Lipstick on a Pig Dept.: Rob Walker on Fiji Water
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.08
We have discussed the so-called greening of Fiji Water, and ran a survey on it. Rob Walker of the New York Times' Consumed column, looks at the ambiguity of this. He writes:
But it’s probably wrongheaded to see Fiji’s greened-up image as being aimed at eco-opponents. It really speaks to consumers who are conflicted. Not so long ago we all felt good about drinking less soda; do we now have to feel guilty unless we drink tap water? Reid Lifset, the editor of Yale’s Journal of Industrial Ecology, says that bottle bills are a good idea but doesn’t swallow Fiji’s advocacy or other green measures as justifying the practice of transplanetary water shipments. Yet he empathizes with the consumer. “People don’t want to spend their lives wrapped up in ambiguities over one consumption decision,” he says. We want to be told whether something is terrible or perfectly acceptable. Fiji is offering its answer — an answer that, so far, people are still buying." ::New York Times via ::PSFK image: Peter Arkle
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Interesting, it's sad to see everyone jumping on the green marketing bandwagon without first taking into consideration everything that entails green or eco-friendly.
However transplanetary water shipments may be a bit of a stretch. (transcontinental?)
What's wrong with drinking tap water? Or, if you really, really need to drink water that squirts up from the ground on its own, why not find a local spring?
I guess I've never been the kind of person who does something because other people think it's cool. Maybe that's why I had such a hard time in high school...
Fiji to New York City, 7,936 miles. It just might be possible that there is a source of clean water a little closer. If you are drinking Fiji water it is because you are basically an arrogant idiot who is a sucker for marketing campaigns.
Here in Oregon, USA.
We have great tap water, it comes some the
Sandiam river. It's very clean, its cleaner than most
bottle waters, and i concerns me when I see people
running around with bottles all the time. The water
here goes through a large sand filtering system, one
of which is similar to the one in England. Other than
adding a filter to the tap to remove any chlorine from
the water, its great. I haven't ever seen people concerned out what water was used to make their pepsi or mountain dew,wines and beers..?
I for one am in the something is better than nothing camp. as a person recovering from a $6 a day san pellegrino habbit a few years ago I drink almost nothing but filtered tap water now. (and yes I have the meggatron of long term filters not a disposable britta) HOWEVER: I am a courier, and after destroying or losing about 500 nalgine bottles I do on occation buy bottled water for when I am at work, when I dont have easy acsess to tap watter. I used to buy whatever but now that figi is carbon neutral. I buy that. I use the bottle for about a week or until I lose it and then I buy another one. is it wastefull, yes. is it better than buying 4 bottles of carbonated water from italy in a glass bottle every day. hell yes.
Pangolin's comment that "If you are drinking Fiji water it is because you are basically an arrogant idiot who is a sucker for marketing campaigns" is seriously self-centered.
No, I don't drink water that's been shipped from the other side of the planet. But I also recognize that I'm interested and aware of ecological issues. Just because someone isn't a TreeHugger doesn't make them arrogant or an idot. And calling them an arrogant idiot only turns them (and me) off to your message.
Rexi:
So someone who chooses to drive a Hummer H1 (the vehicle equivalent of Fiji water) isn't an arrogant idiot?
How is caring for the world being self centered? Wouldn't not caring for the world by consuming blatantly unsustainable products be the definition of self centered?
Icelander- I agree with you and I've been in the same boat my whole life (also to Iceland, which is awesome).
Ben- With transcontinental I think Columbia to Texas or Syria to Egypt. I think Transplanetary gives me a better sense of the distance traveled.