ethos water
for an update on starbucks and ethos in california, read “ starbucks moves ethos water from california after droughtshaming. ”
starbucks' ethos bottled water comes from a drought - ridden county in california .
© 2003 - 2006 ethos water. all rights reserved. blue background photo courtesy of care .
except for that nickel, of course. this seems to be — not to put a fine point on it — against the ethos of ethos .
ethos water, sold at starbucks for around $ 2, is supposed to raise consciousness about the need for water conservation around the world. a nickel from each sale goes to the ethos water fund to “support water, sanitation and hygiene education programs in water - stressed countries. ”
starbucks was praised for its decision to move production of ethos out of california .
the idea quickly took off. in 2005, ethos was acquired by starbucks. now, for every $ 1. 95 bottle of ethos water it sells, starbucks makes a 5 - cent donation to the ethos water fund, part of the starbucks foundation. “when our customers choose to buy ethos water, they’re improving the lives of people who lack vital resources, ” starbucks ceo howard schultz said in 2008 .
starbucks acquired ethos water, an enterprise that gives a nickel of every $ 1. 95 bottle sold to water charity projects around the world, in 2005. ethos has reportedly raised around $ 12. 3 million for water charity projects to date .
the water costs almost $ 2 per bottle, but five cents of each sale goes to the ethos water fund to “support water, sanitation and hygiene education programs in water - stressed countries. ” sounds great .
starbucks says that its partnership with ethos has raised more than $ 12. 3 million for water charity projects to date .
the merced plant supplies ethos water to starbucks coffee shops in the western us, where matt damon, who has appeared in a tv ad for ethos, can easily pick up a favorite thirst - quencher, said the report, in mother jones .
some of the biggest celebrities in hollywood have lent their names to starbucks’ ethos brand. matt damon starred in an ad campaign, and starbucks partnered with a company that drives celebrities to the oscars and filled the cars with ethos bottles, “so leonardo dicaprio and cameron diaz walked into the awards carrying ethos water, ” as ethos cofounder peter thum explained. in 2011, ethos’ other cofounder, jonathan greenblatt, became special assistant to the president and head of the white house office of social innovation and civic participation. obama himself lauded greenblatt last fall for his “innovative solutions to america’s challenges. ”
ethos continues to charge obscene prices for water while protecting their greedy motives by giving the impression that their purchases really help the world' s children .
ethos water was supposed to help fix the global water crisis: founded in 2002 in southern california, the bottled - water company promised that for every unit it sold, it would donate a small amount of money to water charity projects in the developing world .
as pr watch wrote in 2008: “critics of ethos water say it is a profit - making enterprise disguised as humanitarian relief, that ethos is exploiting the plight of africans to sell more bottled water in the united states, and donating directly to a reputable charity dedicated to water projects in africa is a better way to address the issue. ”
indeed, ethos / starbucks is not the only water - bottling operation in the state. nestle, for example, has come under fire for bottling tens of millions of gallons of sacramento water .
starbucks’ ethos bottled water, while promising to help children around the world “get clean water, ” is quietly helping to drain drought - ravaged california of its precious h2o, according to a report .
“one day i put my initial ideas for ethos on a napkin: develop a fashionable bottled - water brand that generates funds to finance water programs in developing countries, and make the social message on the bottle more compelling than the source of the water, ” ethos founder peter thum once said. “if people were willing to pay a premium for water named after its source, wouldn’t they want to pay for a brand devoted to funding humanitarian water programs? ”
placer county, where ethos water comes from, is within the brown zone of this california map, which indicates “exceptional drought. ” (courtesy u. s. drought monitor )
on april 16, the merced sun - star reported that residents were complaining about a private water bottler, owned and operated by the grocery chain safeway, that ships the increasingly scarce groundwater out for profit. in addition to its own bottled water, the plant also produces starbucks’ ethos water. no one knows exactly how much water the plant is using—the city of merced considers that information confidential. (starbucks uses a water source in pennsylvania for the ethos bottles sold in its locations in the eastern united states. )
the ethos water — which, under state law, starbucks doesn’t have to pay for — comes from “a private spring source that is not used for municipal water for any communities, ” a spokesman for the java joint told mother jones .
ethos - water will join leading ngo' s at events in cities across north america to further disguise our profits with the guise of operating a philanthropic business as our profits shoot through the roof .
ethos® water was created to help raise awareness about this terrible crisis and provide children with access to clean water. every time you buy a bottle of ethos® water, you contribute $. 05us ($. 10cn in canada) to the ethos® water fund, part of the starbucks foundation. so far more than $ 12. 3 million has been granted to help support water, sanitation and hygiene education programs in water - stressed countries – benefiting more than 500, 000 people around the world. in 2014 grants were made to six ngos in the following coffee - growing countries: tanzania ($ 750k), indonesia ($ 750k), colombia ($ 1. 1m), guatemala ($ 480k) and nicaragua ($ 300k) .
but as california — and placer county, home to baxter — mulls water restrictions, the optics are not so great. even before california’s drought, ethos was often in the crosshairs of activists decrying greenwashing .
a starbucks spokesman told mother jones ethos comes from “a private spring source that is not used for municipal water for any communities. ” (ethos water sold on the east coast, meanwhile, comes from pennsylvania .) but a geologist the magazine interviewed said “communities can be affected by the use of surrounding springs ‘if you capture and pull it out before it ever makes it’ to downstream users, ” as the magazine explained .
starbucks has said its partnership with ethos, which donates 5 cents to water projects around the world aimed at bringing clean drinking water to areas without the precious liquid, has raised $ 12. 3 million so far — but california residents aren’t too happy that companies are profiting from shipping their dwindling supply of water away .
starbucks, worth $ 76 billion, claims its water source at merced doesn’t used water intended for residents .
alas, a mother jones report now says that ethos water comes from a drought - ridden county in california — and, by giving a nickel out of $ 2 to fund water programs in other countries, starbucks customers are making the dry golden state a little bit drier .
the company donates 5 cents from every $ 1. 95 bottle of ethos to help children get clean drinking water in countries including tanzania, indonesia, and colombia. celebrities such as matt damon have endorsed the brand for starbucks .
merced is home to a bottling plant starbucks uses for ethos. though starbucks said ethos water comes from baxter, calif. , an unincorporated town a few hours’ drive north of merced, both areas are in “exceptional drought” territory as defined by u. s. drought monitor, a project affiliated with the department of agriculture. the upshot: even as gov. jerry brown (d) calls for unprecedented water restrictions in a time of historic drought, the coffee giant is bottling what water is available and selling it for profit .
a starbucks spokesperson told mother jones that ethos water came from “a private spring source that is not used for municipal water for any communities. ” however, the magazine also spoke to a geologist with the state’s department of water resources, who said that local communities downstream could still be adversely affected “if you capture and pull it out before it ever makes it. ”
starbucks gets its spring water free of charge—in california, water companies typically don’t have to pay for the groundwater they use .
the bottling plant that starbucks uses for its ethos customers in the western united states is located in merced, california, which is currently ranked in the “exceptional drought” category by the us drought monitor. its residents face steep water cuts in their homes, and surface water for the region’s many farms is drying up .
in addition to the spring water it bottles, starbucks also uses merced city water to manufacture its bottled water product. a report commissioned by the international bottled water association found that it takes on average 1. 32 liters of water to make a liter of bottled water, though critics argue that it can take several times more than that once all the packaging is accounted for .
“they are just a water customer like any other business, ” michael wegley, director of water resources for the city’s public works department, said of ethos, according to the merced sun star. “i wouldn’t say the city is concerned. to me, they are just like any other food processing company or industry. ”
“our vision to empower millions of people to make a difference is now a reality as the result of the launch of ethos (tm) water in starbucks stores and our goal of contributing $ 10 million over the next five years, ” said thum and co - founder jonathan greenblatt, by then starbucks vice presidents, in a 2005 press release. “it is exciting when you consider how starbucks can scale this vision and expand ethos reach to build a community of engaged consumers across the country to help more children around the world get clean water. ”
its residents face steep water cuts in their homes, and surface water for the region' s many farms is drying up .
founded in 2002, the company was acquired by starbucks in 2005. ethos’s cause was quickly folded into starbucks chief executive howard schultz’s political causes, including advocacy for same - sex marriage and ill - fated conversations about race .
starbucks acquired ethos in 2005. since then, the company said it “has invested over $ 12 million in water, sanitation and hygiene education in coffee growing countries in africa, indonesia and latin america. ” but the logic of selling a scare resource for profit eluded some, even if a small portion of the proceeds go to programs that help the poor access water .
“you might think that in the midst of a drought emergency, diverting public fresh water supplies to bottle and selling them would be frowned upon, ” a resident at a city council meeting in merced, calif. , said, according to mother jones, which first reported on ethos in the state .
starbucks declined to provide sales figures for ethos water, but the company’s estimate of $ 12. 3 million given to charity works out to about 246 million bottles sold. given the original price of $ 1. 80 a bottle, by my calculation, that’s more than $ 442 million in sales .
but a geologist tells mother jones that sometimes private water sources drain the community supply by capturing the water before it reaches people downstream who might use it .
“we are committed to our mission to be a globally responsible company and to support the people of the state of california as they face this unprecedented drought, ” john kelly, starbucks senior vice president of global responsibility and public policy, said in a statement. “the decision to move our ethos water sourcing from california and reduce our in - store water usage by more than 25 percent are steps we are taking in partnership with state and local governments to accelerate water conservation. ”
while bottled water accounts for just a small fraction of california’s total water use, some residents are nonetheless fed up with bottling plants that profit off their dwindling water supply. protesters have begun staging events at nestlé’s bottling facility in nearby sacramento .
“it isn’t just flint. ” how the next water crisis could happen anywhere .
sure, there’s the kind that comes from the tap. but there, right near the cash register of many outlets, is a refreshment a bit more inviting. sold in a blue - and - black bottle with a crisp font, ethos water offers a drinking experience that transcends mere thirst - quenching. this is h2o a body can feel good about. motto: “helping children get clean water. ”
“part of our management of water is being as efficient as possible in plant operations, ” a nestle spokesman told the sacramento bee, pointing out that bottling is no different than any other business operation that demands public water. in fact, bottling water for sale uses less water than, say, growing food or making furniture .
the bottling plant that starbucks uses for its ethos customers in the western united states is located in merced, california, which is currently ranked in the' exceptional drought' category by the us drought monitor ,
writes anna lenzer at mother jones .
“due to the serious drought conditions and necessary water conservation efforts in california, starbucks is moving the sourcing and manufacturing of ethos water out of state, ” the company said in a statement. “beginning the first week of may and over the next six months, starbucks plans to move production to its pennsylvania supplier, while simultaneously exploring alternatives to transition to a new source and supplier to serve the company’s west coast distribution. ”
“we pretty much bottle every bit of water that we touch, ” she said .
other popular bottled water brands like aquafina and dasani also source from catastrophically dry regions .
others, however, said water bottlers were just one of many businesses — indeed, all businesses — that use water. why single them out and not, say, farmers — whose industry is largely unaffected by democratic gov. jerry brown’s mandatory water restrictions ?
starbucks is selling california spring water for $ 1. 95 a bottle amid a historic drought
well water is pumped from the ground on april 24, 2015 in tulare, california .
[ jerry brown battles calif. water crisis created by his father, gov. pat brown ]
where' s the eco outrage for this use of bottled (plastic = oil = evil) water ?
water bottling in calif .
urltoken james samuelson (@ jimmysamuelson) may 4, 2015
the coffee giant says it’s solving the world’s water problems—yet it’s profiting off the golden state’s dwindling reserves .
the starbucks water bottled at the plant comes from private springs in baxter, a small unincorporated community in placer county, a few hours north of merced in the foothills of the sierra nevada mountains. the spring water comes free of charge—in california, water companies typically don’t have to pay for the groundwater they use .
a starbucks owned bottled - water company in california is continuing to sell locally sourced spring water, as the golden state battles one of the worst droughts in recent memory, according to a report in mother jones .
after embarrassing reports that starbucks was bottling and selling water from drought - ridden california, the company will stop .
it seems hard to imagine, but more than 1 billion people on our planet can’t get clean water to drink .
many people are criticizing starbucks on social media, calling for the brand to move its water plant to another location .
starbucks isn’t alone. safeway, the supermarket chain, also uses a bottling plant in merced for its bottled water .
there are no laws in california to regulate how much water can be taken from underground aquifers (aka
groundwater
) .
“i would be very concerned because it could be affecting the residents’ water directly, ” jean okuye, vice president of valley land alliance — an activist group with a mission “to protect our uniquely productive california central valley farmland” — told the merced sun star. “and when you turn on that tap and we don’t have any water, people will maybe wake up and think about who is taking all the water. ”
however, the company partially relies on water from private springs in central california’s placer county and also operates a factory further south in merced, where it uses local water sources at its production facility. both areas are in territories that are experiencing “exceptional drought” conditions, according to federal authorities .
a starbucks' representative told mother jones that the company uses
a private spring source that is not used for municipal water for any communities .
when i asked a starbucks spokesman about the company’s reaction to concerns about bottlers’ use of increasingly scarce water, he told me that starbucks uses “a private spring source that is not used for municipal water for any communities. ” but mary scruggs, a supervising engineering geologist with california’s department of water resources, notes that communities can be affected by the use of surrounding springs “if you capture and pull it out before it ever makes it” to downstream users .
sometimes starbucks customers aren’t in the mood for a frappuccino or a tall half - caf no - foam soy latte. sometimes, they just want water .
the merced sun - star reports that locals are increasingly irritated that the company is continuing to tap the area’s scarce water resources amid the blistering dry spell .
so far, media coverage has focused on starbucks’ goal to quench the thirst of the world’s parched masses; the story behind the bottled water it sells here in the united states has been a nonissue. but now, as california’s historic drought wears on, starbucks is facing a water crisis of its own .
“they are just a water customer like any other business, ” michael wegley, director of water resources for the city’s public - works department, said last month, according to the merced sun star. “i wouldn’t say the city is concerned. to me, they are just like any other food processing company or industry. ”
“we need to ensure that we have enough water to sustain the forest’s health, ” retired forest service employee gary earney told the paper. “i think we should look at whether or not it’s a more beneficial use of this water to be bottled and sold in small bottles, or to be allowed to go down and drain off the forest and recharge the groundwater. ”
they get it from earth free then over - charge us durin a drought. smh starbucks' water bottling in drought - stricken ca urltoken nyprg (@ nyprg) may 4, 2015
the only laws that exist govern surface water, the kind in rivers and lakes. new regulations were recently introduced for this exact purpose, but they won' t kick in for years .
however, the company is not alone in bottling water in the golden state. in march, usa today reported that 108 plants, including those run by nestle, are in the same business .
starbucks, with its mission to bring water to the world’s thirstiest regions, has so far escaped the kind of scrutiny that nestlé and others have endured. but as a merced area resident recently noted during a city council meeting about the bottling plant that starbucks uses, “you might think that in the midst of a drought emergency, diverting public fresh water supplies to bottle and selling them would be frowned upon. ”
mary scruggs, a supervising engineering geologist with california’s department of water resources, told mother jones that communities can be affected by the use of surrounding springs “if you capture and pull it out before it ever makes it” to downstream users .
“i think starbucks values its image as a responsible corporation with respect to the environment, ” adam scow, the california director of the advocacy group food and water watch, told usa today. “it’s a good move for their image. ”
the $ 1. 95 - a - bottle water is sourced, in part, from a bottling plant in merced, calif. , which is ranked in the “exceptional drought” category by the us drought monitor, according to the report .
“you might think that in the midst of a drought emergency, diverting public fresh water supplies to bottle and selling them would be frowned upon, ” a resident at a city council meeting in merced, calif. , said, as the magazine reported .
like merced, baxter is located in “exceptional drought” territory. in a story about the water shortage last year, the new york times pointed to a community near baxter, quoting a rancher as saying that the drought was “as bad as i have ever experienced. ”
bottling companies are trusted to monitor the health of their springs and the recharge rate, though in california the regulation and monitoring of bottled water extraction and its environmental impacts is notoriously opaque. unlike in other states, well logs are kept confidential and reviewing such data requires permission from the well owner .
dead trees in a field in fresno, calif. as california enters its fourth year of severe drought, farmers in the central valley are struggling to keep crops watered as wells run dry and government water allocations are reduced or terminated. many have opted to leave acres of their fields fallow. (photo by justin sullivan / getty images )
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update, may 8, 2015: in a statement on thursday, starbucks announced it would be moving its california bottling operations to pennsylvania over the next six months, citing concerns over the drought crisis. “we are committed to our mission to be a globally responsible company and to support the people of the state of california as they face this unprecedented drought, ” john kelly, the company’s senior vice president of global responsibility and public policy said .
the bottling plant that starbucks uses is located in merced, california, which is currently ranked in the “exceptional drought” category .
in march, merced county passed an ordinance that will place new permitting restrictions on some groundwater use, though whether this will affect the starbucks bottling plant remains to be seen. “we’re cautious about setting precedents, ” says ron rowe, director of the division of environmental health for merced county, adding that his agency hasn’t yet issued permits for any company under the new ordinance .
this article was reported in partnership with the investigative fund at the nation institute, with support from the puffin foundation .
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the underground spring is located in nearby baxter — also within “exceptional drought” territory, the magazine reported .
starbucks shares have gained 21 percent this year and closed thursday at $ 49. 58 .
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ethos water , a starbucks subsidiary , is a brand of bottled water with a social mission of " helping children get clean water . " ethos began in 2001 when peter thum had the idea after working in communities in south africa that lacked access to clean water . thum , who was working as consultant for mckinsey & company at the time , realized the potential to create a bottled water brand to raise awareness and funding for safe water programs . the idea became an obsession for thum , and he wrote the business plan for ethos , left mckinsey , and moved to new york in early 2002 to start the venture . thum recruited his business school classmate jonathan greenblatt to join ethos in late 2002 . they launched operations as a bottled water company in august 2003 , and also formed an organization called ethos international to invest funds from the business in safe water programs . since only $ 0.05-0.10 of the retail price ( $ 1.80 ) goes to charity , the ethos brand is primarily commercial and therefore a for-profit organization . nevertheless , as of at least 2009 , ethos , through the starbucks foundation , had granted more than $ 6 million , according to the company , to help support water , sanitation and hygiene education programs . unlike previous socially responsible brands , ethos pioneered linking cause to consumption , a model later replicated by brands such as toms shoes and warby parker . ethos water is manufactured by pepsico , & safeway 's lucerne brand , but unlike other pepsi products , ethos bottles do not contain recycled plastic . in 2005 starbucks purchased the company for $ 8 million . 
ethos water, a starbucks subsidiary, is a brand of bottled water with a social mission of " helping children get clean water. " ethos began in 2001 when peter thum had the idea after working in communities in south africa that lacked access to clean water. thum, who was working as consultant for mckinsey & company at the time, realized the potential to create a bottled water brand to raise awareness and funding for safe water programs. the idea became an obsession for thum, and he wrote the business plan for ethos, left mckinsey, and moved to new york in early 2002 to start the venture. thum recruited his business school classmate jonathan greenblatt to join ethos in late 2002. they launched operations as a bottled water company in august 2003, and also formed an organization called ethos international to invest funds from the business in safe water programs. since only $ 0.05-0.10 of the retail price ($ 1.80) goes to charity, the ethos brand is primarily commercial and therefore a for-profit organization. nevertheless, as of at least 2009, ethos, through the starbucks foundation, had granted more than $ 6 million, according to the company, to help support water, sanitation and hygiene education programs. unlike previous socially responsible brands, ethos pioneered linking cause to consumption, a model later replicated by brands such as toms shoes and warby parker. ethos water is manufactured by pepsico, & safeway's lucerne brand, but unlike other pepsi products, ethos bottles do not contain recycled plastic. in 2005 starbucks purchased the company for $ 8 million.
ethos water, a starbucks subsidiary, is a brand of bottled water with a social mission of " helping children get clean water. " ethos began in 2001 when peter thum had the idea after working in communities in south africa that lacked access to clean water. thum, who was working as consultant for mckinsey & company at the time, realized the potential to create a bottled water brand to raise awareness and funding for safe water programs. the idea became an obsession for thum, and he wrote the business plan for ethos, left mckinsey, and moved to new york in early 2002 to start the venture. thum recruited his business school classmate jonathan greenblatt to join ethos in late 2002. they launched operations as a bottled water company in august 2003, and also formed an organization called ethos international to invest funds from the business in safe water programs. since only $ 0.05-0.10 of the retail price ($ 1.80) goes to charity, the ethos brand is primarily commercial and therefore a for-profit organization. nevertheless, as of at least 2009, ethos, through the starbucks foundation, had granted more than $ 6 million, according to the company, to help support water, sanitation and hygiene education programs. unlike previous socially responsible brands, ethos pioneered linking cause to consumption, a model later replicated by brands such as toms shoes and warby parker. ethos water is manufactured by pepsico, & safeway's lucerne brand, but unlike other pepsi products, ethos bottles do not contain recycled plastic. in 2005 starbucks purchased the company for $ 8 million.