On Point broadcast a program entitled The Bottled Water Obsession discussing the impact of the consumption of one billion bottles of water per week in the United States. One of the guests, Charles Fishman, wrote an article for Fast Company, Message in a Bottle discusses not only the effect of those bottles going into landfills but also the effects of manufacturing and transporting water to consumers.

• $15 billion dollars was spent on bottled water last year. That’s more than was spent on ipods or movie tickets.
• 24% of bottled water is repackaged tap water.
• 1 billion bottles of water are transported by ships, trains, and trucks in the U.S. each week. Because water weighs 8 1/3 pounds per gallon, it’s too heavy to fill a an 18-wheeler. Empty space must be left in the trailer.
• Americans drank 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976 on average. Last year the average was 28.3 gallons per person. Soft drinks are the only drinks more popular.
• If we paid for tap water what we pay for bottled water, our monthly water bills would be $9,000.
• Half of Fiji Water’s wholesale cost is transportation. Plastic bottles must be shipped to Fiji, filled with water, and then shipped out.
• “Once you understand the resources mustered to deliver the bottle of water, it’s reasonable to ask as you reach for the next bottle, not just ‘Does the value to me equal the 99 cents I’m about to spend?’ but ‘Does the value equal the impact I’m about to leave behind?’ “