New film "Tapped" discusses bottled water, trash

First Friday Films is presenting the new film "Tapped" on Friday, October 4th at 6:30pm at American Memorial Park about bottled water, why we love it, and why we shouldn't love it.

The film asks, “Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce?” The documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of the bottled water industry -- an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. “Tapped” is a portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, from the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up.

Before the film, Mr. Jose M. Kaipat from the Division of Environmental Quality’s Safe Drinking Water Branch will give a brief presentation about drinking water and bottle usage on Saipan. Mr. Kaipat has been at DEQ for 18 years in various capacities and can speak first-hand about the regulations and concerns about drinking water sources in the CNMI. As the chief coordinator of DEQ’s Monthly Clean-up Brigade, Kaipat also knows the damaging environmental impacts of our beverage containers after the drinks are consumed.

                                                        

First Friday Films is a partnership between American Memorial Park, the Division of Environmental Quality, Coastal Resources Management and the Humanities Council with support from other organizations and individuals. These films are sponsored by the Division of Environmental Quality. As always, our film events are free and open to the public. This event will run about 75 minutes.

For more information about First Friday Films, email fffsaipan@gmail.com.