The Story of Bottled Water

bottledwater
bottledwater

The Story of Bottled Water, releasing March 22, 2010, employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the fast-paced, fact-filled story of manufactured demand—how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows from the tap. Over five minutes, the film explores the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. The film concludes with a call to take back the tap, not only by making a personal commitment to avoid bottled water, but by supporting investments in clean, available tap water for all.

Protest Rallies Against Turkish Dam Continue

Proteste gegen die Hermeskredite für den StaudammCritics of the ill-conceived Ilisu Dam in Turkey today held protests and rallies all over Europe in front government buildings, banks and companies involved in the dam project. Actions were planned for Paris, Milan, Rome, Perugia, Berlin, Stuttgart and other German cities today, March 14, to mark the International Day of Action for Rivers, Water and Life. At least 77 organisations from 20 countries, including France, Germany and Italy, are all urging the governmental and financial institutions to withdraw from the project. Read more

Water cannons against water scarcity??!

Wasserwerfer gegen Kritiker des WeltwasserforumsSince yesterday the Turkish government hosts the fifth World Water Forum against a backdrop of what is probably the most sweeping water privatisation programme in the world. As well as privatizing water services, the government plans to sell of rivers and lakes. Turkish social movements, who hosted their own conference in Istanbul last month, suspect the Government is using the World Water Forum to push through this highly controversial agenda. Protesters are struck back with water cannons… Read more

River privatization in Turkey

The Turkish government intends to privatise their water sources throughout the whole country in 2009. Rights of water use will be sold to international corporations for up to 49 years – amongst others Siemens seems to be in on it. The reason behind this is to build and run power plants which are marketed as tackling climate change. Read more

Paris Water public at the end of 2009

When the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë was relected in March 2008, the vote gave him a mandate to return Paris’ water services to a public-run service. The electoral promise came after a broad campaign, triggered by rising prices, and following his re-election, the Mayor’s office announced in June 2008 that the remunicipalisation would go ahead. Water services in Paris, privatised in 1985, will be run as a single public-owned and managed company, Eau de Paris, from 2009. Read more