In January, Washington DC added a $.05 tax on plastic bags in order to attempt to reduce plastic waste. The tax ended up having 2 great outcomes – 1) the number of plastic bags used dropped from a monthly average of 22.5 million to an astounding 3 million! 2) The tax generated $150k  in revenue that will be used to clean up a nearby river.

This is great! A small tax that will help change consumer thinking and an astronomical drop in plastic bag waste. Hopefully other locations will see these results and make the change as well…maybe a tax on bottled water??

Read the full story here

A blogger at Bon Apétit magazine recently complained about restaurants attempting to trick him into buying bottled water when all he wants is some lovely, refreshing tap water with ice in it. Instead, the waiters offer water without offering tap as an option at all. Most customers either didn’t notice the ruse, or didn’t care.

Here’s the scene, at a seafood restaurant in Las Vegas:

Tall Suit: “It looks like you don’t have any water yet. Can I get you flat or sparking?” Me: “Flat is fine, thanks.” Tall Suit: “Okay, I’ll bring you a bottle of flat.”

He starts to walk away. I’ve seen this trick before, so I catch him before he’s out of earshot.

Me: “Actually, we don’t need a bottle. Tap is fine.”
Tall Suit (thrown off): “Oh. Okay. Tap then.”

By not offering tap water as an option, it’s clear that he intended to trick us into buying a bottle of water. Judging from the amount of bottles of water at the tables around us, a lot of people fell for it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been through this routine at restaurants and, frankly, I’m tired of it.

I haven’t been through this routine, at least in the US, but maybe I don’t eat in nice enough restaurants. Have you experienced it?

I’m Sick of Restaurants Trying to Trick Me Into Buying Water [Bon Apétit]

Peter Gleick, President of the Pacific Institute and author of Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water, was on GMA today to talk about how the bottled water industry is a sham. It’s a short video but definitely hits on all the good points and it’s great to get that type of coverage and exposure. Check out the video here: GMA Bottled & Sold

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) held a Best of the Best – Tap Water Taste Test yesterday at their annual conference in Chicago.  This is the 5th year that the AWWA has held the competition in an attempt to prove that tap water is better than bottled water. There were a total of 21 municipal water sample finalists.  The 2010 winner was the Stevens Point Water Department in Wisconsin, 2nd place was awarded to New York City with Lincoln, NE and Silverdale, WA tying for 3rd!

A couple interesting facts about the competition:

• Silverdale, WA uses water from a 1,000-foot-deep aquifer that is so pure the water is pumped directly to homes without the utility treating it
• Stevens Point town motto is “City of Wonderful Water”
• The competition had 3 judges from the AWWA Taste and Odor Committee, with the same taste standards applied to the water as wine and beer taste competitions. This is serious stuff!

Read more here

To wean itself off of plastic and boost its “green” reputation, 40 of Ritz-Carlton’s 73 hotels will switch to plant-based, biodegradable material for their water bottles – a move that’s believed to be a first among hotel chains.

The hotels making the switch are in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Chainwide, the company goes through through about 5 million, 16-oz., water bottles per year, according to the Marriott-owned brand.

Ritz-Carlton hotels provide the bottled water to guests at jogging stations, in guestrooms for turn-down service and in pool areas. Valets also leave a bottle of water behind for a guest after retrieving their vehicle for them.

According to Ritz-Carlton’s press release: The new bottles are made 100% from plants, are all natural, can decompose in 30 days in a commercial composting facility, or can be reprocessed and remade 100% into new bottles. Making one new bottle uses 49% less fossil fuels, 45% less energy, and 75% less greenhouse gases than a classic bottle.

Read the full story at USA Today >>

For a few months, National Geographic has dedicated a section on their website to Fresh Water topics – including the implications of bottled water. They recently added an interview with Peter Gleick, author of Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. The points he makes are not altogether new but the facts are and it is definitely an interesting, quick read from an expert on bottled water waste.  He suggests that there are four reasons that bottled water grew in popularity:

1. Convenience
2. Disappearance of Drinking Fountains
3. Fear of Tap Water
4. Aggressive Marketing of Bottled Water and Against Tap Water

Read More: National Geographic: The Business of Bottled Water

Also, check out the National Geographic Fresh Water Section

We bash plastic bottles and the bottled water industry quite a bit here on BTB, but let’s not forget that plastic bags are just as wasteful and unneeded. California legislators seem to think so as well.

Last Friday,the California Assembly Appropriations Committee passed AB 1998 and will be voted on this Friday by the full Assembly.

If passed, the law would go into effect Jan. 1, 2012. Gov. Schwarzenegger has shown support for the move.

San Francisco made history when it became the first city to officially ban plastic shopping bags in 2007, making it a pioneer of the outlawing of common to-go plastic products.

Other cities in the Bay Area, including Oakland and Palo Alto, shortly followed suit.

However, if passed, AB 1998 would be the first statewide ban in history. Supporters say the bill would support the state’s efforts in reducing its waste.

“This legislation starts breaking our addiction to single-use plastic packaging, which has gotten completely out of control,” Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, told the Los Angeles Times.

[Read the full story on Tonic]

The results are in!

When asked the question: Has your bottled water consumption changed over time? 35.7% of the respondents say they don’t use it all, 33.4% said they use less than they use to! That’s great news, and even better news for the environment. Here are the full results – Question of the Day