Battling Over Bottled Water Case

“Battling over Bottled Water” is the case study I chose to converge on. It focuses on the state of Michigan, which boasts more than 11,000 lakes and almost 36,000 miles of streams. The great thing about Michigan is lakes are present no more then six miles away, as some of the biggest lakes such as Lake Michigan, Huron, Superior and Ernie contributes to the outdoor adventures for many. However; Nestle, a corporation known to many, has been battling a case with Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC) as it started pumping water from once the counties water springs. The purpose of this case study is to focus on how MCWC is fighting to stop Nestle from pumping public water through the perspective of justice, libertarian and utilitarian approach.

The issue presented in the “Battling over Bottled Water” case emerged when the Nestle bottling company opened an Ice Mountain bottled-water plant in the Mecosta County in the state of Michigan. Because the plant started off by pumping 130 gallons of water per minute it intended to increase the capacity up to 400 gallons of water per minute, this would result in 262 million gallons of water pumped out of the public stream. The controversy further escalated that Nestle had acquired a 410,000 square foot bottling plant with a 99-year lease. In addition, Nestle built a 12-mile pipeline that led to a Sanctuary Spring whose water is harvested, cleaned, bottled and then sold to consumers at exorbitant prices. Water is a commodity that has threatened the lives of many as two thirds of the world’s water is undrinkable. With water being traded for profits by large corporations our environment collapses as pollution increases and life that directly depends on the nature’s lakes is threatened....

... middle of paper ...

.... 2014. .

3. Lavin, Andrew. "Lecture On Justice." Philosophy 186. SJSU, San Jose. 8 Jan. 2014. Lecture.

4. Lavin, Andrew. "John Rawls’ Theory of Justice." Philosophy 186. SJSU, San Jose. 9 Jan. 2014. Lecture.

5. Lavin, Andrew. "Lecture on Utilitarianism." Philosophy 186. SJSU, San Jose. 9 Jan. 2014. Lecture.

6. Bowermaster, Jon. Oceans: The Threats to Our Seas and What You Can Do to Turn the Tide: A Participant Media Guide. New York: PublicAffairs, 2010. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. .

7. Shaw, William H., and Vincent Barry. "Chapter 3: Justice and Economic Distribution." Moral Issues in Business. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth