Bottle This!

Listen to Bottle This here: .2-03-bottle-this-1

just hold on
before we go any farther –
i want to take a moment
to talk about water.
that liquid that you’re holding,
that bottle in your hand:
you though it was water
you were drinking
not a corporate brand.
you thought it was cleaner
and safer,
and better for your health
but were you thinking
about who
profits from the wealth
of the public water
that’s been taken for free
and sold back to you
for an exorbitant fee?

listen my friends,
listen up folks:
Aquafina is Pepsi.
Dansani is Coke.
they’re selling filtered tap water
and this is not a joke.
these corporate giants
buy tap water
at a tax-free-super-discount
filter it five times
then sell it back to you
for five thousand times
the amount that you pay
for running water from your tap
and when I start to think
about that
my blood starts to boil,
my head starts to spin
as I try to understand
where to begin.

that H20
the bottle you just tossed
it represents garbage,
safety and cost, and
water table depletion
which is all our of loss.
let’s talk about land-fill:
plastic bottles piled high
slowly decomposing,
leaching toxins back
into our water supply.
furthermore,
the more water bottles we buy
the more we send a signal
to the powers that be
that we believe the fear
they’re selling us about
water safety.
we’re swallowing the idea
that good water isn’t free
that of course one must pay
for water of quality.
meanwhile, beyond the periphery
of our rich country
(where, incidentally, tap water
is actually tested
far more stringently
and regularly
than bottled water)
women walk farther and farther
to find water for their families,
a desert spreading rapidly
while we sit sipping
on a billion dollar industry.
they say “water is the new oil”
water is the new oil!
and Canada’s got it,
so this war will come to our soil.
But oil is a luxury;
water a necessity.
We’re fighting over oil
‘cause we like to drive cars
‘cause trucks must deliver,
‘cause we want to fly to mars
but a body can only live
without water for so long
water should not belong
to anyone
water belongs to everyone
water must be public
water must be free
clean water should not
be a commodity
to be bought and sold
on the open market
which pits those who can afford it
against those in need
water is a human right, not a luxury
water is a human right, not a luxury
you gotta think
about what you drink.
think! think about what you drink.

Let’s talk about India,
let’s talk about Africa
let’s talk about China…
or right here, in North America
let’s talk about the watersheds
and aquafirs
let’s talk about Walkerton
and Native reserves
this matter is urgent,
it requires our attention
it demands immediate
public intervention.
if we’re going to be paying,
it should be for water from our tap
ensuring it remains reliable,
clean
and safe so that
we can take a container,
fill it again and again
fill our bodies with the water we need
and then leave enough
for our neighbours,
enough for the farmers
enough for the future,
our sons and our daughters
it’s the blood of the earth
in that bottle right there
a resource we have no choice
but to share.
before you buy another bottle
and down what’s in there
think about what you drink.
think! think about what you drink.

maybe I’m preaching to the choir,
to the converted masses:
the concerned and the conscious,
the educated classes.
but even you out there,
who already know everything I’ve said
how many times does convenience
win out instead of what you know
is right, and what you know
you should do, you know
ignoring the facts
doesn’t make them less true
think about what you drink.
think! think about what you drink.
tell your friend, tell your neighbour,
write a letter to your leader
but think! about what you drink
it is never true
that there is nothing you can do
you can think about what you drink.
think! think about what you drink.
water must be public,
water must be free,
clean water is a human right,
not a luxury.
Think about what you drink.
think! think about what you drink.
To find out more about this important issue, check out these organizations doing excellent work around water:

Polaris Institute

KAIROS

The Council of Canadians

Blue Planet

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

and please, contact me with info and stories about other people and groups working on this important issue, I am trying to develop this section of the site. I want your information, experience and testimonials!

TESTIFY! (seriously! send me your stories about drinking water…)

“After hearing “Bottle This” by Evalyn Parry in Health class last week, I was motivated to make some changes in my life. I have not bought a bottle of water since I heard her poem. In addition to this, I bought her song in itunes and burnt cd copies for three other people. I sent one copy to some friends in Ottawa who were doing research over the summer about the bottled water industry. I alsosent a copy to my mother who is also a teacher and I thought perhaps she would pass the message to her students. And lastly, I sent a copy tothe camp director at of the children’s summer camp where I work, urging him to buy less bottled water for our candy shop. I suggested that he buy re-usable Nalgene bottles that we could fill with water and place in the coolers and then have the children return them to the kitchen to be re-washed and re-stocked in the candy shop. I don’t know if the director will go to the effort of initiating this but I feel that it is an appropriate atmosphere to encourage environmentally friendly behaviour.” Karen Terluk, student at University of Western Ontario

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“Hi Evalyn, I have discovered the perfect water bottle for those of us who already carry far too many things in our purses and pockets: the stainless steel hip flask. Sure it gets some looks, but then it starts the conversation. I assure people that this flask is reserved for water while they tease me about drinking on the job, etc. and it is good fun.

People often say it seems too small, which could be a concern on a long hike but I mostly hang out in the city, and I can fill my flask anywhere because I believe tap water is safe and good! This reinforces the message that it is not just about the plastic but about the idea of buying water twice (we already pay for city water). The flask is perfect: it is non-breakable, non-toxic, the lid is attached, and it fits nicely in the side of the purse.

Cheers, Maura
www.mauravolante.ca

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