Bottled water- Letter to the Editor

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Bottled Water, Letter to the Editor
In our class we have been discussing the ad about the new "Water for Everyone". These ads have an All Black image, and we have been debating whether this is a good or a bad thing. Here is a letter from one of the students, we sent to the Advocate editor.

Dear Editor

If you have been watching the television recently, I’m sure you would have seen the new ads advertising a new range of bottled water. This issue has been raising conversation in our class, and we have been debating whether this is a good or bad thing. The ad boasts that this is “the water for everyone” and that “5 cents will go to a Kids Can charity”.

I think that this is not a very good thing, because there are too many bottled water brands already, filling up landfills and tricking the consumers into spending our hard earned money on water we can get from our taps for free. The war for our money is already big, and the whole “5 cents goes to charity” is a scam that many people will fall for. Personally, I reckon, if you are going to give money to a charity, at least make it a good amount.

I also think that putting the All Blacks image on the ads is a scandal. Our teacher asked seven boys in our class what bottle would they chose if every bottle was the same price and size, and all of them said they would chose the All Black brand. This is ridiculous because the All Blacks sponsor already has a brand of bottled water, and they don’t use the All Blacks as bait.

Personally, I would go for the cheaper brands, and reuse the bottles, as this is the most environmentally friendly way. But this is a matter that the consumer should decide, as it is their money to spend. In a world where brands use famous sports players to sell water, who knows what silly scandals they will come up with to try to lure us in next.

Aimee Stevens, Age11
Room1, Tomarata School
Posted by Tomarata at 3:24 PM 1 comments

Hi Class

That's a great letter to the editor. I find it awesome that these sort of issues are getting discussed in class. Your awareness of being marketed to at such a young age, and the cynicism towards big companies marketing efforts gives hope for the future.

I am also interested in the wasteful bottled water industry and it's environmental impact and I want to do something about it. What would you guys think of a brand of bottled water where the plastic was made from plants and is bio degradeable, and where all profits, that's 100%, go to help people who don't have access clean water?

Jared