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The Water Bottle Situation

  • luanniewang
  • Sep 24, 2024
  • 4 min read

In recent years, reusable water bottles have become major trends. You may remember earlier when Hydroflasks and a VSCO vibe were all the rage. Teachers seem to always have Yeti mugs in hand. Stanley tumblers were the ultimate handled, oversized status symbol. Owala is loved for its trendy design themes and innovative sip or swig function. 


However, the concept of reusable beverage bottles that started out as a fight for sustainability has turned into overconsumption and a medium to show off. As you scroll on social media, you may see lifestyle influencers displaying things like extensive cup collections and trinkets, attachments, and decorative but useless accessories for their bottles. The glorification of buying, owning, then buying more of these bottles seriously undermines the original goal of reusable water bottles: to cut down on the waste generated by disposable single use containers. Having 30 Stanleys is not only bad for the environment but is also a major and unnecessary hit to your wallet. To really paint a picture, here’s a list of things worth the same amount or less than a 40 oz, $45 Stanley cup: 



Doesn’t that make the price point of “trendy” water bottles seem a little unreasonable? And yet we still buy them – WHY? An idea many people have is that buying expensive things makes you “cooler”... whatever that means. Unfortunately, due to so many people having this toxic mindset today, this is the case. Having the limited edition pink sparkly tumbler makes you more popular. Sounds pretty ridiculous when it’s actually said, right? Keep in mind that 1) expensive doesn’t mean better quality 2) cheaper doesn’t mean worse quality 3) knowing how to save money is a virtue. For example, a $10 classic Nalgene bottle really has no problems. It’s good quality, durable, and leak-proof. However, many people would pick a $48 dollar lululemon bottle over it. Why? Because it’s the brand the cool kids have, it’s popular, it’s more expensive which must mean it’s better, no, because it takes more money to buy and people admire that. This is a really harmful mindset that we need to learn to fight against. It’s okay if you’ve thought this way – I’m guilty myself! – but we must realize the consequences of these kinds of thoughts in the long term. If you have a water bottle that works, hold on to it for as long as you can! It doesn’t matter that it’s not a fancy Hydroflask, even though you might feel that way. In the grand scheme of things, all a water bottle is is a water bottle. If aliens descend on Earth one day, I can guarantee you they are not going to care if you have an Owala or not (they probably don’t even know what bottles are). It’s really such a trivial thing. But! If your old water bottle is out-of-order and you’re need to buy a new one, do your research and make sure you get the perfect one for you so that you don’t keep buying ones with different features (TRUST ME I AM A FIRST-HAND VICTIM OF THIS SITUATION. ASK MY CABINET OF WATER BOTTLES). To help you out, I’ll list some tips below that I’ve gathered from experience.


  • Make sure it has a handle: makes carrying your bottle easy!

  • Make sure it has a leak proof lid: try to stay away from bottles that have a separate straw. Especially if you’re an athlete/student like me! You want something you can just toss in your bag and not have to worry about it soaking your clothes and notebooks. Still, sometimes leaks may just be you accidentally not screwing the lid on tight enough. 

  • Pick your favorite color/design: self-explanatory. Make sure it’s one you’ll keep loving over the years! This is all preference. Would you go for a classic but pretty cream color or a fun, full of personality multicolor design? 

  • Always look at reviews: helps with all of the above.


I hope this post helped change your mindset – not just on water bottles, but on the notion of trends. The next time you feel urges to buy that cool new tumbler, look back at your old water bottle and ask yourself, “Is this broken and falling apart? Does it have a major design flaw or missing function I hate? Is it infested with spiders?” If you answer no to all, then chances are, you’ll be fine sticking with it, and you’ll feel great knowing you're helping the planet by cutting down your consumption.



I had a lot of fun writing this post. Let me know how reading it was! Reach out to me at luanniewang@gmail.com.





 
 
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