By Josh Hughes
Western’s Environmental and Sustainability Programs (ESP) will be co-hosting a screening of the 2009 documentary “Tapped” with TAP (Travellers Against Plastic) on March 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. The event, which is free for students and $2 for the general public, will include a discussion once the film is over.
“Tapped,” which focuses on the upsetting ins and outs of the bottled water industry, was directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey, and features interviews and conversations with those both for and against the entire industry and all of its direct and indirect impacts.
Opening in the small town of Fryeburg, Maine, the film first addresses the ways that the major bottled water companies (Nestle, Coca Cola and Pepsi) have historically taken advantage of public water across the country in rural America. One of the first integral points made in the documentary is that by 2030, two-thirds of the world will lack access to clean drinking water, and corporations like the ones previously mentioned are currently trying to make already hard-to-access water a commodity for personal gain. Fryeburg, like hundreds of other towns across the country, has been negatively impacted by the increasingly profitable water bottle industry, and “Tapped” seeks to educate the public so that these exploits will not continue in the future.
ABOVE: Western has responded to issues of water politics by banning the selling of bottled water on campus. Flavored water, however is still available. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review
Beyond the public’s right to clean drinking water, “Tapped” also addresses other monumental issues with the industry such as rampant pollution and unregulated chemicals that go into the water we drink on a daily basis. Segments of the film include interviews with the sickened residents of Corpus Christi, which houses the country’s largest petrochemical plant, and discussions with corporate professionals that advocate for the industry of bottled water.
Overall, the film makes its point with a thud, but along the way there are different sides represented, which ultimately gives the film a higher sense of credibility. Instead of playing off as overly self-righteous, Lindsey and Soechtig’s film takes time explaining its points and giving interviewees space to make their cases.
When the message turns somewhat hopeful near the final third of the documentary, there’s something of a sense of uplift, even though the ultimate message is rather disheartening. Along the way, there’s talk of cancer causing chemicals, propaganda against tap water and corporate control over government power, so it’s certainly not an easy watch.
TAP is partnering with the Environmental and Sustainability Programs to screen this film in hopes of getting students involved in the ongoing discussion about bottled water. They will be taking TAP pledges to “travel more consciously and sustainably by being prepared to clean your own water,” and those who take the pledge will get entered in a raffle to win one of TAP’s Liberty Bottles, U.S.-made metal water bottles. Again, the event is tailored towards students but open to the public, and will take place from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. in VU 552. In TAP’s own words, “We are very excited for the chance to bring together students who are passionate about this cause.”
Featured photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review