| Britain Bans Bottled Water | 26 March 08 |
 The British government is setting an environmental precedent by banning bottled water from all government offices, meetings, and other official business. The Department for Environment, along with four other departments, has already stopped offering bottled water. "The government is committed to sustainable operations across its estate and I have made this issue one of my key priorities for the civil service," said a statement from Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell. Environmental groups are applauding government action as tap water uses 300 times less energy to create and distribute than bottled water and produces much less waste. Green groups in London are encouraging restaurants and customers to ask for tap water to help reduced the heavy carbon footprint of bottled water. Environment Minister Phil Woolas said "it borders on morally being unacceptable" for Britons to spend so much on bottled water with worldwide water shortages, and while clean drinking water is readily available. View March 6, 2008 UK Yahoo News article View March 7, 2008 National Post article View March 6, 2008 Associated Free Press article Sources: UK News, National Post, Associated Free Press |
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