Why will people pay money for what they could have for free?
Ask Jonathan Greenblatt. As reported yesterday, Mr. Greenblatt, founder of Ethos Water, will give the keynote address for Integrity Week on November 14.
If you’re not familiar with Ethos Water, it’s just about the most socially-conscious water you can buy. Owned by Starbucks, a nickel of each overpriced bottle goes toward “helping children around the world get clean water and raising awareness of the World Water Crisis.” As a side note, I like the tactic of emphasizing the importance of your cause by capitalizing it. Would anyone like to donate toward the Nick McAvoy Post-Graduation Employment Crisis?
Yes, Ethos reaffirms the comforting message that we can solve the world’s problems by buying more things. We need not change our lifestyles at all. Go ahead, buy your double-tall exploitative caffeine fix, and grab an Ethos for the road. Be aware of the World Water Crisis — very aware — especially the degree to which your philanthropic purchase is, at this moment, relieving the suffering of many millions.
It’s a beautiful transaction. That’s not just refreshment you’re getting in that bottle — it’s morality, bargain-priced.
If I sound particularly cynical, it’s because the concept of bottled water represents to me the very kind of excess that keeps us too distracted with our own pleasure to notice the billions of suffering people around the world and in our backyards.
Twenty years ago, the concept would have sounded ludicrous. Free water tastes as good as what you have to pay for when run through a filter, or even just refrigerated. But you have to find some kind of container to carry it anywhere, and who has time for that? It lacks the sophistication gained from bottling the French Alps and shipping them across an ocean of salt-water.
As a result, we spend our dollars, we save our minutes, we fill our landfills, and we continue on our merry pursuit of comfort.
If Jonathan Greenblatt wants to tell me he’s empowering me by making every purchase an opportunity, I’m more than a little skeptical. Real change requires real action by people with real power (read: us). I am wary of any campaign which tells us that we’re doing a great job, just the way things are.
Tags: complacency, water
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October 31st, 2007 at 11:58 am
i like the point about landfills–save the environment by buying yet another plastic bottle of water?
sounds like littering campus with 99,999 yellow “Jobs to Save the Environment” fliers. no one would ever do that, tho. no one.
October 31st, 2007 at 1:18 pm
The best part is that this water usually costs nearly double the amount of regular bottled water ($1.85). That means that the 5 cents of donation is about 2% of revenue. For a company that brands itself as a socially conscious product…that’s just pathetic.
October 31st, 2007 at 4:55 pm
If I use my brita filter and donate the difference to a responsible charity, I get better water and I can actually help someone. Just a thought.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:48 am
Best post. Ever
A friend told me the other day that “well, everyone wants to help people” and I despaired at how good people think they are.
Read this and your face will melt:
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/3788/
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:25 am
To be fair: http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/3884/
The response.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
etdihkfh…
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