FLOW:

Water. Something that all of us need to survive but often take for granted.

Look familiar? We use it to cook our food, to clean our clothes, to bathe ourselves. According to the United States Geological Survey, the average American citizen uses up to 80-100 gallons a day. But what about the rest of the world?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 780 million people do not have access to an improved water source and 2.8 billion people do not access to improved sanitation. For as vital as water is, in modern day times it does not seem to be getting the coverage it deserves. Luckily for us, important documentaries like FLOW are not letting the plights of underprivileged individuals go unnoticed. Before watching this movie, I was very unaware of how dire our water situation was and while I had a basic understanding that water sources were dwindling, I contributed this more to climate change then irresponsible water bottle companies. I also did not have any idea about the efforts being made to privatize the water sector or how this could effect lower income communities. To be completely honest, I was very ignorant to the water crisis that this world was facing; however as the famous saying goes “ignorance is bliss.”

The entire film has already impacted my life. While admittedly I am not making large changes to my water consumption, I can no longer freely use water without at least mentally acknowledging those I saw suffering in the film. Furthermore, I felt a very legitimate frustration with the blatant waste and exploitation of our natural resources by large corporations. And while I do not know what I want to do in life, I can honestly say it will most likely have to do with helping the environment.