Providence Journal - Activists campaign in R.I. against bottled water

By Richard Salit
 
On the day before the start of the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting, activists gathered on the steps of the State House to urge officials in Rhode Island and across the country to step up efforts to reduce the nation's consumption of bottled water.

Members of Boston-based Corporate Accountability International called on Gov. Carcieri to order an end to state purchases of Poland Spring bottled water, which totaled at least $73,585, according to the advocacy group. But state Rep. Arthur Handy (D-Cranston), who spoke in support of the effort along with state Rep. Frank Ferri (D-Warwick), said the figure likely didn't include other brands of bottled water consumed at the State House.

The group on Monday also called on the U.S. mayors to vote at the conference in four days on a resolution to investigate how much water bottlers pay--and how much it costs communities--when bottlers sell public water for profit. Providence Mayor David Cicilline co-sponsored the resolution and another that the mayors passed last year calling on cities to phase-out spending on bottled water.

The activists say that the bottled water industry fills landfills and litters public places with discarded containers, consumes energy needed to produce and transport the product, wastes taxpayer money when purchased by governments and harms the reputation and revenues of public water systems.

"Opting for tap water is what's best for our environment, our pocketbooks and our long-term equitable access to this most essential resource," said Kristina Urquiza, director the advocacy group's Think Outside the Bottle campaign. "Tap water has, in fact, far more regulatory oversight than bottled water and public water systems are the backbone of our country's health, economic growth and well-being.

"Bottled water marketing has eroded confidence in our public water systems to the extent that one in five Americans drinks only bottled water, illustrating how many people believe the only place to get clean drinking water is from a bottle."

FAIR USE NOTICE  
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is available without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.