Former Nestlé CEO: "Zugang zu Wasser sollte kein öffentliches Recht sein."

Every living thing requires water to live, it is a biological fact of life on the planet earth. Does this mean that every human being should have the right to water? A former Nestlé CEO thinks that the idea is "extreme". 

Nestle-CEO Peter Brabeck: "Access to water should not be a public right."

Nestlé-Konzernchef Peter Brabeck: "Zugang zu Wasser sollte kein öffentliches Recht sein."

Let's delve into the idea of the right to clean water and the concept of privatizing water for a moment before we look at the situation regarding this quote.

Mount Rainier to Ban Bottled Water

Across the country numerous institutions have banned bottled water. Colleges, universities, and National Parks are leading the nationwide movement. Earlier this month, following a Corporate Accountability International petition, reports surfaced that Mount Rainier National Park could be one of the next National Parks to ban bottled water.

Notice the resemblance? Mount Rainier photo from Mount Rainier National Park's website.

Multiple accounts cite a March 25th press release (which I have been unable to locate) in which the park's superintendent, Randy King, writes that he is preparing Mount Rainier National Park for a bottled water ban. 

It appears that Mt. Rainier National Park will first install multiple refilling stations to establish infrastructure which will make it more convenient to opt for the tap, while cooperating with concessions to ensure reusable bottles are available at the park. 

"After refill stations and low-cost water bottles are in place, we’ll complete the analysis necessary to make a decision on the sale of bottled water in the park." Randy King says in a quote from Corporate Accountability International's Think Outside the Bottle site. 

Randy King also said, "The National Park Service is committed to being a worldwide leader in sustainability. Reducing, reusing and recycling are all steps in the right direction at Mount Rainier National Park.  We recognize 'reducing' our footprint as the most important of the 3R's."

The future doesn't look very bright for bottled water, especially at our National Parks, 14 parks have already banned the sale of bottled water. Amidst the growing opposition, the bottled water industry won't go down without a fight.

World Water Day 2013

Happy International World Water Day! Since 1993 World Water Day has been held to recognize the  importance of our water resources and to advocate for the sustainability of these resources. 

World Water Day is an international holiday, as decided by the United Nations, and each year highlights a specific aspect of water. In 2012 the theme was the importance of water and food security and management for sustainability. In 2011 it was water for cities, in 2010 water quality, you get the picture. 2013 is the International Year of Water Cooperation. Water cooperation is increasingly important as water is impacted by urbanization, pollution, and climate change, all while the demand for this human necessity is growing as fast as the world's population. Water cooperation will be key in a more globalized future; water is a shared resource which is not evenly distributed throughout space or time.