How did bottled water become so popular in the first place? Should the tax payers who protect land and water share the profits of those who pump and sell that resource? How is water different from such resources as oil, trees or fishing? What is water bottling actually doing to the environment & to local communities? Is it ethical to profit from the sale of water? If we believe water is a basic human right such as freedom from persecution or equality before the law then why would we let anyone slap a bar code on water?Is it narcissism that pulls people into stores the second they feel thirsty or is it the need for emotional succor? Is bottle water our modern day security blanket? Are large scale commercial extractors compromising the amount or the purity of the water that’s left and who will make that determination? If every action in the eco system is an impact then is it measurable or significant? Are water projects worthwhile? Why should we waste money on bottled water? Should water be a commodity? Why should water be free? Why is it different from food which we also need to live or shelter? Are bottle water companies subverting democracy? Who’s hand do you want on the tap? As clean water grows scarce who is going to own it and who is going to control it? Do we want multination companies to control something so important? Where did all the water go? Will governments be able to afford upgrades? If the United Nation deems water a basic human right what does that actually mean?Who should be doing the protecting of water? Are multinational companies looking to control democratic cities & towns? So what can we do? Why does saving water matter if reservoirs are full? Does it make sense to grow water intensive rice in the arid west? Can industries use recycled water? What’s the big concern? So what do you drink? How do I know if I should be suspicious of my water? If citizens no longer control their most basic resource their water do they control anything at all? Who will make the decisions that will affect our future and who will be excluded? How come a six-pack of bottled water costs more that a gallon of gasoline? Why doesn’t anybody fix the broken water fountains? What’s this about shipping water out of the great lakes in Asia? Why is a US company managing water in Iraq? How are corporations turning water into an asset to be bought & sold? How do corporations intend to spend the profits from the flows? Why don’t we give it a second thought? Are we now basically seeing the issue of human rights versus corporation rights? Should we let market principles dictated water? Should utilities operate as enterprises? Is there any such thing as excess water? How did bottle water become so popular over tap?
Does bottle water fill a perceived need for convenience? Is bottled water popular because like Individual cell phones & iPod’s it’s private & portable? Is bottled water valuable because it has a substantial shelf life? Is Bottled water an absolute critical lifesaver in many natural disasters? Is Bottled water is a significant contributor to actual water problems? Does Bottled water fit the excellent advertising medium by conveying a sense of wholesomeness? Which product would you rather have a child in your care consume several servings of each day? Why support a campaign to demonize the healthiest of these products? Is Bottled Water Always the Enemy? Do we buy bottled water because it's healthy?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Floating Land - background

Presented as a ten day event, Floating Land brings people from across the Asia Pacific including visual and performance artists, cultural practitioners, writers, and educators together with the communities of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Floating Land is an ongoing conversation about creativity, the environment and culture. The 2011 theme, Water Culture, continues these conversations and acknowledges that people of the Asia Pacific region are facing the adverse consequences of climate change, due to their dependence upon and close relationship with the oceans, rivers and waterways.
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