New Boden Bathroom Reading: BOTTLEMANIA

This just off the press: Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It, by Elizabeth Royte (248 pages, Bloomsbury, $24.99.)

We haven't had a chance to check it out properly yet, but the review in this weekend's New York Times (Distilled From Water, Designer or Tap: High Anxiety) suggests to us that it's worth a look - so we've added it to the official Boden Bathroom Reading List.

This book covers topics we've blogged about more than once: tap vs. bottled, the safety of drinking water, privatization of public water supplies for profit, the glut of throw-away plastic water bottles, not to mention the high cost of convenience. Goodness. How did water go on sale and just why are we buying it?

From Michiko Kakutani's review in the Times:

In her fascinating if not terribly comprehensive new book, “Bottlemania,” Elizabeth Royte looks at the water wars: between bottled water and tap water, between big corporations and local water interests, between consumers who say they want the convenience, cleanliness and even status of bottled water, and environmentalists who condemn bottled water as “the moral equivalent of driving a Hummer,” producing tons of plastic bottles, racking up huge transportation fees and leaving behind a significant carbon footprint.

And by "not terribly comprehensive" it seems he means that she doesn't "profile a full array of bottled waters" nor "delve into details of water battles around the world." Instead she uses examples to illustrate her points.

That seems OK to us. It's not necessarily exhaustive proof that will make us change our habits regarding water use. A good water filter at home and reusable water bottle could help, though.

If you'd like to learn more about the need for clean drinking water around the world - and maybe help out, start with UNICEF's Tap Project. There's a lot to learn - and a lot we can all do to make a difference.

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Boden Plumbing primarily serves Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, and the Petaluma area. We provide a full range of residential plumbing repairs and services.
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