idrinktapI Drink Tap
Plastic bottles destroy our planet
Say NO to bottled water!
It is related from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Do not withhold excess water, preventing others from pasturing from it." (Bukhari)
The Campaign
The I Drink Tap campaign is about encouraging Muslim communities to give up wasteful and environmentally harmful bottled water and drink tap water instead. High consumer demand for bottled water has had a heavy and unnecessary impact on our environment in recent years, exacerbating climate change and adding to the long-term causes behind the global food shortage affecting 1 billion people.
The campaign message is simple:
Water is a gift from Allah. Bottled water is an injustice to our planet and to fellow human beings.
The Problem
What a Waste!
- 1.5 million barrels of oil are used per year to produce plastic water bottles. This is enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars for a full year. (EPI 2006)
- For every gallon of water that goes into plastic bottles, two gallons of water is wasted during production.
- Bottled water costs between 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water. (EPI, 2006)
- The growth in bottled water production has created water shortages for farmers worldwide as large multi-national corporations privatise public water sources. So, farmers produce less crops, and less people are able to be fed.
- Thames Water calculated that bottled water in London costs 1,000 times more than that from the tap. (Thames Water, 2009)
- There's enough oil used in the production process of water bottles in the UK to keep 17,000 cars on the road for a year.
- According to the Earth Policy Institute it would take less than a third of the annual amount spent by consumers on bottled water ($100 billion) to achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015.
What about the effect on our planet?
- Every year, 200,000,000,000 litres of bottled water are consumed globally which generates 1,500,000 tons of plastic waste. (Lighter Footstep, 2008)
- Year after year, three out of four plastic bottles go un-recycled. (WRAP 2007)
- Plastic is believed to constitute 90% of all rubbish floating in the oceans. The UN Environment Programme estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic.
- Islands of plastic rubbish in the ocean have a devastating impact on wildlife, killing thousands of birds and fish which mistake the waste for food.
- Although we know that transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, the transportation alone of bottled water in Britain is estimated to produce 33,200 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual energy use of 6,000 homes. (EPI, 2006)
The Solution is simple...
Ask for Tap Water!
Next time you are offered bottled water - ask for tap water instead and be proud to say
I DRINK TAP!
FACT:Tap water is both cheaper than bottled water and is kinder to the environment. Studies show that in many cities tap water is also healthier than bottled water. (EPI, 2006)
Purchase a Reusable Bottle
Invest in a reusable water bottle that you can use time after time. You'll be helping to save the world - and you'll look cool too!
FACT:
• Reuse reduces the strain on valuable resources, such as fuel, forests and water supplies, and helps safeguard wildlife habitats
• Reusable water bottles are the best possible alternative to using disposable plastic bottles because they are REUSABLE and RECYCLABLE!
Buy a Filter
FACT:
• Water filtration systems are the least expensive and do not require excessive use of water or electricity to do their work.
• If the quality of your water at home is bad or you just don’t like the taste, buying a water filter jug with changeable cartridges will be cheaper and kinder to the environment than purchasing bottled water.