Image Credit: Shazari, Flickr CC

Stephanie Soechtig is sending out an S.O.S.

By the year 2030, two-thirds of the global population will lack access to clean drinking water.  This figure is the provocative opening statement of a new documentary, Tapped, by Stephanie Soechtig.

Tapped is an informative and entertaining look at the disturbing history of bottled water in the United States, and the damage this industry has done and continues to do to our planet and our bodies.  I recently had the chance to chat with the director and get some of her answers about how we can make a big difference through small changes in our daily lives.

The film will make you mad, and rightly so.  The movie provokes the kind of shock and righteous indignation that inspires change.  For example, did you know bottled water costs up to 1,900 times more than tap water, even though 90% of tap water in the United States has been proven to be perfectly clean—in some cases even more clean than bottled water?

Think about that next time you consider buying bottled water.

So why is America obsessed with bottled water?

Tapped sheds light on an issue that has received surprisingly little coverage.  Soechtig theorizes this is because the secret shames of bottled water are protected by some of the country’s biggest corporations: Nestle, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and the oil industry.  These companies have launched “very clever campaigns to make us doubt the quality of our tap water,” Soechtig says.

Largely unaware of the severity of the problem herself, Soechtig was inspired to investigate the bottled water industry after learning by chance about the existence of a “plastic stew,” known as the North Pacific Garbage Patch.  An area twice the size of Texas (wow!), the stew contains 46 times more plastic than plankton and floats around in the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Hawaii.

The movie’s footage of the plastic stew is truly shocking, and serves as a reminder that America’s 20% bottle recycling rate is far from adequate in taking care of plastic waste.

The film takes a broad look at the bottled water issue, highlighting individuals and communities that have been affected by the industry, and adeptly demonstrating how their individual struggles reflect those of the nation as a whole.  This is a huge story, and choosing what to include in the final cut of the film was a challenge for Soechtig and her crew.

Tapped spends a good deal of its running time on the frightening health risks of PET and Bisphenol-A (BPA), two common ingredients in the plastic of water bottles, which independent studies have proven to cause cancer, birth defects, obesity, and other horrors.

Soechtig hopes audiences will walk away from her film with a reminder that we all “vote with our dollars,” a true and easy-to-forget fact.  Every time you go to the store, what you choose to buy sends a message of approval, meaning nothing will change.  Consumption is a political act.

Soechtig admits that there is a time and a place for bottled water, but it does not belong in daily life.  It’s a matter of “changing habits,” Soechtig says, and avoiding plastic bottles “is not a radical change in your life.” A reusable stainless steel bottle is “just as convenient as any other bottle of water, but at least you know what you’re drinking,” Soechtig argues, as opposed to the largely unregulated and unknown contents of plastic bottled water.

Bottled water may not be as “pure” and “healthful” as advertisements would have us believe, especially since 40% of bottled water is merely filtered tap water anyway.

The movie is a smart and vicious attack on an industry that has become all too accepted in the United States and across the world.  Making small changes in your water habits will not only help the planet, it will protect your health and save you money.

What can we expect for the future of bottled water?  Soechtig predicts that more and more people will see it for what it is: a scam that has become so entrenched in our culture that it is hard to escape.  With educational outlets like this film leading to more awareness, hopefully people will begin enacting change on a large scale that will make our municipal water infrastructure even stronger.

The film has been getting a very positive response. Tapped paints a poignant picture of the dirty world of bottled water of which many of us aren’t aware.  The movie is enjoyable for its hip soundtrack, fast pace, clever editing, intriguing interviews, and on-screen persona of its director (who appears several times looking appropriately focused and concerned).

While it is a one-sided attack, it brings forth many critical issues surrounding bottled water that need to be addressed.  The film may provide only one piece of a big puzzle, but awareness about the issue will provoke meaningful discussion, debate, and reflection.

If nothing else: you’ll never look at a plastic bottle the same way again.

Currently, you can see Tapped at the IFC Center in New York.  It opens in Los Angeles on Friday, August 7th.  Visit tappedthemovie.com to learn more about the movie, watch bonus clips, and find upcoming screenings of Tapped.  Support the underappreciated art of documentary filmmaking.

What you can do:

1. Carry a reusable (stainless steel) water bottle.
…Or two or three if you tend to be forgetful.  Put one in your car, at your desk, and in your home.  Click to read more about this simple and important change in ecomii’s water bottle tip.

2. Monitor your water consumption.
Be aware that water is a valuable resource.  Take shorter showers.  Don’t let your faucet run.  Fill your dishwasher completely before turning it on.

3. Think about packaging in general.
If you’re choosing between two comparable products, and one is sold in cardboard packaging instead of plastic, buy the cardboard one.

4. Let your voice be heard.
Find petitions online.  Contact your congressperson.  It is too easy to forget that it is the voice and actions of each and every citizen that are responsible for creating lasting changes.