Eco-Activity: Take the water taste challenge!

Water Taste Challenge 

Thirsty? When you choose tap water, you can help our planet AND save money. Did you know that some bottled water is just filtered tap water? That’s right! If you drink from packaged bottles, you’re paying thousands of times more for water that you can get RIGHT from your tap! Aside from the cost benefits of drinking from the tap, bottled water does damage to our planet and the animals that live here. 

Did you know that buying bottled water can pollute animals’ homes, make them sick and contribute to climate change?

Plastic water bottles create a lot of waste; about 90% of plastic water bottles are thrown in the garbage. Once the bottles arrive at landfills, they can take about 1,000 years to break down. That means that none of the 54 billion plastic water bottles sold in Canada have even started to break down yet.

Plastic water bottles also affect animals. It is estimated that in each square kilometer of the ocean, there are about 46,000 plastic pieces floating around. A lot of animals mistake these for food. Many turtles, seabirds (like penguins and pelicans), whales, seals, and otters have plastic in their stomach, making them sick and hard for them to survive.

Some people drink bottled water since they think it tastes better than tap water… but most of us can’t tell the difference! Put your taste buds to the test! Take the Water Taste Challenge and find out if your friends and family can taste the difference between tap and bottled water.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

1. Prepare your taste test station with two water pitchers, one labeled A and one B. You can print off labels here or make your own with scrap paper You’ll be the only one who knows which jug is which. Don’t reveal it until the test is done.

2. Make sure your bottled water and tap water have been in the fridge 2-3 hours before the test, since temperature affects taste.

3. Pour water from each jug into separate cups for each person to try. Record the favourites on a simple chart with the names of your family members to see which is the clear water winner… if there even is one!

4. Take the Clear Choice Pledge (Link to Pledge PDF) to avoid bottled water and drink delicious tap water whenever possible! 

5. Take a photo of your family doing the water taste challenge and share it with the hashtag #EarthMonthforAnimals to raise awareness of the benefits of turning to the tap!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!