Press Release: Providence Restaurants Join Mayor in Eliminating Bottled Water

For Immediate Release:  October 24, 2008
Contact:  Sara Joseph, 617-784-5278

PROVIDENCE, RI — Leading restaurants and Mayor Cicilline met today at the Local 121 to announce plans to stop purchasing bottled water. These moves are part of a national groundswell led by the Think Outside the Bottle campaign, and part of an effort to raise awareness about the quality of local tap water.

“Bottled water corporations are convincing us that the only place to get clean, safe water is by buying it from Coke or Pepsi and drinking it out of a bottle,” said Deborah Lapidus, National Organizer with Corporate Accountability International, the group leading the Think Outside the Bottle effort.  “But the fact is, bottled water has social and environmental impacts:  it’s bad for taxpayers, it’s bad for our public water systems, and it’s bad for the environment.”

The Think Outside the Bottle campaign has catalyzed businesses, universities, faith groups, major hospital chains, and more than 33,000 individual people to opt for tap water over bottled water.  From Providence to Los Angeles, dozens of prominent restaurants have taken the Think Outside the Bottle pledge.

“Restaurants like ours have always showcased the highest standards of cuisine and new culinary innovations,” said Josh Miller, a Rhode Island State Senator and owner of three bottled-water-free restaurants.  “By not serving bottled water, we are also modeling best practices when it comes to protecting the natural environment and resources that we rely on for our business.”

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, following the example of prominent restaurateurs like Mario Batali (Del Posto) and Alice Waters (Chez Panisse). Five restaurants in Providence have taken the pledge, including Local 121, Benders Caffe, the Hot Club, Trinity Brewhouse, and the Garden Grill. 

The announcement comes on the heels of a sweeping resolution passed at the U.S. Conference of Mayors which encourages a national phase-out of city spending on bottled water. 

Mayor Cicilline was a co-sponsor of the U.S. Conference of Mayors resolution over the summer.  Today the Mayor announced that the City will no longer spend taxpayer funds on single-serve units of bottled water. 

"Bottled water sends the wrong message about our public water systems," said Mayor Cicilline. "Our tap water is among the best in the world and to keep it that way we need to continue to invest in it, not in generating mountains of plastic bottle waste."

For a complete list of all cities, businesses, and schools that have taken action with the Think Outside the Bottle campaign, visit www.ThinkOutsideTheBottle.org.