Historic town changes mind about historic bottled water ban… in unhistoric fashion

One year after making international headlines as the first town in the United States—and possibly the world—to ban the sale of bottled water, voters at the annual Town Meeting in Concord, Massachusetts last week rejected the water bottle ban, passing instead a proposal educating Concord citizens about the environmental impacts of water bottles.

The initial ban, passed in April 2010, was set to go into effect on January 1, 2011, but the state attorney general’s office said it was written as a bylaw that could not be enforced. The measure voted on this week would have addressed that specific problem, but it would not have protected the town against probable lawsuits from industry groups.

“The cost of defending ourselves against such a lawsuit could be steep,” Jeff Wieand, chairman of the Concord Board of Selectmen, told the Boston Globe. “It’s possible we could get a law firm to defend us pro bono, but if that didn’t happen it would be a significant expense for the town.”

Known as the home of environmentalist Henry David Thoreau, it seemed fitting last spring when citizens of Concord approved the anti-establishment water bottle ban. But Concord is also known for being host to the first battle of the American Revolution. And ultimately it was not only the cost of likely litigation that won out over environmentalism, it was also the cause of liberty, or so said the bill’s opponents.

Whichever historical metaphor one applies to this story, it is safe to say that the protagonists in neither would be very impressed with the (small d) democratic tendencies in Concord, population 17,000, as evidenced by voter turnout at Town Meeting. A total of 537 residents voted on the measure at the Town Meeting; 272 opposed the ban and 265 supported it.

But in all fairness to Concordians, the bill came up for consideration late in the evening, around 11 p.m., after many residents had already gone home, according to Jean Hill, who filed the petition to ban the water bottles. Hill says the battle she’s fighting for the environment is not over yet.

“I’m coming back next year. I’m 83 and I’m tough. I don’t give up,” said Hill.

Maybe those historical metaphors are appropriate after all.

Article by Timothy Hurst, appearing courtesy ecopolitology.

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Concerned by the environmental impact of water bottles, the 2,500 villagers of Bundanoon have now banned the sale of bottled water. This might make them the first community in the world to do so.  More than 350 residents went to the polls, with only two people voting against the ban – including a representative from the bottled water industry, BBC reports citing ABC news. Even the local stores supported the vote. Visitors won’t get punished for breaking the ban, but they will be “encouraged to fill a reusable container from water fountains in the main street.” Neat!

The vote was initiated in response to plans by a beverage company to tap a local underground reservoir, fill the bottles in Sydney, and then bring them back to Bundanoon in order to sell them. Confronted on a personal level by the absurdity of the proposal, the villagers realized what kind of environmental impact bottled water has and decided not to support the plans. The move inspired Nathan Rees, Premier of New South Wales, who advised all government departments to stop buying bottled water and using tap water instead. Nice move!

I believe the villagers of Bundanoon have set an example that will hopefully soon be followed by other communities around the world. The impact of bottled water on health and the environment is tremendous. The glass bottle industry in many countries is ripe for innovation in the manufacturing, packaging, recycling, and refilling stages. Similarly, chemicals added to plastic bottles are increasingly being absorbed by humans, plastic debris is being ingested by animals, and plastic in landfills is adding harmful chemicals to groundwater.

A compromise to banning bottled water altogether is to further develop and market biodegradable bottles, come up with less harmful forms of plastic, and improve both plastic and glass bottle recycling. Companies like Phoenix-based ENSO are already offering bottles that are biodegradable in aerobic (compost) and anaerobic (landfill) environments. Leaving no harmful materials behind and being recyclable with standard PET bottles, the bottles offer a sustainable alternative based on clean technology.

It’s time to move bottled water onto the center stage, drive consumer behavior change and agree on metrics to reduce the environmental impact of bottled water worldwide. Wouldn’t it be nice if the G8 agreed on that…?!

[photo credit: Flickr]

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