Join the botteld water free zones campaign

The campaign for bottled water free zones

Drinking water is one of the most precious natural resources on earth; access to drinking water is a universal human right. While demand for fresh water is growing, sources are limited and being increasingly threatened with pollution, contamination and overuse.

The bottled water industry is aggressively tapping into ground water and municipal water sources to fill plastic bottles with what is essentially a public resource, to make a private profit. As the fastest growing segment of the beverage industry, bottled water is quickly becoming the cutting edge of water privatization in North America.

There is a growing movement challenging the bottled water industry. Restaurants, City halls, school boards and unions have stopped using bottled water. Underpinning this is a rising awareness of the environmental, health, social and economic impacts of the bottled water industry and trend. Whether recognizing the ecological footprint (including the production, transportation and disposal of plastic bottles and the impacts of water takings), health concerns, weak regulatory structures, growing corporate control of a public resource, use of manipulative marketing or dizzying profits being made, the bottled water industry is being forced under a public microscope.

This campaign provides a method for concrete action within this movement – anyone can create a bottled water free zone. Be part of the movement to create bottled water free zones in classrooms, school boards, student unions and clubs, union locals, halls and buildings, public spaces like community centres, City buildings, parks and more!

MATERIALS FOR BOTTLED WATER FREE ZONES CAMPAIGN (attached):

1.Leaflet on how to create a bottled water free zone
2.Poster to identify the ‘zone’
3. www.insidethebottle.org [1] hosts a number of campaign tools for raising awareness of the environmental-health and social-economic impacts of the consumption of bottled water as well as the industry that can be used assupporting materials in pursuing zones.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

When succesful in creating a zone make sure to contact Andrea Harden, Water Campaigner, Polaris Institute to be included in the fast-growing database of zones
EMAIL: andi@polarisinstiute.org [2]
Tel: (613) 237-1717 x.102

Students: take action.

Start with creating a bottled water free zone in a classroom or meeting space then approach other student groups to spread these zones throughout your school or campus. Work with teachers to create a zone in their lounge or meeting room. Talk to your student union/council about passing a resolution to become bottled water free. Demand the public exposure of your school or universities’ beverage exclusivity contract – a corporate marketing tool for gaining access to a captive student ‘market’ and promoting the newest beverage superstar; bottled water. Share these materials with faculties, cafés and pubs on campus, talk to your universities’ conference services – aim for a campus-wide bottled water zone!

Community members: take action.

Are you tired of seeing empty water bottles littering your parks, green spaces, streets and garbage cans? Talk to friends, family and co-workers, community based groups and organizations about creating bottled water free zones. Pick a target such as a community centre, park, church or meeting hall. Work with your community group or association to develop a strategy to publicize the space as a bottled water free zone. With this example, choose other targets and spread these zones throughout your community. Challenge your elected representatives to set a precedent in support of tap water by creating bottled water free zones.

Union members: take action.

Approach your local executive about developing resolutions to create bottled water free zones in union buildings, halls and meeting spaces. Raise awareness of the bottle versus tap debate in your workplace and the need to challenge the corporate control of water and support water as a public resource and human right. Target public spaces in your workplace to become zones, reach out in your community with the message about putting the lid on bottled water and reclaiming public services one space at a time. Create zones in places such as community centres, parks, churches and meeting halls. Challenge your elected representatives to set a precedent in support of tap water by creating bottled water free zones.

Environmentalists: take action.

As quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer, bottled water is becoming "the environmentally incorrect Humvee of beverages." This is because there is a clear, more ecologically friendly alternative to this environmentally damaging trend – tap water. Approach an environmental group about becoming a bottled water free zone, work together on spreading these zones in your community. Pick a target such as a community centre, park, church or meeting hall. Work with an environmental group to develop a strategy to convert the space into a bottled water free zone. With this example, choose other targets and spread these zones throughout your community. Challenge your elected representatives to set a precedent in support of tap water by creating bottled water free zones.