I recently read in Treehugger that the residents of Concord, MA voted to ban the sale of bottled water by next January. This is the first town in the country to take this action. Judging by the 781 Diggs and 69 comments (and still growing) the article has gotten, I would say environmentalists across the country are rejoicing. However, I can’t help but think banning bottled water is not the right approach.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a big ole’ treehugger. I did not get the nickname Hugga for nothing. Unless I am on the verge of dehydration, I always turn bottled water down. I opt for a reusable stainless steel bottle and rarely leave home without one. In fact, I am the proud owner of over a dozen reusable drinking vessels (purchased 25% of them and the rest have been gifts or freebies). I have a container for any occasion or beverage (my favorites are tap water, coffee, and beer).
Unfortunately, I don’t think banning bottled water is the right approach and in some cases may even backfire. Here are a few reasons why.
Concord borders the towns of Carlisle, Bedford, Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland, and Acton. If someone in Concord wants bottled water, they can easily find it in a neighboring town or the nearest Costco (Waltham, 6 miles from Concord’s town center).
One can argue that this law will spark a wave of towns and cities across the country banning bottled water. There is no doubt that other progressive towns will follow. However, if anyone thinks the bottled water industry will lie down without a fight, they are sadly mistaken. There are billions of dollars in profits at stake and the giants in the industry will be ready to spend large sums to battle this in court and in public. I don’t know of many small towns or even large cities that will want to increase the tax burden of residents to win this fight.
In addition, a law like this adds more fuel to the fire to the other extreme, e.g. Rush Limbaugh. I’d be surprised if Rush hasn’t already gone on a rant about how those liberals in Concord, MA are trying to take away personal freedoms and liberties. He may have even made the argument that bottled water is safer and better for people and the environment than tap water. While the latter may be hard to believe, Limbaugh did make the following comment regarding the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico “This [oil] spill is nothing more than an opportunity for the Left to continue to attack this country.” While Limbaugh may not actually believe what he says, millions of people follow his words like the gospel.
I could go on, but I will leave it at that. I definitely think there are times when regulation is important. However, there are also times when the free market is the best solution. If there are enough people in Concord, MA that do not want bottled water sold in their town, here is my advice: don’t buy it. If people are not buying, stores will stop stocking it on their shelves.
I think it is important for people to remember that voting does not only take place at the polls. Every time you spend a dollar or refrain from doing so, you voice an opinion. Don’t underestimate the power of the almighty dollar to make the change you want to see.
P.S. To learn more about the bottled water industry, listen to this May 17 interview by NPR’s Terry Gross with Peter Gleick, author of the recently released book, Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting article. I’m not sure that banning bottle water is a bad idea. Many communities have successfully banned plastic bags in grocery stores. It’s definitely true that we should phase out our use of bottled water, because of the huge environmental impacts, and to help protect our tap water supply. Bottled water is less regulated than tap water and so not necessarily any safer. The best choice is to use a state-of-the-art water ionizer at home to purify your tap water. Because that option is easily available now, it seems like banning bottled water may be a good idea.
Thanks for the comment. I agree that something needs to be done to address the environmental impacts of bottled water. However, I really question if banning it will do anything. The bottled water industry will put up too big of a fight. It will get too expensive for municipalities to battle in court.
Banning plastic bags is a completely different situation because consumers do not purchase them. Plus there is a readily available replacement, disposable paper bags.
I do not support the use of bottled water, I just think that solving the problem will require much more creativity than banning it.
I agree with you – I’m not sure an all-out ban is the answer – though I don’t advocate the purchase and consumption of bottled water either. But I think to say that we shouldn’t ban it because the bottled water companies will put up too big of a fight is a bit defeatist. I’m sure there is a more creative solution, but history shows that when enough people band together, they can accomplish anything. I think environmentalists are just as able to put up a fight as the bottled water companies they are battling. They just have to overcome the state of apathy that many people in our country have become prey to.
There are favorable reasons both for and against a bottled water ban. I actually recently wrote an article on this topic called, “Should Universities Ban Bottled Water.” Check it out if you get a chance: http://www.filtersfast.com/Ban-bottled-water.asp. Let me know what you think. I actually had Tom Lauria, of the International Bottled Water Association refute the points made in favor of a ban, but I’m still looking for someone to take on the other side of the debate… if you’d like to, you can e-mail me at selwa@filtersfast.com and we can set it up. Tom’s response is here, if you want to read it: http://www.filtersfast.com/Bottled-Water-Versus-Tap-Water.asp. Enjoy!
Thanks for your thoughts Selwa. This is definitely an interesting topic and I think we are going to see some heated debates on it over the next few years.