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389th out of 422 books
—
205 voters
Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water
Peter Gleick knows water. A world-renowned scientist and freshwater expert, Gleick is a MacArthur Foundation "genius," and according to the BBC, an environmental visionary. And he drinks from the tap. Why don’t the rest of us?
Bottled and Sold shows how water went from being a free natural resource to one of the most successful commercial products of the last one hundred ye...more
Bottled and Sold shows how water went from being a free natural resource to one of the most successful commercial products of the last one hundred ye...more
Hardcover, 232 pages
Published
April 20th 2010
by Shearwater
(first published 2010)
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Bottled water is seductive. We drink it thinking it's healthier and better for us than the water that comes out of our sinks. When we are done with the bottles, they typically go into landfills. Reading Bottled And Sold by Peter H Gleick has further opened my eyes to this 'scam.' As basically the manufacturers of this product put out ads about how it's so much more healthy than tap water, it'll make you lose weight, and in some instances will cleanse the soul of the sinner, via blessed holy wate...more
While traveling abroad I often drink bottled water, usually due to the fact that the water from the tap tastes like liquid chlorine or like swamp water. Living in a country with one of the best water quality worldwide you should think I don't drink bottled water at all back home. I rarely do and now, in fact, I'm glad about it.
With his book Bottled And Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession With Bottled Water Peter H. Gleick gives a fascinating insight into the whole industry of bottled water prod...more
With his book Bottled And Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession With Bottled Water Peter H. Gleick gives a fascinating insight into the whole industry of bottled water prod...more
Terrific history and analysis of a contemporary phenomenon, bottled water. Gleick covers the development of public water delivery systems, the history of water borne diseases and the marketing of bottled water in a way I read as balanced and full of interesting talking points. My boyfriend wanted to know if it was like Fast Food Nation, and it's not written in such a humorous (and gross out) fashion.
I need a lot of water due to medication I'm on. I carry my own bottle to refill but still buy bo...more
I need a lot of water due to medication I'm on. I carry my own bottle to refill but still buy bo...more
May 19, 2010
Vincent
marked it as to-read
Haven't read this yet, but I had some interconnecting thoughts as I listened to this author, Peter Gleick, as he was interviewed on NPR's "Fresh Air". Here are my thoughts:
The bottled water obsession is a more than just a metaphor for what is wrong with this country and the kind of thinking that is going on in it(perhaps more so in my “home” state, California). It works like this: let individuals in industry take over a government run system that works for all, privatize it, advertise it as bet...more
The bottled water obsession is a more than just a metaphor for what is wrong with this country and the kind of thinking that is going on in it(perhaps more so in my “home” state, California). It works like this: let individuals in industry take over a government run system that works for all, privatize it, advertise it as bet...more
Principal message of book is beware of bottled water safety. In reality, city tap water is better for you, it’s regulated and safer to drink. But since big bucks can be made by hyping bottled water, companies large and small heavily push the product. Some promotions are dubious: water has no special energizing and curative qualities. Also, nowadays since water fountains are fewer, when you want or need a drink, a nearby bottle of water is a handy thing to have. Why are fountains fewer? Well, bec...more
Bottled and Sold / 978-1-597-26528-7
I picked this book up as an advance review copy from NetGalley; I already knew enough to be dangerous on the problems with bottled water from an environmental and ethical standpoint, so I wasn't sure if this book would be a dry retread over material I already knew.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it really could be called "The Complete Bottled Water Story". Everything you might ever want to know about bottled water is here, in a clearly organized and compelling...more
I picked this book up as an advance review copy from NetGalley; I already knew enough to be dangerous on the problems with bottled water from an environmental and ethical standpoint, so I wasn't sure if this book would be a dry retread over material I already knew.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it really could be called "The Complete Bottled Water Story". Everything you might ever want to know about bottled water is here, in a clearly organized and compelling...more
When I first visited California in 1985, I was amazed by aisles of bottled water and vending machines for water at grocery stores. I didn't realize at the time that I was looking at the future. I am not a big fan of bottled water, so I agreed with the points being made by the author. Bottled water has become too excessive-we need to cut back on this costly, environmentally harmful practice. I happen to think the tap water where I live tastes fine. Interesting comments regarding tap water, safety...more
Telling the tale no one else seems to want to do, Peter Gleick is informative and clear in his analysis of the bottled water industry. He doesn't limit his view to one group: consumers, producers, politicians, advertisers. No, he correctly labels the problems of each and how they all contribute to the growing bottled water problem in developed nations. Although it isn't the most exciting topic (reason for my 3-star rating; I had problems continuing reading), it is neccessary to be aware of the r...more
A copy of this book was provided for free via Netgalley for the purpose of review.
A few years back, I picked up a used copy of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte from the for-sale shelf at a local library. I still have this book buried somewhere in the teetering piles that are threatening to take over my bedroom... and I have yet to read it. That's what happens to books I buy: they end up in my ever-growing “to read” piles, and eventually “to read” has to...more
A few years back, I picked up a used copy of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte from the for-sale shelf at a local library. I still have this book buried somewhere in the teetering piles that are threatening to take over my bedroom... and I have yet to read it. That's what happens to books I buy: they end up in my ever-growing “to read” piles, and eventually “to read” has to...more
Note: Free review copy received from NetGalley.
Gleick raises some excellent questions about the safety and sustainability of relying on bottled water over tap water. However, the main focus of the book seems to be on the advertising done by bottled water companies and how outlandish the claims are. Much of this information filters its way into other chapters and does become a bit hammer-over-the-head repetitive.
The chapters on the overall environmental cost of producing bottled water were far mo...more
Gleick raises some excellent questions about the safety and sustainability of relying on bottled water over tap water. However, the main focus of the book seems to be on the advertising done by bottled water companies and how outlandish the claims are. Much of this information filters its way into other chapters and does become a bit hammer-over-the-head repetitive.
The chapters on the overall environmental cost of producing bottled water were far mo...more
Supplemental to Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale And Why We Bought It, but the latter was much more comprehensive. I was actually a little surprised when I reached the end of this one because I didn't feel like I had learned much, it was more like a survey of bottled water companies and their geographic areas, or new age influences.
Gleick presents his case against the bottled water industry in a fairly unbiased way throughout this work. Contrasting viewpoints are presented and allow the reader to at least see what corporate America would like them to think about such an unnecessary product. Gleick provides well-documented evidence to support his stance that bottled water has significantly negative environmental, economic, and social impacts. This book is worth checking out if this topic interests you.
I was assigned this book for a water management class. It's easy to read and quite informative, but heavily biased as you can imagine. He leaves out the part where drinking water constitutes such an incredibly small amount of the water we use. I will say this though. I haven't bought a single bottle of water since I read this, and I used to buy a fair amount. Read this knowing it's not very holistic and enjoy it for what it is.
Excellent and thought-provoking book about the bottled water industry -- and our obsession with it. Sadly, the bottled water industry contributes to real social justice and environmental concerns. Many companies privatize water in third world countries, selling it to developed nations at exorbitant prices -- meanwhile leaving those in poverty without. I highly recommend that all read this book. It changed my practices, and I think it will yours.
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Reading this book was a bit like the choir member studying a copy of the sermon (yes, that's me butchering the "preaching to the choir" idiom). To me, it's just common sense that using fossil fuels to package and ship water and spending our hard-earned dollars to buy something that is already readily available to most of us at a laughably low cost, is extremely wasteful. Signs of this waste are evident in the "plastic soup" stretching from Hawaii to Japan, roughly twice the size of the continent...more
Jul 14, 2010
Beth
added it
learned a lot from this book regarding the mulit-faceted misunderstandings and, shall I say, misuses of bottled water...and although I feel I have more informed grasp of the drinking water situation tthe book was a bit tedious to read a times, though, as some overexplanation was present in an obvious effort to add content to book...perhaps this would have been better as an article in say Harper's or the New Yorker
This was an interesting read -- more info about the bottled water debate than I knew was out there. It definitely reinforces my personal commitment to be a better water steward and to avoid bottled water, except in the case of necessity.
A should read for anyone who drinks water...
I gave it 4 stars, because it is well written. It is an interesting presentation of a rather dry topic.
A should read for anyone who drinks water...
I gave it 4 stars, because it is well written. It is an interesting presentation of a rather dry topic.
This was a okay book overall but I think he missed the boat on a lot of details. For one, some companies such as Coca-Cola have actually attempted to privatize some water systems in South America and he could have talked about T. Boone Pickens plan to do the same thing in parts of Texas.
Very interesting and thorough information about the bottled water industry. I only gave it three *'s because it's not highly entertaining, but if you're interested in the topic, and every consumer should be, it's very good.
This doesn't get 5 stars because it is the best book every written. It gets 5 stars because everyone should read it. It will help you make a more thoughtful decision about the water that you drink.
I do buy bottled water, but only for water storage purposes. The rest of the water that I drink comes from the tap. It baffles me why anyone would spend money on something that is in their home and is almost free! It is similar to bookstores vs libraries. Why on earth do people buy books when they can...more
I do buy bottled water, but only for water storage purposes. The rest of the water that I drink comes from the tap. It baffles me why anyone would spend money on something that is in their home and is almost free! It is similar to bookstores vs libraries. Why on earth do people buy books when they can...more
I was hoping for more of a discussion on issues related to water privatization, but I can't fault the author for me hoping for something other than what the book advertises. If you've already observed the absurdity of buying bottled water in a country that has the cleanest water in the world, you don't need to read this book. If you regularly buy bottled water in the US for some stupid reason, stop doing it, and read the book if you need to know why.
This was an eye-opening read about bottled water.
The author has a passion for this topic! Check out his website, the Pacific Institute at pacinst.org and look for the phone app to find public drinking fountains!
The author has a passion for this topic! Check out his website, the Pacific Institute at pacinst.org and look for the phone app to find public drinking fountains!
Informative but not exactly what I was expecting. A lot more about the plastics industry than I thought there would be.
This book wasn't great. There was some interesting research and facts presented. However, there was a lot of repeated information from chapter to chapter.
Well documented book about how and why we buy bottled water instead of using tap water.
Read this book and you will never look at a bottle of water in the same way!
bottled water is bad for the world.
Yay! Another environmental/water book I geeked out and got to read :D This was so well-written and concise, that it really wasn't dense at all. There are some books on this topic that can be a real chore to get through, but this certainly was not one of them, fortunately. A real treat! :)
This book is a must read for everyone. It was an excellent eye-opener, and has changed my view on bottled water greatly. Gleick thoroughly researched and reported on a topic that really needed to be discussed, and he did so in a way that was very easy to get through.
Great message from the book and all very relevant in today's age. The book felt a bit padded out though to make it longer, which wasn't necessary.
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Dr. Peter H. Gleick (born 1956) is a scientist working on issues related to the environment, economic development, and international security, with a focus on global freshwater challenges. He works at the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, which he co-founded in 1987. In 2003 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for his work on water resources. Among the issues he has addressed are conflic...more
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May 20, 2010 04:07pm