GUELPH – Wellington Water Watchers has started what it hopes will be an enlightening and impactful fundraising book club focused on the new book Unbottled: The Fight against Plastic Water and for Water Justice.
Over five months, participants will delve into the critical issues surrounding water justice, plastic pollution, and the global fight for clean and accessible water.
The initial virtual event launched on March 7, at which executive director Arlene Slocombe was joined by author Daniel Jaffee, who provided an overview of the book and its relevance to water justice.
Participants enjoyed opening remarks, conversation time in a break-out room and a Q&A with Jaffee.
The book club will meet once a month for five months, with each session focusing on specific chapters of Unbottled and related themes. There are a few remaining spots in the book club.
“Water Watchers has an explicit purpose in engaging this book club,” said Slocombe.
“We have been opposing permits for water bottling in this region for 17 years. We have had many successes along the way, including kicking Nestlé Waters out of the region, the country, and the continent as part of a broader coalition.
“Yet the permits for bottling water still exist,” Slocombe continued.
“We are committed to stopping these permits and renewing our commitment to water as a commons, as a public good and enshrining the right to water for all.
Slocombe said the book club is in preparation for the next leg of the group’s advocacy work.
“We are excited to engage a strong base within our community through reading this important book together, that will inevitably drive action towards these goals,” she said.
Officials say there is an “all-star cast of special guests” profiled in the book and there is a lot of excitement about the speakers.
Water Watchers will be offering tickets for these sessions, for folks who may not be reading the book but want to attend for one or multiple sessions to hear the guest speakers.
Remaining club sessions include:
– Session 3 on May 2, 7 to 8:30pm: Cascade Locks: A Decade Long Struggle will discussion chapter 5 with guests Whitney Kalama and Klairice Westley;
– Session 4 on June 6, 7 to 8:30pm: Guelph and Elora: Watching Water, Broadening the Movement with guests Dawn Martin-Hill and Mike Balkwill.
– Session 5 on July 4, 7 to 8:30pm: What Next? Water Justice and the Right to Drink. will discuss chapter 7 and the conclusion with author Daniel Jaffee.
By combining education, community engagement, and fundraising, the “Ripples of Change: Unbottled Wisdom” book club is a tactic to kick-start a new campaign that will end permits for water bottling and demand the Human Right for clean potable water for all, Slocome said.
The funds raised will support Water Watchers’ crucial work for water justice.
For more information or to register, visit wellingtonwaterwatchers.ca and click on “events.” the cost is $40 per session, which are held over Zoom.
