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MAYOR'S EFFORTS SPUR NATIONAL, LOCAL ACTION TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOTTLE Minneapolis leads in funding water infrastructure, assessing waste from plastic bottles February 6, 2008 Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday February 8 local groups honored Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak for his commitment to strong public water systems and reducing plastic water bottle waste. In the last few years, Rybak has significantly invested in Minneapolis water quality, spearheaded an effort by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to review the impact of plastic water bottles on national municipal waste, and led a growing list of Minnesota politicians and experts to support the national Think Outside the Bottle Pledge. “The Pledge is a way for the City of Minneapolis to send the message that water is a public resource and a basic human right, not a commodity to be exploited at an overwhelming human and environmental cost,” said Amber Collett, Corporate Accountability International organizer. Grassroots education efforts and news reports have buoyed the Pledge launch and a string of actions by officials across the country. Since Mayor Rybak joined the national campaign, mayors from Santa Barbara to Boston have also signed on. States, counties, and cities nationwide are now reducing spending on, or cancelling bottled water contracts, and working to keep water resources under public control. Up to 40% of bottled water in fact comes from the same source as tap water, which is highly regulated for its safety to consumers. "Water is a public trust," said Mayor Rybak. “Minneapolis’s public water system is among the best anywhere. Minneapolis residents can be confident that when they turn on the tap, they are getting Grade A drinking water for just pennies a gallon. We are committed to this essential public service for years to come.” 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. Because of shortfalls cities are turning increasingly to private corporations to manage public water resources – sometimes at great expense to ratepayers and the overall quality of service. 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 fees to dump and incinerate plastic bottles alone. What’s more, making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions last year alone. The pledge drive will continue over the coming months and be used to support such efforts to mobilize communities and educate consumers about why they should choose the tap over the bottle. For more information visit http://www.ThinkOutsideTheBottle.org ### Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations -- like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria -- to stop abusive actions. For more information visit www.stopcorporateabuse.org.
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