Ritz-Carlton San Francisco Embraces Whole World Water Campaign Presented by Yves Behar

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

 

If a grim popular-science prediction holds any water the wars of the future won’t be over oil or diamonds – they will be over water.

 

To alleviate the looming danger, Whole World Water, a social enterprise founded by a documentary filmmaker Karena Albers, and Jenifer Willig of the (RED) campaign, encourages the hospitality and tourism industry to filter, bottle, and sell its own water. 10% of the proceeds will go to the Whole World Water Fund to benefit clean water programs around the world. The concerted effort will result in the estimated $1 billion contributed to the cause annually. 

 

Among the biggest supporters of the program are business leaders and artists known as prominent environmentalists and sustainability advocates – Richard Branson and David de Rothschild, designer Yves Béhar, actor Edward Norton, and writer Jonathon Porritt.

On World Water Day, the international hospitality groups such as The Ritz-Carlton, Banyan Tree, Yoo Hotels, and the TAO Group embarked on the Whole World Water campaign. The global initiative launch was celebrated in Mumbai, Soneva Fushi Resort in the Maldives, the Ulusaba Game Reserve in South Africa, The Savoy in London, TAO Asian Bistro in New York and at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco on March 22. 

 

To celebrate water in San Francisco, the new Parallel 37 restaurant located at The Ritz-Carlton’s recently renovated lobby, presented free flowing champagne and tasty bites crafted by Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Nathan Beriau and Executive Chef at Parallel 37 Michael Rotondo (photo).

 

Designer Yves Behar and Allen Highfield, General Manager of the Ritz Carlton, San Francisco – the hosts of the event – greeted their guests and spoke about the campaign goals. The partnership is dedicated to raising awareness of the 1 billion people without access to clean water and to helping eradicate this global issue.

“When The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company got approached about partnering with Whole World Water and I found out that over a billion people don't have drinkable water, I don't think I even read through half of the notification before I said yes to this partnership,” said Alan Highfield. “Starting in April we'll be donating 10% of water bottle sales to this program."

 

Commenting on the initiative, Yves Béhar (photo) said, “We were really fanatical and very excited about this particular project. It is rare that you can align a business model that is this compelling with a cause that is this obvious and this important to the world." He also invited the guests of the evening and of the hotel to keep and reuse a glass bottle with a hermetic cap and Whole World Water and The Ritz-Carlton logos. More information: www.wholeworldwater.co, www.ritzcarlton.com, www.parallel37sf.com.