Documentary describes the issues of global water supply

Spring 2012 -

This Wednesday night’s Green Screen was the showing of the film FLOW: For Love of Water at the Oxford Community Arts Center. The 2008 documentary focuses on the issues of water privatization, both in the developing world and in the U.S., and centers on its tagline, "How did a handful of corporations steal our water?"

The film presents a wide range of problems involving the world's fresh water supply including the privatization of public water sources in Bolivia, the displacement of thousands of farmers in Lesotho due a private entity's dam construction, the depletion of fresh water supply in an Indian community due to the continual pumping of a nearby Coca-Cola bottling plant, and the ecological impacts of Nestle's ground water extraction in Michigan. The underlying theme of the film is that something that is essential for life, such as water, is best kept in the hands of the people, rather than profit-driven multinational corporations.

The film was followed by a short discussion I led since I’m familiar with local water issues as a member of Green Oxford and the coordinator of the Take Back the Tap campaign on Miami's campus. Much of the discussion focused on the water issues of the Midwest, specifically southwestern Ohio. Attendees expressed concern about the negative impacts of the bottled water industry, possible contamination of drinking water due to natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing, availability of information for Miami students about sustainable water practices, and quality of drinking water here in Oxford.

The Green Screen presents films and videos about the science, art, and spirituality of the natural environment and is coordinated by the Interfaith Climate Change Working Group, Oxford Community Arts Center, and Green Oxford. All screenings are free of charge and are open to Miami students and the general public.

The next Green Screen will be the documentary Black Gold, which looks into world coffee and global trade, on April 11 at 7pm in the Oxford Community Arts Center.

 

By: Blake Price