Thou Shalt Not Drink Bottled Water

As I was perusing the January 9, 2007 edition of The Christian Century, an article entitled, “Is Bottled Water a Moral Issue” from the news section grabbed my attention. Apparently a campaign is afoot in some Christian circles to declare that the consumption of bottled water is a justice issue, and, according to Mary Ann Coyle of the National Coalition of American Nuns, “a sin”. I almost spit out my Dasani for fear of offending the Almighty, but decided against it.

This campaign is “rooted in the notion that clean drinking water, like air, is a God given resource that shouldn’t be packaged and sold.” I have to admit that I was a little astounded by this assertion. After all, clean drinking water – bottled or otherwise – is not free. In fact, whether we drink water from a tap or from a bottle, we pay for it in one way or another. Like many of you, I receive a monthly bill from the local municipality that I must pay if I want water to continue to flow into my home. The only time in my life when this was not the case was when my family bought a house in Florida that had a well. Even then, we had to pay for the pump and all of its maintenance, which was just as much as the local city government charged at that time.

I spent a little bit of time looking at the website of an organization calling itself Presbyterians for Restoring Creation. It has some interesting information, and I think they are well-intentioned. They rightfully point out that one of the problems with bottled water is the excessive use of plastic bottles, most of which aren’t recycled. True, we should recycle those containers, as we really could do better recycling lots of containers. I am guilty of this, though the family and I are trying to take steps to recycle more, in spite of the fact that our county has no pick-up of recyclables and we must store and drive the items our selves. But it seems odd to me to link consumption of bottled water with the fact that dry, arid developing nations lack access to clean water. This link is strongly asserted by the National Coalition of American Nuns on its blog (scroll down to “Bottled Water” on October 22, 2006). In that article, it is suggested that, “The depletion of fresh water resources for commercial gain brings suffering to poor people throughout the world. The reliance on bottled water delays the construction of facilities to deliver purified water to many underdeveloped countries and perpetuates the corporate exploitation of the poor.”

There is no evidence to suggest that the reason some people do not have access to clean drinking water is because some folks, particularly Americans, drink water from a bottle. In fact, during the aftermath surrounding Hurricane Katrina, the only access to water that many people had came from bottled water that was shipped in droves to the Gulf Coast. Ditto on relief efforts in other places, including some developing countries. Bottled water serves as a stop gap measure until natural potable water can be introduced.

Not only does this campaign lack any clear logic or good evidence, but it seems silly. Yes, everyone needs access to water, and yes, it is essential to human survival. But how does pumping water from an American aquifer and bottling it keep developing nations from getting access to clean water? Instead of spending money on this campaign, perhaps it could be spent to organizations like the Peace Corp, who actually go to remote villages and help bring clean water to the people who need it.

+++++++++++++++++
editorial note: I know I have this habit for being a bit snarky with issues, and tend to write in a way that may be construed as condescending. I do not intend to mock these folks (well, maybe the nun), because I think they are trying to do what they see as right. Honestly, after giving the materials provided a fair read, I just think they are dead wrong.