolf Halden, a drinking water expert and assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.I don't have anything against news shows alerting the public to a potential problem but I think that they should do the research so that they get their story correct. I hope that the media is not deliberately promoting non consumption of bottled water.
More about Bottled Water at www.bottledwaterstore.com