You may remember that at New Year I resolved not to buy bottled water and while I didn't think it would be too hard, I'm actually surprised at how easy it has been. Buying a bottle of water, and pretty much any bottled drink, is just not an option for me anymore. I have to admit that I have had a few sips from other's bottles, however I would rather wait until I get home, or to a source of tap water to have a proper drink, or take my own bottle filled from the tap at home. I did this often during Summer when we were going out for the day, to the pool or wherever.
It's one of those funny things about our society that so many of us choose to pay for water and then don't think twice about throwing away the bottle that it came in. I think it is a good example of how easy it is to get caught up in what everyone else does, or what marketing tells us to do, without questioning it. Why should we pay for water? Why not drink from the tap? Why is it OK to add to landfill and use up resources by drinking from plastic? Why should convenience always be the priority?
I think that making this resolution has shown me that I can make a choice about my consumption. I am also aware of how fortunate I am that I can make this choice - that I have unlimited access to clean, safe water. There are some sobering statistics about water scarcity on this UN website - including the fact that 780 million people do not have access to clean water.
Someone once said to me that every choice we make is also a political one. This sounds pretty heavy, however I agree to a point, because everything we do reflects our beliefs and priorities. If we believe that everything is interconnected, then our actions, whether positive or negative, sustainable or not, will impact on each other and the natural world. I hope that my small change in habit will impact positively and perhaps make others think about the choices they make when it comes to buying water, as well as reminding us to be grateful for what we have.
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Cheers! |
it's so easy to take fresh clean water for granted. All we need to do is turn the tap on and out it flows. I wonder how we would feel if we had to walk miles and miles to the nearest well to get fresh supplies of water
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