Bottlemania (broadcast Friday, July 4th, 2008)

photo by Flickr user Shrff14

It's hard to go anywhere these days without seeing someone with bottle of drinking water. But when did that start -- and how has the water bottle become such a part of current US culture? In this segment, Ira talks with Elizabeth Royte, author of a new book on the bottled-water phenomenon, about Americans' willingness to pay for something that often can be had from a tap for much less, and about the economic and environmental costs of our bottled-water obsession.

Guests

Elizabeth Royte
Author, "Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It."
Brooklyn, New York

Related Links

• Slate: Reusable water bottles you'll actually want to use.
• Green Guide: The True Cost of Bottled Water
• Fast Company: Message in a Bottle
• Bottlemania

Segment produced by:Flora Lichtman

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