An intimate portrait of international water activist Maude Barlow and…
Tapped
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car? and I.O.U.S.A., this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of the bottled water industry -- an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water.
From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table. A powerful portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public's right to water.
'Tapped offers a provocative look at the many down-sides of bottled water--and how citizens are beginning to rise up and push back. By shining a light on threats to community water sources, risks to human health, pollution of the oceans, and mountains of plastic trash, Tapped sounds a clarion call to kick the bottle and return to the tap. And it calls on governments to fulfill their crucial role as custodians of the public trust in water.' Sandra Postel, Director, Global Water Policy Project, co-Author, Rivers for Life
'The film leaves no stone unturned and doesn't give anyone involved--even the consumer--a free pass from their actions. From the Maine village that struggles against corporate attempts to bottle their local springwater, to the Texas town that lives with the toxic pollution from making plastic, the film takes us on a national tour of the people and communities on the front lines of environmental fights. While it would be easy to simply demonize the big corporations, the film goes further and deeper by showing how government regulation, elected representatives, and local governments have all failed us--and we have failed ourselves with our choices and addiction to disposable convenience. By showing how we have all contributed to these environmental problems, the film ends on an empowering high note, providing simple and concrete examples of how we can all be a part of the solution.' Noah Hall, Law Professor, Wayne State University Law School, Founder, Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, Author, Protecting Freshwater Resources in the Era of Global Water Markets: Lessons Learned from Bottled Water
'Tapped is one film that cannot be ignored. It will be a mandatory final exam for my graduate and undergraduate classes. Fresh Water Resources are an ignored reality in the USA. From this day on, the actions of ourselves and children with respect to how we bottle and utilize tap water could potentially exhaust our fresh drinking water supplies within our life time. Water is a 'free' natural resource that we take for granted. However, in due time we will learn that preservation and conservation of these valuable resources are words that should be reckoned with.' Dr. James M. Cervino, Marine Biologist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Adjunct Professor, School of Marine Atmospheric Science, Stony Brook University
'For classroom use this film is essential in that it conveys very important information, be it with an activist sense, in a way that is useful, truthful and compelling...The information presented in the film itself is vital for this youth market, since they represent an overwhelming target for the marketing of bottled water. I would recommend this film highly to any ecological, environmental or economic based topic in anthropology as well as curriculums based around chemistry. The film would also be highly applicable to high school students as well, since the entertainment value of the film provides for a considerably wider audience than found on college campuses.' Troy Belford, Wichita State University, Anthropology Review Database
'Illustrates the far-reaching consequences, both local and Earth-wide, of the consumption of 'manufactured' water.' School Library Journal
'[The film] hits all sides of the issue...Convincingly argues against purchasing and drinking bottled water.' Booklist Online
'Incredibly well-balanced...Tapped is extremely well put together flowing from topic to topic without missing a beat. It provides the viewer with all sides of the story and includes interviews with professionals and citizens...This film is highly recommended for the intended audience. While this film touches numerous disciplines, libraries serving programs in environmental science, ecology, and marketing as well as public health would benefit by having this in their collections.' Ronald Saskowski Jr., Educational Media Reviews Online
'Assails the bottled-water industry...Viewers learn that a 'gold rush' for drinkable water is underway in the United States...Compelling.' Video Librarian
'Soechtig's cautionary tale is well supported by interviews with a variety of activists, environmentalists, community leaders and, especially, several small-town residents whose health and welfare have been compromised by the encroachment of the bottled water industry. If their stories don't persuade you to ditch the Dasani, vivid shots of how water bottle refuse is turning our oceans into 'plastic soup' should do the trick.' Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
'I knew bottled water was a social ill but I didn't know how damaging it was until I saw an explosive and compelling new documentary called Tapped. With style, verve and righteous anger, the film exposes the bottled water industry's role in suckering the public, harming our health, accelerating climate change, contributing to overall pollution, and increasing America's dependence on fossil fuels. All while gouging consumers with exorbitant and indefensible prices.' Peter Rothberg, The Nation
'I'm excited about the documentary Tapped, and the trailer has got me all worked up. (The images of the plastic in the ocean make me sick.) I've had a tentative toe on the anti-plastic bus, but this film might just get me fully on board, buckled up and ready to roar.' Enviromom.com
'A pretty damning look at how consumers have been tricked into spending too much money on water packaged in plastic and quite often not as clean as what's available from the faucet...Not only is it a clear waste of resources (only 20 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States are recycled, and far too many of the rest probably end up in the Pacific Garbage Patch), it's an incredible waste of money for consumers, who pay more than the price of gasoline for water that's marketed as 'pure,' but in reality is largely unregulated, full of harmful toxins like BPA, and far less safe for drinking than free tap water. (In fact, 40 percent of the time, bottled water is nothing but municipal tap water, freed from the government oversight that keeps it safe.)...I will never look at bottled water with anything less than loathing from now on.' Claire Thompson, Grist
'Tapped...is just as vital and maybe more important [thanFood, Inc.]...Tapped is one of the most pivotal documentaries made to save our lives.' Jon Peters, Killerfilm.com
'Eye-opening, informative and incredibly important for you to see...Tapped is another example of realizing film's potential to inspire. This is a passionate documentary, well-executed from engaging and intelligent voices who will inform and entertain you with their movie. See it!' Ben E. Lyons, E! Entertainment and At the Movies
'Well-made, thought-provoking and anger-inducing...An engaging documentary that doesn't overwhelm with technical speak or annoy with tie-dye radicalism.' Dean Carrico, Honolulu Weekly
Citation
Main credits
Soechtig, Stephanie (film director)
Soechtig, Stephanie (film producer)
Soechtig, Stephanie (screenwriter)
Gibson, Sarah (film producer)
David, Josh (screenwriter)
Lindsey, Jason (film producer)
Lindsey, Jason (screenwriter)
Other credits
Editor, Jason Lindsey; cinematographer, Michael Millikan; music, Jason Brandt.
Distributor subjects
Activism; Anthropology; Business Practices; Capitalism; Consumerism; Economics; Environment; Environmental Justice; Geography; Global Issues; Government; Health; Human Rights; Marine Biology; Oceans and Coasts; Pollution; Recycling; Sociology; Toxic Chemicals; WaterKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:09.867 --> 00:00:12.066
- By the year 2030,
two thirds of the world
00:00:12.067 --> 00:00:15.332
will be lacking access
to clean drinking water.
00:00:15.333 --> 00:00:18.332
[water drips]
00:00:18.333 --> 00:00:19.732
This is a problem
00:00:19.733 --> 00:00:21.732
that every single person\'s
gonna be dealing with,
00:00:21.733 --> 00:00:23.733
regardless of where
they live in the world.
00:00:28.267 --> 00:00:31.832
- When you begin to treat water
as a commodity,
00:00:31.833 --> 00:00:33.532
where the price of the water
00:00:33.533 --> 00:00:36.399
is dependent on supply
and demand,
00:00:36.400 --> 00:00:38.632
you end up
with corporate control
00:00:38.633 --> 00:00:41.600
of all of our drinking water.
00:00:45.133 --> 00:00:46.532
- I mean,
think about it right now.
00:00:46.533 --> 00:00:51.832
The cost of bottled water is
more than the cost of gasoline.
00:00:51.833 --> 00:00:53.232
When you consider that,
00:00:53.233 --> 00:00:56.733
you see that water
is really the next empire.
00:01:03.367 --> 00:01:07.466
[bell ringing]
00:01:07.467 --> 00:01:14.966
[intro to White Stripes\'
Effect and Cause plays]
00:01:14.967 --> 00:01:16.999
- [singing] I guess you have
to have a problem
00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:22.366
if you want to invent
a contraption.
00:01:22.367 --> 00:01:25.366
First you cause a train wreck.
00:01:25.367 --> 00:01:28.466
Then they put me in traction.
00:01:28.467 --> 00:01:30.299
Mmm.
00:01:30.300 --> 00:01:32.132
Well, first came an action
00:01:32.133 --> 00:01:33.766
and then a reaction,
00:01:33.767 --> 00:01:35.532
but you can\'t switch \'em \'round
00:01:35.533 --> 00:01:37.566
for your own satisfaction.
00:01:37.567 --> 00:01:39.432
Well, you burnt my house down,
00:01:39.433 --> 00:01:45.232
then got mad at my reaction.
00:01:45.233 --> 00:01:46.832
Making sense of it all
00:01:46.833 --> 00:01:51.299
takes a whole lot
of concentration.
00:01:51.300 --> 00:01:52.699
Mmm.
00:01:52.700 --> 00:01:56.299
Well, you can\'t blame a baby
for her pregnant ma.
00:01:56.300 --> 00:01:59.766
And if there\'s one of these
unavoidable laws,
00:01:59.767 --> 00:02:02.966
it\'s that you just can\'t take
the effect
00:02:02.967 --> 00:02:06.499
and make it the cause.
00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:09.132
Well, you can\'t take the effect
00:02:09.133 --> 00:02:10.999
and make it the cause.
00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:14.699
I didn\'t rob a bank
because you made up a law.
00:02:14.700 --> 00:02:16.799
Blame me for robbing Peter,
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:18.632
but don\'t you blame Paul.
00:02:18.633 --> 00:02:22.933
Can\'t take the effect
and make it the cause.
00:02:24.833 --> 00:02:26.833
[birds chirping]
00:02:48.100 --> 00:02:50.666
- I moved to Maine a long time
ago when I was a small child,
00:02:50.667 --> 00:02:53.399
but it was a lot quieter then.
00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:54.532
And so, times change,
00:02:54.533 --> 00:02:56.099
and we understand
that times change.
00:02:56.100 --> 00:02:58.066
But what we certainly
didn\'t expect
00:02:58.067 --> 00:02:59.799
was a change in our culture
00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:03.800
and a change
in just our way of life.
00:03:10.367 --> 00:03:18.367
- [screams playfully]
00:03:19.167 --> 00:03:20.732
- You\'re a good friend.
I appreciate it.
00:03:20.733 --> 00:03:21.733
- Have a good one, okay?
00:03:21.734 --> 00:03:22.766
- Yes.
You have a good day.
00:03:22.767 --> 00:03:23.899
And I\'ll bring it
right back here.
00:03:23.900 --> 00:03:25.099
- No problem.
00:03:25.100 --> 00:03:26.432
We\'ll be ready
when you\'re ready.
00:03:26.433 --> 00:03:28.000
- No problem.
I\'m gonna be driving slow.
00:03:42.333 --> 00:03:44.166
We\'re used
to small-business development.
00:03:44.167 --> 00:03:45.366
We\'re used to farmers.
00:03:45.367 --> 00:03:46.832
There are a lot of farmers
around here.
00:03:46.833 --> 00:03:48.832
There were a lot more
many years ago.
00:03:48.833 --> 00:03:50.566
And farmers
are small-business owners,
00:03:50.567 --> 00:03:54.399
so that\'s what we\'re used to.
00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:58.032
We\'re not used to the largest
food-processing company
00:03:58.033 --> 00:04:00.332
in the world arriving
on our doorstep.
00:04:00.333 --> 00:04:03.333
[horn honks]
00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:08.066
- Nestlé operates
in the United States
00:04:08.067 --> 00:04:10.099
under multiple names,
00:04:10.100 --> 00:04:13.933
and Poland Springs
is one of the Nestlé brands.
00:04:18.367 --> 00:04:22.266
Nestlé is one of the largest
profiteers from bottled water.
00:04:22.267 --> 00:04:27.767
They basically come into rural
towns and do water mining.
00:04:36.467 --> 00:04:39.832
- It kind of reminds me of Texas
00:04:39.833 --> 00:04:42.133
and the oil rush in the 1930s.
00:04:46.967 --> 00:04:48.966
Female narrator: Citizens
of Fryeburg, Maine...
00:04:48.967 --> 00:04:51.866
Population 3,083...
Are waging a war
00:04:51.867 --> 00:04:53.799
on the biggest
bottled-water company
00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:57.466
in the world, Nestlé,
a Swiss corporation
00:04:57.467 --> 00:05:03.467
with more than $3.5 billion
in bottled water sales in 2008.
00:05:10.467 --> 00:05:13.132
- I wound up working
as an assistant secretary
00:05:13.133 --> 00:05:14.899
in Bill Clinton\'s
administration,
00:05:14.900 --> 00:05:16.832
and whenever I went
to the developing world,
00:05:16.833 --> 00:05:18.966
I always found
in my briefing books
00:05:18.967 --> 00:05:21.732
as one of the number one,
two, or three
00:05:21.733 --> 00:05:24.066
national-security interests
for the United States,
00:05:24.067 --> 00:05:27.067
it was potable water,
drinkable water.
00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:47.166
Narrator: Across the
United States, surface water...
00:05:47.167 --> 00:05:49.132
The oceans, ponds, and rivers...
00:05:49.133 --> 00:05:51.032
Are held as part
of a public trust.
00:05:51.033 --> 00:05:53.432
But groundwater falls under
a different set of rules,
00:05:53.433 --> 00:05:54.799
depending on the state.
00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.599
Maine operates with a rule
called \"absolute dominion,\"
00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:00.332
which was adopted
in the late 1800s.
00:06:00.333 --> 00:06:01.766
Absolute dominion
basically means
00:06:01.767 --> 00:06:03.132
that he who has the biggest pump
00:06:03.133 --> 00:06:05.132
gets to take the most amount
of water,
00:06:05.133 --> 00:06:08.266
which, in Fryeburg, Maine,
is Nestlé.
00:06:08.267 --> 00:06:11.999
- What\'s happened is that
Nestlé gets a permit.
00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.066
None of this is public knowledge
00:06:14.067 --> 00:06:16.232
unless someone is going down
to the courthouse
00:06:16.233 --> 00:06:18.466
and looking through
local permits.
00:06:18.467 --> 00:06:21.599
And so Nestlé gets a foot
in the community
00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:25.399
before the local people
who are gonna be impacted
00:06:25.400 --> 00:06:28.932
by this water mining
even know about it.
00:06:28.933 --> 00:06:30.732
- They are pretty clever.
00:06:30.733 --> 00:06:33.366
They started looking
at what they needed to do
00:06:33.367 --> 00:06:34.699
within the state,
00:06:34.700 --> 00:06:36.799
what they needed
to do within communities,
00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:39.832
and they had a long-term plan
for this development.
00:06:39.833 --> 00:06:42.499
- They never notified anybody
in town.
00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:46.799
They never published anything
about what they were gonna do.
00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:51.266
They just started pumping water.
00:06:51.267 --> 00:06:55.199
- We were mapped out without
our knowledge and consent,
00:06:55.200 --> 00:06:57.699
and land was bought here
and there,
00:06:57.700 --> 00:06:59.932
in the places they thought
there was water.
00:06:59.933 --> 00:07:01.366
And people in the town went,
00:07:01.367 --> 00:07:04.533
\"How did they... we didn\'t know
that was happening.\"
00:07:08.033 --> 00:07:10.866
- Nestlé, right now, is pulling
all of this water out for free
00:07:10.867 --> 00:07:12.366
and selling it at a huge profit.
00:07:12.367 --> 00:07:13.399
What a great idea.
00:07:13.400 --> 00:07:15.067
I mean... really.
00:07:16.267 --> 00:07:17.966
- Well, Nestlé decided that,
00:07:17.967 --> 00:07:19.899
\"We\'ll just come in
and take the water.\"
00:07:19.900 --> 00:07:22.099
And some of us said, \"Well, wait
a minute here.
00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:24.899
\"We\'re not going to let you
just take the water.
00:07:24.900 --> 00:07:26.900
It\'s our water.\"
00:07:30.967 --> 00:07:33.666
If they really
were interested in us,
00:07:33.667 --> 00:07:37.366
they could come into town
and really pay taxes.
00:07:37.367 --> 00:07:41.299
And what we were talking about
was a tax at the wellhead
00:07:41.300 --> 00:07:44.132
so that as this water
got packaged,
00:07:44.133 --> 00:07:49.232
the people of Maine would be
paying less than 1% of this fee.
00:07:49.233 --> 00:07:51.766
And the people in other parts
of the country
00:07:51.767 --> 00:07:53.432
that purchase
Poland Spring water
00:07:53.433 --> 00:07:54.966
would be paying the rest
00:07:54.967 --> 00:07:58.166
since they were
the beneficiaries of the water
00:07:58.167 --> 00:08:01.432
that cost Nestlé
between 6 and 11 cents a gallon
00:08:01.433 --> 00:08:04.166
to extract and process
and package,
00:08:04.167 --> 00:08:06.499
that they sell for 6 bucks
a gallon.
00:08:06.500 --> 00:08:10.066
And Nestlé said there was no way
they were gonna pay anything,
00:08:10.067 --> 00:08:13.399
period, because they say
that if we have a fee like that,
00:08:13.400 --> 00:08:14.966
that they can\'t survive.
00:08:14.967 --> 00:08:17.633
That was it...
End of discussion.
00:08:22.567 --> 00:08:24.066
What\'s happening here
in Fryeburg
00:08:24.067 --> 00:08:29.232
is really a microcosm for what\'s
happening all around the world.
00:08:29.233 --> 00:08:32.032
Nestlé and other
large water barons
00:08:32.033 --> 00:08:36.867
are out trying to tie up
the rights to water.
00:08:39.633 --> 00:08:42.366
- Why should
a rural community\'s resources,
00:08:42.367 --> 00:08:43.666
its ecosystem,
00:08:43.667 --> 00:08:45.332
be drained so that people
in the city
00:08:45.333 --> 00:08:47.399
can drink out
of a plastic bottle
00:08:47.400 --> 00:08:51.100
when their water is just as good
where they\'re living?
00:08:53.467 --> 00:08:55.199
- Who controls this resource?
00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:56.732
Who owns it?
00:08:56.733 --> 00:08:58.732
And what Nestlé is doing
in this community...
00:08:58.733 --> 00:09:00.499
And they\'re doing it across
this state...
00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:05.232
Is defining control.
00:09:05.233 --> 00:09:06.666
- It\'s all about control.
00:09:06.667 --> 00:09:08.132
And we may be very sad
00:09:08.133 --> 00:09:10.366
that we have allowed
the control of this water
00:09:10.367 --> 00:09:11.832
to go out of our hands,
00:09:11.833 --> 00:09:14.833
because of the way it\'s set up
at the present.
00:09:22.700 --> 00:09:25.766
The people of Maine have spent
a lot of money,
00:09:25.767 --> 00:09:27.666
publicly and privately,
00:09:27.667 --> 00:09:31.132
to make sure that this water
was cleaned up
00:09:31.133 --> 00:09:36.166
and is clean and will stay clean
for generations.
00:09:36.167 --> 00:09:41.499
- I hate to see our water taken
the way it is, just taken.
00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:46.266
The water belongs to the people,
and the town gets nothing.
00:09:46.267 --> 00:09:48.800
You think that\'s a good deal?
00:09:52.300 --> 00:09:53.499
Narrator: Activists claim
00:09:53.500 --> 00:09:55.599
that citizens in small towns
like Fryeburg
00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:57.466
are finding it
increasingly difficult
00:09:57.467 --> 00:10:00.699
to fend off Nestlé\'s
overwhelming legal resources.
00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:02.666
- We think that
a big corporation like Nestlé
00:10:02.667 --> 00:10:05.899
is able to come in
with their big-city lawyers,
00:10:05.900 --> 00:10:08.966
and locally, in communities
where they\'re bottling water,
00:10:08.967 --> 00:10:11.832
they\'re very powerful.
00:10:11.833 --> 00:10:15.199
- It\'s a situation where
you\'re highly outnumbered.
00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:16.867
You\'re outgunned.
00:10:22.933 --> 00:10:25.866
The town got their water from
those springs for 100 years,
00:10:25.867 --> 00:10:29.299
but we were told that Nestlé did
not want the town\'s water
00:10:29.300 --> 00:10:32.866
to come from
those springs anymore.
00:10:32.867 --> 00:10:38.732
They transferred the town\'s
water to a deeper water well.
00:10:38.733 --> 00:10:43.332
And in February of 2004,
something happened.
00:10:43.333 --> 00:10:45.732
All of the people who live in
Fryeburg village
00:10:45.733 --> 00:10:47.932
were without water for a day
and a half,
00:10:47.933 --> 00:10:52.232
but Nestlé, they never stopped
pumping the water.
00:10:52.233 --> 00:10:55.266
They had plenty of water,
while the nursing home
00:10:55.267 --> 00:10:58.767
had to have the fire department
bring in trucks of water.
00:11:00.867 --> 00:11:02.366
I think it
just kind of points out
00:11:02.367 --> 00:11:07.099
that the citizens come second
in this little thing.
00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:09.866
It\'s a corrupted,
compromised process,
00:11:09.867 --> 00:11:15.033
and that\'s really a big part
of the problem.
00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:20.299
Once you can do this
in one place,
00:11:20.300 --> 00:11:22.766
you can do it
in many other places.
00:11:22.767 --> 00:11:25.399
It sets a precedent.
00:11:25.400 --> 00:11:26.966
- Once you set that precedent,
00:11:26.967 --> 00:11:31.499
that precedent
can never be unset.
00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:34.366
- In the future, we\'re not just
going to be dealing with Nestlé,
00:11:34.367 --> 00:11:36.699
and there are other water
companies that will be coming
00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:38.799
because Maine has vast amounts
of water.
00:11:38.800 --> 00:11:42.966
And so if we allow Nestlé
to define who controls it,
00:11:42.967 --> 00:11:44.966
then down the road,
we\'re gonna have
00:11:44.967 --> 00:11:47.367
a much tougher fight
on our hands.
00:11:54.533 --> 00:11:56.766
- This multinational corporation
from away
00:11:56.767 --> 00:11:59.866
is trying to come into
our state and our bioregion
00:11:59.867 --> 00:12:02.366
and take control over
of our water.
00:12:02.367 --> 00:12:07.299
Narrator: From California
to Michigan to Maine,
00:12:07.300 --> 00:12:10.666
the Nestlé corporation is
currently waging legal battles
00:12:10.667 --> 00:12:14.466
against communities to secure
their local water-mining rights.
00:12:14.467 --> 00:12:18.566
- We need to unite and tell them
they can\'t take our water.
00:12:18.567 --> 00:12:19.966
[indistinct shouting]
00:12:19.967 --> 00:12:22.199
We want our water back.
00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:23.399
- Make sure Nestlé can hear you
00:12:23.400 --> 00:12:24.932
all the way back there
in Switzerland.
00:12:24.933 --> 00:12:26.066
Are you fired up?
00:12:26.067 --> 00:12:27.766
Crowd: [yells] Yeah!
00:12:27.767 --> 00:12:30.799
- That\'s what I\'m talking about.
00:12:30.800 --> 00:12:33.666
- Water is a basic human right.
00:12:33.667 --> 00:12:37.833
It\'s necessary for the survival
of life on the planet.
00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:43.432
When you start commodifying
the necessities of life
00:12:43.433 --> 00:12:46.099
in such a way as to make it
more difficult
00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:48.399
for people to gain access
to those necessities,
00:12:48.400 --> 00:12:52.067
you have the basis for serious
political instability.
00:12:57.333 --> 00:12:59.332
- As Mark Twain once said,
you know,
00:12:59.333 --> 00:13:01.932
\"Whiskey is for sipping,
and water is for fighting.\"
00:13:01.933 --> 00:13:04.799
And there\'s gonna be
a lot of fighting about this
00:13:04.800 --> 00:13:07.432
before it\'s done.
00:13:07.433 --> 00:13:10.433
[indistinct shouting]
00:13:16.533 --> 00:13:17.832
narrator: Every day,
00:13:17.833 --> 00:13:20.632
America\'s largest bottled-water
corporations...
00:13:20.633 --> 00:13:23.499
Nestlé, Coke, and Pepsi...
00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:26.666
Pump millions of gallons
of water from the Earth,
00:13:26.667 --> 00:13:28.132
bottle it...
00:13:28.133 --> 00:13:30.399
ship it...
00:13:30.400 --> 00:13:34.900
and sell it back for 1,900 times
the cost of tap water.
00:13:37.433 --> 00:13:38.932
- It\'s bad for the environment,
00:13:38.933 --> 00:13:41.066
it\'s bad
for public water systems,
00:13:41.067 --> 00:13:43.999
and it\'s bad for taxpayers.
00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:45.699
Narrator: Communities
across the country
00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:46.966
are uniting in a fight
00:13:46.967 --> 00:13:49.566
to maintain ownership
of their water supplies.
00:13:49.567 --> 00:13:51.632
- You will be exposed,
you will be recalled,
00:13:51.633 --> 00:13:53.066
and you will be replaced
00:13:53.067 --> 00:13:55.566
if you do not do your duty
to the people in this town!
00:13:55.567 --> 00:13:57.632
And you live here,
and you\'re responsible to us,
00:13:57.633 --> 00:13:59.366
not to this corporation!
00:13:59.367 --> 00:14:01.566
Narrator: From town-hall
meetings to courtroom trials,
00:14:01.567 --> 00:14:03.666
activists are disputing
the rights of corporations
00:14:03.667 --> 00:14:05.667
to sell their town\'s water.
00:14:18.333 --> 00:14:21.066
- The World Bank places
the value
00:14:21.067 --> 00:14:25.332
of the world water market
at $800 billion.
00:14:25.333 --> 00:14:27.666
That\'s a huge amount of money.
00:14:27.667 --> 00:14:30.532
So you can imagine why
these huge corporations
00:14:30.533 --> 00:14:34.700
are salivating over getting
into the water market.
00:14:36.233 --> 00:14:39.666
- It\'s all about the control
and ownership of water.
00:14:39.667 --> 00:14:42.966
If we can\'t win this battle
here in Fryeburg,
00:14:42.967 --> 00:14:44.732
if we can\'t win it here,
00:14:44.733 --> 00:14:46.566
then the rest
of the United States
00:14:46.567 --> 00:14:49.000
is going to have a very
difficult time winning it.
00:15:08.367 --> 00:15:10.099
- The issue of climate change
00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:12.466
has added further impetus
to these issues, in terms of,
00:15:12.467 --> 00:15:14.066
\"Where does our water come from?
00:15:14.067 --> 00:15:15.632
Is it going
to be there forever?\"
00:15:15.633 --> 00:15:17.132
This is a problem
00:15:17.133 --> 00:15:19.432
that every single person\'s
gonna be dealing with
00:15:19.433 --> 00:15:20.832
in the next 20 to 25 years,
00:15:20.833 --> 00:15:23.333
regardless of where they live
in the world.
00:15:29.767 --> 00:15:35.632
- Last year, there was a drought
in 35 states.
00:15:35.633 --> 00:15:38.166
- When you consider
that water supplies
00:15:38.167 --> 00:15:40.466
continue to be dwindling
in certain areas
00:15:40.467 --> 00:15:42.832
because of changes
in the global climate,
00:15:42.833 --> 00:15:45.832
it becomes imperative that
we do everything that we can
00:15:45.833 --> 00:15:50.432
to protect fresh-water supplies
for use by the general public.
00:15:50.433 --> 00:15:53.432
When private entities have a
claim on public water supplies,
00:15:53.433 --> 00:15:57.966
you run into a real collision
of moral values
00:15:57.967 --> 00:16:01.967
against the narrow
profit concerns of corporations.
00:16:15.633 --> 00:16:17.466
- You know, in North Carolina,
it\'s hard for us
00:16:17.467 --> 00:16:20.799
to get used to thinking
about dry, parched,
00:16:20.800 --> 00:16:22.666
cracked earth, but, indeed,
00:16:22.667 --> 00:16:26.099
that was what
we were looking at.
00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:27.799
Things were getting very bad,
00:16:27.800 --> 00:16:32.633
and by winter,
it was terribly grim.
00:16:34.933 --> 00:16:39.266
One of the ultimate ironies
was that Pepsi was, of course,
00:16:39.267 --> 00:16:42.166
continuing with its
bottling-plant operations.
00:16:42.167 --> 00:16:44.267
- And this was at the height
of the drought.
00:16:48.133 --> 00:16:52.566
They were drawing over 400,000
gallons a day.
00:16:52.567 --> 00:16:55.232
- Bottling municipal water
that, then,
00:16:55.233 --> 00:16:58.632
they were selling back
at the very point
00:16:58.633 --> 00:17:01.133
we were running out of water.
00:17:03.900 --> 00:17:06.399
- I thought it would make
common sense
00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.400
to put a temporary halt
on that plant.
00:17:12.867 --> 00:17:15.533
And they would
not stop doing it.
00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:21.999
Narrator: Citizens of Raleigh
weren\'t the only ones
00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:25.000
troubled by the amount of water
being bottled during a drought.
00:17:26.433 --> 00:17:29.266
- Well, the city of Atlanta
and north Georgia
00:17:29.267 --> 00:17:32.799
has been experiencing a level 4,
a very severe drought.
00:17:32.800 --> 00:17:39.299
And we\'ve asked people to cut
back on their water usage.
00:17:39.300 --> 00:17:41.532
- People in metro Atlanta
have long thought
00:17:41.533 --> 00:17:43.766
there was an abundance of water
00:17:43.767 --> 00:17:46.032
because we\'re in a green,
lush environment
00:17:46.033 --> 00:17:49.833
and not realized
that we\'re on borrowed time.
00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:03.332
- We should be standing
in about four feet of water
00:18:03.333 --> 00:18:05.366
or five feet of water right now
where we\'re standing.
00:18:05.367 --> 00:18:07.032
It\'s at its worst...
I mean, really,
00:18:07.033 --> 00:18:09.533
for a sustained period of time.
00:18:12.433 --> 00:18:15.099
- Atlanta had its second-worst
drought in history
00:18:15.100 --> 00:18:17.266
the past year, year and a half,
00:18:17.267 --> 00:18:21.832
and it\'s affecting the water
that we can use.
00:18:21.833 --> 00:18:24.332
- We have severe
water restrictions
00:18:24.333 --> 00:18:27.599
that are placed on us
for watering our lawns
00:18:27.600 --> 00:18:31.433
and car washes,
and things like that.
00:18:34.733 --> 00:18:36.266
What\'s most upsetting to me
00:18:36.267 --> 00:18:39.799
is to not treat
everyone equally.
00:18:39.800 --> 00:18:41.232
And what I mean by that is,
00:18:41.233 --> 00:18:43.366
is to have corporations
such as Coca-Cola
00:18:43.367 --> 00:18:44.599
taking water out of the lake
00:18:44.600 --> 00:18:46.332
while it is under
a severe drought
00:18:46.333 --> 00:18:50.333
and those in the local economy
placed under restrictions.
00:18:51.867 --> 00:18:53.799
- The Marietta plant, in 2007,
00:18:53.800 --> 00:18:57.133
it used, like, 118 million
gallons of water.
00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:08.099
- Bottled water companies use
a very small amount
00:19:08.100 --> 00:19:11.766
of the groundwater
in the United States.
00:19:11.767 --> 00:19:13.366
The Drinking Water
Research Foundation
00:19:13.367 --> 00:19:16.399
has done a study to indicate
that the bottled-water industry
00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:19.599
is responsible for only .02%
of all the groundwater
00:19:19.600 --> 00:19:21.532
withdrawn in the United States.
00:19:21.533 --> 00:19:23.799
- It may be true that they\'re
taking that small percentage,
00:19:23.800 --> 00:19:26.066
but they\'re taking it in a
very few, very specific places,
00:19:26.067 --> 00:19:27.732
and many people have linked
00:19:27.733 --> 00:19:30.166
their over-pumping
of groundwater
00:19:30.167 --> 00:19:33.266
with lowered stream levels,
dried-up wetlands,
00:19:33.267 --> 00:19:35.599
depleted or decimated
fish populations.
00:19:35.600 --> 00:19:37.166
- Bottled water,
like other products,
00:19:37.167 --> 00:19:39.499
obviously has an impact
on the environment.
00:19:39.500 --> 00:19:41.299
But, again, bottled water
is no different
00:19:41.300 --> 00:19:43.599
than any other product
that might be using water.
00:19:43.600 --> 00:19:45.066
- But beer doesn\'t come
from my tap.
00:19:45.067 --> 00:19:46.932
And you can\'t turn on
your faucet and get Coke.
00:19:46.933 --> 00:19:48.332
You can turn on your faucet,
though,
00:19:48.333 --> 00:19:51.266
and get water, and it\'s free.
00:19:51.267 --> 00:19:52.999
Narrator: When Nestlé
was questioned
00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:54.999
in congressional hearings
about the effects
00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:57.399
of their pumping on rivers
and streams,
00:19:57.400 --> 00:19:59.099
they testified that
the lower water levels
00:19:59.100 --> 00:20:01.832
had nothing to do with the water
they were taking.
00:20:01.833 --> 00:20:04.932
- This is affected by dams
built by beavers.
00:20:04.933 --> 00:20:06.999
- Is that the result
of only your study
00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.332
or studies that are independent
of your study?
00:20:09.333 --> 00:20:11.032
- I know of no independent
studies,
00:20:11.033 --> 00:20:12.666
but I\'m happy to share
our studies.
00:20:12.667 --> 00:20:14.399
- How many beavers
would it take to do that?
00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:16.199
- I\'m not sure how many beavers.
- Okay.
00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:19.200
[laughter]
00:20:21.067 --> 00:20:23.432
- For 15 years,
we have worked hard
00:20:23.433 --> 00:20:25.866
to make sure that this source
is clean
00:20:25.867 --> 00:20:27.832
and abundant for everyone.
00:20:27.833 --> 00:20:29.199
And it\'s pretty phenomenal.
00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:31.432
In the last couple of years,
00:20:31.433 --> 00:20:33.632
the trash that we\'re finding
out on this river
00:20:33.633 --> 00:20:36.467
are plastic bottles...
00:20:38.033 --> 00:20:41.233
hundreds and hundreds of plastic
drinking-water bottles.
00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:48.733
- They\'re making the profit,
and we\'re suffering.
00:20:53.967 --> 00:20:56.132
You know, if they were using it,
making a profit,
00:20:56.133 --> 00:20:58.766
and then putting some
of that back towards the lake,
00:20:58.767 --> 00:21:00.633
then that would be different.
00:21:05.033 --> 00:21:06.966
- They really see water
as blue gold,
00:21:06.967 --> 00:21:09.066
as just a source of profit.
00:21:09.067 --> 00:21:11.732
They don\'t see it
as a fundamental right,
00:21:11.733 --> 00:21:16.232
as something essential
for people and for nature.
00:21:16.233 --> 00:21:18.599
It\'s only a way for them
to make a profit.
00:21:18.600 --> 00:21:21.499
So if it disappears, you know,
ten years down the road,
00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:23.667
they\'ve made their profit.
00:21:26.300 --> 00:21:28.832
- Water has really become
a resource
00:21:28.833 --> 00:21:31.032
that we\'re fast losing.
00:21:31.033 --> 00:21:34.132
- And we\'re at a spot now
where our bodies of water
00:21:34.133 --> 00:21:37.099
are increasingly fragile
and threatened,
00:21:37.100 --> 00:21:39.166
Falls Lake, Jordan Lake.
00:21:39.167 --> 00:21:41.732
And we need
to be protecting them,
00:21:41.733 --> 00:21:44.300
and we\'re not doing
an adequate job right now.
00:21:47.100 --> 00:21:49.232
- We really don\'t have good,
00:21:49.233 --> 00:21:51.799
comprehensive policies
in most places
00:21:51.800 --> 00:21:55.032
to deal with water supply
and water quantity.
00:21:55.033 --> 00:21:57.266
I mean, one of my favorite
examples was,
00:21:57.267 --> 00:22:02.366
as Atlanta was facing
a water crisis,
00:22:02.367 --> 00:22:04.666
the governor
was gonna bring people together
00:22:04.667 --> 00:22:05.866
to pray for rain.
00:22:05.867 --> 00:22:06.899
[applause]
00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:08.399
- All Georgians and all people
00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:10.332
who believe in the power
of prayer,
00:22:10.333 --> 00:22:13.732
we ask God to shower our state,
our region,
00:22:13.733 --> 00:22:17.032
our nation with the blessings
of water.
00:22:17.033 --> 00:22:19.799
[thunder rumbles]
00:22:19.800 --> 00:22:22.432
- They were on the verge
of opening
00:22:22.433 --> 00:22:25.566
a massive artificial mountain
of snow
00:22:25.567 --> 00:22:28.732
so people could ski
in the middle of the summer.
00:22:28.733 --> 00:22:32.099
There wasn\'t any rational,
thoughtful,
00:22:32.100 --> 00:22:36.933
comprehensive policy in place
that would say, \"This is goofy.\"
00:22:39.800 --> 00:22:42.232
narrator: With companies
like Coke, Pepsi, and Nestlé
00:22:42.233 --> 00:22:44.166
so vital to local economies,
00:22:44.167 --> 00:22:46.366
government officials
are often forced to choose
00:22:46.367 --> 00:22:49.299
between environmental
consequences or job loss.
00:22:49.300 --> 00:22:51.166
- Well, this government\'s
not doing anything.
00:22:51.167 --> 00:22:52.899
I mean, this government\'s
for sale,
00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:55.032
and so everything\'s ready
to be auctioned off,
00:22:55.033 --> 00:22:59.832
including the public\'s right
to water.
00:22:59.833 --> 00:23:02.266
- It is not something
where you can just sit back
00:23:02.267 --> 00:23:04.866
and hope that
your elected representatives
00:23:04.867 --> 00:23:08.266
will always do the right things
for the citizens.
00:23:08.267 --> 00:23:10.466
- Do we have a right to say
what they do with our water
00:23:10.467 --> 00:23:12.566
when we\'re the ones
that keep buying it?
00:23:12.567 --> 00:23:14.066
And if we didn\'t keep buying it,
00:23:14.067 --> 00:23:18.132
then they wouldn\'t be producing
as much as they are.
00:23:18.133 --> 00:23:21.732
- So we have to look at it
on the demand side.
00:23:21.733 --> 00:23:23.532
Do we need this?
00:23:23.533 --> 00:23:28.132
Do we need to continue
polluting our planet
00:23:28.133 --> 00:23:32.833
and wasting our money
as a consumer?
00:23:38.867 --> 00:23:39.867
- Crisp.
00:23:39.868 --> 00:23:41.066
- Fresh.
00:23:41.067 --> 00:23:42.999
- Drink?
00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:45.966
- Bottled water
is the greatest advertising
00:23:45.967 --> 00:23:49.566
and marketing trick of all time.
00:23:49.567 --> 00:23:51.632
- [singing] Drink, drink, drink.
00:23:51.633 --> 00:23:53.932
- We started buying bottled
water in a serious way
00:23:53.933 --> 00:23:55.499
starting at the end of the \'70s
00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:57.399
when Perrier came across
the ocean
00:23:57.400 --> 00:23:58.999
and was introduced
to urban markets.
00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:00.299
It was a niche product.
00:24:00.300 --> 00:24:02.799
It was really popular
with urban professionals.
00:24:02.800 --> 00:24:03.932
- [sustaining high note]
00:24:03.933 --> 00:24:07.299
[The Black Keys\'
I Got Mine plays]
00:24:07.300 --> 00:24:09.799
- I think at lunchtime,
it\'s a much better drink
00:24:09.800 --> 00:24:11.666
than some alcoholic drink.
00:24:11.667 --> 00:24:13.066
- It allows you to continue
00:24:13.067 --> 00:24:16.666
that sociability
that alcohol provides
00:24:16.667 --> 00:24:18.499
without some
of the adverse effects
00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:20.566
that prevent you from doing
a day\'s work
00:24:20.567 --> 00:24:22.732
that you would otherwise
like to do.
00:24:22.733 --> 00:24:24.666
- [singing] Oh, babe,
00:24:24.667 --> 00:24:27.266
I got mine.
00:24:27.267 --> 00:24:30.266
- It came in beautiful green
glass bottles,
00:24:30.267 --> 00:24:32.032
but we weren\'t walking around
down the street
00:24:32.033 --> 00:24:33.766
swigging from
the Perrier bottles.
00:24:33.767 --> 00:24:35.266
That didn\'t happen until 1989,
00:24:35.267 --> 00:24:38.599
when it became possible to put
bottled water into lightweight,
00:24:38.600 --> 00:24:41.066
cheap, clear plastic bottles
made of P.E.T.
00:24:41.067 --> 00:24:43.032
And that changed the market.
00:24:43.033 --> 00:24:44.266
And the big change came
00:24:44.267 --> 00:24:47.366
when Coke and Pepsi
got into the game.
00:24:47.367 --> 00:24:48.566
Cha-ching!
00:24:48.567 --> 00:24:50.099
They introduced waters
00:24:50.100 --> 00:24:52.299
because they saw their
market share for sodas dropping.
00:24:52.300 --> 00:24:53.932
- [singing] Love me, love me.
00:24:53.933 --> 00:24:55.732
- They spent hundreds
of millions of dollars,
00:24:55.733 --> 00:24:58.932
telling us
to drink more water...
00:24:58.933 --> 00:25:01.699
that it would make us thinner
and more beautiful.
00:25:01.700 --> 00:25:03.266
They associated their products
00:25:03.267 --> 00:25:05.932
with celebrities, athletes,
and models.
00:25:05.933 --> 00:25:13.899
- [singing] I can\'t care about
anything but you.
00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:15.632
- And we drank it up,
00:25:15.633 --> 00:25:17.066
and to the point where it became
00:25:17.067 --> 00:25:22.966
an $11.5 billion business
in 2007.
00:25:22.967 --> 00:25:25.132
We\'ve become like big toddlers.
00:25:25.133 --> 00:25:28.099
We\'ve got the nipple
to our lips constantly.
00:25:28.100 --> 00:25:29.366
We constantly need to know
00:25:29.367 --> 00:25:31.232
that there\'s something there
just for us
00:25:31.233 --> 00:25:33.900
that we can just throw away.
00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:39.599
We want everything
individualized and personalized
00:25:39.600 --> 00:25:40.766
and just for us.
00:25:40.767 --> 00:25:42.532
And we want to not have
to wash it
00:25:42.533 --> 00:25:43.632
or take care of it.
00:25:43.633 --> 00:25:45.066
We want to just throw it away.
00:25:45.067 --> 00:25:47.232
And we want it immediately
available and convenient.
00:25:47.233 --> 00:25:48.767
Otherwise, we\'ll have a fit.
00:25:52.267 --> 00:25:55.466
- So on one hand, you had this
tremendous marketing muscle,
00:25:55.467 --> 00:25:58.466
and on the other hand, you had
a complete absence of criticism
00:25:58.467 --> 00:26:00.899
of bottled water
until very recently.
00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:03.999
And you didn\'t have utilities
who provide municipal water...
00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:05.832
They didn\'t have
their own PR budgets.
00:26:05.833 --> 00:26:08.332
They had barely enough money
to keep their own systems going,
00:26:08.333 --> 00:26:10.266
so they weren\'t counteracting
this onslaught
00:26:10.267 --> 00:26:12.933
of media, print, and TV ads.
00:26:17.333 --> 00:26:19.666
Many of the ads implied
that the water
00:26:19.667 --> 00:26:21.833
was healthier for us
than tap water.
00:26:23.400 --> 00:26:25.132
- We don\'t consider tap water
to be an enemy.
00:26:25.133 --> 00:26:27.133
We don\'t.
00:26:30.467 --> 00:26:33.732
- Can people typically perceive
a difference in taste?
00:26:33.733 --> 00:26:36.032
- I can tell the difference
in many bottled waters,
00:26:36.033 --> 00:26:37.332
just as I can tell
the difference
00:26:37.333 --> 00:26:38.799
between tap water
and other beverages.
00:26:38.800 --> 00:26:40.099
- You can?
- Absolutely.
00:26:40.100 --> 00:26:42.099
- You know, you\'re under oath.
00:26:42.100 --> 00:26:43.932
- Absolutely.
I say that with...
00:26:43.933 --> 00:26:45.966
- We\'ll give your tongue
an exemption there.
00:26:45.967 --> 00:26:48.032
- The bottled-water industry
does not see themselves
00:26:48.033 --> 00:26:50.033
as in competition
with tap water.
00:26:52.967 --> 00:26:54.732
We provide a completely
different product.
00:26:54.733 --> 00:26:56.899
We provide something
that is actually affordable,
00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:58.866
that is convenient,
that is refreshing,
00:26:58.867 --> 00:27:01.099
that is pure.
00:27:01.100 --> 00:27:02.399
- They used words \"pure,\"
00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:05.399
which implied that tap water
was impure somehow.
00:27:05.400 --> 00:27:07.466
- Pure... pure water.
Pure... pure water.
00:27:07.467 --> 00:27:09.032
Pure... pure, refreshing water.
00:27:09.033 --> 00:27:10.466
- Well, we\'re
a very safe product.
00:27:10.467 --> 00:27:12.032
Safe. Safe. Safe.
00:27:12.033 --> 00:27:13.999
Safe... that it\'s safe.
Safe... it\'s safe.
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:17.166
I think bottled water is a safe,
healthy, convenient product.
00:27:17.167 --> 00:27:19.999
- They were always saying
their product is healthful
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:21.466
and implying
that tap water wasn\'t.
00:27:21.467 --> 00:27:22.799
- It is much purer.
00:27:22.800 --> 00:27:26.132
It is much cleaner
than many municipal sources.
00:27:26.133 --> 00:27:27.432
- They want to convince people
00:27:27.433 --> 00:27:29.566
that tap water isn\'t safe
to drink.
00:27:29.567 --> 00:27:32.699
- Again, we are not
in competition with tap water.
00:27:32.700 --> 00:27:34.666
- Susan Wellington,
VP for Gatorade...
00:27:34.667 --> 00:27:36.667
Also owned by Pepsi... says:
00:27:39.233 --> 00:27:40.566
- I don\'t... I don\'t know...
00:27:40.567 --> 00:27:42.366
- It doesn\'t sound like
she\'s loving the tap.
00:27:42.367 --> 00:27:43.632
- I would ask her.
00:27:43.633 --> 00:27:45.099
- Well, that\'s
one person\'s opinion.
00:27:45.100 --> 00:27:46.866
- It\'s Pepsi\'s opinion.
00:27:46.867 --> 00:27:49.266
- Okay, it\'s one person
at Pepsi\'s opinion.
00:27:49.267 --> 00:27:51.866
- In 2000, Robert Morrison,
C.E.O. of Quaker Oats,
00:27:51.867 --> 00:27:53.867
which merged with PepsiCo, said:
00:27:58.233 --> 00:28:00.099
What does that say?
00:28:00.100 --> 00:28:02.199
- Well, you read the quote.
00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:04.066
- I\'m here to tell you
that as far
00:28:04.067 --> 00:28:06.699
as the International Bottled
Water Association is concerned,
00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:10.299
we do not consider tap water
to be our competition.
00:28:10.300 --> 00:28:12.932
- We do not see ourselves
in competition with tap water.
00:28:12.933 --> 00:28:14.366
- Except for these... one, two,
00:28:14.367 --> 00:28:16.267
three, four, five people
at Pepsi.
00:28:21.733 --> 00:28:23.432
Narrator: Many bottled-water
companies
00:28:23.433 --> 00:28:25.299
are careful
not to disparage tap water
00:28:25.300 --> 00:28:27.300
because of their reliance on it.
00:28:31.600 --> 00:28:35.299
- In many cases, bottled water
is simply municipal tap water.
00:28:35.300 --> 00:28:38.132
- Basically, these companies
are taking our water
00:28:38.133 --> 00:28:40.466
and selling it back to us
for a profit.
00:28:40.467 --> 00:28:42.732
And we think that we\'re getting
something great in return.
00:28:42.733 --> 00:28:44.566
- That doesn\'t really seem like
00:28:44.567 --> 00:28:46.199
you\'re getting
your money\'s worth
00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:48.999
if you\'re simply paying
a very high premium
00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:51.633
to get what you could be getting
out of your tap.
00:29:00.667 --> 00:29:02.266
- In doing my research
for the article,
00:29:02.267 --> 00:29:04.166
I went across the street
to a food court
00:29:04.167 --> 00:29:07.232
and over two days asked
probably 15 to 20 people
00:29:07.233 --> 00:29:10.532
that I found drinking Dasani
water in the food court,
00:29:10.533 --> 00:29:13.566
you know, \"Do you know where
this water came from?\"
00:29:13.567 --> 00:29:17.366
And none of them did.
00:29:17.367 --> 00:29:20.766
- When you buy Aquafina
or you buy Dasani water,
00:29:20.767 --> 00:29:22.832
it\'s basically your tap water.
00:29:22.833 --> 00:29:25.032
You\'re buying water
that could come out of your tap
00:29:25.033 --> 00:29:28.200
and paying 1,000 times
the price for it.
00:29:32.567 --> 00:29:33.899
- I think what is the case is,
00:29:33.900 --> 00:29:36.132
what you are getting is pure,
refreshing water.
00:29:36.133 --> 00:29:37.832
- That\'s what they would
have us believe,
00:29:37.833 --> 00:29:41.266
and that\'s what the labels
would have us believe.
00:29:41.267 --> 00:29:43.099
- Is it misleading to have
a mountain on there
00:29:43.100 --> 00:29:44.699
when it\'s coming
from the municipal tap?
00:29:44.700 --> 00:29:47.867
- Again, I would let you
pontificate on that.
00:29:50.467 --> 00:29:52.532
Narrator: Despite
the mountain range on its label,
00:29:52.533 --> 00:29:55.732
Pepsi\'s Aquafina,
as well as Coke\'s Dasani,
00:29:55.733 --> 00:29:59.499
are both bottled from tap water
and not from a natural spring.
00:29:59.500 --> 00:30:01.232
Only after mounting
public pressure
00:30:01.233 --> 00:30:03.366
did Aquafina agree to print
the words
00:30:03.367 --> 00:30:06.566
\"public water source\"
on its label.
00:30:06.567 --> 00:30:07.999
The mountain range remains,
00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:11.500
and Coke has yet to include this
information on Dasani labels.
00:30:17.300 --> 00:30:20.199
- Well, what we found is that
the bottled-water industry
00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:23.299
has been less than forthcoming
in providing information
00:30:23.300 --> 00:30:27.000
on what their bottles
actually contain.
00:30:28.567 --> 00:30:31.766
The packaging can have
an adverse effect
00:30:31.767 --> 00:30:33.966
on the original product,
00:30:33.967 --> 00:30:35.999
which is why it\'s
so important for us
00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:38.366
to get the information
from the bottlers,
00:30:38.367 --> 00:30:40.799
who know exactly what\'s
happening at their plants
00:30:40.800 --> 00:30:44.767
and who know exactly what
is happening in that bottle.
00:30:49.100 --> 00:30:50.566
- I think most of the public
00:30:50.567 --> 00:30:54.332
does not know that their plastic
materials are being made in,
00:30:54.333 --> 00:30:57.167
you know, these refineries
and petrochemical plants.
00:31:09.133 --> 00:31:11.566
Narrator: Beverage containers
contain a recycling code
00:31:11.567 --> 00:31:13.132
on the bottom of the bottle.
00:31:13.133 --> 00:31:16.832
Bottled water is packaged
in P.E.T. or P.E.T.E.,
00:31:16.833 --> 00:31:20.332
polyethylene terephthalate.
00:31:20.333 --> 00:31:23.532
The primary ingredient in P.E.T.
is para-xylene,
00:31:23.533 --> 00:31:27.033
a clear liquid
derived from refining crude oil.
00:31:40.633 --> 00:31:43.432
Eighty percent of P.E.T.
manufactured in the U.S.
00:31:43.433 --> 00:31:47.667
ends up in Nestlé, Coke,
or Pepsi beverage containers.
00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:54.799
A number of oil companies in the
U.S. manufacture para-xylene.
00:31:54.800 --> 00:31:57.932
And one of the leading
manufacturers is Flint Hills,
00:31:57.933 --> 00:32:01.132
the largest privately owned
oil refinery in the nation,
00:32:01.133 --> 00:32:03.967
located in Corpus Christi,
Texas.
00:32:06.933 --> 00:32:11.267
- This is the first step
in the manufacture of P.E.T.
00:32:22.733 --> 00:32:26.366
- That, my friends, is Flint
Hills here in Corpus Christi.
00:32:26.367 --> 00:32:27.766
- And that\'s
where plastic starts.
00:32:27.767 --> 00:32:29.666
- Yes.
That\'s where plastic starts.
00:32:29.667 --> 00:32:31.332
What they make is para-xylene,
00:32:31.333 --> 00:32:34.866
which is a vital compound
in making plastics.
00:32:34.867 --> 00:32:36.566
What a lot of people don\'t know
00:32:36.567 --> 00:32:38.666
is that it\'s
in the benzene family,
00:32:38.667 --> 00:32:40.166
and benzene causes cancer.
00:32:40.167 --> 00:32:42.566
So as they\'re raking
in the bucks,
00:32:42.567 --> 00:32:45.400
the people here
are sick and dying.
00:32:53.100 --> 00:32:56.166
- When my sister passed away
of breast cancer,
00:32:56.167 --> 00:32:59.032
I had no idea how much
my life would change.
00:32:59.033 --> 00:33:01.366
At her funeral services,
people came up to us,
00:33:01.367 --> 00:33:02.799
and saying, you know,
00:33:02.800 --> 00:33:05.432
so many people that are her age
that lived in our community
00:33:05.433 --> 00:33:08.866
on the west side are dying
of cancer or have had cancer.
00:33:08.867 --> 00:33:11.466
And after we buried her,
after the funeral, we said,
00:33:11.467 --> 00:33:13.266
\"Remember all the people
that came up to us?\"
00:33:13.267 --> 00:33:15.199
We said, \"What if Deanna\'s death
00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:18.867
and others didn\'t
have to happen?\"
00:33:24.633 --> 00:33:26.899
So we conducted
our own investigation,
00:33:26.900 --> 00:33:29.066
and we found that our community
was built
00:33:29.067 --> 00:33:32.067
on top of an oil-waste field.
00:33:35.567 --> 00:33:39.932
That link to the oil industry
is what, soon after that,
00:33:39.933 --> 00:33:42.732
got us to work on
environmental-justice issues
00:33:42.733 --> 00:33:43.999
by the refineries,
00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:47.000
because it was all linked
to the oil refineries.
00:33:53.033 --> 00:33:56.867
We don\'t want people to suffer
the way she died.
00:34:26.233 --> 00:34:28.366
- When you think about
the finished product
00:34:28.367 --> 00:34:29.766
of a plastic bottle,
00:34:29.767 --> 00:34:32.466
you don\'t think about
the process and the headache
00:34:32.467 --> 00:34:35.099
and the pain and suffering
00:34:35.100 --> 00:34:38.699
and the health effects
that come from living next door.
00:34:38.700 --> 00:34:40.466
It\'s out of sight, out of mind.
00:34:40.467 --> 00:34:42.099
But these are real problems
00:34:42.100 --> 00:34:45.100
that are being experienced
by real people.
00:35:01.333 --> 00:35:03.499
- Something causes a lot
of these neighbors around here
00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:04.566
to be sick.
00:35:04.567 --> 00:35:05.999
It\'s not just me.
00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:07.966
My other two neighbors...
00:35:07.967 --> 00:35:09.800
They\'re sick.
00:35:13.300 --> 00:35:16.299
Anything that\'s not pure air has
00:35:16.300 --> 00:35:18.666
got an effect on your health...
00:35:18.667 --> 00:35:20.132
anything.
00:35:20.133 --> 00:35:25.467
And the air conditioners just
bring it right on in the house.
00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:34.032
- This doctor come in
and told me, said,
00:35:34.033 --> 00:35:36.899
\"Well, your days are over,
son.\"
00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:39.299
He said, \"You ain\'t never
gonna work again.\"
00:35:39.300 --> 00:35:42.932
- He\'s on oxygen,
and I have sarcoidosis,
00:35:42.933 --> 00:35:45.432
which is a multi-systemic
disease,
00:35:45.433 --> 00:35:48.766
which means it can go
into any organ.
00:35:48.767 --> 00:35:50.966
- If you ain\'t got a good,
strong heart
00:35:50.967 --> 00:35:53.766
and a good, strong set of lungs,
00:35:53.767 --> 00:35:56.100
then you ain\'t got nothing.
00:35:58.867 --> 00:36:01.166
- Not only do they need
to think of that purchase
00:36:01.167 --> 00:36:02.699
of that one plastic bottle
00:36:02.700 --> 00:36:04.766
and what it can do
to their health,
00:36:04.767 --> 00:36:07.599
but by continuing
to purchase these,
00:36:07.600 --> 00:36:09.299
it\'s just gonna keep them
in business.
00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:11.532
So if they stop buying that,
00:36:11.533 --> 00:36:13.432
it will not only protect
their health
00:36:13.433 --> 00:36:14.866
but people that
they\'ve never met,
00:36:14.867 --> 00:36:16.366
people that are suffering
and dying
00:36:16.367 --> 00:36:18.867
like here in Corpus Christi.
00:36:24.967 --> 00:36:26.599
- I worked for the state EPA,
00:36:26.600 --> 00:36:29.399
the state Air Pollution Control
Agency.
00:36:29.400 --> 00:36:32.132
And we were told that we could
be fired and terminated
00:36:32.133 --> 00:36:35.599
if we went and tried
to inform the community...
00:36:35.600 --> 00:36:37.166
Even if they weren\'t
complaining...
00:36:37.167 --> 00:36:40.099
That there could be toxic
substances in the air,
00:36:40.100 --> 00:36:41.432
to hand out our cards,
00:36:41.433 --> 00:36:43.199
that they had
a right to complain,
00:36:43.200 --> 00:36:45.166
that they had a right
to clean air, okay,
00:36:45.167 --> 00:36:46.866
and that we could...
If they complained,
00:36:46.867 --> 00:36:49.399
then we could go in
and do investigations,
00:36:49.400 --> 00:36:50.766
we could write violations,
00:36:50.767 --> 00:36:52.466
we could take companies
into enforcement
00:36:52.467 --> 00:36:56.866
and make them reduce
their pollution.
00:36:56.867 --> 00:36:59.332
Until people picked the phone up
and complained,
00:36:59.333 --> 00:37:02.833
we were not supposed to agitate
the communities.
00:37:17.067 --> 00:37:19.866
- I consider myself
to be garbage,
00:37:19.867 --> 00:37:24.533
because garbage is worth
nothing, and neither am I.
00:37:27.067 --> 00:37:31.232
If it wasn\'t for the love
of my wife and my grandchildren,
00:37:31.233 --> 00:37:33.632
I wouldn\'t be here.
00:37:33.633 --> 00:37:41.199
Because they love me,
they treat me with it.
00:37:41.200 --> 00:37:43.867
What else is there
left for me to do?
00:37:47.567 --> 00:37:49.266
- There\'s reasons why people
00:37:49.267 --> 00:37:51.099
that live around
these refineries, you know,
00:37:51.100 --> 00:37:53.299
breathe this air and drink
this water
00:37:53.300 --> 00:37:55.399
have higher rates of cancer,
birth defects,
00:37:55.400 --> 00:37:56.900
and other illnesses.
00:37:58.900 --> 00:38:01.099
Narrator: Overall birth defects
in Corpus Christi
00:38:01.100 --> 00:38:04.700
are 84% higher
than the state average.
00:38:09.133 --> 00:38:13.732
- One of the concerns I have
with the P.E.T. plastic bottles
00:38:13.733 --> 00:38:15.432
is that you wind up
00:38:15.433 --> 00:38:19.332
contaminating
a lot of groundwater.
00:38:19.333 --> 00:38:21.332
Most of the petrochemical plants
00:38:21.333 --> 00:38:25.899
have major chemical leaks
in the ground.
00:38:25.900 --> 00:38:30.299
So part of the toxic cycle
of dealing with P.E.T.
00:38:30.300 --> 00:38:35.633
is that there are so many
problems that it contributes to.
00:38:37.833 --> 00:38:40.599
- The groundwater
is contaminated,
00:38:40.600 --> 00:38:44.766
the air is contaminated,
the soil is contaminated,
00:38:44.767 --> 00:38:47.432
but because people
don\'t drop dead on the spot,
00:38:47.433 --> 00:38:49.899
you don\'t have
to think about it.
00:38:49.900 --> 00:38:51.632
You know, so you can
get away with it.
00:38:51.633 --> 00:38:53.067
I think it\'s the perfect crime.
00:39:05.933 --> 00:39:08.132
- The plant hasn\'t always been
two blocks from us.
00:39:08.133 --> 00:39:11.699
It\'s just gradually moved up,
little by little,
00:39:11.700 --> 00:39:13.966
so much so till we just probably
didn\'t pay any attention
00:39:13.967 --> 00:39:15.632
until we started hearing people
talk about
00:39:15.633 --> 00:39:17.632
emissions in the air
and this in the air.
00:39:17.633 --> 00:39:19.432
And then we became conscious
of it,
00:39:19.433 --> 00:39:21.267
and now we\'re very aware of it.
00:39:34.300 --> 00:39:35.799
- People say,
\"Well, you\'re silly
00:39:35.800 --> 00:39:37.732
to live next to a refinery.\"
00:39:37.733 --> 00:39:39.899
But when we came in here,
we were younger,
00:39:39.900 --> 00:39:41.532
and we were excited
that we found a house.
00:39:41.533 --> 00:39:42.966
And I taught at this school,
00:39:42.967 --> 00:39:45.099
and it was right across
the street from this school.
00:39:45.100 --> 00:39:48.366
But now, in retrospect,
I would like to move,
00:39:48.367 --> 00:39:50.666
but we live so close
to the refinery,
00:39:50.667 --> 00:39:53.667
I think it would be very
difficult to sell our house.
00:39:59.300 --> 00:40:03.466
- You know, there\'s battles
that you can fight and win,
00:40:03.467 --> 00:40:07.232
and there\'s battles
that you can start and you lose.
00:40:07.233 --> 00:40:11.599
This is a battle that,
if I started, I\'d lose.
00:40:11.600 --> 00:40:16.267
A man like me can\'t
go against Flint Hills.
00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:22.766
- When we, as a society, don\'t
protect the most vulnerable,
00:40:22.767 --> 00:40:28.433
then we leave our full nation
open to vulnerability.
00:40:45.667 --> 00:40:49.499
- When people buy bottled water
that\'s made with P.E.T.,
00:40:49.500 --> 00:40:53.932
they are contributing
to these sacrificed zones
00:40:53.933 --> 00:40:59.066
and to the toxic exposures that
people here are suffering with.
00:40:59.067 --> 00:41:01.199
- Even though it may be people
00:41:01.200 --> 00:41:04.266
who are living
on the fence line, ultimately,
00:41:04.267 --> 00:41:08.767
it affects everybody
because ultimately we all pay.
00:41:12.400 --> 00:41:15.899
As long as bottled water\'s
being presented as safe,
00:41:15.900 --> 00:41:19.900
we will all be affected
ultimately and eventually.
00:41:26.167 --> 00:41:28.632
- We don\'t know what
the long-term consequences are
00:41:28.633 --> 00:41:30.266
to this type of exposure,
00:41:30.267 --> 00:41:32.566
so people think when
they\'re drinking bottled water
00:41:32.567 --> 00:41:35.099
that they\'re getting
a healthy product.
00:41:35.100 --> 00:41:36.666
They\'re not conditioned
to think,
00:41:36.667 --> 00:41:40.000
\"Well, maybe there\'s something
in the plastic.\"
00:41:42.767 --> 00:41:44.366
And then we trust government.
00:41:44.367 --> 00:41:46.232
We trust industry.
00:41:46.233 --> 00:41:48.032
When they say that everything\'s
okay, we say,
00:41:48.033 --> 00:41:51.466
\"Okay. Sounds good to us.\"
00:41:51.467 --> 00:41:52.599
- Our product is safe.
00:41:52.600 --> 00:41:54.066
The package is safe.
00:41:54.067 --> 00:41:56.900
I don\'t see any long-term effect
presented by our package.
00:42:00.267 --> 00:42:06.032
Our members are meeting
the standards of the FDA.
00:42:06.033 --> 00:42:09.066
- The problem is,
is that to our last account,
00:42:09.067 --> 00:42:12.966
we found that one person
at the FDA was responsible
00:42:12.967 --> 00:42:15.232
for overseeing
all of the regulation
00:42:15.233 --> 00:42:18.432
of bottled water in the country.
00:42:18.433 --> 00:42:19.966
- Are you that one person?
00:42:19.967 --> 00:42:21.699
- I do spend some of my time
on bottled water,
00:42:21.700 --> 00:42:25.432
but I have other
responsibilities, as well.
00:42:25.433 --> 00:42:27.499
- It doesn\'t sound right that
there\'d be one person
00:42:27.500 --> 00:42:32.099
in all of FDA, but who knows?
00:42:32.100 --> 00:42:33.732
- The FDA is filled
with good people
00:42:33.733 --> 00:42:36.032
who are trying to do their best,
but they are overwhelmed.
00:42:36.033 --> 00:42:38.132
The drug industry is so big,
so powerful,
00:42:38.133 --> 00:42:40.632
so rich that the FDA
can\'t keep up,
00:42:40.633 --> 00:42:42.633
and their hands are tied.
00:42:47.300 --> 00:42:48.832
- There\'s a huge difference
between
00:42:48.833 --> 00:42:50.299
the regulation of tap water
00:42:50.300 --> 00:42:52.799
and the regulation
of bottled water.
00:42:52.800 --> 00:42:56.932
To put it simply, tap water,
municipal drinking water,
00:42:56.933 --> 00:42:58.366
is highly regulated,
00:42:58.367 --> 00:43:02.366
and bottled water
is virtually unregulated.
00:43:02.367 --> 00:43:05.032
- I don\'t think you would ever
find a situation
00:43:05.033 --> 00:43:08.132
where a bottled water would not
be subject to FDA regulation.
00:43:08.133 --> 00:43:10.866
- If it\'s produced in Maine
and sold within Maine,
00:43:10.867 --> 00:43:13.932
it\'s not under FDA jurisdiction.
00:43:13.933 --> 00:43:16.732
We regulate products
that are in interstate commerce.
00:43:16.733 --> 00:43:19.533
That means products that move
from state to state.
00:43:21.833 --> 00:43:24.232
- Most bottled water is produced
in state
00:43:24.233 --> 00:43:25.999
and consumed in the state,
00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:27.832
and the FDA
does not have control
00:43:27.833 --> 00:43:30.000
over those types
of bottled water.
00:43:36.367 --> 00:43:38.732
- Is it true that
the bottled-water maker
00:43:38.733 --> 00:43:40.299
is the one
that does their own testing
00:43:40.300 --> 00:43:41.932
and then submits
their reports to you?
00:43:41.933 --> 00:43:44.299
- Bottled-water manufacturers
have to do their own testing
00:43:44.300 --> 00:43:46.666
on their own products
and on their own sources.
00:43:46.667 --> 00:43:49.132
- But the bottled-water company
isn\'t required
00:43:49.133 --> 00:43:51.199
to submit a regular report
to you, correct?
00:43:51.200 --> 00:43:54.966
- No.
They are not required to.
00:43:54.967 --> 00:43:57.532
Narrator: Every city provides
a public-water-quality report
00:43:57.533 --> 00:44:00.232
that you can access online
any time.
00:44:00.233 --> 00:44:02.166
Bottled-water companies
are not required
00:44:02.167 --> 00:44:04.599
to make their reports available
to the public.
00:44:04.600 --> 00:44:07.632
- Those tests can stay hidden
in company filing cabinets.
00:44:07.633 --> 00:44:10.832
They can stay in, you know,
backup hard drives
00:44:10.833 --> 00:44:12.232
at bottled-water companies.
00:44:12.233 --> 00:44:13.799
They don\'t have to be published.
00:44:13.800 --> 00:44:16.432
- We\'ve actually tried to use
our \"freedom of information\" act
00:44:16.433 --> 00:44:18.966
to get some of that data,
00:44:18.967 --> 00:44:25.499
and the FDA is very reluctant
to honor citizens organizations,
00:44:25.500 --> 00:44:27.599
VOIS, at this time.
00:44:27.600 --> 00:44:29.632
- Could you imagine what would
it mean to the industry
00:44:29.633 --> 00:44:31.566
if something went wrong
with any these products?
00:44:31.567 --> 00:44:33.766
So they want to make sure that
they\'re as pure as possible.
00:44:33.767 --> 00:44:35.399
- Something\'s gone wrong
many a time.
00:44:35.400 --> 00:44:36.699
There have been many recalls.
00:44:36.700 --> 00:44:38.566
- With water?
- Yeah.
00:44:38.567 --> 00:44:43.466
- Okay.
I\'ve never heard of any.
00:44:43.467 --> 00:44:46.099
- The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has recalled...
00:44:46.100 --> 00:44:48.199
- Bottled water
that may be contaminated...
00:44:48.200 --> 00:44:50.166
- Contaminated
with a microorganism
00:44:50.167 --> 00:44:53.966
that may cause vomiting...
00:44:53.967 --> 00:44:56.232
- Bottles of the popular brand
off the shelves...
00:44:56.233 --> 00:44:58.132
- 72 million bottles...
00:44:58.133 --> 00:45:01.332
- 33,000 cases...
00:45:01.333 --> 00:45:03.766
- When we find out that there\'s
something in our tap water
00:45:03.767 --> 00:45:05.199
that shouldn\'t be there,
00:45:05.200 --> 00:45:07.633
it\'s because
it\'s constantly being tested.
00:45:12.867 --> 00:45:15.066
Tap water is regulated under
00:45:15.067 --> 00:45:17.699
the Environmental Protection
Agency.
00:45:17.700 --> 00:45:19.566
- And the EPA actually has
health standards
00:45:19.567 --> 00:45:23.666
to which each municipal water
provider is held.
00:45:23.667 --> 00:45:27.166
- Municipalities have to test it
many, many times a day.
00:45:27.167 --> 00:45:28.766
In a city over a million,
00:45:28.767 --> 00:45:31.766
it has to be tested 300 times
a month.
00:45:31.767 --> 00:45:34.432
In a city of 3 million and more,
00:45:34.433 --> 00:45:36.566
it has to be tested 400 times
a month.
00:45:36.567 --> 00:45:38.299
So who are you gonna go with...
00:45:38.300 --> 00:45:41.532
Half of one person at the
Food and Drug Administration
00:45:41.533 --> 00:45:45.099
telling you that these billions
of bottles of water are safe,
00:45:45.100 --> 00:45:47.766
or are you going to go
with municipalities
00:45:47.767 --> 00:45:50.799
who are testing the water many,
many, many times a day?
00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:52.800
Who do you trust?
00:45:56.433 --> 00:45:59.032
- When you\'re talking about
the bottled-water industry,
00:45:59.033 --> 00:46:01.799
you\'re talking about
virtually no testing,
00:46:01.800 --> 00:46:04.899
and people have just assumed
that what we\'re getting is safe.
00:46:04.900 --> 00:46:08.332
So we tested over
a thousand bottles of water
00:46:08.333 --> 00:46:10.666
and found everything
from arsenic
00:46:10.667 --> 00:46:14.932
to leaching from plastic bottles
to bacterial contaminants.
00:46:14.933 --> 00:46:16.999
And, really, what we learned
from this
00:46:17.000 --> 00:46:20.999
was that you really don\'t know
what you\'re getting.
00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:24.766
- Some people have gone
to drinking bottled water,
00:46:24.767 --> 00:46:27.432
literally, because they
are concerned about the water.
00:46:27.433 --> 00:46:29.532
And the problem is they\'re
unaware of the fact
00:46:29.533 --> 00:46:34.132
that buying bottled water
is not necessarily safe,
00:46:34.133 --> 00:46:37.367
that you end up being exposed
to other chemical compounds.
00:46:40.267 --> 00:46:41.766
- Testers over the years
00:46:41.767 --> 00:46:44.166
have come up with all kinds
of contaminants in bottled water
00:46:44.167 --> 00:46:45.766
that we wouldn\'t
have found out about
00:46:45.767 --> 00:46:50.999
if people hadn\'t taken it upon
themselves to run the tests.
00:46:51.000 --> 00:46:53.199
Narrator: In an independent test
of bottled water,
00:46:53.200 --> 00:46:57.866
we sent seven brands
to two separate labs,
00:46:57.867 --> 00:47:01.166
one to TestAmerica and the other
to Dr. Michael Summer,
00:47:01.167 --> 00:47:02.832
an environmental chemist.
00:47:02.833 --> 00:47:04.966
Then, to ensure there\'d
be no bias,
00:47:04.967 --> 00:47:08.099
Dr. King, an epidemiologist
and toxicologist
00:47:08.100 --> 00:47:11.166
with Toxicology Inc.,
analyzed the results.
00:47:11.167 --> 00:47:12.899
- If you were to look
at all the data I brought
00:47:12.900 --> 00:47:17.066
and you read everything,
you\'d be horrified...
00:47:17.067 --> 00:47:19.432
horrified at what they found
from, you know,
00:47:19.433 --> 00:47:22.666
vinyl chloride to butadiene
to styrene,
00:47:22.667 --> 00:47:25.633
benzene... I mean,
it\'s horrifying.
00:47:27.667 --> 00:47:29.132
Narrator: The first group
of bottles
00:47:29.133 --> 00:47:31.032
were tested
straight off the shelves.
00:47:31.033 --> 00:47:32.466
- TestAmerica found,
00:47:32.467 --> 00:47:35.099
in their analysis
of the samples, toluene.
00:47:35.100 --> 00:47:37.932
Now, toluene is a constituent
in gasoline
00:47:37.933 --> 00:47:41.632
and has been used
in paint thinners.
00:47:41.633 --> 00:47:43.666
It\'s a neurotoxic agent,
00:47:43.667 --> 00:47:48.166
and it\'s also linked to adverse
reproductive outcomes.
00:47:48.167 --> 00:47:49.366
Narrator: The second group
00:47:49.367 --> 00:47:52.199
was left in the trunk of a car
for one week.
00:47:52.200 --> 00:47:54.632
- Dr. Michael Summer tested
some water samples
00:47:54.633 --> 00:47:56.366
from five different bottles
00:47:56.367 --> 00:47:59.999
and identified styrene
in one of the samples.
00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.566
Styrene is
a cancer-causing agent
00:48:04.567 --> 00:48:09.732
and can cause adverse
reproductive effects.
00:48:09.733 --> 00:48:13.332
Dr. Summer also found three
different types of phthalates.
00:48:13.333 --> 00:48:16.032
Phthalates
can cause dysfunction,
00:48:16.033 --> 00:48:18.099
particularly in the fetus,
00:48:18.100 --> 00:48:21.432
and can cause adverse
reproductive outcomes
00:48:21.433 --> 00:48:23.933
for males and females.
00:48:29.467 --> 00:48:32.632
- It really concerns me
when I see mothers
00:48:32.633 --> 00:48:35.066
blindly trusting bottled water
00:48:35.067 --> 00:48:37.866
and handing their children
bottles of water,
00:48:37.867 --> 00:48:39.899
putting their complete trust
in a product
00:48:39.900 --> 00:48:41.366
without so much as questioning,
00:48:41.367 --> 00:48:43.066
\"What am I giving my child?\"
00:48:43.067 --> 00:48:45.866
Yet we\'re putting so much faith
in this industry
00:48:45.867 --> 00:48:47.699
that\'s completely self-regulated
00:48:47.700 --> 00:48:50.866
and that hasn\'t
been held accountable by anyone.
00:48:50.867 --> 00:48:54.966
It\'s frightening.
00:48:54.967 --> 00:48:56.832
Narrator: While single-serve
bottles of water
00:48:56.833 --> 00:48:59.466
are made of P.E.T,
00:48:59.467 --> 00:49:02.566
five-gallon water jugs are made
of polycarbonate plastic,
00:49:02.567 --> 00:49:06.232
the primary ingredient being
the controversial bisphenol A.
00:49:06.233 --> 00:49:10.699
- Bisphenol A is
the building-block molecule
00:49:10.700 --> 00:49:15.432
that plastic that is hard
and clear is made out of.
00:49:15.433 --> 00:49:17.766
- And from this
polycarbonate plastic,
00:49:17.767 --> 00:49:21.232
bisphenol A leaches,
gets into the water.
00:49:21.233 --> 00:49:23.099
- Bisphenol A may be one
00:49:23.100 --> 00:49:27.733
of the most potent
toxic chemicals known to man.
00:49:30.933 --> 00:49:32.932
Narrator: BPA is found
in many products,
00:49:32.933 --> 00:49:37.100
including sports bottles,
baby bottles, and water coolers.
00:49:42.033 --> 00:49:43.399
- The problem is,
00:49:43.400 --> 00:49:47.432
bisphenol A acts at
very low doses as an estrogen.
00:49:47.433 --> 00:49:49.399
Narrator: The recent controversy
over BPA
00:49:49.400 --> 00:49:51.532
started when members
of the scientific community
00:49:51.533 --> 00:49:55.166
questioned the methodology
of earlier studies.
00:49:55.167 --> 00:49:57.432
- All regulatory agencies
around the world
00:49:57.433 --> 00:50:01.599
are based on a concept
from the 16th century.
00:50:01.600 --> 00:50:03.899
That is, the dose makes
the poison.
00:50:03.900 --> 00:50:05.366
More is worse.
00:50:05.367 --> 00:50:09.866
That is not true
for any hormone.
00:50:09.867 --> 00:50:13.899
We tested
a dose 25,000 times lower
00:50:13.900 --> 00:50:17.499
than what anybody
had ever tested,
00:50:17.500 --> 00:50:22.299
and we found that it profoundly
damaged every single part
00:50:22.300 --> 00:50:26.467
of the male-developing-mouse
reproductive system.
00:50:36.167 --> 00:50:37.766
Narrator: After a decade
of research
00:50:37.767 --> 00:50:39.632
on low-dose exposure to BPA,
00:50:39.633 --> 00:50:41.399
Dr. Frederick vom Saal\'s
findings
00:50:41.400 --> 00:50:43.032
captured the media\'s attention.
00:50:43.033 --> 00:50:46.399
His work, corroborated by other
independent scientists,
00:50:46.400 --> 00:50:49.099
led the senate
to investigate the FDA.
00:50:49.100 --> 00:50:51.366
- The media has reported
that the federal government\'s
00:50:51.367 --> 00:50:53.166
reluctance to regulate
these chemicals
00:50:53.167 --> 00:50:55.532
is based on the reliance
of biased studies
00:50:55.533 --> 00:50:57.799
from the chemical industry
itself.
00:50:57.800 --> 00:50:59.966
Now, I have to tell you,
if that\'s true,
00:50:59.967 --> 00:51:03.332
doesn\'t that cast amazing doubt
on the ability
00:51:03.333 --> 00:51:06.500
of the regulatory system
to actually protect the public?
00:51:09.367 --> 00:51:15.299
- Senator, at FDA, all of
our products that we approve
00:51:15.300 --> 00:51:19.932
are based on data
that are prepared and conducted
00:51:19.933 --> 00:51:23.399
in studies by that
particular manufacturer.
00:51:23.400 --> 00:51:24.999
- All you do is just rely
00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:29.932
on a study that comes
from the industry itself?
00:51:29.933 --> 00:51:30.933
It\'s a disgrace.
00:51:36.733 --> 00:51:39.099
- They didn\'t get it right
with Vioxx.
00:51:39.100 --> 00:51:41.632
They\'re not getting it right
with bisphenol A.
00:51:41.633 --> 00:51:45.566
And there\'s gonna be hell to pay
over this.
00:51:45.567 --> 00:51:47.966
- Senator, we have looked
at all the studies
00:51:47.967 --> 00:51:50.032
in the literature,
and there are hundreds.
00:51:50.033 --> 00:51:51.366
- The Food and Drug
Administration
00:51:51.367 --> 00:51:52.666
did not look
at all the evidence.
00:51:52.667 --> 00:51:53.699
They looked at two studies
00:51:53.700 --> 00:51:55.432
produced
by the chemical industry
00:51:55.433 --> 00:51:56.999
and made their decision
on that basis.
00:51:57.000 --> 00:52:01.500
- Have you asked for studies
from independent sources?
00:52:04.100 --> 00:52:06.699
- We don\'t normally ask
for independent studies.
00:52:06.700 --> 00:52:09.099
- Then you don\'t protect
the American people.
00:52:09.100 --> 00:52:11.232
- The National Institutes
of Health reviewed
00:52:11.233 --> 00:52:15.799
seven hundred
peer-reviewed published studies
00:52:15.800 --> 00:52:17.199
on bisphenol A.
00:52:17.200 --> 00:52:21.399
Thirty eight internationally
recognized scientists said,
00:52:21.400 --> 00:52:23.532
\"We are extremely concerned
00:52:23.533 --> 00:52:26.799
about the impact
of this on human health.\"
00:52:26.800 --> 00:52:29.332
- It happens over and over again
that regulatory agencies
00:52:29.333 --> 00:52:31.466
are captured by the industries
they regulate.
00:52:31.467 --> 00:52:33.599
And, certainly, the Food
and Drug Administration,
00:52:33.600 --> 00:52:35.266
and especially the food branch,
00:52:35.267 --> 00:52:37.466
is one that has really been
in the food industry
00:52:37.467 --> 00:52:41.199
and the packaging industry\'s
pocket for many years.
00:52:41.200 --> 00:52:43.632
- We\'ve got to start
to do what we\'re supposed to do,
00:52:43.633 --> 00:52:47.199
not what the industry
always asks us to do.
00:52:47.200 --> 00:52:50.799
Do you have any response?
00:52:50.800 --> 00:52:53.932
None.
00:52:53.933 --> 00:52:56.433
Think everything\'s okay?
00:52:59.100 --> 00:53:03.399
- There is virtually
no major human health trend
00:53:03.400 --> 00:53:06.666
over the past 30 years
that has an increase...
00:53:06.667 --> 00:53:09.032
Such as childhood diabetes...
00:53:09.033 --> 00:53:11.999
That is not related to exposure
to this chemical.
00:53:12.000 --> 00:53:15.899
We find it relating to obesity,
breast cancer,
00:53:15.900 --> 00:53:21.566
to prostate cancer, diabetes,
brain disorders...
00:53:21.567 --> 00:53:24.899
Such as attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder...
00:53:24.900 --> 00:53:28.866
Liver disease, ovarian disease,
00:53:28.867 --> 00:53:33.067
disease of the uterus,
low sperm count in men.
00:53:36.100 --> 00:53:40.566
We\'re talking about
a $7-billion-a-year industry.
00:53:40.567 --> 00:53:46.666
They will spend any amount
of that $7 billion necessary
00:53:46.667 --> 00:53:50.266
in advertising
to the American public,
00:53:50.267 --> 00:53:55.100
trying to convince them this
chemical is completely safe.
00:53:57.133 --> 00:53:59.732
- The scientists who work
for product-defense companies
00:53:59.733 --> 00:54:01.266
will never produce a study,
00:54:01.267 --> 00:54:02.866
or certainly
will never publish a study,
00:54:02.867 --> 00:54:05.466
that finds a result
that the sponsors don\'t like,
00:54:05.467 --> 00:54:07.632
because their job,
their whole economic model,
00:54:07.633 --> 00:54:10.099
is based on working
for the companies
00:54:10.100 --> 00:54:12.767
to protect their products.
00:54:17.067 --> 00:54:18.599
- Walmart has taken
the initiative
00:54:18.600 --> 00:54:21.032
to remove this type of packaging
from their shelves.
00:54:21.033 --> 00:54:23.432
They\'ve been called
more stringent than the FDA.
00:54:23.433 --> 00:54:24.832
How do you respond to that?
00:54:24.833 --> 00:54:27.399
- I appreciate that you want
information about BPA,
00:54:27.400 --> 00:54:29.066
and I\'m sure FDA
would be happy to respond,
00:54:29.067 --> 00:54:30.699
but I\'m not
the appropriate person
00:54:30.700 --> 00:54:32.366
to answer those questions.
00:54:32.367 --> 00:54:34.232
- My concern is that the FDA
doesn\'t want us
00:54:34.233 --> 00:54:36.399
to ask about BPA because
of the current investigation.
00:54:36.400 --> 00:54:38.166
- That\'s not true.
- Can you talk about it now?
00:54:38.167 --> 00:54:39.366
- No.
00:54:39.367 --> 00:54:41.232
If I had known
you were gonna talk about that,
00:54:41.233 --> 00:54:43.266
I probably wouldn\'t
have given you the interview.
00:54:43.267 --> 00:54:47.966
- Bisphenol A is so frightening
to the regulatory community
00:54:47.967 --> 00:54:52.299
because of the magnitude
of the error they made.
00:54:52.300 --> 00:54:56.232
And bisphenol A
is the poster-child chemical
00:54:56.233 --> 00:55:02.666
that is going to dismantle
the entire regulatory process
00:55:02.667 --> 00:55:08.000
and demand a reanalysis
of all chemicals.
00:55:18.700 --> 00:55:20.966
Narrator: Of the 80 million
single-serve bottles of water
00:55:20.967 --> 00:55:22.766
Americans consume daily,
00:55:22.767 --> 00:55:26.199
thirty million of them
end up in landfills.
00:55:26.200 --> 00:55:30.232
The average world-recycling rate
on beverage containers is 50%.
00:55:30.233 --> 00:55:33.032
The United States falls behind
that world average,
00:55:33.033 --> 00:55:35.299
with a rate of around only 20%
00:55:35.300 --> 00:55:38.399
of all beverage containers
actually getting recycled.
00:55:38.400 --> 00:55:43.032
This number has been on a steady
decline year after year.
00:55:43.033 --> 00:55:45.132
- It\'s important, I think,
to make it known
00:55:45.133 --> 00:55:49.299
that 100% of bottled-water
containers are recyclable.
00:55:49.300 --> 00:55:52.099
- Well, they are recyclable,
but they\'re not being recycled.
00:55:52.100 --> 00:55:54.600
- Not all of them.
00:55:57.433 --> 00:56:00.499
- It\'s just because there isn\'t
enough recycling capacity.
00:56:00.500 --> 00:56:04.499
There\'s not enough collection.
00:56:04.500 --> 00:56:08.166
The charge to provide safe
drinking water
00:56:08.167 --> 00:56:09.732
in the whole country
00:56:09.733 --> 00:56:11.566
really comes down
to municipal officials.
00:56:11.567 --> 00:56:14.866
And they spend an awful lot of
money to provide a safe product,
00:56:14.867 --> 00:56:18.966
and they\'re competing then
with the bottled-water company
00:56:18.967 --> 00:56:21.566
and in some cases feeling
a little bit under attack
00:56:21.567 --> 00:56:22.932
by the bottled-water folks.
00:56:22.933 --> 00:56:24.899
And then at the back end after,
you know,
00:56:24.900 --> 00:56:27.532
they go through this sort
of insulting
00:56:27.533 --> 00:56:29.932
\"our water isn\'t as good
as your water\" kind of thing,
00:56:29.933 --> 00:56:32.032
then the municipalities
are meant to pick up the tab
00:56:32.033 --> 00:56:34.466
by providing all the recycling
for the plastic bottles.
00:56:34.467 --> 00:56:36.366
- Well, why not put some
of the recycling costs
00:56:36.367 --> 00:56:38.132
onto the bottled-water industry
then?
00:56:38.133 --> 00:56:41.066
- What a good idea!
00:56:41.067 --> 00:56:43.432
That\'s exactly what
container-deposit legislation,
00:56:43.433 --> 00:56:45.300
or container-deposit systems do.
00:56:52.700 --> 00:56:56.032
Narrator: Only 11 states offer
container-deposit legislation,
00:56:56.033 --> 00:56:58.232
also known as \"bottle bills.\"
00:56:58.233 --> 00:57:00.066
That\'s when consumers
pay a small deposit
00:57:00.067 --> 00:57:01.432
on the bottles they purchase
00:57:01.433 --> 00:57:02.699
and get that deposit back
00:57:02.700 --> 00:57:04.832
when they return it
for recycling.
00:57:04.833 --> 00:57:09.866
- That funding is what funds
the entire recycling program.
00:57:09.867 --> 00:57:12.566
It\'s completely in the hands
of private industry.
00:57:12.567 --> 00:57:16.766
So not only is it not reliant
on taxpayer funding,
00:57:16.767 --> 00:57:19.066
but they\'re not worrying
about the volatility
00:57:19.067 --> 00:57:24.599
of government funding
to pay for the program.
00:57:24.600 --> 00:57:26.199
In states that have
a 5-cent deposit,
00:57:26.200 --> 00:57:28.766
they get about
a 70% return rate.
00:57:28.767 --> 00:57:30.899
In Michigan, where they have
a 10-cent deposit,
00:57:30.900 --> 00:57:33.733
they get a 97% return rate.
00:57:36.533 --> 00:57:38.599
It really is a proven system.
00:57:38.600 --> 00:57:40.199
It\'s been in place
in most of these states
00:57:40.200 --> 00:57:42.766
for 25 or more years.
00:57:42.767 --> 00:57:44.266
And we know it works well.
00:57:44.267 --> 00:57:45.466
A lot of states don\'t have
00:57:45.467 --> 00:57:47.299
bottled water covered
in their systems
00:57:47.300 --> 00:57:49.432
because bottled water
didn\'t exist 25 years ago
00:57:49.433 --> 00:57:51.399
when they passed their bills.
00:57:51.400 --> 00:57:53.499
Narrator: Of the 11 states
that have bottle bills,
00:57:53.500 --> 00:57:59.866
only six of them have expanded
to include bottled water.
00:57:59.867 --> 00:58:01.966
- Most of the states
that have bottle bills,
00:58:01.967 --> 00:58:04.366
they only cover soft drinks
and beer.
00:58:04.367 --> 00:58:06.966
And so, when bottle bills...
When it comes up to expand them,
00:58:06.967 --> 00:58:08.399
they send their lobbyists in.
00:58:08.400 --> 00:58:10.532
They spend millions of dollars
fighting those bills.
00:58:10.533 --> 00:58:12.399
- Because we think
it\'s an unnecessary tax
00:58:12.400 --> 00:58:13.966
on the American consumers.
00:58:13.967 --> 00:58:15.799
What we\'d like to see
is actually more street,
00:58:15.800 --> 00:58:17.666
curbside pickup.
00:58:17.667 --> 00:58:20.799
- Curbside recycling
is the preferred method
00:58:20.800 --> 00:58:22.266
and can be very effective.
00:58:22.267 --> 00:58:24.099
And we\'re trying to do
everything we can
00:58:24.100 --> 00:58:26.632
to encourage consumers
to recycle.
00:58:26.633 --> 00:58:28.899
- The companies say that they
support curbside recycling.
00:58:28.900 --> 00:58:30.166
They think this is the best way
00:58:30.167 --> 00:58:32.599
to get the bottles
back into recycling systems.
00:58:32.600 --> 00:58:35.266
They are really resistant
to deposit programs.
00:58:35.267 --> 00:58:36.832
They don\'t like the idea of this
00:58:36.833 --> 00:58:38.632
because it\'s bottlers
that fund this.
00:58:38.633 --> 00:58:40.732
They end up paying a penny
or two per bottle
00:58:40.733 --> 00:58:43.599
after all their costs
are figured in
00:58:43.600 --> 00:58:46.632
and the money they make
by recycling the plastic.
00:58:46.633 --> 00:58:47.799
- They\'re costly.
00:58:47.800 --> 00:58:49.232
The retailers don\'t like them.
00:58:49.233 --> 00:58:51.099
We think
that we can be more effective
00:58:51.100 --> 00:58:52.900
if we use curbside recycling.
00:58:55.300 --> 00:58:56.599
- What happens is,
00:58:56.600 --> 00:58:58.532
people don\'t have access
to curbside recycling.
00:58:58.533 --> 00:58:59.966
- How many people
don\'t have access?
00:58:59.967 --> 00:59:01.399
- About half.
00:59:01.400 --> 00:59:03.732
- 50% of Americans can\'t
recycle, even if they want?
00:59:03.733 --> 00:59:07.199
- Don\'t have curbside recycling.
That\'s right.
00:59:07.200 --> 00:59:08.732
And, of course,
with bottled water...
00:59:08.733 --> 00:59:11.032
This is one of those products
that is consumed on the go,
00:59:11.033 --> 00:59:13.799
so people don\'t bother to
bring it all the way home again
00:59:13.800 --> 00:59:15.699
and put it
in their recycling bin.
00:59:15.700 --> 00:59:18.600
It\'s just not convenient enough
for them.
00:59:21.100 --> 00:59:24.932
- If 1/3 of their products
are not being consumed at home,
00:59:24.933 --> 00:59:26.466
then that means that\'s 1/3
00:59:26.467 --> 00:59:29.299
that has no chance of making it
to the recycling bin.
00:59:29.300 --> 00:59:32.566
And that\'s 56 billion
containers.
00:59:32.567 --> 00:59:34.400
That\'s an awful lot
to just give up.
00:59:38.200 --> 00:59:40.832
The plastic bottle usually
ends up in the landfill,
00:59:40.833 --> 00:59:43.432
but some gets incinerated.
00:59:43.433 --> 00:59:46.267
A lot of it ends up
in the Pacific Ocean.
00:59:56.333 --> 00:59:57.966
- It\'s a bother to people.
00:59:57.967 --> 00:59:59.432
They\'re not taking the time.
00:59:59.433 --> 01:00:01.099
They don\'t have the space
to keep it around
01:00:01.100 --> 01:00:03.266
until they can get it
to a recycling center
01:00:03.267 --> 01:00:04.499
or to the landfill.
01:00:04.500 --> 01:00:06.966
When it rains,
all that plastic is mobilized,
01:00:06.967 --> 01:00:10.466
goes down the streams into
the rivers and down to the sea.
01:00:10.467 --> 01:00:13.300
That\'s why we\'re seeing so much
of it in the environment.
01:01:09.067 --> 01:01:11.366
We\'ve been driving
for about three hours,
01:01:11.367 --> 01:01:13.099
trying to get to Kamilo Beach,
01:01:13.100 --> 01:01:16.132
which is really the southernmost
beach in the United States.
01:01:16.133 --> 01:01:20.132
And it\'s where \"away\" is.
01:01:20.133 --> 01:01:22.399
When you throw something away,
01:01:22.400 --> 01:01:24.632
it might be out of sight,
out of mind to you,
01:01:24.633 --> 01:01:28.632
but this is where it ends up.
01:01:28.633 --> 01:01:31.632
Of the 80 million bottles
of water we drink
01:01:31.633 --> 01:01:33.099
in the United States every day,
01:01:33.100 --> 01:01:35.066
many of them make their way
to the sea,
01:01:35.067 --> 01:01:37.532
where they\'re carried
by ocean currents
01:01:37.533 --> 01:01:41.367
and end up deposited
on some distant shore.
01:01:47.133 --> 01:01:50.566
This is the constituents
of sand now.
01:01:50.567 --> 01:01:54.399
Instead of being coral
and shells and rock,
01:01:54.400 --> 01:01:56.599
it\'s plastic.
01:01:56.600 --> 01:01:58.532
This is the beach of the future.
01:01:58.533 --> 01:02:00.499
This is what we are going
to recreate in
01:02:00.500 --> 01:02:04.167
if we continue to pollute
the environment with plastic.
01:02:08.933 --> 01:02:12.766
Future geologists,
when they take core samples
01:02:12.767 --> 01:02:16.332
and they come to the 20th
and 21st century,
01:02:16.333 --> 01:02:19.299
they\'re going to be finding
a layer of plastic.
01:02:19.300 --> 01:02:20.766
And in areas like Kamilo Beach,
01:02:20.767 --> 01:02:25.433
it will be the deepest
of anywhere on Earth.
01:02:28.500 --> 01:02:33.932
If you eliminate the scourge
of bottled water,
01:02:33.933 --> 01:02:35.399
you\'ll be eliminating
01:02:35.400 --> 01:02:39.067
one of the biggest problems
facing our environment.
01:02:43.800 --> 01:02:48.199
[The Shins\' New Slang plays]
01:02:48.200 --> 01:02:51.432
I was a chemistry major
at U.C. San Diego
01:02:51.433 --> 01:02:53.932
and seeing the way our ocean
was deteriorating
01:02:53.933 --> 01:02:55.166
and before my eyes.
01:02:55.167 --> 01:02:58.199
Living right next
to the bay where I grew up,
01:02:58.200 --> 01:03:01.399
I noticed that the water
was not the quality
01:03:01.400 --> 01:03:02.899
that it was when I was a kid.
01:03:02.900 --> 01:03:04.566
And I wanted to find out
more about it,
01:03:04.567 --> 01:03:08.599
so I started getting involved
in the study of water quality.
01:03:08.600 --> 01:03:12.099
And I got my captain\'s license
01:03:12.100 --> 01:03:16.266
and became a skipper of an
oceanographic research vessel.
01:03:16.267 --> 01:03:18.199
And since 1995,
01:03:18.200 --> 01:03:20.366
we\'ve been conducting
oceanographic research
01:03:20.367 --> 01:03:25.299
all the way from Australia
to Central California.
01:03:25.300 --> 01:03:27.666
So we\'ve been focused
most recently
01:03:27.667 --> 01:03:29.799
in studying
the North Pacific Gyre
01:03:29.800 --> 01:03:32.299
and the accumulation
of plastic debris there.
01:03:32.300 --> 01:03:33.666
Net, small net.
01:03:33.667 --> 01:03:35.632
Where\'s the black net?
01:03:35.633 --> 01:03:37.933
I need the black net.
01:03:42.700 --> 01:03:44.199
In the central Pacific,
01:03:44.200 --> 01:03:48.099
we\'ve discovered an area called
the Eastern Garbage Patch,
01:03:48.100 --> 01:03:49.599
which is twice the size of Texas
01:03:49.600 --> 01:03:55.099
and has as its constituents
a huge soup of plastic.
01:03:55.100 --> 01:03:57.099
All our trash
has been accumulated
01:03:57.100 --> 01:04:00.899
from Asia and the West Coast
of North America.
01:04:00.900 --> 01:04:04.966
Get that orange thing
right there by you.
01:04:04.967 --> 01:04:07.999
These phenomena
that we\'re seeing here
01:04:08.000 --> 01:04:09.932
are repeated in the North
and South Atlantic,
01:04:09.933 --> 01:04:11.666
South Pacific,
and in the Indian Ocean.
01:04:11.667 --> 01:04:14.966
And we\'re just now getting
a handle
01:04:14.967 --> 01:04:16.967
on how much is out there.
01:04:27.733 --> 01:04:30.099
Well, what we do is,
we go out to this gyre,
01:04:30.100 --> 01:04:31.499
and we trawl a net.
01:04:31.500 --> 01:04:34.866
It just so happens
that when we pull in that net,
01:04:34.867 --> 01:04:37.599
more than finding the plankton
in the ocean,
01:04:37.600 --> 01:04:39.599
we\'re finding plastic.
01:04:39.600 --> 01:04:42.932
And so, what we see here
in this jar
01:04:42.933 --> 01:04:47.499
is a one-mile trawl
out in the middle of the ocean,
01:04:47.500 --> 01:04:50.166
as far from land as you can get
anywhere on Earth.
01:04:50.167 --> 01:04:54.432
And instead of it being clear
ocean water with ocean animals,
01:04:54.433 --> 01:04:59.600
it\'s a plastic soup
with more plastic than plankton.
01:05:06.433 --> 01:05:08.999
In 1999, we did a survey
01:05:09.000 --> 01:05:11.732
and found six times
as much plastic as plankton.
01:05:11.733 --> 01:05:15.166
In 2008, we went back
and did the exact same survey
01:05:15.167 --> 01:05:19.167
and found 46 times
as much plastic as plankton.
01:05:26.500 --> 01:05:28.599
Our trash is filling up
the ocean,
01:05:28.600 --> 01:05:30.566
turning it into a plastic soup,
01:05:30.567 --> 01:05:33.766
and those plastic particles
are poison pills
01:05:33.767 --> 01:05:36.266
for the millions and millions
of fish
01:05:36.267 --> 01:05:39.067
and invertebrates
that are eating them.
01:05:42.333 --> 01:05:44.599
- So you\'re actually finding
the remains of water bottles
01:05:44.600 --> 01:05:45.732
in these animals.
01:05:45.733 --> 01:05:46.932
- Oh, absolutely.
01:05:46.933 --> 01:05:48.732
They\'re going
into the most common fish
01:05:48.733 --> 01:05:51.632
we have out in the ocean,
the lantern fish.
01:05:51.633 --> 01:05:53.632
They\'re consuming
these plastic fragments
01:05:53.633 --> 01:05:55.967
that are these smaller sizes.
01:05:59.467 --> 01:06:01.032
We don\'t know how much plastic
01:06:01.033 --> 01:06:02.632
it\'s gonna take
to kill these fish,
01:06:02.633 --> 01:06:04.332
but I can tell you so far
01:06:04.333 --> 01:06:07.232
the most we\'ve found
has been 26 pieces in one fish.
01:06:07.233 --> 01:06:10.599
What you have is
a gradual decline of the health
01:06:10.600 --> 01:06:13.966
of both us
and the marine species.
01:06:13.967 --> 01:06:15.632
[Radiohead\'s
Fake Plastic Trees plays]
01:06:15.633 --> 01:06:21.832
- [singing] Her green plastic
watering can
01:06:21.833 --> 01:06:27.732
for her fake Chinese
rubber plant
01:06:27.733 --> 01:06:32.632
and the fake plastic Earth.
01:06:32.633 --> 01:06:36.899
- Bottled water may have
a place in disaster relief,
01:06:36.900 --> 01:06:39.399
but there are issues
around bottled water
01:06:39.400 --> 01:06:43.232
that make it unsuitable
for regular use.
01:06:43.233 --> 01:06:45.466
And those issues need
to be emphasized
01:06:45.467 --> 01:06:47.499
because bottled water\'s becoming
01:06:47.500 --> 01:06:51.500
a big contaminant
of our environment.
01:06:54.333 --> 01:06:56.799
All these contaminants
have resulted
01:06:56.800 --> 01:07:00.800
in an ocean
which is compromised.
01:07:03.000 --> 01:07:04.566
This is an immediate threat now.
01:07:04.567 --> 01:07:07.067
This is threatening
the entire marine food web.
01:07:15.533 --> 01:07:17.366
- I do believe
that meaningful change
01:07:17.367 --> 01:07:19.099
occurs from the bottom up.
01:07:19.100 --> 01:07:22.566
So if you get enough people
upset and angry
01:07:22.567 --> 01:07:24.066
and willing
to do something about it,
01:07:24.067 --> 01:07:25.632
I do think you can make
a change.
01:07:25.633 --> 01:07:29.232
- There is no law in any books,
even Homeland Security...
01:07:29.233 --> 01:07:32.766
I\'m just very stubborn,
I\'m very persistent,
01:07:32.767 --> 01:07:35.866
and I think that those qualities
have kept me going
01:07:35.867 --> 01:07:38.899
even in the face of all
these intimidation tactics.
01:07:38.900 --> 01:07:41.632
- [singing] When you feel life
ain\'t worth living,
01:07:41.633 --> 01:07:44.999
you\'ve got to stand up
and take a look around you,
01:07:45.000 --> 01:07:47.432
then look up way
to the sky-hi-hi, yeah.
01:07:47.433 --> 01:07:48.932
- But it doesn\'t
really scare me.
01:07:48.933 --> 01:07:50.232
It just makes me angry.
01:07:50.233 --> 01:07:52.566
And it\'s like, \"Hell no,
I\'m not stopping.
01:07:52.567 --> 01:07:55.032
I\'m just angrier, and I\'m gonna
fight even harder.\"
01:07:55.033 --> 01:07:56.432
- [singing]
Keep on dreaming, boy,
01:07:56.433 --> 01:07:57.632
\'cause when you stop dreaming,
01:07:57.633 --> 01:08:02.566
it\'s time to die-ie-ie.
01:08:02.567 --> 01:08:05.532
- So Dow Chemical asked us,
01:08:05.533 --> 01:08:08.199
\"Can we arrive
at a mutually beneficial outcome
01:08:08.200 --> 01:08:11.066
\"where you delay publishing
this paper
01:08:11.067 --> 01:08:15.900
until approved for publication
by the chemical industry?\"
01:08:17.200 --> 01:08:20.299
And we took that
as an attempted bribe.
01:08:20.300 --> 01:08:22.966
When we told him,
in no uncertain terms,
01:08:22.967 --> 01:08:24.832
what he could do with his offer,
01:08:24.833 --> 01:08:27.199
he switched tactics
and started saying,
01:08:27.200 --> 01:08:29.799
\"We want you to know
how disturbed
01:08:29.800 --> 01:08:33.299
the chemical industry is
by the work you\'re doing,\"
01:08:33.300 --> 01:08:36.032
and it made us mad.
01:08:36.033 --> 01:08:38.499
And that was a mistake.
01:08:38.500 --> 01:08:43.266
[The Flaming Lips\'
The W.A.N.D. plays]
01:08:43.267 --> 01:08:47.866
- I had probably pissed off the
people at the top of my agency.
01:08:47.867 --> 01:08:51.732
[laughing] They were very
unhappy about what I had done.
01:08:51.733 --> 01:08:53.432
But, you know, I was trying
to use the law
01:08:53.433 --> 01:08:54.899
to protect public health,
01:08:54.900 --> 01:08:56.832
which is the way the agency
is supposed to work,
01:08:56.833 --> 01:08:59.032
not protect the company,
the polluter.
01:08:59.033 --> 01:09:02.232
I could see that the agency
was just too much manipulated
01:09:02.233 --> 01:09:05.432
by special interest
through the oil industry
01:09:05.433 --> 01:09:07.166
and the petrochemical industry,
01:09:07.167 --> 01:09:09.632
so in 1992, I quietly left.
01:09:09.633 --> 01:09:11.599
- Not so quiet now.
01:09:11.600 --> 01:09:13.332
- [singing] Time after time,
01:09:13.333 --> 01:09:15.566
those fanatical minds
01:09:15.567 --> 01:09:19.966
try to rule all the world.
01:09:19.967 --> 01:09:21.466
- For some reason,
01:09:21.467 --> 01:09:25.066
we\'ve begun to take clean
drinking water for granted.
01:09:25.067 --> 01:09:26.366
And that\'s a mistake.
01:09:26.367 --> 01:09:29.999
- There needs to be a voice
for the environment
01:09:30.000 --> 01:09:33.066
and the long-term interests
of the community
01:09:33.067 --> 01:09:36.466
to protect and enhance
this vital resource.
01:09:36.467 --> 01:09:38.966
- We should be strengthening
our public water system
01:09:38.967 --> 01:09:40.632
and enforcing the laws
01:09:40.633 --> 01:09:43.267
to make sure that our water
is clean.
01:09:46.167 --> 01:09:49.666
- It\'s important in a democracy
that people stand up for things.
01:09:49.667 --> 01:09:53.832
Democracy
is a participatory sport.
01:09:53.833 --> 01:09:56.432
[cheers and applause]
01:09:56.433 --> 01:09:59.699
- By selling our water to this
multinational corporation,
01:09:59.700 --> 01:10:02.032
the district is putting
all of us at risk.
01:10:02.033 --> 01:10:05.832
- There is no such thing
as extra water.
01:10:05.833 --> 01:10:08.432
[cheers and applause]
01:10:08.433 --> 01:10:10.632
- We\'re here today preparing
for a vote
01:10:10.633 --> 01:10:12.432
to ban bottled water
01:10:12.433 --> 01:10:14.532
but not just to ban
the provisional sale of it,
01:10:14.533 --> 01:10:17.966
but we\'re gonna reinvest in
municipal water infrastructure.
01:10:17.967 --> 01:10:21.432
- We need to invest
in our water infrastructure
01:10:21.433 --> 01:10:24.799
and stop the promotion
of bottled water.
01:10:24.800 --> 01:10:27.199
- When we drink bottled water,
we\'re telling our leaders
01:10:27.200 --> 01:10:28.799
that we don\'t care
about the tap water.
01:10:28.800 --> 01:10:30.499
- The hope in the town
of Babylon is,
01:10:30.500 --> 01:10:31.999
the Kick Your Water Bottle
campaign
01:10:32.000 --> 01:10:34.599
will filter from the office
to the community.
01:10:34.600 --> 01:10:37.666
- It is convenient to have a
bottle of water to carry around,
01:10:37.667 --> 01:10:38.966
but why not have
your own bottle?
01:10:38.967 --> 01:10:40.566
- And supporters
of these measures argue
01:10:40.567 --> 01:10:43.866
you\'re better off just filling
a reusable container
01:10:43.867 --> 01:10:46.032
at the water fountain for free.
01:10:46.033 --> 01:10:48.099
- You don\'t have the same huge
environmental downsize
01:10:48.100 --> 01:10:51.899
of billions of bottles
going into the environment.
01:10:51.900 --> 01:10:54.099
- The environment is everything.
01:10:54.100 --> 01:10:58.232
It\'s where we live, work, play,
worship, go to school.
01:10:58.233 --> 01:10:59.966
- [singing] Control yourself.
01:10:59.967 --> 01:11:05.632
Take only what you need from it.
01:11:05.633 --> 01:11:07.566
- The state is talking
about expanding
01:11:07.567 --> 01:11:08.899
the state bottle bill
01:11:08.900 --> 01:11:11.832
to include non-carbonated
bottled beverages.
01:11:11.833 --> 01:11:13.766
- The state\'s Bigger Better
Bottle Bill
01:11:13.767 --> 01:11:15.699
just may soon become law.
01:11:15.700 --> 01:11:17.032
- This is about taking steps
01:11:17.033 --> 01:11:18.866
to protect our state\'s
environmental future.
01:11:18.867 --> 01:11:20.066
It\'s time for the legislature
01:11:20.067 --> 01:11:21.799
to pass the Bigger Better
Bottle Bill.
01:11:21.800 --> 01:11:23.732
- It\'s essential to expand
the bottle bill
01:11:23.733 --> 01:11:26.532
in order to help reduce litter
and to generate
01:11:26.533 --> 01:11:29.899
some much-needed revenue
for New York state.
01:11:29.900 --> 01:11:32.299
- [singing] The water is warm,
01:11:32.300 --> 01:11:36.366
but it\'s sending me shivers.
01:11:36.367 --> 01:11:38.132
[cheers and applause]
01:11:38.133 --> 01:11:39.766
- Is it not one of the most
important issues
01:11:39.767 --> 01:11:42.232
that we\'re facing today?
01:11:42.233 --> 01:11:46.666
- This is really the battle
about the future.
01:11:46.667 --> 01:11:50.699
Baby boomers have got
to stand up and wage this fight.
01:11:50.700 --> 01:11:52.599
And they\'ve got to stand up
and wage this fight
01:11:52.600 --> 01:11:55.632
for their children
and their grandchildren.
01:11:55.633 --> 01:11:58.532
- More and more places
are banning bottled water.
01:11:58.533 --> 01:12:00.366
- A growing number of cities
are banning the use
01:12:00.367 --> 01:12:01.899
of public money
to buy bottled water.
01:12:01.900 --> 01:12:03.599
- Vending machines
in municipal buildings
01:12:03.600 --> 01:12:05.399
no longer offer bottled water.
01:12:05.400 --> 01:12:07.932
- The restaurant now serves
only filtered tap water.
01:12:07.933 --> 01:12:09.432
- Washington University
in St. Louis
01:12:09.433 --> 01:12:12.099
will end almost all sales
by the end of this semester.
01:12:12.100 --> 01:12:13.366
- We\'ve had successes.
01:12:13.367 --> 01:12:16.132
And I think we will continue
to have some successes,
01:12:16.133 --> 01:12:19.599
but it is David
fighting Goliath.
01:12:19.600 --> 01:12:23.032
- We are the children
of revolutionary war soldiers,
01:12:23.033 --> 01:12:27.332
and we are not going
to give this up without a fight.
01:12:27.333 --> 01:12:30.633
We are not giving it up
without a fight.
01:12:32.100 --> 01:12:33.832
- [singing] Control yourself.
01:12:33.833 --> 01:12:39.799
Take only what you need from it.
01:12:39.800 --> 01:12:43.032
A family of trees wantin\'
01:12:43.033 --> 01:12:47.566
to be haunted.
01:12:47.567 --> 01:12:49.532
Control yourself.
01:12:49.533 --> 01:12:55.499
Take only what you need from it.
01:12:55.500 --> 01:12:58.732
A family of trees wantin\'
01:12:58.733 --> 01:13:01.400
to be haunted.
01:14:20.933 --> 01:14:23.032
Control yourself.
01:14:23.033 --> 01:14:28.966
Take only what you need from it.
01:14:28.967 --> 01:14:32.332
A family of trees wantin\'
01:14:32.333 --> 01:14:36.832
to be haunted.
01:14:36.833 --> 01:14:38.566
Control yourself.
01:14:38.567 --> 01:14:44.532
Take only what you need from it.
01:14:44.533 --> 01:14:52.367
A family of trees...
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 75 minutes
Date: 2010
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 9-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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