Mission Statement
CleanWater is a non-profit student run organization aimed at empowering consumers with information about water quality. Using the best available information, our organization researches and publishes our findings in aims of protecting our planet and future by ensuring that we maintain a clean and sustainable water source.
About Us
Through carefully conducted research, CleanWater aims to provide consumers with the best possible information regarding their water usage. By looking only at scientifically conducted independent third party research, CleanWater aims to dispel the false information regarding water quality and safety.
Why did we do this?
In the fall of 2008, a group of students at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California decided to take a stand against the wasteful water usage taking place in our lives. We realized that our current water consumption patterns were anything but environmentally friendly, and that we were putting our future at risk by adding to the global water crisis. But how could we make an impact in altering the foundations of water consumption? After some careful research we came to the conclusion that conservatively using municipal water resources is the most environmentally friendly and healthy way to use water. The problem we found though is that municipal water as it comes into the home unfiltered is not appealing to drink or bathe in, so more and more people are relying on bottled water for their needs. Bottled water, although convenient, is environmentally unfriendly and potentially harmful so we knew that this wasn't the answer.
Being business students, we were inspired to see if there was a way to connect business with the environment. We found that there is a way to help the environment through business, although finding the businesses that are actually making a difference is next to impossible with the amount of misinformation about water quality on the Internet. There are so many "greenwashed" businesses now claiming to be green, but which companies can a consumer actually trust? This is the question we are here to answer. Since water is the foundation of human life, it is each of our responsibilities to make sure that our water is safe.
Our Methods
Finding good information about water quality is no easy task. We scoured every available resource to compile the most complete picture possible about the global state of water. By looking at respected independent third party research though we were able to find the facts to bring them to you. Our research comes from respected sources such as the United Nations World Health Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and Major National Universities. We found that some smaller independent studies often do not have enough citation or credibility to be used objectively in studying water, so we generally did not include them in our sources.
What We Believe
Research has led us to believe that the most environmentally friendly, healthy, and cost effective way to use water is from the tap! Contrary to popular belief, we found that in most cases tap water is the safest and healthiest means of drinking water. Tap water though is chlorinated to prevent the growth of bacteria, and this chlorination has made people averse to using tap water. Combined with the propagation of misinformation by many businesses in the water industry that want you to continue to use bottled water and water softeners, it's easy to see how many people have these misconceptions about tap water. Water filtration in the home though is the best possible solution for using water. There are many different flirtation systems though ranging from small carafes to whole-house water systems. Since we view these as the best ways to use water, we devote a large section of our site to understanding the different filtration systems available on the market as well as the different claims that these systems make. It is simply irresponsible for these companies to make claims that they cannot substantiate, especially when it comes to water safety, and that is where we come in to bring transparency and accountability to the water industry.
