Friday, July 2, 2010

New Berkey Web Site Published

We have finally published a new addition to the web sites selling Bekrey Products. We believe everyone should have a Berkey i their home or at work or when traveling. It's an essential survival tool.
Our new Berkey site is www.berkeydrinkingwaterfilter.com. Come and visit. If you don't have aBerkey red about the benefits and then get one to help keep you and your family safe from harmful toxins and bacteria in the water.
feel free to review all the information available to help you make a great buying decision at Berkey Water Filter System .

Dan

Monday, April 21, 2008

Bottled Water Bamboozled in Mexico


I am a “gringo” living in Mexico and "water" is a big issue here. Unless there is simply no other alternative, even Mexicans don’t drink the water here. The primary substitutes are either sodas which are consumed in incredible quantities or bottled water. Most families will but “garafons” (20 litre bottles) as needed from delivery trucks roaming around town. Depending on the location the price will run about 6 pesos to 22 pesos. For poorer families it can place a real burden on their financial resources.

Unfortunately this is a typical practice around the world. Many municipalities have largely given up or never have taken up the fight to provide clean, clear, safe drinking water to the communities they serve.

It is not just a third world phenomenon. The statistics regarding water quality in the US are also alarming. The marketing of bottled water reflects the public’s doubts about their water. The result is a subtle shift in dependency from public utilities for water resources to private companies.

The idea is not new, private companies have been providing water in some countries for decade. The danger now is that the industry is highly unregulated by public agencies. The regulations that apply to the quality of bottled water are the same as those for tap water. The result is that companies can simply bottle tap water and sell it as long as the tap water meets the regulation guidelines.

The question that arises in this context is whether or not individuals have a “right” to this essential resource. In an interview recently, the president of Nestle, the worlds largest food product company and one of the worlds largest purveyors of bottles water, indicated that people had no more right to water than they would have to any other natural resource, such as timber or coal. Not a particulary surprising view but unfortunately short-sighted. Why? because people can survive without timber or coal but without safe drinking water they will not last more than about three days. Death from contaminated drinking water accounts for huge numbers of deaths every day (about 6,000) mostly children.

Again, I am not totally against the idea of bottling water or the companies that bottle and sell it. They are responding to and to some extent creating a demand that exists in the marketplace. To the extent that they reasonably serve that demand, I commend them, to the extent that they exploit that demand by over-extraction of water resources or inflated prices, I condemn them.

Two sites dealing with these issues are: 1. http://www.berkeywaterfiltersystem.com/ that deals with this and many other issues related to the availability, quality and cost of drinking water around the world and 2. www.911water.com , which offers information and products that can help families and organizations keep water expenses to a minimum while providing members with a safe alternative. Below is an edited excerpt from that site.

“Are you using bottled water as a substitute for tap water?

Are you any more certain about the quality of the bottled water you drink?

Consider this…

The FDA, which overseas the bottled water industry has one person working part-time, dedicated to assuring compliance with the rules concerning bottled water.

The National Resource defense Council study stated, “Over 25% of the bottled water in the US is derived from tap water, some of which is treated, some of which is not.”

The same report surveyed more than 1000 bottles of water including 103 of the most popular brands. One third of those sampled contained significant contamination.

Regulatory and government oversight programs for bottled water are weaker than the tap water regulatory program.

“90% of the cost of bottled water goes to other than the water.”

Note:

I read a great quote by the founder of Evian water. In a unique display of candor he said “My idea for Evian water came from the realization I could actually sell water that came right out of the ground for the same price as wine.” Coca Cola recently disclosed that the water in it’s highly marketed Denasi Brand water was essentially tap water.

2.7 million tons of plastic were used to produce drinking water

Shocking statistics from the Earth Policy Institute

  • In the US, 86% of drinking water bottles become garbage
  • About 2,500,000 plastic water bottles are discarded each hour in the U.S. alone. That’s an incredible amount worldwide.
  • Producing plastic water bottles uses about 1.5 million barrels of oil annually. That’s hardly the best use of the worlds limited resources.

What’s a glass of clear, clean, healthy drinking water worth to you?

Do you use bottled water for drinking

In the US according to the National Sanitation Foundation report you are paying between $4 to $6 for a delivered 5 gallon bottle, but prices around the globe vary substantially.

Based on a USDA survey an individual in the US uses about .251 gallons (one quart) of water a day for drinking and cooking or about 91 gallons per year or about 18 5-gallon bottles. At a cost of $1.00 per gallon or $5.00 per 5 gallon bottle, the cost for water would be about $90.00. A two family household could expect to pay about $180.00, a three member household $270.00 and so on. Obviously, those are pretty broadly based estimates. “ end of article

Those are some incredible statistics and certainly unsustainable as well as unconscionable

I strongly believe in the value of dialogue. No one person or group holds the key to solutions. I encourage you to visit the sites mentioned and contribute your ideas, opinions and experiences to this blog.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Drinking Water Wisdom provides a platform for articles and comments about issues related to your local and our global water crisis.

Drinking Water Wisdom Blog provides anyone interested in local or global water issues a platform for posting articles, commentary and anecdotes.
The issues surrounding the global water crisis involve

    ,
  1. availability of water,
  2. water quality
  3. distribution of water resources.

Information about many of the issues involved with providing safe water to a thirsty world is summarized in the Drinking Water Wisdom website. I encourage you to read the articles in this highly informative and pertinent website.


My introduction to the crisis the world is facing began with our purchase by my son, Nick, of a website that sells British Berkefeld and Berkey brand water filters called 911water. Additional information pertaining to potential solutions to providing safe water to families everyday and in an emergency are presented on this site as well as products that we truly believe belong in every home and business. Look them over and let us know what you think about them.,

With that said we encourage you to help us make this blog a valuable resource by contributing your comments and sharing your drinking water wisdom.