Strange Waters: Ice Rocks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
We never cease to be amazed at the silliness and extravagance of the bottled water industry. We have shown Tasmanian ice cubes before, but for those desiring a smaller carbon footprint, you can now get your prepackaged ice cubes "made from spring water drawn from the Vendée Region of France in the Massif Central." At $5.24 for 48 "glorious cubes, ready to be frozen, are hermetically packaged in disposable, recyclable containers, providing complete guarantee of hygiene and safety." it works out to $26.46 per gallon of water, a new TreeHugger record, but considered "A great step forward in the integration of fine water products at a price that everyone can afford." Cheers! ::Aqua Maestro via ::Trendhunter
Ok, That is seriously crazy!
I can't think of a more ridiculous product than that.
mjo
it's the pet rock of water.
I was surprised and disappointed to see Whole Foods Market selling this product. That was a few months ago. I hope they've smartened up.
And for that same 26$/Gallon, you can buy one inline water filter for the icemaker in your fridge, and get the same damn ice cubes for 6 MONTHS to a YEAR before replacing the filter.
But hey, at least the packaging is recyclable, that's responsible right? heh..
now that's what I call LUK-SHO-REE!
"$26.46 per gallon of water" : O
That is the most obscene thing I have heard in a while. To think that there are billions of people without adequate and safe drinking water, and some stupid Americans are paying 5x our hourly minimum wage for a gallon of this "luxury" water. That really twists my britches.
Hotel water still bets this.
On a recent trip to Taipei, Taiwan, I asked for water in the hotel restaurant. When they asked the usual still or sparkling, I kindly asked for normal tap water.... I was then told “sorry, we don't have that”.... I quickly asked how you clean the dishes, but the waitress didn't get my sarcasm...
So what was I to do, I didn't want a beer, all I wanted was a glass of water with my meal. So, biting my tongue and holding the chair firmly, I order the water.... Normally I could have left but when you are there with clients, it is a little bit more difficult. What was even more difficult and what nearly gave me a migraine was the price...
NT$200 for the 500ml bottle of water, plus 10% automatic service charge. So, NT$220.
Now let’s do a little math. With 4.4549 litres in a gallon, that means the little bottle of water costed NT$1,818 (without the service charge) and in US dollar terms that is ... wait for it
US$55.45 per gallon....
You might be wondering which hotel --- The Hyatt!!
I am disgusted.