Water: a Luxury

It is hard for me to write about luxuries in Seattle aware of the devastation happening just miles from our border in Haiti. Lives lost, brand new orphans hungry and scared, people desperate for a clean sip of water.

Water.

I’m not thirsty right now at all.

In Haiti underground sanitation pipelines and water storage tanks are damaged. The short-term response is to get people bottled water. Eventually, the whole sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure will have to be restored.

Clean water is something I never think twice about, especially in Seattle where our tap water is crisp and tastes better than any other place I’ve lived. We squeeze lemons into it without ever considering its sanitation.

We find it in the secret springs of New Zealand, brand it, and charge $30 for a 1/2 liter. We use a 9 step filtration process, name it "Bling," and put it in a frosted bottle studded with Swarovski crystals.

Water: not an everyday luxury for everyone. Not a luxury in Haiti tonight. I feel spoiled by - and thankful for - my $2 bottle of Italian sparkling gold.

I have a friend - a photographer friend - Amy Cheng, who used to live in Boston. Her friend at Lucky Dog Organics is going to purchase bottled water to send out on a boat leaving out of East Boston on Sunday for Haiti. If you are interested in helping, check this out.