Nestlé Waters is pumping millions of gallons of water from drought-stricken California while residents face water restrictions.
Tell Nestlé to stop taking water from public lands and conservation areas!
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Dear Yasmina,
California is experiencing its most severe drought in recorded history. Lakes and rivers are drying up, cities are instituting water rationing, and no relief is in sight.
California citizens are facing mandatory water restrictions, but Nestlé Waters’ bottling plants are operating at full volume. In fact, Nestlé’s response to public outcry for water conservation has been anything but concerned. Recently, a reporter asked Nestlé Waters North American CEO Tim Brown if he’d move Nestle’s operations out of California during the drought. His response? “Absolutely not. In fact, if I could increase it, I would.”
In a period where the state is drying up, California can hardly afford to waste water. It’s time to let Nestlé’s CEO know that his refusal to conserve water is unacceptable.
Nestlé, known for bullying local communities worldwide, is pumping out millions of gallons from locations in the heart of the state’s disaster-level drought. The company then ships the water out of state, or sells Californians back their own tap water for up to 2,000 times its cost. Worse, processing water this way wastes more water than it bottles — it takes 1.39 liters of water to fill a one-liter bottle, and it takes twice that to make the plastic bottle itself!
Nestlé is giving the people – and ecosystems – of California short shrift. In one shocking example, Nestlé is pumping water from the National Forest of San Bernardino using a permit that expired over 25 years ago! Nestlé won’t reveal publicly how much water it takes from National Forests, but the company pays only $524 each year to profit off of the public land in San Bernardino. Retired Forest Service worker Steve Loe has studied the real impact of Nestlé’s actions, “They’re taking way too much water. That water’s hugely important.”
The Story of Stuff Project filed a Freedom of Information Act request to hold Nestle accountable for its actions on our public lands, and your input can let Nestle know we’re serious.
Nestle’s operations in California have worldwide ramifications. While Nestlé makes millions of dollars exporting water from a federal drought disaster areas, our waterways fill with plastic, and our ecosystems pay the price. If we’re going to live sustainably on this planet, we all need to pitch in and do our part. Tell Nestlé to stop bottling water from our public lands today!
Stiv Wilson, on behalf of The Story of Stuff team
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