August 27, 2010
Bottled water is far from a clear issue; Author of Bottlemania urges Augustana to think twice about their water
Bottled water is convenient, healthy and socially desirable, but does the casual bottled water drinker really know what he or she is doing? Elizabeth Royte, author of the 2010 Augie Reads selection Bottlemania, will address this question and others at the first academic convocation of the year on Thursday, September 9 at 10:30 a.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). The lecture is free and open to the public.
Royte's Bottlemania asks everyday people to consider the environmental, economic, legal and ethical implications of the bottled water they drink. As her book reveals, bottled spring water comes from somewhere-often small towns that depend on the spring as their own water source. She asks readers to consider who owns water and whether companies have a right to transport water in large quantities away from natural watersheds. She also discusses the consequences of investing in bottled water instead of municipal supplies and threats to the safety and availability of water throughout the United States.
Bottlemania addresses multiple water-related issues from a balanced perspective, although, Royte admits, "My biggest challenge was fighting my own prejudices in favor of tap water." The book also speaks to issues beyond bottled water. For Royte, drinking bottled water is just one example of people's preference to "opt out" of public domains, thus putting themselves above the common good (p. 45).
Royte became interested in bottled water consumption after researching for her previous book, Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash. "I was pretty obsessed with the concept of disposability, with single-use packaging, and I started to wonder how North Americans-who overall have good access to decent tap water -- got to the point of buying some 40 billion plastic water bottles each year," she said.
Royte is pleased that so many students are talking and writing about Bottlemania and hopes they are moved to take action on behalf of the environment. "Fresh water is a finite resource, and we're only starting to come to grips with how rising population, climate change, and increased demands on a limited supply will affect all of us-even those who live in fairly wet places," she said.
Keri Rursch
Director of Public Relations
(309) 794-7721
kerirursch@augustana.edu
