Think before you buy your water

Over the past few semesters, you have probably noticed the revamp of the recycling program at Baruch.

The purpose of removing trash bins from all the classrooms and moving them into the atrium on each floor is to encourage recycling.

It has been a difficult change for some students, but take heart in knowing that we are all contributing to a huge positive impact. Still, we can do even more by attacking the problem at its source. Not purchasing water bottles at all would be even better for the environment.

The simple act of putting your money into a machine and getting a water bottle seems harmless, but the truth is, it has a much greater impact on our world than that.

Even though we have increased recycling here at Baruch, the vast majority, almost 75 percent, of water bottles nationwide is not recycled, according to information available on the environmentalist website Earth911.com.

The U.S. National Park Service shows that Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every year, and the number keeps rising.

An online resource available on the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services website shows that plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose. In the process, according to an Aug. 19, 2009 article on ScienceDaily.com, plastic decomposition releases toxins into the environment.

That is why it is commonly known not to drink from a bottle that has been sitting in a hot car – the plastics can chemically leak into the water you drink.

Regardless of health risks related to the plastic itself, many Baruch students who prefer bottled water think the water inside is cleaner and safer to drink than tap from the drinking fountains.

In truth, tap water is regulated according to guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to July 9, 2009 issue of the New York Times, there are laws on acceptable levels of certain minerals, elements, and chemicals in the drinking water.

On the other hand, bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, not the EPA.

The FDA's guidelines are based on the EPA's tap water guidelines. They can be as strict, more lax, or stricter than the EPA's requirements, but it is impossible to tell because the FDA does not require bottled water companies to release results to the public.

Not only can the plastic be harmful to you and the water less safe, but also bottled water is tremendously expensive compared to tap.

According to the EPA website, "if you drink your daily recommended eight glasses of water per day from the tap, it will cost you about 50 cents per year.

If you choose to drink it from water bottles, it can cost you up to $1,400 dollars." That's why the bottled water industry is worth $60 billion.

Most of the cost of a bottle of water goes to profit, then to production and logistics, and lastly to the actual water.

You may be thinking that all this information is irrelevant to your life and there is nothing you could personally do about it. We are at a business school. We are smart and savvy students.

In the grand scheme of things, buying and using a plastic bottle does not make sense.

The U.S. National Park Service claims that if every American household recycled just one out of every 10 of the plastic bottles they used, we would keep 200 million pounds of plastic out of landfills every year.

Make the switch to a tin or aluminum bottle today. As an alternative to plastic bottles, it will save you money, help the environment, and provide yourself as well as Baruch College with the excellence it personifies. Let us hold ourselves to a higher standard.

As we highlighted in this article, the leading concerns of Baruch students against drinking the tap water is that the tap water is not safe or clean, and that bottled water tastes better.

You have read the facts on safety and cleanliness. If you still think bottled water absolutely tastes better, come to Water Challenge taste test this week in the cafeteria, which will take place from Nov. 21 to 23, and see if you can taste the difference.

Additional reporting and writing by Ryan McGuire, Victoria Story, and Ashley Lee