Bottled water sales declining

Bottled Water Sales Decline 5.2% in two years.

And some people wonder why.  Well for starters, we are in a recession, and tap water, which is virtually free, is just as good, except in a very few places that have unsolvable mineral pollution problems.  In fact, one brand of bottled water, Aquafina, is tap water. 

And it takes a huge amount of oil to bottle and ship water in plastic containers.  Plus, the plastic bottles themselves are made from petrochemicals.  This hastens the day when we will really have an oil shortage.  It also puts huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the air.  bottled water and energy  I have posted posted previously my objections to the proposed water rights ordinance in Mount Shasta.  But one provision that I could wholeheartedly support is the prohibition on selling water from the city springs and wells to a bottling company.  A bottling plant may seem like a good idea to a depressed community, but the long term prospects for this kind of business will not be good when gasoline and diesel prices reach the $6 to $8 dollar per barrel range.  The "obstructionists" in McCloud might seem pretty reasonable if the water business dries up in 10 years or so.  And if it is getting warmer in California, it will also get much more dry.  The water supply from our local springs is likely to be greatly diminished.  
Maybe one of the simplest things we could do to reduce our carbon footprint is to require all gas stations and fast food restaurants to provide free tap water, and tax bottled water.