This Emergency is Sponsored by Nestlé
Whenever there is a disaster that puts people out on the street, bottled water is there. Be it flood, drought, hurricane, fire or water main break, bottled water is always around to save the day. The camera from news coverage of such events will often pan by several cases of bottled water — conveniently delivered for free from a far away place — as if to depict that safety has arrived. The bottled water industry has certainly done a good job in recent years of associating their product with emergencies. But do we really need bottled water in most emergencies?
Nestlé Waters Canada recently donated 7,800 bottles of water to an elementary school and a middle school that were both experiencing water woes; they had lead in their tap water. Naturally, Nestlé came to the rescue. While I couldn’t locate any symbolic footage from a local news source of children clinging to their safe bottles of water, I’m sure you can picture it.
Nestlé and other bottled beverage companies are happy to donate bottled water to schools, churches, or anyone else who will help them solidify those images of people drinking bottled water in an emergency because nothing sells a product like creating the belief of “need.” And, while people definitely need water, we definitely should not be relying on Nestlé to provide it.
Back in 2003, the Baltimore school system had a problem with lead in their drinking water. They faced serious fines if they didn’t completely shut down their drinking fountains, so they turned to bottled water. But, it happened again in 2007 with city officials believing that it would be more cost effective to provide bottled water to school children. This scenario isn’t limited to Baltimore; it’s been happening in California, Ohio, Maine, Connecticut and Indiana, and the common quick-fix answer is to give the students bottled water.
But bottled water shouldn’t replace tap. Why not? It’s an extremely inefficient means of providing drinking water, which doesn’t solve the bigger problem of lead contamination. It also turns another generation of consumers into bottled water drinkers. I know what you’re thinking: How should we expect people to feel safe about providing tap water when there are obvious issues with lead and other substances being found in municipal water? Teach the tap! We need to reinvest in water infrastructure to stop water contamination from occurring and end our reliance on bottled water. America’s schools need funding for water, so we can fix the problem and eliminate the need for bottled water in our schools.
And what do we do while we’re fixing the infrastructure? If a school’s water system cannot provide safe drinking water, it’s just as easy for a municipality to provide a water truck for students as it is for a company to deliver pre-packaged, shrink-wrapped cases of bottled water. If we can share our personal thoughts online with people around the world in seconds flat, can’t we figure out a way to provide safe tap water to school children? We should be capable of providing water in most emergencies without relying on a company that taps into our public resources and sells it back to us.
Bottled water is not a permanent solution to the need for water in an emergency; it is merely a temporary fix. And, the more we rely on it, the more we will think we need it. We already have water infrastructure designed to bring water into our homes, businesses and schools. We just need to give that system some long-overdue attention. Instead of promoting a false and temporary need for bottled water, we could instead remind people to reinvest in our already-existing water infrastructure. Let’s fix the problem, not feed it.
-Rich Bindell
Find out how we plan to Renew America’s Water!
I work in the schools in Baltimore City. It frustrates me to no end the situation with the lack of drinking water. Bottled water is not a solution. And the lead water is still in the school. They may not be drinking the water but they are using the water. Could these levels of lead exposure over time cause damage? I would love to do whatever I can to see this change. I feel like it is completely unacceptable. Feel free to contact me with your ideas via email or on facebook where I just commented on your status. I would love to see this change…
If a school’s water system cannot provide safe drinking water, it’s just as easy for a municipality to provide a water truck for students as it is for a company to deliver pre-packaged, shrink-wrapped cases of bottled water.
Yeah, but the municipalities don’t have the money to do it, whereas it is free publicity and probably a tax write-off to boot for the private company to donate the water. So what do you figure is going to happen as long as money is an issue?
Why must we pay to live on the planet we’re born on?
“We should be capable of providing water in most emergencies without relying on a company that taps into our public resources and sells it back to us.”
That’s one thought, the other is to care for health. These bottles contain BPA, the water is contaminated with BPA. Please open you eyes a bit wider. Thanks.
Its very easy to drink tap water while in your home or at your workplace, but the most discouraging aspect to the bottled water v. tap water debate is the invisible barrier to access that people perceive when trying to stay hydrated while out and about. Asking a stranger to refill your reusable bottle in a shop or restaurant can be awkward and unnerving for many people, especially when a simple alternative is readily available in the form of a disposable bottle of spring water. Social discomfort swiftly trumps individual enviro-impact. We’ve actually been developing and delivering a community-based initiative to help rectify this issue. Using our website (bluew.org) and smart phone application, we work in partnership with municipalities, local businesses and conservation groups to provide online mapped details on where to find clean, free sources across the nation to refill your reusable bottle without feeling compelled to make any additional purchases. We’re working hard to give people barrier-free access to clean, healthy tap water while out of their homes.
This is so simple. Why didn’t something think of it ages ago? We become so complacent while these things happen right under our noses. FIX the water systems instead of feeding profits to those that steal our own supplies! Natural resources should remain natural resources, available to us within our own communities and not something we have to pay a private corporatation that has stolen those resources from us.
Sorry for the typos on previous post. This is so simple. Why didn’t someone think of it ages ago? We become so complacent while these things happen right under our noses. FIX the water systems instead of feeding profits to those that steal our own supplies! Natural resources should remain natural resources, available to us within our own communities and not something we have to pay a private corporation that has stolen those resources from us.
I’ve bicycled 1/2 way across the country with only tap water. It’s easy. I would walk into a convenience store/gas station/grocery store, whatever, go to the restroom, and fill my water bottle from the tap. It’s the exact same tap water coming into the rest of that area’s homes & businesses. I don’t understand why people think it’s any different just because it came from the bathroom sink. Sometimes I needed supplies and would purchase something, but often I would just chat with the store employee. Of course, I avoided places that said ‘restrooms for customers only’, but that is rare outside of large cities.
@evan It would be really great if bluew.org provide a ‘share’ function on their web site! It’s any easy way to promote it via social media.
I was at a conference in Detroit and met an American teacher who told me their school had implemented a disaster preparedness program which included a new Canned Emergency Drinking Water provided by World Grocer. The water has a 30+ year shelf life, comes in a strong metal can and can be stored away just incase of an emergency. The water is not a replacement for everyday drinking water, but to be used only when truly required for the safety of the children and staff.