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Don’t Buy Water From Fiji |
28 Comments |
| By Aaron Newton in Dumb Ideas, Green Living, Green facts | July 9, 2007 | ||
If you’re looking for another way to lessen your impact on the environment might I recommend not buying bottled water; especially bottled water from Fiji.
From Boing Boing
The label on a bottle of Fiji Water says “from the islands of Fiji.” Journey to the source of that water, and you realize just how extraordinary that promise is. From New York, for instance, it is an 18-hour plane ride west and south (via Los Angeles) almost to Australia, and then a four-hour drive along Fiji’s two-lane King’s Highway.
I’ve got to say this one goes in the common sense category. First of all think about how much pollution a trip like that takes. Secondly, who pays $3.00 for a liter and a half of drinking water? Lastly how many Americans don’t have running water and drinking glasses in their homes and offices? Don’t like the taste or purity of what’s coming out of your tap? Buy a filter. Don’t be a sucker and fall for yet another of corporate America’s clever pieces of propaganda.
The message is clear: Bottled water is “good” water, as opposed to that nasty, unsafe stuff that comes out of the tap. But in most cases tap water adheres to stricter purity standards than bottled water, whose source — far from a mountain spring can be wells underneath industrial facilities. Indeed, 40 percent of bottled water began life as, well, tap water. source
In fact the EPA doesn’t regulate bottled water like it does municipal water. At least we have a source of tap water we can largely count on. Because while we suck down artesian water from an island in the South Pacific, it’s worth noting that, “more than half the people in Fiji do not have reliable drinking water.“
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Kanta Larson said,
It is true, most people in Fiji don’t have reliable drinking water, but they have jobs at “FIJI WATER”.
I support fiji people by drinking FIJI WATER.
Tastes great!!!!
Thanks,
Kanta
USA
aaron said,
Kanta,
Too bad the people of Fiji can’t drink your money.
That’s the second time today I’ve heard such an argument for the removal of foreign resources, as if doing so is not mostly about making a small number of people wealthy but is really in support of the majority population. If you think you’re supporting the average citizen of Fiji by drinking bottled water from that country you are deluded.
Open your eyes.
Mark Simpson said,
Thank you Kanta for drinking Fiji Water. Fiji Water is owned by a US Corporation so your foreign reserves are not affected.
We earn quite a bit from FW by way of taxation though, which definitely helps.
We gain most however, from the marketing and portrayal of our country as a paradise. Our tourism industry is the mainstay of the economy and probably employs the highest number of villagers who otherwise would not be able to feed their families and send their kids to school.
Drinking bottled water definitely damages the environment by way of fuel consumption of the massive container ships, but why don’t you just plant a tree a month to offset that
Go out, plant a tree, then drink FIJI WATER for a month. Plant a tree every month and keep drinking fiji water.
We aren’t going to stop the ships, so the best you can do is plant trees and urge your government to invest the trillions it puts into Weapons of War into Solar Energy research, making Bio Fuels cleaner and more efficient etc.
If just a fraction of your defense budget was redirected to research as mentioned above, we’d have a cleaner world much sooner than boycotting Fiji Water ever will.
Thanks Aaron for letting me post this. Feel free to delete it if it’s not compatible with your goals.
Cheers.
Jonathan said,
While very true that sales of Fiji Water do not benfit all of Fiji, the Fiji Water operation is by far the largest source of paid employment in its area within Fiji, and by far the highest paying jobs in that area, and the main power in that local area economy. Much profit of course goes to the investors, but when visiting the area, I notice that children of even the menial employees can afford schools, books, and light for study, unlike most others is the region of Vatukoula Fiji.
Also very true that it is extravagant to put water in bottles and ship it half way around the world – better to go visit Vatukoula and drink from the local taps, fed by the same springs as the bottles.
aaron said,
Kanta, Mark & Jonathan,
Feel free to drink water from Fiji. As my 6 year old nephew is fond of saying, this is a free country. But please spare me the self righteous talk about how not drinking local water and instead importing water from across the globe is somehow noble because it pays the wages of a few hundred Fiji citizens. Or as Michael Niman put it,
“the insane reality is we’re shipping water across an ocean and continent, to a region that already has the world’s most abundant reserves of some of the best water on the planet.”
There is no denying this is an environmentally destructive and unnecessary practice.
Ed Dennis said,
Why pick on Fuji water? We bottle water in this country every day and ship it by truck (uses local fuel and creates local pollution) in much larger quantities than Fuji could ever export. This would appear to be a “Cocktail Cause”, akin to a tempest in a teacup. Will the Fiji bashers ever make any difference, I don’t think so! Their province would seem to be wind, blowing often but moving no ship. Plant a tree! Go work at a soup kitchen. You words have no impact but you have the ability to help someone. Qualify your life by helping one person. After you do this you may be able to help someone else.
Tui Vulagi said,
Jonathan
Fiji Water comes from a deep well and does not come from a spring and is definitely not from the same source as Vatukoula. Saying that FW is the largest employer in the area isn’t saying much as there is not much of any commercialism in the Yaqara area, unless you count the cattle and the ‘Stud Farm’ up the road. Yes, Fiji Water is a pride of Fiji and is a great marketing tool – interestingly, Fiji Water was founded by the same chap that founded Wakaya Club (famous exclusive resort to the movie stars) and the infamous Pacific Harbour development…
michael said,
It’s a bit of a social quandary. Obviously, on one hand, the business of bottled water is helping the people of Fiji in some way — probably not in all the ways they might imagine (due to the likelihood of the U.S. Corporation making sure the money flows mostly one way) — but it helps the lives of those employed.
On the other hand, bottled water is a joke — with only 15% of the bottles being recycled in the U.S. and the other half ending up in landfills. Additionally, the billions spent on bottled water could be better used to invest in sustainable industries or clean water programs around the globe.
At the end of the day, this is a stupid practice — just as dumb as relying on foreign oil when technology exists at home to avoid it all-together. A sustainable future begins at home — not thousands of miles away for a resource that’s already taken for granted and flows from the taps of every home as readily as sunshine pours from the skies.
katherine said,
it’s true that many in fiji have no reliable source of drinking water – even in suva, the major city, water supply is routinely disrupted and people are forced to rely on (polluted) rivers. encouraging the consumer to stop drinking FW isn’t going to resolve that issue tho.
the tourist $$ is the country’s biggest source of external revenue and raising/maintaining brand ‘Fiji’ awareness in the public arena in a vast market like the US has to be of some value to Fiji – even if it is an incidental effect of FW consumption. Tourists are all the more important now since the military coup of dec 06, which has effectively brought the tourism industry to its knees. many, many people rely on that income.
BTW bottled fizzy drinks (from well known US corps) are cheaper here than FW. it’s guzzled by the gallon, by kids and adults alike – a dentists dream. the empty plastic bottles litter the seashore, the roadsides and the Pacific ocean along with the empty food wrappers from McD and other well known fast food outlets. Don’t get me started on global pollution………………
Melenia said,
stop believing everything you read. think about it??? could be someone trying to sabotage the reputation of Fiji water.
Chris Anderson said,
Is bottled water really better than tap?
Bottled water is not necessarily healthier or safer than tap water.
Twenty-five percent of all bottled water is actually repackaged tap water.
Bottled water doesn’t deserve the nutritional halo that most people give it for being pure, If you’re not an exclusive bottled water drinker, you may find it worthwhile to check into filtering your tap water to save money. In a recent Gallop survey, most consumers said they drink bottled water because they perceive it to be purer than tap water. Taste and convenience are also factors.
Because bottled water is considered a food, it is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Tap water is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both types of water are subject to testing for contaminates.
An estimated 60 to 70 percent of all bottled water in the U.S. is packaged and sold within the same state, which exempts it from FDA regulation. And 1 in 5 states do not regulate that bottled water.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water at the federal level, permits the product to contain certain levels of fecal matter, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency does not allow any human waste in city tap water. Bottled water violations are not always reported to the public, and in most cases the products may be recalled up to 15 months after the problematic water was produced, distributed, and sold.
Moreover, tests on 1,000 bottles of 103 different brands of bottled water found man-made chemicals, bacteria and arsenic in 22 percent of the bottles.
Tap water is also not immune to contamination problems. While most cities meet the standards for tap water, some tap water in the 19 U.S. cities tested was found to contain arsenic, lead, and pesticides.
Solution: Try a Multipure water filter for one week! If you like the taste you will probably buy one.
Cost: 8 cents per gallon or $5 a month. If you are paying more, you are paying too much!
Filter: Is changed (once) a year!
Compare and save! Look at the rest then buy the best.
Feel free to contact me with any questions in the drinking water field. I have been an Independent distributor of Multipure drinking water systems for over 13 years. #223193
920-517-3282 Chris waterfilters@gmail.com
Online Filter Store: http://www.multipureusa.com/canderson
Chrandaiqbe said,
Fiji Water is a natural prestine source that is unmatched. Do a little more research before you assume that it is just another water or that the Fijians are not benifiting from the success of this valuable source.
Kanta said,
Aaron, you should always listen to your 6yr old nephew. He is right about people’s choice!
I think the biggest environmental destruction that we need to worry about is the “WAR”
Peace
Kanta
Common Sense said,
Frankly, your pollution argument is a totally off base. It is not as if Fiji water is dictating specialized shipping routes and requiring ships to make special trips to move the product. A little bit of research and a little less opinion would garner the fact that Fiji is importing nearly twice its exports (For year 2005 according to CIA World Factbook). In fact, the vast bulk of these exports are in sugar with sugar, tourism, and remittances from Fijians working abroad being the main sources of income. Beyond sugar, there is some mining and miscellaneous cottage industries.
That shake down of the economy should give you idea of a Fijian problem: lots of ships coming in full of necessities and luxuries (tourism, remember) with a limited amount of things to put back in those ships to send back to market to bring income for Fiji (and to not waste a return trip). So, what does one do? Put some water in those ships (since they’ll be sailing regardless) and make a little dough (Fijians aren’t very well off in general). So cut the fine people on the island of Fiji a break and buy their water if you’re inclined to.
Bernard said,
It’s called a free market economy. Buy FIJI if you want, or don’t. It’s that simple.
Personally, I buy FIJI water because it has very unique and pleasant taste. I consume about one litre per day, chilled, directly from the fridge. I have had different filters on my fridge but the water from it tastes nasty and I’m not going to drink nasty tasting water any more than you would.
I buy it at my local store for under 2 bucks a litre. So, I spend about $60 a month on bottled water that tastes great and is good for me. On the contrary, I spend about $200 a month filling up my vehicles each month.
We really do need to be accountable today, whether or not global warming is real or just a cycle, polluting the world less is a good thing for all of us. However, if you greenies continue to get caught up fighthing over the low impact little rocks (like Fiji water, for God’s sake) instead of the big rocks, you’ll accomplish nothing.
As I’ve got to know more and more greenies, I find more hypocrocy among the group. A lot of intellectual masturbation with little action. Of course there are those that have selflessly committed themselves to the environment, very admirable; but for all of you “jaw jackers” just remember that it’s become increasingly transparent.
Bernie
aaron said,
I find it interesting the those who do not count themselves among people who care out the environment seem to resort to name calling so quickly. Question, if I am a “Greenie” what should I call you? The truth is that there’s a wide variety of thought and opinion amongst Groovy Green contributors. It’s a conversation about energy and the environment. You’re welcome to join in but please, lay off the labels.
Kanta, Fortunately I have developed an adult sense of freedom that includes the notion of ramifications. It’s not just about what I can do but what I should do. I hope one day my 6 year old nephew recognizes that his actions have consequences and therefore shapes his ideas accordingly concerning what he really is free to do.
Bernard, You couldn’t be more wrong about the free market. If we had a truly free market then the cost of the environmental degradation caused by all sorts of polluting practices would be paid by the individual polluter and not society as a whole. The system we have now privatizes the profits of any given economic activity and then socializes the costs. I can consume as little as I choose but my tax dollars still have to go to pay for problems caused by the pollution of others. This is more underdeveloped thinking. We can’t just do whatever we want free from consequences that affect others. We’re all in this together.
But you are absolutely correct about tackling the big issues and not getting hung up on the smaller ones. This is a problem among folks who want to live in a cleaner world. We sometimes focus on something small like not drinking out of styrofoam cups and loose sight of bigger ideas like arranging our lives to limit our need to drive cars everywhere we go. Buying our kids “green” toys isn’t a big issue, our culture of consumption is a big issue. But in defense of this website, we cover all sorts of related issues large and small. This post is but one issue. Check out the front page or our archives for some of the bigger ideas.
Another question, How does the behavior of a hypocrite affect your behavior?
Bernard said,
Aaron, “greenies” is not name calling..the site is called “groovygreen”; it’s not meant to be derogatory. Besides I don’t buy into the over-tolerance, over politically correct environment that will be sure to be the eventual doom of our social infrastructure in the years to come. You don’t like the name, don’t read my comments or as a private site, you’re more than within your rights to ban me and my opinions from this forum. But don’t think because you say I’ve offended you that I feel compelled to stop using the term “greenies’. Deal with it.
Me? I’m a realist and try to understand how all these decisions impact all the dynamics involved in the chain before pulling the trigger. Einstein once said that the level of thinking required to solve a problem must be much higher then when we created it. Pulling the plug on bottled water, i’m afraid, lacks the sophistication we need to solve our global environmental problems.
My point is that you could focus on almost any product and come up with the same argument for the environment. Why don’t we focus on Coleman products made in China or let’s focus on all those products we buy at REI..is everyone, every company really environmentally correct or do we just ignore those products that we love to use…it’s the latter, I can promise you because that’s human nature and it’s probably more prevelant in the US then anywhere.
Really, if we got rid of all the bottle water in the world we would end up with ZER0 impact on global environment from a statistical standpoint, yet we would put a lot of people out of work..what’s the net gain, if any from that? IMHO it’s absurd even to focus on it.
…and how many of the environmentalsists, packed up the kids and rode their bikes to yosemite or the grand canyon last year…they didn’t HAVE to go..they could have stayed home, burned less fossil fuels. We don’t have to buy tents and sleeping bags, we can bring tarps and blankets from home, right? Why buy those things? Making a sleeping bag takes a lot chemicals and fossil fuels, electricity and a lot of it is shipped from China, a long way away.
Consumption is my choice and your choice but you have no right to mandate that I consume less. There is no reason why we can’t protect the environment AND consume…as a matter of fact, we can. I’d rather consume the same and see more of my tax dollars go towards developing non-fossil fuel energy resources and less of them going towards all those bs entitelment programs and paying for all those illegal aliens who over-burden state and federal health care budgets (thus taxing me more). Those are the big rocks my friend. AND, i will say without question that if we can find an alternative to fossil fuels, AND it’s effecient, I for one will be more then happy to pay more for that and for those plane tickets I so often buy if it will help the environment.
aaron said,
Bernard, It takes a bit more than name calling to offend me. I’m just talking about being polite not being overly P.C. Your name is Bernard. I won’t call you an anti-environmentalist wennie because I don’t know you and it’s not nice, that’s all. But I get it now- Groovy Greenies. Got it. By the way we don’t ban people we don’t like. As I said this is a discussion, but discussions are just more fun if they are polite, not to mention more productive. I don’t know as if we have ever removed a comment and probably won’t if they aren’t much more offensive than greenie. I just said I find it interesting…
If you’re looking for *the* trigger to pull you’ll never find one. There is no single solution to our problems of environmental degradation. It’s about seeing ourselves as producers, as a part of the natural world instead of moving in the opposite direction. Once you reject the corporate mantra of ‘consume more’ than you’ll understand that it’s about making changes, not doing one great big thing that changes the world and then everything is fine. It is a mindset. And if you adopt it you’ll find many benefits both personal and in terms of your positive participation in society. You might begin to understand that beyond being wasteful of resources and providing more pollution out in our environment, drinking bottled water costs more money and just isn’t necessary.
“Consumption is my choice and your choice but you have no right to mandate that I consume less.”
My point was that you have no right to suggest that I should have to pay for your impact on the environment; in monetary terms or in terms of pollution. If I blew smoke in your face I bet you’d get angry. But because negative environmental impacts aren’t so blatant, few people get angry at them. They just accept that the water in their stream is too pollute to drink. ‘Gee, I guess I’ll just *buy* it bottled from these guys over here.’ Don’t you see how that has ’sucker’ written all over it? If it turns out that we have warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels, and most of the reports on the subject suggest that we have, then it is only fact to point out that those who have consumed more have done more to destroy our planet, the only planet I’ve got. You have no right to destroy my planet. But that is too inflammatory because you don’t seem like the type of person who wants to destroy anything purposefully. I was actually suggesting that if the price of cleaning up after wasteful and dirty practices were factored in- if those costs were removed from my tax bill and placed on those who want to participate in such practices- then that would be fair in a free market sense. I am tired of not being able to drink water from our streams because of bad ideas sold to us by people trying to make money. I think you’re argument about me having no right to mandate that you consume less misses my point. My point was go ahead and consume, but pay the real price in terms of the additional costs to the environment. It was a rebuttal to your free market statement. Does that makes sense?
By the way I just saw an article over at MSNBC about bottled water. I don’t have the url though…
Bernard said,
Thanks for your well thought out response, Aaron. In terms of paying for excess consumption, who’s to say that I’m consuming more, damaging the environment more and that you are doing less of that and paying equal or more to what I am in terms of environmental degradation or repair?
Last year, I paid more in income taxes then the average gross salary in the United States. Theoritically more of my tax dollars go towards environmentally friendly government programs then do over half of the united states. I hunt and fish and am a member of the NRA, Ducks Unlimited AND the Sierra Club; all these associations do a lot for land conservation and the environment through my dues.
http://www.nrahq.org/hunting/echo.asp
I think more importantly, I VOTE, I write my congressman and I make sure they understand that I, like many Americans want to reduce and eventually, largely eliminate our dependence to foreign oil and Fossil Fuels. Lastly, I ride my bike into work each day, (primarily for fitness but I get the added bonus of knowing I’m burning less fossil fuels).
Also, although a card carrying Republican, I would definitely consider Al Gore for President (only dem I would consider), if he ran (won’t screw up foreign policy, understands the need for a strong military, but also is at the forefront on global warming). I am far from an anti-environmentalist, so are my friends and I think the perception you might have of the majority of Republicans are probably way off when it comes to the environment.
Also, how do you really measure the impact of myself on the environment, vs yours? We do have some tax breaks in place for solar and other things that help reduce energy needs but you can’t effectively measure and compare two peoples impact on the environment like you propose..there are too many variables.
And, I suggest, that’s not the answer. The answer is big government, and big corporations who have the greatest and most significant impact and resources to make change.
Dude, if you really want to effect change, keep your eye on China, they are on the path to be the biggest polluter, consumer nation in the world, let’s work on keeping them in check before it’s too late.
I’m probably and average american when it comes to the environment and I just want more of the “PRO-environment” groups to act in a more realistic (less extreme), manner. Just ask BONO, you can get a lot more done if you’re reasonable and meet people half way, then condemning and demanding. ALSO…if you don’t vote, then you significantly reduce your chance to effect change.
aaron said,
Your welcome Bernard. I appreciate your contribution as well.
I think it would be impossible to figure who is consuming more, you or I. My idea is that in light of the reality that such a person to person comparison is impossible it seems to make even more sense that we put the price of consumption on the act itself. You bike to work and I drive which means that while I am burning fossil fuels during my commute you are not. Therefore I think it would be much less fair for your tax dollars to pay for government actions to address air pollution problems. The person burning the fossil fuels by driving, me, should pay for the consequences of my actions. That was my previous point. The freedom to drive comes with a cost. We should grow up and recognize these costs and the people who choose to drive should pay them.
I was lamenting the socialization of the costs to the environment. If someone wants to buy water from Fiji then sure, go ahead and buy it. But in a truly free market system that person, not me, would have to pay for the effects of shipping water from half way across the globe and the effects of the enormous amounts of trash and pollution that are generated by drinking bottled water all the time. My point was that I shouldn’t have to pay for landfill space for someone else’s water bottles in a truly free market.
Most of the hunters and fisherman I know are generally good stewards of the land. They understand they can’t hunt and fish in a strip mall. And I appreciate the fact that you vote. I do too. I disagree though that government or corporations could have the greatest impact on change. I think I know what you were trying to say but let me add my thoughts. First of all I see little distinction between big business and big government. Until we address the way we fund elections in this country I think very little change will come from that group. But both those interlocked institutions have power only because we give it to them. If you stop buying from big business it will vanish. I think local economies that put my money in the pockets of my neighbors is a realistic way to fund significant change in this country. All the more reason not to buy water from Fiji.
Incidentally, I am switching to a bike commute very soon. I am documenting the whole transition and it will be written about and video made available here at Groovy Green so I look for your comments when that comes out.
“if you really want to effect change, keep your eye on China, they are on the path to be the biggest polluter, consumer nation in the world, let’s work on keeping them in check before it’s too late.”
I agree that China is a growing nightmare in terms of consumptions and pollution. But here’s the problem, how do you intend to stop them from getting worse? Physically stopping them is out of the question. They are a nuclear armed nation with an enormous army so physically forcing them to stop is not going to happen. The next most promising avenue, economic coercion is also not really possible. China buys an enormous amount of American debt. That fact is one of the reasons that the U.S. economy is still chugging along. Also we have gutted our manufacturing sector in this country so not buying from that country is nearly impossible. Incidentally a book has just been published about a family who tried not to buy from China for a year and about how hard it was. Like it or not we are in bed with them economically speaking. So what’s left? How do stop China from basically becoming America concerning consumption? I believe the only way is to first change our own behaviors and then show them the benefits of doing so. We sold them consumerism by the way. They imported it from us and be sure that American corporations would like nothing more than to smelt all the metal left on Earth in order to sell a billion toasters to the Chinese. So change concerning China has to come from change in the mindset of the American people if it can come at all. We have to reject over consumption and pollution and silly ideas that are environmentally destructive before we have a ghost of a chance of convincing everyone else on the planet (don’t forget about India) not to destroy our world. We have lost the moral high ground on this topic because we consume far more than our share of this planet’s resources. It’s well documented that for all other humans to live like us would take many more Earths and that is not an option. As I see it, and I agree that this is a big problem, if we really want to do more than just point fingers here we’re going to have to accept responsibility for the lifestyle we’ve developed and renegotiate a new one before anyone will listen to us.
If you want to understand why some environmentalists adopt a more ‘radical’ viewpoint I can offer at least a little insight. People who are actively involved in issues of energy and environment spend a lot of time examining our present situation and they are frightened by the lack of action on the part of their fellow citizens. I’ve talked to people who think that we’re in big trouble because the majority of Americans will wait until a huge problem is actually on our doorstep before we change as a nation. Some such changes can’t happen overnight. Highway safety people are all over the airwaves saying that they have been telling us for years that we have a problem with bridges in this country but no one would listen. Now that a big bride collapsed in Minnesota- now everyone is paying attention. Radical environmentalists are trying desperately to get the attention of average Americans *before* the environmental bridge collapse. However shouting isn’t always the best way to win over skeptics. I must admit that the title of this blog post was a bit of shouting and that’s why I think people have been somewhat defensive in their comments. On that note…
I suggest that we move this discussion. Would you like to write a post for Groovy Green? I think as a card carrying Republican you could write a great post on how traditional environmentalists really don’t understand how a majority of Republicans think concerning environmental issues. If you write it GG will post it and give you the credit of course. Images too if you have any in mind. Let me know what you think.
Nice talking with you Bernard.
Stef said,
All I’m going to say is that I honestly can’t tell the differene between Fiji Water and the water I filter from my tap.
vdz415 said,
Fiji water is worth my $3.50 for a 1.5liter that I pay for atleast once a day
taste way better then San francisco tap water
which is known to be the safest tap water to drink
canary in a coal mine said,
Fiji Water, is owned by Stewart Resnick, who also owns Suterra, the maker of CheckMate, the pesticide that was sprayed from planes over Monterey and Santa Cruz, California, which made hundreds of people ill, and is scheduled to be sprayed over several million more people in the San Francisco Bay Area in the Summer 2008. People here are calling for a boycott of Resnick’s prhttp://www.dontspraycalifornia.org/lbam.html
Stewart Resnick, who acquired, through a closed door deal, 48% of the Kern Water Bank in California, which was first established as an emergency reservoir for the public, but now is owned entirely by the agriculture industry, and is contributing to obscene “irrigation sprawl” here. http://www.citizen.org/documents/Water_Heist_lo-res.pdf
Stewart Resnick, whose Paramount Farms sicked lawyers on beekeepers to keep their bees at a far distance from their mandarins, so they don’t develop seeds, when they simply need to change their farming practices to insure this, rather than threaten bees already under threat from “Colony Collapse Disorder”, in which pesticides are implicated. http://www.beesource.com/pov/traynor/saguidelinesOCT06.htm
Stewart Resnick, whose POM Wonderful did some appalling animal testing until recently, that is enough to almost turn anyone off pomegranates, certainly the ones from his company. http://www.earthfirstjournal.org/article.php?id=281
Fiji Water is a major polluter. Paying desperate people money to work for the luxury comforts of people halfway across the world, does not excuse the environmental devastation caused by their plant and their waste. It’s called exploitation or both people and natural resources. Capitalists are famous for it. http://artvoice.com/issues/v6n6/bottled_insanity
relpek said,
I’m late in the game on this thread, just came across it, hope Bernard is still out there to see how wrong he is on his statement-
“Really, if we got rid of all the bottle water in the world we would end up with ZER0 impact on global environment from a statistical standpoint, yet we would put a lot of people out of work..what’s the net gain, if any from that?”
Check out the link and see -
http://bp0.blogger.com/_LfX_O6uosAU/R03Ruc5sabI/AAAAAAAAAAs/CN7m2KWwc1E/s1600-h/Albatross+Chick2.jpg
What gets to me is calling it all ‘the environment,’ makes it easy The environment includes lots and lots of animals around the world, all born, with parents trying to feed and nurture them best as they can, but, for example, since there are areas of the ocean recently found with 40 times more plastic than plankton, what they’re eating is our plastic crap- and one of the worst offenders? freakin bottle caps b/c they come off, don’t recycle, and just in the U.S. alone we consume 45 million water bottles A DAY. Look at the picture Bernard, the sad thing is that it is NOT an anomaly, there’s plenty more like it, of every species you can imagine. You see the pink and red and orange bottle caps, the sea birds mistake them for shrimp. Not ZERO impact at all ‘on the environment.’ Major impact on the critters dying from ingestion of our single-use disposable crap. And it’s a cop out to count on government and industry, the mess got this way from 100s of millions of people not paying attention and buying packaged stuff (e.g. water) out the wazoo – it’s the proverbial death by a thousand cuts. The way out of the mess is healing by a thousand better decisions and taking responsibility for the wreck we’ve created.
Read http://www.riseaboveplastic.blogspot.com
Read http://www.algalita.org
Read http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-oceans-series,0,7842752.special
Wake up and smell the planet… convenience is killing us… how about a squeeze of lemon in some tap water and suck it up for a day… see if you survive.
Pat said,
If fijji water is owned by this guy Stewart Resnick who did all those horrible animal tests with his POM WONDERFUL drink then that alone would make me stop drinking and supporting Fiji Water (and I’m a big drinker of it). I wasn’t aware of the environmental issues with it, I’m embarased to say because all I had to do was really think about it as some of you above have mentioned – the distance it has to travel and the toll on the country’s environment. I think that Trumps any benefit the people are making from working there as in the end, it is destroying their home and even though I really like this water, I am now searching for a good filtration system.
I don’t think anyone should support this water or the money-hungry and cruel owner Stewart Resnick. This information will be passed along to all those who care about animals and the environment that I know. Anyone who wants to plead it is a free country is correct, it is – but let’s act responsibly not like children just using up resources because we can – that’s just dumb.
Quint Essential said,
You all are stupid. Fiji, uncommon to popular belief is the essential god of the waters and the seas. May his wrath rain down acid water on all of you essential fools who don’t pay his land respect.
LONG LIVE FIJI
God bless your poor waterless souls
Quint Essential
Natalie said,
San Francisco tap water is NOT known to be the safest tap water to drink.
Perplexed said,
I’m so completely flabbergasted at the strength of all these emails.
Why would most people drink anything?
Belgian Beer, French Wine, Scandanavian Spirits?
Or even eat anything, French Cheese, Italian Salami’s?
Its because it tastes good and it can’t be replicated at home, hence importing it from wherever it is.
I wonder if Fiji Water had a unique coconut alcoholic additive and was packaged in Glass or Cans would anyone be as passionate about it?
The fact of the matter is that All Foods and Beverages require some form of packaging and for anything that has a unique flavor that cannot be replicated, must be imported should you as a consumer wish to partake of it.
Yes there are negative implications for many actions that anyone may make.
Why don’t we focus on the positive counteractive actions that everyone can make and move forward from a slinging match and comparatives?