Cities Moving to Reduce Bottled Water

Most of us have heard the arguments on why bottled water is bad for us. There are a chain of associated negative environmental impacts in the bottled water business, from the production of plastics and water extraction to the distribution and disposal of water bottles.

The world's cities are increasingly taking action. Last week, the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced it will conduct an investigation into the cost of water bottling for cities. A resolution approved by Canada’s national federation of municipalities in March has dozens of Canadian cities phasing out the purchase of bottled water.

A New York Times article this month spotlights Venice, Italy, which, like Paris, is engaged in a battle with bottled-water companies. The city launched an innovative ad campaign that includes the distribution of free, re-usable glass carafes containing tap water to help convince their residents that it's as good as bottled water. In Paris, a similar effort used stylish carafes for tap water. The bottle, designed by renowned fashion designer Pierre Cardin, features an etching of the Eiffel Tower and the label "Eau," which means water in French and is the name of the city’s water company.

Venetian officials report a monthly decline in plastic waste by 26 tons since their effort began. While in France, home to some of the world’s most important bottled water producers like Evian and Perrier, anti-bottled water campaigns helped lower national consumption of bottled water by 7.5 percent last year.