Silicon Valley elites are spending US$37 for less than three gallons of dangerous, unfiltered water — and it’s flying off the shelves
‘You can’t stop consenting adults from being stupid,’ say food safety experts ‘but, we should at least try’
By Kate Taylor
Silicon Valley is developing a “raw water” obsession.
In San Francisco, “unfiltered, untreated, unsterilised spring water” from Live Water is selling for US$36.99 for a 2.5 gallon jug — and flying off the shelves, the New York Times reported. Start-ups dedicated to untreated water are gaining steam. Zero Mass Water, which allows people to collect water from the atmosphere near their homes, has already raised US$24 million in venture capital.
People — including failed startup Juicero’s co-founder Doug Evans — are gathering gallons of untreated water from natural springs, venturing out onto private property by night to get the water. Evans told The Times that he and his friends brought 50 gallons of raw water to Burning Man.
“I’m extreme about health, I know, but I’m not alone with this,” Evans said. “There are a lot of people doing this with me. You never know who you’ll run into at the spring.”