-Written by Associate Matthew Kern

During my time in Alaska, many of my fellow AmeriCorps and I would take advantage of our free weekend to enjoy some civilization. Living in a tent didn’t afford many luxuries, so I would regularly spend my afternoons surfing the internet and browsing through the periodicals section of our local library. Studying environmental science for my undergraduate at Western Michigan University had given me a taste for understanding and keeping up-to-date on pressing environmental issues. So naturally, the cover of October’s Newsweek magazine entitled, “The New Oil” displaying a drop of water caught my eye.

I was startled to discover the story’s focus was the small town of Sitka, Alaska, from which I had returned from weeks earlier. The town of Sitka is home to an incredible mountain lake containing trillions of gallons of fresh water fed from rainfall, snowmelt and numerous surrounding glaciers. With a population of less than 10,000 within 5,000 square miles, this vast resource goes mostly unused. In fact, almost 6.2 billion gallons of fresh water flows from Blue Lake into the Pacific Ocean every year. With millions around the world suffering from the lack of clean drinking water, the waste of this resource seems criminal.

To the rescue, two American companies, True Alaska Bottling and S2C Global are in the process of finalizing the contracts to transport 3 billion gallons of freshwater from Blue Lake giving the town a 90 million dollar industry. The water would go from Sitka, Alaska to a water-processing facility in India. Here, the water would be divided then reshipped to water stressed regions of the Middle East and North Africa. This would mark the first trans-global deal for fresh water. It is not the miles traveled that have caught the attention of economist and resource experts alike. The transfer of billions of gallons of public water into the hands of private corporations is troubling. Private companies are motivated by shareholder profit rather than ethical implications of people in need. Why would these private companies choose to sell to water stressed regions when a corporation like Aquafina will pay more? The idea that a free market will balance consumption to meet resources works for basic commodities, but this principal fails to account that there is no alternative to water.

As stated earlier, the main purpose of a corporation is to make money for its shareholders, which does not necessarily align with what is best for the communities they operate with-in. Privatization will have dramatic impacts and create disturbances around the world before a balance is found. An ever mounting problem such as global water shortages seems like a monstrous issue to take on, but there are simple steps that all of us can take in our everyday lives to make a difference.

Drink tap water, this alone is voting for your public water source. Tap water is tested for over 280 contaminants; bottled water is exempt from these stringent health requirements. If you don’t like the taste, get a water-filter system and it will still be less expensive than consistently buying bottled water. Time your showers or get a low flow showerhead. The average shower uses 2 gallons per minute. You can drastically reduce your water consumption by limiting the amount of time spent showering, or better yet sharing a shower. Waterfootprint.org is a fun tool for tracking your own water usage. Lastly, educate yourself about the state of water in the world and your own community. I recommend Foodandwaterwatch.org as a good starting place. Think globally and support your local public water system.

Newsweek Article, October 8th, 2010
The New Oil
http://www.Newsweek.com/2010/10/08/the-race-to-buy-up-the-world-s-water.html

Nestlé: Draining American Bottle by Bottle: Rural Communities Take a Stand
http://www.storiesthatmatter.org/20090715177/NRNS-Stories/nestle-draining-america-bottle-by-bottle-rural-communities-take-a-stand.html

Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation
http://www.savemiwater.org/

Documentary, Flow: For the love of Water
Flow is a documentary featuring water and community activist discussing their battle against public water privatization and its impact on communities.
http://www.flowthefilm.com/