Water is the Next Empire

[OfficePants]

A 12 oz bottled water is more expensive than 12 oz of gasoline.

Water is the next corporate empire.

Discuss.

 

[Russell Street]

I saw Tank Girl too!

I'm not a super-ecologist, but I have heard that hedge funds are buying up property with potable water. Fears of pollution and all, fututre scarcity. For the now, I still think bottled water is conventient on the go but otherwise for suckers.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

I can't stand when my wife buys those Fiji water bottles, or distilled, Norweigian, iso-friendly, non-static water. SMARTWATER - hah.

Did this movie address the issue well enough?

 

[OfficePants]

Obviously not.

See a documentary called Tapped. It manages to cover the subject.

 

[OfficePants]

The evil here is that companies like Nestle (Poland Spring) are sneakily buying up land and then putting down huge pumps and sucking the water out. Because of legal technicalities, they are able to pump all the water they want - FOR FREE - leaving the communities holding the bag.

So this corporation is getting a resource for free, then selling it back to us for a sick profit.

Unfortunately guys, we're the stupid ones getting screwed like this, just don't buy this stuff. Can you think of another product you'd be willing to pay 10,000 x more for because its in a bottle?

 

[OfficePants]

Here is another interesting tidbit. You know how these add campaigns try to convince us bottled water is cleaner? Well, its not, its full of contaminates. Contaminates tap doesn't have.

Here is a fact: municipalities are required to test their water 300 times a month, this increases if the city is larger. Bottled water? None. Not required to submit any tests they do themselves to the FDA. Ever.

The FDA can confirm this, and there is exactly 1 employee in this entire country tasked with regulating the bottled water industry, and this person only does that part time.

But it gets better, and aren't laws just the best, the FDA only regulates interstate commerce... and most of this stuff is sold intrastate. So guess what? 99% of bottled water sold in America is completely unregulated.

 

[OfficePants]

^ That opening scene with the tasters is fantastic. Everything said there is true.

Harvey, I hereby gift you a bottle of Penn and Teller Bullshit Water.

 

[Fwiffo]

Since I live next to the Great Lakes, I reckon I don't have to worry too much. Perhaps people should stop moving to godforsaken places with no water or trying to turn back the clock on desertification.

 

[Grand Potentate]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...ons-bottling-water-it-pays-nearly-nothing-for

Nestlé Makes Billions Bottling Water It Pays Nearly Nothing For
The company’s operation in Michigan reveals how it’s dominated the industry by going into economically depressed areas with lax water laws.

 

[Fwiffo]

Hundreds jostle to reach well

 

[Dropbear]