Big Gulp

Ok, seriously now, what are these people thinking? They're selling bottled water for $1.80 and donating an entire nickel per bottle to water projects in 'underveloped regions'. No offence to them, but I think that's pretty much one of the stupidest thing ever. in the world. At least writer Rob Walker gets it when he says:
"You might at least wonder whether it wouldn't make more sense to donate $1.80 to one of the aid organizations Ethos backs and ask your barrista for tap water. Isn't this all a bit like an S.U.V. whose profits finance third-world alternative-energy projects?" Thank you Mr Walker for illustrating so clearly how moronic this is.
He then goes on to say: "Sure, Starbucks had profits of half a billion dollars last year and could donate $10 million tomorrow, but writing a check, he [Peter Thum, the other Ethos founder] says, is less effective in the long run than "trying to build a movement to address this problem." To that end, he and Greenblatt are speaking to business-school groups about their mission and have planned Ethos promotions in connection with World Water Day on March 22 to raise awareness of a massive global problem and how buying Ethos can help. Ethos, as Greenblatt puts it, "makes activism accessible.""
Wow. "Makes activism accessible" by selling them bottled water that they could get out of the tap for free.
I have a better idea. Start giving them the tap water that's available in Bangladesh. Then wait and see how "accessible" you need to make the opportunity to fix the problem before people feel moved to do something about it.
But I do happen to think that Rob Walker might be on to something. Set up a display at the grocery store. Sell people empty bottles for $2. Then make them go home and fill it up from the tap. over and over and over.