You’d be forgiven for thinking that bottled water is the con of the century. Getting people to pay real dollars for something that is practically free makes one good trick. But the cost to the consumer is far outweighed by the cost to the environment.
The raw materials, usually from petroleum, and energy required to make and transport these little bottles of pointlessness are just the start. Once plastic gets into the environment it begins, albeit slowly, to break down. Eventually it reaches the oceans, where plastic pollution poses a major threat to marine life.
Banning bottled water entirely might raise objections, but San Francisco has come up with a compromise – banning sale of the stuff at certain major public events and on some public properties.
The state government is still deciding. Encourage them to go ahead with this obviously sensible plan.
We the undersigned ask that you go ahead with the proposed ban on bottled water. The environmental cost of plastic water bottles is substantial and this would be a move in the right direction, showing the state to be a leader on environmental issues.
Since the ban would only affect public properties and events, nobody can raise the objection that it infringes consumer rights, and the environmental benefits make it well worthwhile.
We would be delighted to see this sensible plan going through.
