Take Back the Tap

The dark side of bottled water & what you & your school can do to

help.

Marie Therese Kane ‘14, Georgetown Visitation

Global bottled water consumption goes up by what percent each year?–2%–5%–10%–20%

10%

Which of the following is a tactic used by bottled water companies to promote their products?–Ad campaigns against tap water–Words such as “pure” in their labeling–Celebrity endorsements–All of the above.

All of the above!

About what percentage of bottled water is actually just bottled tap water?–10%–20%–30%–50%

30%

How often is tap water tested for bacteria?

-Ever few minutes-Every few hours-Every few months -Every few years

Every few hours(myth busted!)

How many people at the FDA are in charge of regulating ALL of the bottled water in the United States?–1–20–53–126

Only 1!

Which of the following has been found in bottled water?–Arsenic–Rat poisoning–Excessive bacteria –All of the above

All of the above!

TRUE or FALSE: Bottled Water is ranked higher than tap water in taste tests.

False!

Bottled water takes how many times the amount of water to make the bottle as it does to fill it? –½–The same–3–5

3 times the amount of water

What country is the #2 consumer of bottled water, the U.S. being #1.–China–India–Pakistan–Switzerland

China

1 in 5 water bottles are _______.–Actually consumed.–Contaminated.–Thrown away. –Recycled.

Recycled (gasp!)

What is the value of the water inside of a plastic bottle?- $0.04- $0.36- $0.50- -$.75

$0.04

FINAL JEOPARDY

• What is one habit that you can start to decrease or stop your own bottled water consumption?

• What is one step that your school could take to decrease its own bottled water consumption or encourage the use of reusable bottles?

4 ways that we involved our school community in our campaign

1. “A week of bottles” Display

2. “Tapped” documentary screening

Dear Science Teachers,I hope that you had a wonderful spring break! I am writing to let you know about an event that the Green Habits will be hosting during Earth Week this year. During second semester, our club has focused on the harmful effects of the $11.5 billion bottled water industry on not only our health, wallet, and planet, but also our brothers and sisters across the globe. We, as the consumers, create this demand, so if we do things like use re-usable water bottles and create awareness about this issue, we can effect a positive change!During Earth Week, we will be educating the Visitation community on this issue in a variety of ways, one of them being a viewing/discussion of the documentary "Tapped” on April 16th during lunch in the Little Odeon which explores the marketing, politics, and effects of bottled water on our society. We would like to extend a special invitation to you as science teachers because this issue is concerned with not only the distribution of resources, but also the dangerous chemicals that go into the bottles that we drink from. We feel that it would be a great opportunity to gain perspective into an issue that is of great concern to our students and society. Also, we know that as teachers you are in a position to help create great change surrounding this issue in our school community!No need to “RSVP”—just a head’s up about something that we thought you may be interested in attending. Thank you for your concern and support--we hope to see you there!Sincerely,The Green Habits Club

3. Stickers!

4. Daily bottled water facts and in the homeroom bulletin

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,

committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever

has.” – Margaret Mead