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We as consumers, have the tendency to sometimes believe stories we hear on the new, blogs, social Medias or just from personal friends and family members. I have not come to realization on why I choose to drink bottled water instead of tap water. In my mind I sometimes believe that bottle water is better, however I still think that tap is good. As I met with Dr. Feldman, she stated "If you don't know why you're doing it, then why are you doing it"? And that has been in my mind ever since with no explanation.

One of my reasons behind my knowledge as to why I prefer bottled water instead of tap water is that I don't drink enough water per day as I should. Instead I have to force myself to drink water by purchasing either a case of water or buying water out of the store per day. My favorite water is Fiji and yes it can be pricey if it's a consistent day to day purchase, however this is the only water I see myself drinking water. Sometimes I refill the bottle with more water which is not safe, because refilling a plastic bottle without it being sanitized first could leave behind harmful bacteria. This generally comes from either your hands or mouth.

Another reason for me to continue to drink bottled water is because of my weight. An article I read at www.stepstoperfecthealth.co.uk says your body is comprised of 80% water that must be maintained for good health. Also water is essential for proper circulation in the body and flexibility of the blood vessels. Water helps remove toxins from the body in particular from the digestive tract. Consistent failure to drink enough water can lead to chronic cellular dehydration. You should drink half your weight in ounces of water every day to provide your body with its minimum water replacement requirements as long as you are reasonably fit. For example: my weight is 180 pounds, if I divide that by 2 that would equal to 90 pounds. So it would take me at least 6 bottles of water to reach pass 90 ounces which would be 101.

Bottle water statistics that can be found at www.droptheprop.info have some explanations behind the different cost of water per year. Americans total cost per year for bottled water is $15 billion. Most in which it states is resold and merely treated municipal tap water. World-wide the bottled water market is $50 billion dollars. Evian water at $1.35 can be refilled with tap water once a day for over ten years before the cost would total $1.35. If tap cost the same as the cheapest bottled, monthly water bills would come to $9,000.

In my opinion, I can say that water is better by tap instead of bottled water. To me it's all in the mind set on how you think about it. I think I can drink tap after running the water for at least 10 seconds before I fill up a glass with ice. However I still think that I should just drink bottled water. Doing this research has made me realize that I do pay a lot of money for bottled water. I could save at least two hundred dollars a year from purchasing water out of the stores. The question I have would be "Will I do this"? Maybe I should come up with a challenge for people to see if they would start using more tap water and stop buying bottled water to see how much money they will save. That's a good start to see how many people would stick to it and to get more involved to see if they enjoy tap better than bottled water.

About Maya:

Background: I live in Harvey, Illinois and attend Illinois Center for Broadcasting

Interests: "I enjoy recording videos, bowling, skating, and helping others in need"

Making Waves:

"What drew me to the Youth Water Website was getting the opportunity to learn something different that would catch my attention along with other viewers as a young person about water issues that we sometimes take for granted"