[Updated March 2023]

For your trip to Paris, did you add “see the sparkling water fountains” to your to-do list?

I know I did! Although there’s reportedly one fontaine pétillante in each of the 20 arrondissements in Paris, I didn’t see a single fountain that dispensed sparkling water when I visited.

There are Wallace Fountains in Paris and around the world. I found the one in Los Angeles, California in 2021.

It’s no big deal when you consider all of the heartbreaking stories about people in the world who cannot access one of life’s basic needs: clean water! Whether it’s due to natural scarcity, poorly maintained infrastructure, or political interference, the global water crisis is completely mind blowing! For instance:

How you can help provide water for all

Today (March 22) is World Water Day and here are a few things you can do to help because water scarcity is a global crisis that cannot be ignored.

  • Appreciate your access to clean water
  • Donate money to a water-related organization, like Water.org
  • Increase awareness by reading more about water scarcity and talking to others about it
  • Recognize that bottled/canned water is a luxury
  • Reduce your water use
  • Run for fun in support of a water-related charity

…And Savor the experience when you finally encounter that fountain of sparkling water in Paris because what flows from it truly is what makes it a big deal.

[Originally published March 2019]