Let’s cover packaging of water first before we get into those scandalous tomatoes.

Myth: Since bottled water is regulated by the FDA, it is safer to drink than tap water.

Fact: A study by the National Resources Defense Council found that 25% of bottled water is actually just packaged tap water, sometimes without any additional treatment. Municipal water is subject to EPA standards and is as safe as or safer than the bottled variety.

Myth: Bottled water that’s been sitting in that warm cab of your car for days is safe to drink.

Fact:  Longer answer below.

How many times have you swallowed a delicious swig of water from a water bottle that’s been in hanging around for a couple days? You know, the water bottle that sits in the car for a few days and you sip on it occasionally like a hamster milking a water spigot.

The only time I picked up the bottle and paused was when the temperatures soared to death valley levels. Now that I met some new friends at Village Green who I met at GREEN FAIR at the Cow Palace, I’m really concerned about my un-eco-conscious behavior.

A recent Associated Press report delivered by Katie Couric on CBS National News, says that our water is not safe to drink. In the 42 major metropolitan areas where drinking water has been tested, all tested positive for drugs. Philadelphia has 63 drugs in their water supply of which, only 7 removed after being processed through their water treatment facilities.  That leaves 56 drugs in the drinking, cooking, and bath water of every household in Philadelphia. Male fish in the rivers are now feminizing and developing eggs from their exposure to hormones and plastics, which mimic hormones. Beluga whales are developing breast cancer from the plastics in the ocean, and last month, a 10-year-old girl was diagnosed with breast cancer.

People have rushed to bottled water as a source for fresh pure drinking water. Exposed by John Stossel on 20/20, a very high percentage of bottled water is tap water. Coca Cola’s Dasani and Pepsi’s Aquafina are tap water. They both acknowledged this publicly and Pepsi is placing a disclaimer to that affect on thier bottles. The main issue with bottled water though, is not that it is just tap water with drug residue, but that the plastic from the bottles leaches into the water. These plastics are known carcinogens. Research shows BPA (Bispheno A) is causing breast and prostate cancer. A Harvard study released this month reported BPA in the bloodstream of a newborn within one week after being fed from a baby bottle with BPA. A recent John Hopkins press release state “polyethylene terephthalate (PET), in plastic bottle, when exposed to on its trip across country, or in the warehouse where it has been stored.

Dry Cleaners, auto repair shops, any business that uses toxic chemicals and a floor drain, can contaminate a city’s entire water supply. Communities are closing their wells because of contamination from shallow disposal systems flowing into the underground aquifers. Have you had your well water tested?

You can visit www.villagegreenmkt.com for more information, and to view 10 videos from credible news broadcasts concerning what is in your tap and bottled water. I can’t wait for you to hear the interview I’ve scheduled with the folks from Village Green to hear about an astounding new water cooler that makes water from humidity.

Why do producers and consumers of organic products, who are concerned about pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics in our food, ignore the packaging encasing the food after it’s produced?  How can Muir Glen canned tomatoes, for example, be certified organic when the lining of the can contains BPA?

And avoiding packaging that contains BPA is not enough! That’s just one ingredient we happen to know about. How about what we don’t? We demand full disclosure of ingredients from food companies. How about possible ingredients leaching from the containers? Plastic is not just plastic. It often contains additives that affect its strength, flexibility, color, and even resistance to bacteria. And there’s no labeling law requiring disclosure of any of that.

When our current Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was passed in 1976, 62,000 industrial chemicals were grandfathered in, meaning they were never required to be tested for safety. Since then, another 20,000-30,000 chemicals have gone on the market. And in 30 years, only 5 have been banned. The law is so weak, that the EPA has not even been able to ban asbestos.

How do we know that the chemicals added to plastics are safe if they are not required to be proven safe before entering the market? How can we make decisions if we don’t even know what these chemicals are??!!

And how can manufacturers of organic products tell us they want to protect the environment and “save the earth” when they are relying on plastic wraps, plastic containers, plastic bottles, and plastic bags without question?

I want to see safe product packaging added to the criteria for organic certification. I want producers to ask what “food grade” really means and for manufacturers of plastic products to be required to reveal all of their additives. I want all manufacturers to follow the principal of Extended Producer Responsibility and plan for a practical cradle to cradle life cycle for their products and packaging BEFORE putting them on the market.