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City Restaurants Tapped Out on Bottled Water Citywide Action is Taken to ''Think Outside the Bottle'' For Immediate Release: Contact: CHICAGO - The Balanced Kitchen, along with Clarke’s, Ina’s and The Heartland Café, announced today its decision to serve tap water rather than bottled water as part of a wider effort to promote the use of Chicago’s high quality tap water. The move is part of a nationwide effort, dubbed "Think Outside the Bottle," that exposes the environmental and social impacts of bottled water. "Water is more than just something we pour in a class," said Josh Alper of the Balanced Kitchen. "We rely on good water quality and a clean environment for the success of our local suppliers and farmers. So it’s in our restaurant’s and our customers’ best interest to protect the primary resource behind our business. Fortunately, using Chicago’s high quality tap water instead of bottled water also saves our patrons money." Bottled water, now a $15 billion industry, began its boom when it appeared on the menus of high-end restaurants. The restaurant industry is now turning back the clock in Chicago, following the example of prominent restaurateurs like Mario Batali (Del Posto) and Alice Waters (Chez Panisse). Ina’s, Clarke’s and the Heartland Café are among other restaurants in Chicago that have pledged to think outside the bottle. The restaurants’ announcement compliments Mayor Richard M. Daley’s recent decision to stop using bottled water in municipal offices. Cities across the country are canceling bottled water contracts to save taxpayer money, reduce waste, and better support the Chicago water system. Their efforts counter the bottled water marketing that has eroded confidence in public water systems, even though tap is more highly regulated than bottled water. "The bottom line is that water is a public trust," said Noelle Janka, Chicago Organizer for Corporate Accountability International. "When it is treated as a commodity instead of a shared natural resource, our democracy, health and environment suffer." For more information on Think Outside the Bottle, city and restaurant actions across the country, and for facts about bottled water, visit 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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