Today, Canadians across the country are participating in Canada’s first Bottled Water Free Day. Organised by the Canadian Federation of Students, Sierra Youth Coalition and the Polaris Institute, Bottled Water Free Day is intended to raise awareness about the negative impacts of bottled water.

“Across the country students are standing up against the wasteful bottled water industry,” said Noah Stewart, National Deputy Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. “Tired of having to pay Coca Cola, Pepsi or Nestle for a drink of water we’re calling on schools to ban the sale of bottled water and re-invest in water fountains.”

Highlights of Bottled Water Free Day include:

• Events on more than 60 university and college campuses across the country;
• An announcement that Ryerson University will stop selling and distributing bottled water;
• The public release of documents, obtained through an Access to Information request, showing that the CBC spent nearly $500,000 on bottled water between 2004 and 2008.

“The success of Bottled Water Free Day shows the strength of the back-to-the-tap movement,” says Elly Adeland, Water and Energy Campaigner for the Polaris Institute. “Bottled Water sales in North America have plummeted and across the country Canadians are pledging to kick the bottle – clearly the tap is making a comeback.”

Bottled Water Free Day is taking place after years of escalating bottled water backlash in Canada. To date 76 municipalities, 4 municipal associations (including the Federation of Canadian Municipalities), 8 school boards, 5 university campuses and countless businesses have implemented restrictions on bottled water.

For a full list of events and endorsing organisations visit: www.bottledwaterfreeday.ca

[via polarisinstitute.com]

Here is a GREAT example of student and faculty taking a proactive approach to the Bottled Water issue – EDUCATING! Professors from The College of William and Mary in Virginia presented economical, environmental, historical & philosophical points on the current bottled water situation.  In addition, Curtis Etherly, the Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications at Coca-Cola,  joined the forum.  You know the Coca-Cola Enterprise that owns Dasani water?! Mr. Etherly spoke first  and gave examples of how his company is attempting to reduce their carbon footprint by creating bottles that are lighter and using 327 hybrid trucks. Interesting…..

This unique event was actually sponsored by an even cooler campaign “Do One Thing” (DOT).  The campaign encourages students to make one sustainability-related change in their lives and to publicly by held responsible by posting their change on their facebook page. 

Interesting, quick read – super good points and ideas for other to use!

Dog Street Journal

Unlike our friends in Washington, landfills in North Carolina seem a little less dense these days.

The mid-Atlantic state recently banned disposing plastic bottles in landfills to help reduce trash and encourage recycling. This has become a practical issue in rural towns where curbside recycling is not offered. Winston-Salem Journal reports on how the problem was solved in one county. The president of Rural Garbage Services Inc. offered to pick them up for free: “In order to recycle their plastics, people in those areas would have to take them to one of the county’s three recycling centers…Parrish came up with a solution for his customers: His company would pick up the bottles from its customers for free.” Nice guy.

Although people could just hide the bottles in their trash, the law does seem to be having a positive effect.

More plastic bottles have been dropped off at the county’s three centers since the landfill bottle ban was imposed, according to the City-County Utilities Division. From a monthly average of around 14,000 pounds of plastic for the period from September 2008 to September 2009, collections have risen to an average of about 19,000 a month for the first three months since the ban went into effect.

[via TreeHugger]

British environmentalist David de Rothschild is planning to sail the Pacific on a boat made of 12,500 drinks bottles.

Mr de Rothschild, 31, the youngest son of renowned financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and part of the de Rothschild banking dynasty, will sail his 60-foot catamaran Plastiki from San Francisco to Australia in March.

Mr de Rothschild, a keen explorer and renewable energy campaigner, will use the voyage as a bold publicity stunt to drawn attention to the waste that plastic creates and how little it is recycled.

An active environmentalist, Mr de Rothschild founded Adventure Ecology in 2005, an eco-charity intended to raise awareness of the plight of the environment.

He plans to sail down toward Mexico and across the Pacific, stopping off at the island of Kiritimati, formerly known as Christmas Island.

The twin hulls of the boat are made from 12, 500 soft drink and water bottles, filled with dry ice.

Mr de Rothschild spent months collecting empty drinks bottles while building the boat in San Francisco, before it first set sail for a test run in early December 2009.

He will sail along with fellow Brit Jo Royle, who will be the ship’s captain, and six other crew members.

Source [thejc.com]

Students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, are doing their part to help reduce their plastic footprint by initiating a campus-wide plastic bottle plan this winter.

In a typical year, Brown University distributes as many as 250,000 bottles of water on campus. After some students started campaigning against using the bottles, the total dropped by 40,000.

By this time next year, some students hope the total will be zero.

That is the goal of the Beyond the Bottle Campaign, a student-run effort to eliminate bottled water on campus.

Continue Reading on www.projo.com >>

Recently several groups have called the governement out on the carpet about their frivilous spending on bottled water.  Corporate Accountability International cited that in 2008 state agencies spent over $525,000 on bottled water 5-gallon jugs.  While smaller cities and towns service fewer people, their cost could be less than $100. But it still begs the question – how are we supposed to feel good about our water if the government doesn’t even drink the tap water?!?  Leading by example is always the first step when trying to help initiate Ban the Bottle campagins.  Take San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, St. Louis and Seattle – all have lead by example and made it illegal to spend government money on bottled water.  Support your public water system – ban the bottle!

Read the entire article here – http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/regional/x1439500979/Group-criticizes-state-for-spending-more-than-500-000-on-bottled-water

 Still looking for a gifts for the holidays? Klean Kanteen has a great promotion  – Free Shipping on orders over $75!

Check it out! -  www.kleankanteen.com

A Fashion Trend Meets a Watery Grave – take some to time to read this interesting Wall Street Journal opinion article about the demise of “fancy water” by Eric Felton.  

“For a little while, carrying a bottle of water was the very symbol of fashionable health-consciousness. But fashions change: Now bottled water is the eco-equivalent of last year’s frock. And so none other than the Environmental Working Group was on Capitol Hill last month mounting a full-throated campaign against the stuff. The thrust was that, hey, if you run tap water through a filter, it isn’t really so bad after all—and quite the bargain too!”