I’m not generally a fan of bottled water. I find it terribly wasteful, particularly in a country with an abundance of safe water coming straight out of the tap! I personally filter mine first, (and am secretly in love with my sisters PiMag filter unit) and with such a large range of home and personal filtration units available, as well as reusable bottles made from materials such as stainless steel, glass, BPA free plastics, bamboo and others I just don’t understand this insatiable need for bottled water!

That said, I found myself travelling for work this week and without my trusty bottle. Oops. Desperately seeking hydration on the streets of Sydney I ducked into 7Eleven to quench my thirst.

I generally steer clear of products that have been acquired by multinational corporations, particularly those with a trail of dubious and disastrous health care consequences associated with their namesake line of beverages.

As I continue glancing I notice a bottle I haven’t seen before. I’m immediately drawn to its gracious label, thankyou water. Or more correctly,

thankyou. water.

Cheaper too than it’s bright blue counterpart I opted for “1.5L of Life Changing thankyou. water.”

The label reads “365 Days a year we exist to fund safe water projects in developing nations. Australians spend $600million on bottled water every year, yet 750million people still don’t have access to safe water. You can change this.”

Social enterprise. I’m in. Australian product. Double win.

My favourite part is that each bottle comes with its own personal Tracker ID# which you can enter at thankyouwater.org to see the exact project that your bottle has been assigned to fund.

The bottles I have purchased this week are supporting a program in Timor-Leste, which targets three remote and vulnerable districts; Lautem, Baucau and Manatuto. This project aims to implement 4 rainfall/gravity-fed systems, which will provide safe and accessible water points for the communities living in these regions and directly impact 1633 people.

Huge congratulations should go out to these guys for managing to secure contracts not only with 7Eleven nationwide, but more recently with both Coles and Woolworths.
This simple product highlights to me just how powerful it can be to consciously choose how you spend your money. Social and environmental responsibility is more important than ever and we should be rewarding those companies that choose people over profits, life over lifestyle and are staying true to the maxim Think Global, Act Local.

Thank you, thankyou.

1.5L of life changing water.