Water

Published on October 15th, 2010 | by Ryan Van Lenning

4

Taking Back the Tap: One Oregon County Shuns the Bottle

“Buying bottled water is more expensive than buying gas,” says Commissioner Barbara Willer of the Multnomah County Board in Oregon.

Willer joined the other commissioners in a unanimous decision to ban the purchase of bottled water with county funds, making Multnomah County the first county in Oregon to do so.  Going forward, the county will serve water from the tap at county functions and promote the use of reusable metal water bottles.

This is all around great news.  Not only is it a win for water conservation and the environment, it will save the county some $20,000-$30,000 a year.

One of my all-time favorite organizations, Food & Water Watch, is also participating in Change.org’s Blog Action Day.  Today Rich Bindell tells more about the Multnomah resolution in the context of other bottled water battles across the nation. A spate of recent struggles and victories demonstrates that communities across the country are waking up to the enormous boondoggle that bottled water represents.  Multnomah joined Food & Water Watch’s national campaign to Take Back the Tap.

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Tags: blog action day 2010, bottled water bans, Multnomah County, Oregon, take back the tap, water, water conservation

About the Author

Ryan Van Lenning I'm a Bay Area writer and organizer focusing on issues of sustainability and social justice. I'm particularly passionate about urban agriculture & food justice, sustainable cities, alternative economics, clean energy, and eco-justice for all. I try to focus on citizen action and positive successful projects and ideas. I have worked for nonprofits advocating for sustainable transportation and peace issues and taught environmental ethics, philosophy, and comparative religion at a college in Ohio before moving to the Bay Area. When I'm not engaged in yerba mate fueled ink-slinging, you can find me traveling, organic gardening, participating in a local demonstration or direct action, or hiking the trails. I also write for Oakland Local, Truthout, Matador Change, and Terrain Magazine. Follow me at @vanlenning and visit my blogs at Pull the Root, Travelin' Bones, and Rumi and the Cholo.

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