Remember when those lucky enough to live in a country with potable water drank it straight from the tap? It seemed the most natural thing in the world to hold a glass under the tap, fill it, and drink. I remember the pleasure on returning to the States from my Peace Corps stint in Guatemala and being able to do so.

Ah, tap water! In some places it tasted better than others, sure, but in most countries I was never afraid to drink it—nor were others.

Then somehow that became passé and people turned up their noses at the free stuff in order to buy environmentally harmful bottled water ... and turn a natural right into a corporate gain. Why spend money unnecessarily on something I can get for free, in order to make a rich company even richer?

Where water isn’t potable, I prefer to carry a metal bottle around and fill it with boiled or filter water rather than drink “plastic water”. (Our office in Dhaka is right above a tubewell and so our tap water is actually safe to drink; the bottle comes with me on all my travels. Often I fill it up at a bathroom sink. In a restaurant, I will order a fresh lime soda or soda water—especially if it comes in a reusable glass bottle—or a glass of hot water.) If all the money spent on those plastic bottles of supposedly superior (but usually untested) water went to improving water systems and replacing pipes, then far more places would have safe tap water.

Come on, guys! Let’s remember that water is a public right and should be kept in the public domain. Just say no to the nonsense of buying water when perfectly good stuff is available for free, and encourage your friends and family to do likewise. Figure out what you’re saving and spend it on something worthwhile—or donate it to an organization working to improve sanitation, since lack of proper sanitation is the main reason for lack of access to clean water!

The picture, believe it or not, is of water, taken by Jens Kremer using a complicated process that allows us to see its inherent structure and beauty. See more pics at www.instituteofwellbeingbd.org!