Farming and Water - Tapped: World Water Week

Food & Water Watch protects our essential resources by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink and by helping people to take action to make a difference. ...more »

FRIDAY – MARCH 26, 2010

Industrial agriculture is one of the leading causes of water pollution in the United States today.

The clips you’ll see featured today were cut from the film because our test audiences found it confusing and it raised a concern that people wouldn't trust their tap water after seeing the film. I was really heartbroken to lose this section from the film because I think responsible farming is such an important issue, and this clip underscores how connected we all are. What we feed our animals and spray on our lawns ends up back in our water. Some people see this as a reason to distrust our tap water. I, on the other hand, see it as a reason to demand more sensible agriculture practices. Rather than write about it here, I’m going to urge you to go watch the clips because they truly tell the whole story.

Today marks the final day of our Water Week Series, but I hope it doesn’t mark the end of your involvement.

I hope you’ll continue to follow our Get Off the Bottle Tour. We are just 5 days in and need your support on our long drive across the country, as we try to spread this message to as many people as we can. Nestle, Coke and Pepsi are some of the media’s biggest advertisers, which means it takes courage on the part of TV and newspapers to promote our film. Because of this we need your help more than ever.

Use Tapped as a tool to get this message out to your friends, family and co-workers. Water is our most precious resource, and we need to take control and demand that it be protected.

Buy local!! Industrial agriculture is one of the leading causes of water pollution in the United States today – so support your local farms!
There is currently a shortfall of more than $22 billion per year between the funds available and what is needed to keep water safe for human and environmental health. The federal government has cut the main source of funding for clean water year after year. It's time to fill the funding gap with a trust fund, a dedicated funding source and sustained commitment to safe and affordable public water. Sign on to this statement to ask Congress to provide the funds needed to protect our water sources and keep our water clean and safe: Sign On »
Choose landscaping plants with low water requirements.

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by Wenonah Hauter

Bottled water is the poster child for how profit-hungry corporations spend millions to convince consumers to buy an environmentally damaging product they don’t need. It’s a good entry point for talking about how some of these same corporations and many others are wasting and polluting water to produce food that’s contaminated with agricultural chemicals, as well as ingredients that make us fat and sick.

First, let me say, I’m not blaming farmers, who are held hostage by a food system that benefits the large corporations that control the way our food is produced and marketed. A tiny cabal of agribusinesses and food manufacturers have a stranglehold on every link of the food chain.
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