 |
| Boycott Bottled Water |
One of my favourite descriptions of the human species comes from an alien on a popular TV show. The reason I like it so much is because it highlights the importance of good old H2O.
The non-humanoid creature on the show called us, "Ugly bags of mostly water."
The 'ugly' bit is subjective, but the alien was bang on about the water part of our composition. We are mostly water, the amount varying with our age.
Unsurprisingly, we dry out as we get older, destined to shrivel up and blow away in the very end.
Babies are about 75% H2O, essentially wiggly, less ugly bags of mostly water. While the amount of water contained within us varies, by old age it is somewhere between 45% and 60%.
In order to maintain peak physical and mental health we need large amounts of clean water (which is, in most places, amply provided by nature). But fresh water is under attack on all fronts.
In spite of the vital importance of this precious resource (we will not survive more than a few days without water), there are some that believe that fresh water should be privatized and commodified.
The CEO of Nestle recently said, now famously, that access to water should not be a public right, and every drop of fresh water should be owned by corporations like his. Now there is an ugly bag that should be denied water for a while.
Nestle makes billions of dollars in profit every year from bottled water alone, and depletes or destroys pristine water sources in the process.
In Canada, Nestle has been given the go-ahead to draw water from one Ontario town's public water source even during droughts when the rest of the town adheres to strict water restrictions.
In the process, the company draws water that they pay three dollars and seventy-one cents for every million litres, puts it into single use plastic bottles, and sells it back to the people for up to $2,000,000. Like most bottled water, it is essentially the same as the stuff that comes out of your tap (except that it costs 240 to 10,000 times more).
To this we can add the tidal wave of empty plastic water bottles that are landfilled, incinerated, or end up littering the planet. Only 14% of the billions of bottles are recycled.
Just as Monsanto is trying to corner the market on our food staples, the water commodification industry wishes to monopolize our access to fresh water.
If I were an ugly bag of mostly sand I wouldn't worry too much. However, 60% of my body's composition is at serious risk if we allow the corporate control of all of Earth's remaining clean, fresh water.
What You Can Do
- drink tap water
- use a personal or home filter
- use a stainless steel water bottle
- sign petitions against water privatization
- boycott Nestle
- lobby governments to protect our public water sources
- resist the corporate takeover of everything everywhere
- live simply
Corporate takeover of our water is one of the most serious issues we face. We must keep safe drinking water available to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI've never used bottled water,but I'm going to check out Nestle's website to see if there are any products that I've been using without realizing.
Miss Marla, Thank you for the idea. After reading your comment I checked for a Nestle product list and found one on a
Deletebreast feeding website (click here). The list shows Nestle products sold in Canada, US, Austraila, and the UK.
Why a breast feeding website?
Because Nestle has been the target of an
ongoing boycott (click here) (launched in 1977) centred on the fact that the company pushes infant formula to the detriment of mothers and babies around the world.
The organization babymilk.org says Nestle "contributes to the unnecessary death and suffering of infants around the world by aggressively marketing baby foods in breach of international marketing standards."
Whether they are denying babies of breast milk, or water for the rest of us, this is one company that does not deserve our patronage.
On Nestle's main website they also have an alphabetical list of products. I found a few that I've purchased on occasion. Now that puts an end to that!
DeleteOoooh, Nestle are a horrible company. I banned all Nestle products from the house (much to the childrens' dismay!)a couple of years ago and will never purchase them again. Love my stainless steel water bottle, and water tastes so much better from it anyway,
ReplyDeleteReally like your blog. Lots of interesting and thought-provoking posts. Thank you.
Loretta in Australia
Loretta, Congratulations on banning products made by the "largest foodstuff corporation in the world". They are, like many corporations these days, very horrible. Withholding our patronage hits them where it hurts - in their profits - and such an action might get them to change their ways.
DeleteThanks for visiting and commenting.
I agree 100% with what you're saying, as usual, but I would very much like to find a direct quote, with information as to where and when Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestle, said exactly what you pretend in this post. I was unable to find anything about it with Google. Please provide a link.
ReplyDeleteI learned about this stance on water from the MSM which may be pretending, but it is happening. Not only Nestle, but many other bottled water companies are lobbying to get at the world's water to increase their already substantial profits.
ReplyDeleteAt the link below you will find a youtube video of Peter Brabeck, Nestle CEO, discussing water rights and privatization.
Video of Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck discussing commodification of water here.
OK, I see, I couldn't find it because Peter Brabeck is the FORMER CEO. Totally disgusting.
ReplyDeleteThe research by the University of Geneva shows that bottled water sells for up to 1,000 times the price of tap water, but that the quality is often no better.
ReplyDelete