Spent the last 2 days in Michigan, including a talk to a water policy class at the University of Michigan and last night's Michigan Environmental Council annual event. At the latter, grassroots activist Terry Swier received the Petoskey Prize in recognition of her battle to stop Nestle Corporation from commercializing springwater that has typically been regarded as a public trust resource. It was terrific to see a volunteer who has dedicated thousands of hours to the cause get some recognition in this vital fight. (By the way, no bottled water was served at the event, or any MEC events.)
A friend, Mary Lindemann, who advocates in the State Capitol on behalf of tribes, also e-mailed these thoughts on bottling water:
"Let's start with my awareness of the issue from two fronts: The Tribes' lawsuit and my son's home in the watershed where century-old wells began to go dry just after Nestle started its operation.
"Then, attempting to integrate Tribal interests in Father Sky and the water into Michigan's policy development process, pertaining to the Great Lakes Basin, and being rebuffed at every attempt, only to learn that the Nestle lobbyists were at the bill drafting table. The result was, of course, that the WLA and Annex 2001 compact/agreements exempted bottled water from any water protections, resulting in no protection at all.
"Where we are now: In the court of public opinion. As Nestle attempts to muddle the issue by suggesting that water is a tomato, or that water is a jar of baby food, the people know that water is H20, and they don't want it diverted out of the basin. As Nestle attempts to play with smoke and mirrors, suggesting that bottled water is for "consumptive use," the people don't care about its word games, they don't want the water diverted from the basin.
Therefore, the issue has been narrowed. It has become a challenge for the public to, from the ground up, change the course of legislation and treaties that "pretend" to protect the water. It is the public's challenge to maintain the commonly owned status of the water and prevent its sale as a commodity, and maintain our control of our own resources. The irony of it is that we have to protect it from those that we elect to protect our public health and safety."