Guest Blog: Green Intentions

Posted: April 14th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Comments Off on Guest Blog: Green Intentions

Today I’m participating on 20-Something-Bloggers’ “Blog Swap”.  Below is a guest post courtesy of Courtney from Seriously Wonderful.  If you like what you read below, definately check out her usual stuff and subscribe.  And really how can you NOT dig that blog name?

About two weeks ago, I was invited to the screening of Tapped, a movie about the bottled water industry. I went into the screening being a typical 20-something. I’ve heard all about recycling, and reusable bags and water bottles. And being “green.” But that doesn’t mean I was interested in it. I’d say I was a mild participant in this so called “green movement.” I put paper into the recycle bin at work. And I do own reusable bags, but don’t use them. They sit in my closet at home. And I have a bunch of water bottles. But I don’t use them either. I stick with my standard plastic cup on my desk at work.

I came into the movie with a hint of skepticism. I’m not one of those people wants to be green. It’s just not me. Working in Boulder, CO, I get bombarded with the Green Peace people daily on my lunch hour. I avoid them like the plague.

The movie did have some valid points, and some of the scenes I did feel were over the top. Like when they held a small town riot in Maine over water rights. The people shown in the movie were either the elderly or hippies. And there was a scene about people in Texas who lived near an oil plant and had all sorts of diseases. I’m thinking to myself, why don’t you move then? But that’s just my inner critic talking.

But let’s talk about the points of the movie that gave me goosebumps. I learned that only 1% of the water in the entire world is drinkable and that our entire water system is being monitored by the EPA, which consists literally of one person. How scary is that?? But the most important thing that stuck with me, is that while our tap water gets tested up to 300 times a month, the bottled water that we buy daily, those corporations–Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi–don’t have to test that water. They claim it’s spring water, but for all we know it could be bottled tap water. In one clip I watched online, a VP was asked where Fiji bottled water comes from. The guy responded, “I don’t know…Fiji?” Also in the movie, they had outside experts buy six different brands of bottled water, and what they found in them was really disturbing. Some had traces of a hormone that can cause low sperm count in males, while others had chemicals in them that can lead to cancer. SCARY! Not only is it scary but it’s just plain wrong that no one from outside of those corporations are holding them accountable in regards to testing the water. And it’s sad that most people, myself included before I saw this movie, think that bottled water is really pure and delicious and great for you.


I was lucky enough to meet the producer Sarah Olsen and director Stephanie Soechtig at the screening I attended, where I saw first hand how passionate those women are about this issue. They are driving across the country in a truck, encouraging people to “get off the bottle.” In exchange for a water bottle, they are giving out free stainless steel waterbottles. I don’t know about you, but I love anything that’s free. You can follow them on their journey and make an online pledge to get off the bottle here. I hope you’ll check this movie out. If they aren’t coming to a city near you, the movie is available on iTunes and or you can watch the trailer for the film.


If nothing else, this movie has made me more aware of the issues that we face today. Now I pay attention to the water bottles I have at home to see if they are BPA and PET free. I even bought a new water bottle that is free of those of those chemical causing agents. And when I went grocery shopping this week, I actually used the reusable bags that have been lying on my closet floor for months, and it felt good. I felt like I was making a difference, even if it was just in my own day-to-day habits. I think we all can make a difference, all it takes is one.