One particularly enjoyable environmental front group to monitor is Bottled Water Matters, which is funded by The International Bottled Water Association, a trade industry group. With a website, YouTube channel, Twitter feed and Facebook page they present themselves as concerned citizens and good, honest bottled water enthusiasts. As Jason Linkins detailed in his post last March, the group has been working hard to battle the their deserved anti-green reputation:
The bottled water industry, fighting back against accusations that they are a significant contributor to environmental degradation, has released this magical video of glorious greenwashing, redolent of the famous video news releases in which Karen Ryan pretended to a journalist while promoting the Bush White House's "No Child Left Behind" Act.
Perhaps the best part of Bottled Water Matters is its hilariously low-life, faux girl reporter YouTube videos. With bad lighting, amateur editing, and overall low production value, you can't help but wonder if this is a well-funded industry's attempt to make these videos look like they spring from grassroots sincerity when, in reality, Big Water is footing the bill. In past videos, Bottled Water Matters Girl has done interviews and seemingly informational shorts about how bottled water is made and why it's important.
In the latest video, Bottled Water Matters Girl takes a decidedly activist stance, urging us to join the movement and fight the people who want to take away our choice to buy bottled water. She uses catchphrases such as bottled water is "part of a healthy lifestyle," and encourages people to "speak up" to their legislators to make sure bottled water is always available.
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In case you need a refresher on why bottled water is in no way healthier than tap water, contributes to serious environmental degradation, and is an overall marketing ploy to get people to buy something they can get for free, check out Ashley Braun's article for Grist.org, and watch Annie Leonard's The Story Of Bottled Water below.
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