city of seattle won’t buy bottled water… bout time!!!

i’m proud of you seattle (though i wished you did this way earlier!).
from the seattle times:
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“To cut down on trash and help the environment, the city of Seattle will stop buying bottled water, Mayor Greg Nickels announced Thursday.

The city could save as much as $58,000 a year, officials said, by not purchasing bottled water for events or water-cooler jugs for its workers.

“It is to really highlight the fact that Seattle has one of the best municipal water supplies in the country,” said Marty McOmber, the mayor’s spokesman. “When you look at the cost of bottled water, both in terms of financial costs and costs on the environment, it’s a pretty clear choice that using city water is a much better choice.”

Nickels on the Thursday signed an executive order, which says that producing bottles for U.S. consumers required more than 17 million barrels of oil, not including the fuel required to transport the bottles. Only one of 10 bottles is recycled, according to the city’s announcement.

The mayor also said that bottled water costs about $8 per gallon, compared to a gallon of tap water that costs a fraction of a penny.

Tap water in Seattle comes from the rain and snowpack in Cedar River and Tolt River watersheds, which are protected natural areas.

City workers still will be allowed to bring bottled water to work. Vendors who operate on city property, such as KeyArena and Seattle Center, will still be allowed to sell bottled water. The city also will make exceptions in emergencies.”

the story of stuff…

“…From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”
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i just watched this… i feel like poop (and subsequently, i will turn myself into compost when the time is right).  but more importantly, i am convicted to step up my role in advocating on behalf of this world! down w/ upgrading!!!

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