About the Author

Peter H. Gleick is President of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California, and is a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship for his work on water issues.

Reviews

"Bottled And Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water, by MacArthur 'genius grant' recipient Peter Gleick, confronts readers with questions like "If it's called 'Arctic spring water, ' why is it from Florida?"--Steven Solomon, author of "Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization"

"In Bottled and Sold, Peter Gleick shows that most communities serve up better tap water than the bottled stuff. Besides, all those bottles are filling up our landfills. If you want to know the full costs of this industry--from environmental to health and economic--this fascinating exposé is the best place to begin."--Donald Kennedy, editor of "Science" magazine 2000-2008

"Gleick makes a strong, supported, and fair case for for the status of bottled water in our consumer stream, with thorough research into many aspects of bottled water and municipal water supplies. Bottled Sold is a must-read for anyone concerned about the bottled water industry or who advocates returning to the tap."
-- "TreeHugger"

"Peter H. Gleick...has published a book that will have you thinking twice about reaching for that overpriced bottle of water the next time you're in a store. Bottled Sold...outlines, in disturbing detail, just how much of a threat those billions of plastic bottles are to the environment. [He] also makes a convincing case that most tap water is quite good--and better regulated than the oh-so-trendy stuff one finds in a store."-- "The San Francisco Chronicle"

"In his insightful new book, Bottled Sold, the scientist and freshwater expert chronicles how modern society has abandoned one of its greatest public health achievements in favor of a financially and environmentally costly alternative... The book's power lies in his obvious yet compelling argument: Rather than shore up the natural processes that have provided us with drinkable water for centuries, we have invented an elaborate business that causes more harm than good."-- "Washington Post"

"Bottled and Sold is a book that environmentalists, water experts, and all who follow consumer trends will want to read."-- "Futurist"

"We ended the sale of bottled water in 2007 at Chez Panisse as its environmental implications became clear. After reading Peter H. Gleick's startling investigation of the lucrative and unsustainable bottled water industry, I am confident we made the right decision. Water is our most primary element. It is precious and its access should be a democratic right. Bottled and Sold is a carefully researched, clear-eyed look at an industry that too often escapes the public glare."--Alice Waters, chef, author, and proprietor of Chez Panisse

"Gleick covers the topic in illuminating detail, yet packages his writing with the skill and passion of a novelist. Supported by research, including interviews and plant visits, Gleick examines how water is found, pumped, bottled, treated, lied about, and sold to a relatively unsuspecting public. If selling bottled water is a shell game, Gleick picks the right shell every time....Bottled and Sold is a necessary book: we are surely in for serious water damage in the future if we continue to drink our water from bottles. Every citizen should read it; every legislator and state natural resource administrator should have a desk copy. Lobbyists who prowl the halls of Congress seeking to overturn long-standing common water laws ought to be made to read this, twice. It seems impossible that a reader would come away from Gleick's book with a desire to ever buy another plastic bottle of water. It's that compelling."-- "Foreword"

"Peter Gleick, one of the most visible and respected advocates for smart water use, has made a well-researched and timely first foray into popular nonfiction with his new book, Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. ...Gleick culls first-rate anecdotes--some personal, some historical--to illuminate the more perplexing and revealing twists behind the bottled-water industry's rapid growth."-- "National Geographic NewsWatch"