Bottled water www.(water what a waste)

photo wikipedia

by Scotland Willis

Massachusetts legislation House Bill 3515, Senate Bill 1480 for which the session ended July 31 2010(According to legislative sessions and rules ).  Further discussion on the matter of bottled water and soft drink deposit requirement(of .05 cents) is essentially moot.

Global not just you not just here
Throughout all of this, what rarely comes to the forefront is the impact of plastic on our environment.  Four out of five plastic bottles end up in a landfill, according to UN research. A Pool of plastic swirling in Pacific Ocean commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is visible evidence of how human activity affects the environment(wikipedia maps and description).  Both the manufacturing and disposal have a toxic environmental impact that last beyond your and my lifetime combined.  Perhaps a more effective approach would be to develop a campaign that consistently demonstrates the waste product, its path and the outcome of plastic bottle's aftermath.  Visibility of harmful affects just is not there, despite the discovery of a rubbish patch in the Atlantic as well.  Perhaps politics, plastics, and profits just don't mix- curious.  There should be a 10 cent deposit; there are proven results in other states at this level.  That is a fraction of the toll waste plastic is having on our environment and it is something we can achieve immediately.

Issues with the bottle bill
This bottle bill left out some important provisions in its current form nonetheless.  It did not cover bottles less than 16 ounces(specifically the bill refers to container sizes 16 oz. to 2 liters).  That is ludicrous.  Smaller bottles represent a majority of the container people walk around with daily as well as being the most common container sold at special events because they are easy to hold and store.  Exempting beverage companies from all sizes lesser than 16 ounces is a fatal flaw.  Why? Because if a bill does pass, they will merely begin promoting 15 oz and less bottles.  Worse 15.9 oz bottles.

Corporations need to have a greater sense of accountability for what human demand and activity has on the environment.  Beverage companies don't want to see(what amounts to a .03 cent increase) in handling fees because of the marginal additional cost, or the perceived added expense to the consumer.  What is most disconcerting is that these very same beverage companies will not hesitate to discover new gimmicks to increase their profits by raising the price.  Apparently they are very unfamiliar with the triple bottom line and within that context, corporate accountability.  Beverage companies just don't seem to care.

A little education in corporate responsibilityA basic notion of accountability in this instance might suggest that an organization profiting from the beverage market ( i.e. wastefully [editorial license] manufacturing and packaging municipal grade or lesser water- and call it pure) in bottled water, has a social responsibility( vis a vis corporate accountability) to give back to that from which I took.  Protecting the environment is an investment not a cost.  Damaging the environment is a cost, clearly greater than beverage companies care to realize, which comes from the manufacturing of plastic containers and the waste associated with them(about 2,500,000).  Profits over people, or profits over preservation, both compromise a triple bottom line.

Here is a good exercise for fellow consumers.  Visit the web site of each beverage company that services your area; find out what there mission statement is( these are the principles that guide their work); call them up and hold them accountable for what they promise or state in their mission if it is at all related to creating a sustainable environment, or preserving our natural resources.  Even if they claim to have a connection to the natural environment- hold them to it.

There is absolutely no excuse to allow beverage companies to escape their responsibility to protect the environment; nor should we as consumers allow them to.  So today, protest:   1. learn how safe your local municipal drinking water is (I have been drinking water from the City of Boston for years and I feel great) 2. buy a reusable water container.  They are relatively inexpensive as low as $4.99 and without harmful chemicals in most cases (read the label).

I don't buy bottled water or soft drinks.  If you have it within you, stop or write your beverage company and tell them to step up their commitment to the environment and to you.  Hold them accountable for the mess they are making- literally.  And tell Rep. Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge) and Sen. Cynthia Creem (D-Newton) 1. do not give up and 2. make the policy stronger.  Let them know that you will work to gain additional support to get this bill into legislation.

Green Note: Cement accounts for 5 to 8% of CO2 output, the 3rd largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. 

Scotland Willis is an environmental strategist, lecturer and advocate.  He is currently a working on a dual Masters at Tufts in Environmental Engineering and Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.  He is a management consulting in systems thinking and large scale change.  You can email him at scotland@clearstrategies.us. or visit the clear strategies web site