FLOW: For Love of Water 2008
Distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories
Produced by Steven Starr
Directed by Irena Salina
DVD, color, 84 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Environmental Studies
Date Entered: 06/30/2009
ALA Notable: ALA.gif
Reviewed by Barbara Butler, University of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
Do you take fresh drinking water for granted? It seems many of us do. We expect to simply turn on the tap for a supply of clean water or pick up bottled water for drinking. FLOW provides a sobering look at the state of our global water resources, the problem with deregulation of water utilities and the charade of the bottled water industry where there is, essentially, no accountability.
We see footage from Africa, Bolivia, China, India and the United States. A common theme is that chemicals, particularly those used in agriculture, are appearing in our water supplies. Prozac has been detected in Texas fish populations. The herbicide atrazine, a known endocrine disruptor, has been banned in Europe but is still used in the U.S. despite evidence of increased breast cancer rates and drops in sperm production.
There is no single solution when it comes to providing safe drinking water. Agencies like World Bank finance large infrastructure development but not the smaller projects that might address local needs. One alternative, from India, is simple UV disinfection of water which costs less than $2 US per person per year. We see many examples of privatization, including cost-recovery mechanisms, which have failed to supply users with the necessary clean water.
FLOW is a thorough and well-edited look at global water resources and has received numerous awards including Best Documentary at the Vail International Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. There are few other films devoted to the moral and ethical aspects of water supplies and the bottled water industry.
Highly recommended for high-school, college and public libraries.