In 1973, the United States faced a consumer crisis of immense proportions. When the OPEC nations placed an embargo on the United States, thus halting the shipment of oil, the standard price of oil-based products quadrupled overnight. Any economist will tell you that as long as supply is restricted, in light of increasing consumer demand, the equilibrium price that consumers must pay will rapidly increase. In today’s modern world, our generation faces a crisis of similar measure. However, this crisis has taken a new form – the form of a “healthy and trendy” ad campaign. Who is the culprit, you might ask? The answer is painfully obvious: bottled water manufacturers.
Most students have adjusted to the dominance of the bottled water market in their daily lives. But have you ever looked at the numbers? To your surprise, perhaps, you will find that the price of one gallon of water is in fact higher than one gallon of gasoline. For example, gasoline is sold at approximately two cents per ounce, while bottled water sells at nearly five cents per ounce. This means that the average American consumer is spending 250 percent more on his or her bottled water than on filling up their car with gasoline. Right here, in the state of Oregon, we are fortunate to have one of the best water systems in the world. Fluoridated water has a positive impact on the human bodies, while only at a fraction of the cost of bottled water. So, what happened to the informed consumer? In the end, consumers fed in to the advertisement campaigns that promised “a healthier you,” in a convenient fashion.
It seems to me, though, that consumers have little room to complain about product pricing. After all, market power lies with the trends of consumer demand. Currently, tap water costs Oregon residents $1.83 per kilogram. Compare this figure to the aforementioned cost of bottled water. This blatant disregard for prices represents a common theme in our way of life: waste. Consumers have forgotten to shop for the best prices and conserve their money. When we have finished drinking our trendy new bottles of water, we throw them out into the trash. Oregonians tossed out over 125 million water bottles just last year! And let’s not forget that the convenience of a plastic bottle comes at the price of a container produced from petroleum.
Every time a student on this campus throws away a plastic water bottle, they are throwing away a valuable resource. The amount of natural resources, specifically crude oil used to create the plastic container, that are thrown away is enough to make a difference in our lives. After all, the war in Iraq is being fought over access to oil fields, while our own population is tossing out oil based products by the millions. Ultimately, there is one simple act that everyone can do: reducing their consumption. Through a reduction in the amount of wasteful habits we practice, we can reduce our impact on our planet and we, as a society, can begin to conserve the precious resources that we still have. All of this starts at an individual level. Everyone can contribute … so next time you reach for a bottle of water, be sure to grab a glass instead!
Nick Schultz is a University student