Never Have and Never Will

[Smokebender]

I refuse to pay for water. I never have payed for water and I never will. No matter what. Water should be free to all.

Moreover I refuse to be a part of any colossal centralized chemical-intensive, fossil-fuel-intensive conventional water and waste water system. So there. How do like that? Buy a bottle of water? Never have and never will. What's your 2 cents on this subject? Am I wrong to see it this way? Tell us why you disagree or if in fact you agree with me.

[Truthsayer]

You are not wrong in your thinking or your motives. Some would agree with what you say, some wouldn't. I have and do buy bottled water, but only while I'm riding my bike, hiking, walking or hitchhiking and the water I've brought with me has exhausted. Water is a necessity and I don't agree that people bottle it to make a profit, but sometimes it comes in handy.

[Smokebender]

If I understand you correctly you're saying you don't agree with the idea of selling water for a profit?

[Truthsayer]

Exactly.

I don't buy into the crap that bottled water is "purified", filtered or anything else but plain tap water in a bottle. I use refrigerated tap water at home, there is no difference. But because people do buy into it, it has become popular and the idea a multibillion dollar one. I always take a good amount of water with me on my hikes, but sometimes it does run out. If I can't find a coffee shop, mall, or other outlet with a washroom where I fill my bottle up, I'll purchase a bottle of water at the store. I don't agree with the bullcrap behind it, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do when ya gotta do it.

[Smokebender]

You are not wrong in your thinking or your motives. Some would agree with what you say, some wouldn't. I have and do buy bottled water, but only while I'm riding my bike, hiking, walking or hitchhiking and the water I've brought with me has exhausted. Water is a necessity and I don't agree that people bottle it to make a profit, but sometimes it comes in handy.

I understand Truthsayer, but in general I say this. Yes water is necessary. Buying it is not necessary. Selling it is just plain wrong and far from necessary. To those that would disagree I say take a step back, look around at what is going on around the world in regard to water. In fact, hurry before it's to late.

[Truthsayer]

May this message reach millions of people around the world who will in turn pass it on to millions more.

[Smokebender]

Well thank you for that idea. There are some very powerful people on both sides of this issue. One side says water should be free. The others want you to pay them every time you turn on the tap. Sad but true. Some people will stop at nothing. All they know is greed.
So I say please don't buy water.

[Truthsayer]

In most Canadian Cities they charge you a water bill every two months. The government thinks it is doing you a favor by not charging you tax on it. Food and water are  "tax free" because they are 'necessities'. Make any sense to you?

[Smokebender]

In most Canadian Cities they charge you a water bill every two months. The government thinks it is doing you a favor by not charging you tax on it. Food and water are  "tax free" because they are 'necessities'. Make any sense to you?

No. What makes sense to me is to not pay for water in any way, shape or form. No if's and's or but's. Just one of many reasons I don't live in the city.

[Smokebender]

This is just one example of why I started this thread.

http://www.alternet.org/water/141052/david_v._goliath%3A_help_michigan_citizens_protect_their_water_from_nestle%27s_bottling_operations/

Even if I did not live in Michigan I would side with the people fighting this.

[Smokebender]

The Latest in the Bottled Water Mania: Water From Under North Korea's Demilitarized Zone

By Anna Brones, EcoSalon. Posted December 17, 2009.

Now you can down a beverage originating in one of the most guarded and protected areas on earth. So, what?

The bottled water industry has branded itself by importing water from pristine streams and mountain springs in some of the world's most exotic places: Fiji, Tahiti, the Swiss Alps. Now you can go ahead and add North Korea's Demilitarized zone to that list.

If you weren't seduced by bottled water companies touting the natural, spiritual and physical benefits of wherever their H2O comes from, now you can down a beverage originating in one of the most guarded and protected areas on earth.

DMZ 2km is South Korea's newest brand of bottled water, selling water from a spring that runs under the Demilitarized Zone, the 4 kilometer-wide buffer zone South and North Korea. What benefits does DMZ 2km water have over the competition? Apparently it's all about branding, or as some might call it, greenwashing.

"We decided on water from the DMZ because it's different and the environment there is untouched, so many people think it's clean," says Lee Sang-hyo, a spokesman for the company, quoted in the Guardian.

Even if people think the source water is cleaner, you have to wonder what DMZ water will do that others don't. Make you more skilled as an international negotiator? Make you sleeker and stronger so you look better in an army outfit?

No matter its purported incredible qualities, DMZ 2km is just another brand of bottled water contributing to the industry's overall impact. Seduced by water from far-off springs and streams, and the convenience of bottled beverages, consumers easily forget about the real effects of bottled water and the industry behind it.

In 2007, the U.S. bottled water industry alone accounted for $11.5 billion. On a global scale, in 2008, over 53 billion gallons of bottled water were consumed. These are not small numbers. Marketing another hip brand of bottled H2O promotes consumption and further waste, so stick to drinking tap water in a reusable bottle.

http://www.alternet.org/story/144640/the_latest_in_the_bottled_water_mania%3A_water_from_under_north_korea%27s_demilitarized_zone

[misfitguy]

I refuse to pay for water. I never have payed for water and I never will. No matter what. Water should be free to all.

Moreover I refuse to be a part of any colossal centralized chemical-intensive, fossil-fuel-intensive conventional water and waste water system. So there. How do like that? Buy a bottle of water? Never have and never will. What's your 2 cents on this subject? Am I wrong to see it this way? Tell us why you disagree or if in fact you agree with me.

Smoke,

It is always good to have a cause, I guess. I don't know how I missed this thread, but I do have a comment.  Let start with a story.  I remember when I believed that buying water was ludicrous.  As far as selling it, being a marketer, I applauded whoever came up with the idea.  It was about 1995 and I was riding with around 8-10 other individuals.  We were in the Houghton Lake area and had stopped for gasoline. It was over 90 deg that day and it seemed as if ones life was sucked out of your body while riding down the road with the heat off the pavement and off the motor, combining to make the ride miserable.  One of the riders ladies, came out of the gas station drinking out of a bottle of water.  I laughed at her and asked her why she would spend money on water?  She handed me the bottle and said, "Go ahead, take a drink."  I did, and in fact, I finished the bottle.  I handed her the empty bottle, went into the store and bought two bottles of water, my first, and went back outside and gave one to Tammy and drank the other.

Not let me explain, I don't like pop.  I seldom drank it at that time.  I drank iced tea but it was difficult to find any without some sort of flavor, which I detested.  A lot of times, when riding, I drank coffee or juice.  Bottled water became my liquid of choice.  Today, in the business we work in, dehydration is something we have to be careful about and so we drink a lot of water.  Even though the cost of water has gone down drastically, we save our bottles and refill them when convenient.  I still shudder over having to pay for water, but it is one of the healthiest things we can drink.  Much healthier than drinking out of a water fountain, for instance, or directly from a stream.

Smoke, it is one of those changes that just takes us over, like cell phones and computers.  When we camp, we bring gallon jugs of water.  Sometimes we fill up empties we save, but most times, we simply buy gallon jugs of water.  I like coffee and it is hard to make it without water.

Mick

[Smokebender]

 It is not a cause for me really, but more of a way of life. It is true that it seems to be taking us over. I'm in this minority to stay.

[Smokebender]

This is a cause for a growing number of groups and I guess I just joined them. Just one example below.

A recently published report is exposing some shocking exploitation of the Amazon’s natural resources–and this times it’s water being stolen. Where is this water headed? According to the report, “tankers are quietly removing water” to be bottled and sold in Europe and the Middle East. This is coming at a time when regions of the northern Amazon region have been experiencing a devastating drought that threatens the livelihoods of its people. This burgeoning crime is known as hydro-piracy, and it could foreshadow a future of resource wars as clean water supplies become scarce.

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/02/12/amazon-river-water-being-stolen-for-bottling/

[Smokebender]

Just one more example for now if I may?

Water Number: $4 a bottle. In the latest skirmish in the war on tap water, the sports arena that hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team -- with the lovely name of the Quicken Loans Arena concession -- has removed its drinking water fountains. The only way for thirsty fans to get water now is to wait in line at the concessions counter for a free small cup or pay $4 for bottled water or try to drink water from the bathroom faucets.

http://www.alternet.org/story/145598/the_war_on_tap%3A_stadium_where_cleveland_cavaliers_play_has_removed_water_fountains