Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It

Elizabeth Royte read selections from and talked about her book, Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It (Bloomsbury) at Oblong Books and Music in Rhinebeck, New York. In her remarks she also recounted a history of bottled water, and she responded to audience members' questions. In Bottlemania Ms. Royte reported on the bottled water phenomenon, pointing out that water sales have now surpassed sales of milk and beer. She discussed the environmental impact of discarded bottles and calls attention to water rights battles between bottling corporations and the communities where the water originates. Ms. Royte warned consumers about bottled water, saying bottled water plants are inspected only once a year, much less frequently than city water systems.

Elizabeth Royte is the author of Garbage Land and The Tapir’s Morning Bath. She has written for the New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, and the New Yorker. close