Environmental issues surrounding bottled water lead to new attitudes, say activists

A move to ban the sale of bottled water in all municipal buildings might become necessary as cities strive to meet lofty environmental targets, says a New Brunswick advocate for the environment.

"A municipal ban is certainly an option," said Alycia Morehouse, co-ordinator of the Green Matters campaign for the City of Fredericton.

She said efforts to inform city residents about environmental issues such as bottled water consumption are helping to change attitudes about waste in the community.

"We're taking a voluntary approach so that when we do institute a ban, it will be better accepted," she said.

"It's about public awareness, education, getting the community involved, and encouraging people to make good decisions."

Several cities across Canada are waging a new war on bottled water consumption, voting overwhelmingly to ban the bottle.

City councillors in London, Ont., voted 15-3 this week to give bottled water the boot from all municipal buildings in which water fountains are readily accessible, including recreation centres, arenas and golf courses.

City officials say the ban will help reduce energy consumption, adding it takes 150 times more greenhouse gas to produce bottled water than it does for tap water.

Similar bans are also being considered in other Canadian cities such as Ottawa, Vancouver, and Kitchener, Ont.

"We're aware of the trends and watching what other cities are doing," said Paul Thomson, spokesman for the City of Moncton.

"There's a lot of interesting and unique things going on."

Thomson said a decision to ban bottled water in municipal facilities would have to come from city council.

"It may happen at some point," he said. "It's on our radar screen."

There is already a quiet movement afoot among employees to limit use of bottled water, said Thomson.

Bottled water is available from vending machines in municipal buildings throughout Moncton and Fredericton.

Almost three in 10 households reported drinking bottled water in 2006, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.

Meanwhile, Canadians' penchant for bottled water consumption increased from 28.4 litres to 66 litres from 1998 to 2006 with sales topping $650 million, suggests data from the Canadian Marketing Corporation.

Justin Sherwood, president of Refreshments Canada, a trade association representing manufacturers of non-alcoholic beverages, said the bottle ban in London is a "symbolic gesture" that does little to improve recycling efforts.

Sherwood said he questions whether municipal governments are best positioned to steward policy on bottled-water consumption.

"This is about consumer choice," he said.

"It ignores one of the basic premises of our society which is we have the right to choose what we consume."

Meanwhile, environmentalists hope the decision by London City Council will spur other communities to rekindle their love affair with the local water supply.

"People are beginning to wake up to the fact that they've been sold a bottle of water when you can get it out of the tap," said David Coon of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

"People are increasingly realizing that the water isn't coming from some pristine stream in the wilderness. It's often coming from municipal water supplies."

Coon said New Brunswickers would drink more water from the tap if bottled water was less available.