by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
On the morning of May 5, 2009, New York Governor David Paterson issued an executive order phasing out state spending on bottled water in response to our grassroots efforts. It is the most comprehensive action taken by a governor to date, and it sets the standard for the 49 other governors we are urging to follow suit.
Even as water scarcity becomes an increasingly critical problem around the world, bottled water corporations would have us believe that the only place to get clean, safe water is from a bottle. But the fact is, our tap water is more highly regulated than bottled water -- and, as New York and countless other cities have demonstrated, going back to the tap is good for our communities and good for our pocketbooks.
There are even many that are as scrupulous as to talk of ethical bottled water because some of their profits help to bring clean water to the Third World. Talk of greenwashing or what.
I get sometimes completely misunderstood, on purpose, I believe, and those companies attacked will counter with the “fact” that they are using compostable water bottles. It is, however, not the bottles so much that I am complaining about – though they are included in the equation – but the fact that spring water (and municipal sourced water) is needlessly put into plastic bottles, the material of which also might not be good for health, and then sold at a horrendous price over the price of tap.
In most places in the Developed World there is nothing wrong with tap or even well water. If you do not like the taste, be this due to chlorine or lime scale, or whatever, get a jug filter or even better. That eliminates that problem and then get a nice reusable bottle of non BPA containing plastic, such as the “We Want Tap” one, or stainless steel one. There are enough choices about. Get away though from the bottled water, whether or not there is a percentage of the price that goes to this or that charity.
My concern, as said, is not so much the plastic bottles, though that is bad enough; it is the needless use of water.
© 2009
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Think Outside the Bottle success
THOUSANDS PLEDGE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOTTLE
Cities, celebrities, students, religious communities and environmental and corporate accountability organizations urge support for public water systems
A broad range of national and local organizations, cities, celebrities, student groups and communities of faith launched the Think Outside Bottle Pledge today calling on people to choose public tap over bottled water.
The Pledge supports the efforts of local officials to invest and build confidence in public water systems.
Momentum has been growing over the last year for cities and consumers to reevaluate corporate control of water sources, including city water systems. The explosive growth of the bottled water industry, fueled by misleading advertising, has contributed to a loss of confidence in public water systems.
However, scientific studies have shown that bottled water is on average no safer than tap water, and may sometimes be less safe, containing elevated levels of arsenic, bacteria and other contaminants.
What’s more, up to 40 percent of bottled water comes from the same source as tap water, which is highly regulated for its safety to consumers. In contrast, the bottled water industry is regulated by the FDA, which lacks the capacity to fully monitor bottled water plants and largely relies on bottlers to police themselves.
This summer the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution, with leadership from the mayors of San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Minneapolis, supporting municipal water systems. U.S. consumers currently spend $15 billion a year on bottled water. At the same time, there is a $22 billion funding gap between what cities need to spend on water infrastructure and the money available to them.
In the face of shortfalls, cities in the U.S. and around the world are turning increasingly to private corporations to manage public water systems – sometimes at great expense to the public and to the overall quality of service.
Bottled water also takes a toll on the environment, and city budgets. Last year, at least four billion pounds of plastic bottles ended up in city waste streams. It can cost cities more than $70 million in dumping and incineration fees alone. Furthermore, making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil last year and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The Pledge drive will continue over the coming months and be used to educate consumers about why they should choose the tap over the bottle.
