The Story of Stuff Project

A HUGE thank you from Annie and the entire Story of Stuff Team to all of you that have watched and shared The Story of Bottled Water! We are incredibly grateful for your help and support.

Keep spreading the word and the link, storyofbottledwater.org.  Let’s see how long we can stay on the charts!

Four Northeastern states have set aside or spent between $228,874 and $527,107 a year for bottled water, according to a new report released today by Corporate Accountability International. Getting States Off the Bottle surveys bottled water spending in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Pennsylvania – all known for their high quality tap water.

The findings come as public water systems face a $24 billion annual shortfall and during financial times in which states can ill afford to spend public dollars on a non-essential product like bottled water.

Watch The Story of Bottled Water and then visit our partner Corporate Accountability International’s site to tell your Governor: no more bottled water on my dime.

“…Lifesaving bottled water cannot be available in times of pressing need without a viable, functioning industry to produce it,” the association wrote.

But the United Nations, in a report released on Tuesday, emphasized that bottled water was not sustainable.

The report that found producing bottled water for the United States market consumed 17 million barrels of oil annually.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Ms. Leonard’s video had been viewed more than 120,000 times. The I.B.W.A.’s had received about 250 visitors…”

From the Huffington Post:

“In honor of World Water Day, this Wednesday, March 24th at 8pm EST, HuffPost Blogger Kerry Trueman will be holding a live Vokle chat with Story Of Stuff creator Annie Leonard and Elizabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania: How Water Went On Sale and Why We Bought It.

They will be talking all about the bottled water craze, the importance of water and how our most precious resource is being threatened — and they will be taking YOUR questions.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Annie Leonard’s blog post and newest video, The Story Of Bottled Water.”

Check back HERE to watch the live webcast at 8PM EST on Wednesday, March 24th

Dear friends,

Today is World Water Day, and to mark the occasion I’m joining with some of North America’s leading environmental groups to release the latest Story of Stuff Project short film:  The Story of Bottled Water.

Like The Story of Stuff, this new film uses simple words and images to explain a complex problem, in this case manufactured demand:  how you get people to think they need to spend money on something they don’t actually need or already have.

Over the last two decades, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle and other big beverage companies have spent untold millions of dollars making us afraid of tap water. They’ve told us that if we want to be sure what we drink is pure and clean—not to mention hip and fashionable—we should buy bottled water.

Unfortunately, it worked.

In the United States alone, we consume approximately 500,000,000 bottles of water each week. Imagine that: while 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water worldwide, other people spend billions of dollars on a bottled product that’s no cleaner, harms people and the environment and costs up to 2,000 times the price of tap water.

But there’s good news: Last year, for the first time in a long time, bottled water sales fell—not that much, but they went down. Consumers who want economy, portability and convenience are switching to refillable metal bottles. Restaurants are proudly serving tap water. And cities, states, companies and schools around the world are ditching the bottle to save money and do their part for the environment.

Still, we’ve got a ways to go.

So please, take a minute today to watch The Story of Bottled Water. Then pass it along to your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers—anyone you think might be interested.

You are The Story of Stuff Project’s strongest allies:  You made the original Story of Stuff an Internet phenomenon, with nearly 9 million views total. Last December, you pushed The Story of Cap & Trade past half a million views in just under six weeks. And in the last ten days, you’ve helped our new book, The Story of Stuff, enter the New York Times extended bestseller list at #35. Thank you a million times over.

After you’ve forwarded The Story of Bottled Water to your networks, I encourage you to join a campaign for investment in clean tap water for everyone, like those sponsored by our partners at Corporate Accountability International, Food & Water Watch, Polaris Institute, Environmental Working Group, and Pacific Institute. Visit these fantastic groups’ websites to learn more, sign-up and get involved.

Together, we can send Coke, Pepsi, Nestle and the rest of the industry a message as clear as a glass of tap water: We’re not buying into your manufactured demand anymore. We’ll choose our own demands, thank you very much, and we’re demanding clean safe water for all!

Sincerely,

Annie

P.S. It takes a pretty penny to make and distribute these short films. After The Story of Bottled Water we have films coming on electronics (planned obsolescence anyone?), personal care products and more. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to The Story of Stuff Project today to help us keep these films coming and on-line for free.

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From WNYC.org:

In her new book The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession With Stuff Is Trashing The Planet, Our Communities, And Our Health – And A Vision For Change, author Annie Leonard connects the stuff you consume with everything and everyone that made it and will be stuck with it when you’re done.