Tapped

Gr 9 Up—Focusing primarily on the bottled water industry, this award-winning documentary illustrates the far-reaching consequences, both local and Earth-wide, of the consumption of "manufactured" water. The film examines questions concerning who owns the water beneath the ground, who may profit from it, and at what cost. The often false claims of bottled water's purity and safety are scrutinized, and the health ramifications involved with the use of certain plastics in the bottles are covered. In addition, the effects of discarding billions of plastic bottles into the environment are graphically illustrated. Using interviews with scientists, politicians, environmentalists, and corporate spokespersons, viewers are led to the conclusion that bottled water is a scourge upon the Earth. However, there is no strategy provided for overcoming the power of the large corporations who benefit from the proliferation of bottled drinking water other than drinking tap water. Politicians are shown to be impotent, environmentalists are frustrated, and the locals whose water and air are compromised are helpless. Students watching this film may choose to purchase fewer bottles of water, but change may not be imminent unless they are encouraged to participate in a more active political response. The edited version of the film is better suited to traditional class periods.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly Trinity-Pawling School, NY