Follow up - Ottawa community forum: Is bottled water safe?
Polaris Institute - Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Ottawa’s community forum: ‘Is Bottled Water Safe’ was a success! Pannelists gave interesting and engaging presentations. Aaron Freeman, Policy and Campaigns Coordinator with Environmental Defence addressed the perils of plastics including how much water it takes to produce plastic bottles and the chemicals leached from bottles. Karin Jordan, Senior Communications Officer with CUPE National discussed the increasing threats of privatization to Canada’s public water services and how the bottled water industry is a partner in this process by undermining public trust in tap water and setting the precedent of water as a commodity. Tony Clarke, Director of Polaris Institute, gave an overview of the bottled water industry focusing on environmental-health and social-economic issues as well as addressing the growing movement challenging this industry.
Following presentations, participants engaged in two lively workshop sessions focussed on outlining one to two practical steps that can be taken in the Ottawa community to address the issues raised by the panellists. In the final plenary, several ideas were outlined for starting a campaign to encourage the City of Ottawa to stop purchasing and distributing bottled water in City-owned buildings.
This forum was sponsored by Polaris Institute in collaboration with Environmental Defence, CUPE District Council, Ottawa, Environmental Working Group of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, OTESHA Project, the Ottawa Social Planning Council and Ottawa Riverkeeper.
Since the forum, the Ottawa Water Study Action Group (OWSAG) met Oct. 17th to discuss how to move forward with this plan. OWSAG is currently distributing letters that citizen’s of Ottawa can sign in support of Ottawa’s City Council to:
1. Stop purchasing and distributing bottled water in City-owned buildings and official functions;
2. Encourage the use of public drinking fountains in the City Hall building and elsewhere, where water fountains have been removed, develop a plan to reinstate them; and
3. Encourage the consumption of municipal tap water by all means possible.
Please print [pdf file: 0.03mb] and either mail or drop off completed statement before Monday, November 26, 2007 to:
The Polaris Institute
180 Metcalfe Ave, Suite 500
Ottawa ON K2P 1P5
Print this page - Email this page