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Now that the local election is over, we can move on to something that may well be one of the few bright spots in our national behavior — a ban on bottled water.

Residents in Concord, Massachusetts voted last week to ban the sale of plastic water bottles in their town. The decision has prompted celebration from environmental activists and, predictably, objections from the bottled water industry.

The move is a victory for 82-year-old activist and Concord resident Jean Hill, who spearheaded the effort to ban the plastic bottles. She presented the Town Council with a slide show featuring photos of plastic polluting the ocean and mounting in garbage dumps. “All these discarded bottles are damaging our plant,” she said, “causing clumps of garbage in the oceans that hurt fish, and are creating more pollution on our streets.” Hill’s impassioned presentation swayed Town Council Chairman Stanly Black, who switched his initial vote against the ban, but still thinks the council probably doesn’t have the authority to ban the sale of bottled water.

I agree that the ban on the sale of a legal product probably won’t hold up in court, but I have long held that buying so much bottled water is a blot on our national intelligence and common sense. It took us at least 100 years to develop safe public water systems, so now we turn around and pay money for water in bottles. It’s stupid. I remember coming into the home of a local impoverished family not long ago and there on the kitchen table was a full carton of 24 water bottles. The single mother couldn’t pay the rent, but here was a big supply of bottled water she’d brought home from the grocery.

Having a water bottle has become like cell phones used to be — showing you are right up with the latest fashion. In the interests of full disclosure, I will admit I keep bottles of water in the refrigerator — two of them — to take to meetings. I fill them with tap water and cool them in the frig. (O.K., so I’m cheap, but it works.)

Predictably, the International Bottled Water Ass’n is fulminating against the ban and threatening a “legal challenge.” They declare that “Bottled water is a safe, healthy, convenient food product…and any actions that discourage or prevent consumers from drinking water…are not in the public interest.” O.K., get out that empty bottle and fill it up with tap water.

Whether the ban will be more than a symbolic move in Concord remains to be seen. It may only be like Don Quixote charging at windmills, but if you want to ride the windmill of stupidity with your bottled water — look out, here we come from la Mancha!

–Vic Jose

Vic Jose :: May.07.2010 :: Uncategorized ::

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