Banning bottled water not such an easy job
August 10, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, News
The controversy over banning bottled water has generated a lot of heated rhetoric. But in the real world, those who try to do it have discovered that there’s no quick and easy solution.
Timberland CEO Jeff Swartz found out by trial and error that implementing such a ban has turned out to be much harder to do than it sounds.
He reveals in his company’s blog, Earthkeepers, some of the hard lessons involved in trying to become a green company. He reports that he was initially “psyched” when he decided to ban bottled water at the company’s headquarters.
Then the reality kicked in. Instead of a quick ban, Swartz was hit with all sorts of practical problems, such as:
- What do we do with the existing inventory of bottled water — do we throw that out?
- What about plastic soda bottles in vending machines? Are we banning those too?
- Do you want to buy more glasses so we can drink the tap water?
- What about adding more dishwashers to clean those glasses?
You get the picture. As Swartz worked through all these issues, he realized there’s a place for bottled water, and a place for plastic, and good ol’ tap water too.
You can read his blog post here.
Swartz’s real-world experiences may pour cold water on the hopes of an upcoming advocacy campaign that’s purposefully spreading lies about the evils of bottled water. Click here for that story.
Tags: bottled water, Earthkeepers, Timberland
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August 13th, 2009 at 10:08 am
We have installed a water cooler than runs off the tap water. It is similar to reverse osmosis system that you can install on your sink at home. We do not provide plastic cups for it’s use. Our employees have their own drinking cups and they are responsible to wash them when done.
As far as the plastic bottles and cans out of the vending machine, we recycle those. We keep a large rubbermaid trash can marked bottles and cans. When it is full we take to the recycler and we then use the money for office parties or cakes for employee birthdays. It is an office effort and it is working for us. We also break down and recycle cardboard boxes that we receive for shipments of office supplies and printer paper. It takes very little time to do this.
We are all getting use to recylcing at home with separating regular trash from garden waste and recyclables, (at least here in California we are) so the adjustment to recycling at work is not a major issue.
I hope you can use our ideas for your office. Good luck.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:24 am
If we are going to ban “bottled water.” Then we need to ban ALL DRINKS included soft drinks in plastic bottles. Why isn’t anyone mentioning bottled drinks, sodas, etc?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I find it hard to believe the CEO of a Company didn’t see that coming.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Bottled water may seem like a nuisance to some people (and actually having to pay for it seems like a waste), but in reality it is a useful innovation. My health situation requires that I drink a lot of water (while not consuming alcohol, or sugary or carb-laden beverages). Bottled water gives me the assurance that the water I am drinking is safe for consumption, is convenient, portable, and a great alternative to beverages i should stay away from. Whenever possible I look for a recyling container to deposit the bottle, or wash it for reuse. Banning healthful bottled water, while still allowing cigarattes to be marketed and sold, turns common sense on its head.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Why not just buy a durable, reusable bottle and fill it with tap water? Public water supplies are all tested for purity. Bottled water is not. It is often bottled from municpal water supplies anyway.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
When I worked for Disney, they banned all styrofoam coffee cups in one of the biggest office buildings. If you wanted coffee, you had to bring in your own cup!
August 25th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Kudos to you JoAnn. Keep up the great work. The office can be a very wasteful place and usually create a large carbon footprint.
And, Leon, I understand your thinking on that. And, Cathy is correct. Bottled water does not go through testing as if it were coming out of your tap.
I must drink alot of water as well. I work in the construction field and Texas has been above, or at, 100 degrees for months now.
I installed a whole house filter and a hot/cold dispenser. Then, I purchased a few of those eco-canteens. Sat in the shade, they seem to stay cool for quite a while and you wouldn’t believe how much better my water tastes, as opposed to the bottled water I used to drink.
I’d like to see bottle plastic replaced with a greener product. Wonder who’s gonna invent the next ‘wonder container’.
You have to remember the first bottle of water you ever saw, in the cooler at the store? Remember what the label said? “Evian” Now, spell that backwards.