The New Efficient Needs a New Approach
I have a gripe with this Chevy commercial, “The New Efficient.” In fact I downright hate this commercial. While the guy driving the Chevy is in fact getting more fuel efficiency out of his car than the average non hybrid vehicle (though fun fact, my Honda Civic gets 46 mpg on the highway as well), it’s a hard sell to me when you look at the items he’s purchasing: a single bottle of water and what I believe is a banana (he at the very least takes something from next to a banana, which is why I assume this). It’s hard to make the case for environmentalism and efficiency with those things.
Bottled Water Companies often dry up local water supplies for a product shipped around the country and is stored in plastic. Bottled water often comes with the misconception of being healthier and safer for you, when in reality it’s probably no different than tap water, if not less filtered than the water from the tap (and if you read the ingredient, your bottle may read, “public water supply” rather than fresh spring water? Why? Because someone just bottled up the tap water and sold it to you with a 500% mark up, that’s why. Lastly, it takes three times as much water to produce it than what is consumed, along with requiring 17 Million barrels of oil a year. The life cycle and environmental impact of a bottle of water is huge, not to mention that only 12-13% of plastic bottles are recycled each year.
Bananas are an exotic fruit typically not grown locally in the United States and are one of many industries that face scrutiny for their workers conditions. The rapid production, like many other produces and industries, can expose workers to hazardous chemicals and devastate local ecosystems. Like coffee, you want to make sure you’ve purchased Fair Trade Certified bananas.
For more information on Bottled Water, check out 15 Outrageous Facts about the Bottled Water Industry and the corresponding Links
How to find out about Fair Trade Certified products.
