California is in the midst of its most severe drought in 500 years. The state is plagued by uncontrolled wildfires, failing farms, and dwindling water supplies, and some experts even say that these events are harbingers of a far worse ecological collapse.
Worst of all, there’s reason to believe that the last few dry seasons are only the start of a crushing, thirty-year megadrought. Even optimistic researchers are beginning to fear that California is being transformed into an uninhabitable desert.
There’s a staggering variety of theories about what’s causing the drought (ranging from anthropogenic global warming to geoengineering conspiracies). One thing about which everyone agrees, though, is that water conservation is absolutely crucial. Authorities are imposing increasingly strict water restrictions—the state reduced its consumption by a whopping 31.3% in July alone.[1]
Unfortunately, it seems that this impressive conversation effort is still far from sufficient. Entire lakes are disappearing, and Lake Oroville—which provides drinking water for more than 23 million Californians—is at 33% capacity (and its levels are still dropping rapidly).
Despite these dire times, one company seems to think it’s exempt from water usage restrictions. The bottled water behemoth Nestle continues to massively exploit California’s public water supplies for personal profit, drawing tens of millions of gallons from the state every year. Nestlé is draining California aquifers, from Sacramento alone taking 80 million gallons annually.
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The case against Nestle
“Drought-shaming” has played a large role in California’s water conservation efforts. This appeal to conscientiousness has worked wonders in many cases (even huge companies like Starbucks have completely stopped drawing water from California’s supplies and moved their operations elsewhere).
Nestle, on the other hand, continues to extract mind-boggling quantities of water from reservoirs that could otherwise be used to provide municipal water to the state, and they make astronomical profits by selling it.
Not only has Nestle not stopped extracting California water; it’s actually doubled its annual withdrawal. Last year, Nestle drew over 100 million gallons of water from natural springs—all with expired permits. Its permit renewal process has been mysteriously stalled, with no negative consequences for them (they’re being allowed to continue with their operations, with even fewer restrictions than the official permitted use would require). The company has paid only $524 for all that water—despite the fact that it allows Nestle to net billions of dollars in profits every year.
And that’s still just a fraction of the California water taken by Nestle. They also drew 51 million gallons of groundwater last year, and used 705 millions gallons in their industrial operations.
Nevertheless, the company insists on deflecting criticism and carrying on with business as usual. It has patched together a crafty PR campaign—complete with smiling faces and greenwashed taglines—aimed at diverting attention from the facts of the situation. Nestle representatives focus on how “efficient” they’re making their operations, and how “concerned” they are about the drought. In a sneaky FAQ section of their website, Nestle states that reducing the amount of water they extract from California’s public lands “won’t fix the drought,” and ensures consumers that their operations are not “contributing to the problems of water scarcity.”
In reality, their commitments to water efficiency are inconsequential and vague, and their entire stance belies a lack of concern for anything other than their bottom line. Nestle is simply unwilling to give up its profits to help ameliorate California’s water crisis. Its representatives are probably right that closing down their Calfornia operations wouldn’t end the drought, but their complete unwillingness to do so (or even to cut back their annual water collection) reveals a company that should be neither trusted nor supported.
If these policies seem unthinkably selfish and short-sighted to you, just remember that Nestle is run by Pete Brabeck, a man who once proclaimed his opinion (in a public interview) that access to fresh water is not a basic human right.
Don’t buy Nestle water (or any of its products)
Apparently, Nestle won’t pay any attention to criticism unless it negatively affects the company’s profits—which is why it’s up to us to boycott their products.
Because of the many dangers that it poses to you and environment, you should steer clear of bottled water anyway. If you must consume it every once in a while, though, avoid Nestle at all costs—their brands include Acqua Panna, Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Pure Life, Ozarka, Perrier, Poland Spring, Resource, San Pellegrino, Tradewinds, and Zephyr Hills. Nestle also owns and operates a huge number of subsidiary brands, so check out this list and stay away from them.
In a world controlled by corporate interests, you still have the power to vote with your dollar. By refusing to purchase Nestle products (and encouraging all of your friends and family to do the same), you can help put an end to its tyrannical and ecologically devastating water exploitation.
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References
[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-water-use_55df526fe4b0e7117ba92c9f?utm_hp_ref=california-drought
