As I mentioned earlier, I have recently been accepted into a graduate program at Seattle University, and at the end of this September classes start for me. I had several excellent schools to choose from, and in many regards it was a difficult decision to make. Although it sounds abstract, one of the facets of Seattle U that most attracted me was their focus on social justice, doing what is right both as an individual as well as an institution. That may sound trite, but after a couple of decades in industry, where the focus is on the dollar either for the corporation or the individual, this higher purpose was a welcome breeze. In far too many companies, glib words are mouthed about "integrity" and "ethics," but in actual fact most corporations, including the one I just left, have no desire to do anything other than serve their own ends. I do understand capitalism, and I freely realize that corporations exist as legal entities whose sole purpose is to foster shareholder investment; I don't criticize that element per se nearly as much as I do the hypocrisy of these companies proclaiming that they are attempting to do the social good. They claim to be doing right by the world, but the truth is in too many cases that is nothing more than advertising fodder. To illustrate this, look at one example: Water.
In the United States, we have a potable water system that is second to none. Our entire supply is safe to drink directly from the tap, with no filtering or purification required; whether you are in Seattle, Miami, or any of the cities in between, our tap water is pure, safe, and taken for granted. Quite literally we flush our toilets with water that many people of the world are dying for lack of. There are people in this world dying each day of water-borne diseases, and yet we in the US take for granted the purity of our water supply, quite literally flushing our toilets and watering our lawns with it.
Unfortunately, it gets worse: Many consumers have the hubris to say the US water supply is not good enough, and instead they demand something "even better" in the form of bottled water. All throughout the US, in stores, fast food joints, companies and universities, small bottles of the liquid are sold. We reconcile this by saying that for the most part we recycle those bottles. Recycling, unfortunately, even if 100% efficient (which it is not) still misses the point: We are mocking those in the rest of the world who are dying for lack of potable water. It's not just that we flush our toilets with the pure water much of the world is lacking, but then we say even that water isn't good enough for our American way of life.
Many companies, including the one I just left, provide free bottled (or canned) water to their employees. In this particular case, every floor of every building had one or more glass-faced coolers stock full of the drinks. Employees snagged a can as they pleased, with nary a handful ever taking the time to fill a water bottle instead. The waste, the expense, matter not at all; grab and go with complete disregard for others comes first.
Seattle U has taken on an initiative that is bold and meaningful: They don't sell bottled water. One cannot purchase bottled water on campus through any of the cafeterias, or vending machines or snack bars. Instead, in addition to the typical drinking fountains, Seattle U has installed several hydration stations throughout the campus. The hydration station is nothing fancy, not much beyond an enhanced water fountain with a high spout so that filling water bottles is easy, but the point is that the campus has taken the initiative to make this statement. Even more meaningful, however, is something that is unheard of in the corporate world: This change was driven by the student body, not the administration. As difficult as it is to believe after spending a couple of decades in the corporate world, it was the students who lobbied for and achieved this end rather than a bureaucratic team deciding the fate.
When we talk about change and making the world better, this ban on (or refusal to purchase) bottled water is a choice we can all make. Every individual can elect to forego buying that plastic bottle at the fast food joint. Every corporation can eliminate bottled water and replace it with water fountains. There's no need to continue the mockery of those dying of thirst, and the change does not require governmental action to make this happen; your choice, or your company's choice, is all that is required.
In the United States, we have a potable water system that is second to none. Our entire supply is safe to drink directly from the tap, with no filtering or purification required; whether you are in Seattle, Miami, or any of the cities in between, our tap water is pure, safe, and taken for granted. Quite literally we flush our toilets with water that many people of the world are dying for lack of. There are people in this world dying each day of water-borne diseases, and yet we in the US take for granted the purity of our water supply, quite literally flushing our toilets and watering our lawns with it.
Unfortunately, it gets worse: Many consumers have the hubris to say the US water supply is not good enough, and instead they demand something "even better" in the form of bottled water. All throughout the US, in stores, fast food joints, companies and universities, small bottles of the liquid are sold. We reconcile this by saying that for the most part we recycle those bottles. Recycling, unfortunately, even if 100% efficient (which it is not) still misses the point: We are mocking those in the rest of the world who are dying for lack of potable water. It's not just that we flush our toilets with the pure water much of the world is lacking, but then we say even that water isn't good enough for our American way of life.
Many companies, including the one I just left, provide free bottled (or canned) water to their employees. In this particular case, every floor of every building had one or more glass-faced coolers stock full of the drinks. Employees snagged a can as they pleased, with nary a handful ever taking the time to fill a water bottle instead. The waste, the expense, matter not at all; grab and go with complete disregard for others comes first.
Seattle U has taken on an initiative that is bold and meaningful: They don't sell bottled water. One cannot purchase bottled water on campus through any of the cafeterias, or vending machines or snack bars. Instead, in addition to the typical drinking fountains, Seattle U has installed several hydration stations throughout the campus. The hydration station is nothing fancy, not much beyond an enhanced water fountain with a high spout so that filling water bottles is easy, but the point is that the campus has taken the initiative to make this statement. Even more meaningful, however, is something that is unheard of in the corporate world: This change was driven by the student body, not the administration. As difficult as it is to believe after spending a couple of decades in the corporate world, it was the students who lobbied for and achieved this end rather than a bureaucratic team deciding the fate.
When we talk about change and making the world better, this ban on (or refusal to purchase) bottled water is a choice we can all make. Every individual can elect to forego buying that plastic bottle at the fast food joint. Every corporation can eliminate bottled water and replace it with water fountains. There's no need to continue the mockery of those dying of thirst, and the change does not require governmental action to make this happen; your choice, or your company's choice, is all that is required.
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