Rico'sAlice
06-25-2007, 02:32 PM
"San Francisco bans bottled water for city staff"
Thirsty San Francisco city workers will no longer have bottled water to drink under an order by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who says it costs too much, worsens pollution and is no better than tap water.
Newsom's executive order bars city departments, agencies and contractors from using city funds to serve water in plastic bottles and in larger dispensers when tap water is available.
[snip]
Newsom estimates San Francisco could save $500,000 a year under his directive, which also addresses environmental concerns over the amount of oil used to make and transport plastic water bottles.
[snip]
The ban on the ubiquitous plastic bottles follows a prohibition in March by city officials on plastic shopping bags in large supermarkets because recycling efforts had largely failed.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2530913020070625
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I think is great from an environmental point of view. And for good budgeting as well. On a personal level if I were a city worker there it would mean I'd have to remember to bring in filtered or well water in a Sigg bottle or something since I am guessing SF fluoridates their drinking water. But that's no biggie.
I don't think (?)there are really any civil liberties-type arguments to make since despite the article's title, it's not a "ban" so much as it is an refusal to fund. But I am assuming that someone could bring their own plastic bottled water if it meant that much to them.
I am also digging the ban on the grocery bags. The two grocery stores I usually shop at refuse to carry them. Dh is from Germany and it seems that in Europe everywhere you grocery shop you bring your own bags. They either don't offer plastic bags at all or else charge a bunch for them.
Thirsty San Francisco city workers will no longer have bottled water to drink under an order by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who says it costs too much, worsens pollution and is no better than tap water.
Newsom's executive order bars city departments, agencies and contractors from using city funds to serve water in plastic bottles and in larger dispensers when tap water is available.
[snip]
Newsom estimates San Francisco could save $500,000 a year under his directive, which also addresses environmental concerns over the amount of oil used to make and transport plastic water bottles.
[snip]
The ban on the ubiquitous plastic bottles follows a prohibition in March by city officials on plastic shopping bags in large supermarkets because recycling efforts had largely failed.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2530913020070625
----------------
I think is great from an environmental point of view. And for good budgeting as well. On a personal level if I were a city worker there it would mean I'd have to remember to bring in filtered or well water in a Sigg bottle or something since I am guessing SF fluoridates their drinking water. But that's no biggie.
I don't think (?)there are really any civil liberties-type arguments to make since despite the article's title, it's not a "ban" so much as it is an refusal to fund. But I am assuming that someone could bring their own plastic bottled water if it meant that much to them.
I am also digging the ban on the grocery bags. The two grocery stores I usually shop at refuse to carry them. Dh is from Germany and it seems that in Europe everywhere you grocery shop you bring your own bags. They either don't offer plastic bags at all or else charge a bunch for them.