Thirsty For Change? US Mayors Tap Tap Water, Ban the Bottle

LibertySugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:15:18 -0700

The US Conference of Mayors, meeting in Miami, banned bottled water this week. The cities will no longer use municipal funds to purchase water bottles.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who proposed the resolution along with 17 other big-city mayors, said:

"Cities are sending the wrong message about the quality of public water when we spend taxpayer dollars on water in disposable containers from a private corporation."

But Newsom isn't exactly the first person on the tap-water train. Sixty American mayors have already canceled their hydration contracts, and some places in Canada have also banned the bottle.

Rejecting plastic water bottles is more environmentally and financially sustainable. Millions of bottles a day do not get recycled, and the plastic takes at least 1,000 years to biodegrade.

The American Beverage Association feels betrayed. In a statement, the association reminded those ready to turn on the bottle that private companies come to the rescue during emergencies that compromise public water systems. The statement also notes that plastic bottles are 100 percent recyclable.

Should thirsty city workers be subjected to tap water? First plastic bags, now plastic water bottles, whatever will we do?! Well, here are some great alternatives to the plastic water bottle.

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Obama to Mayors: Don't Mess This Up!

CitizenSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:30:02 -0800

President Obama met with America's mayors today, promising to "call them out" if they spend stimulus money in a wasteful way.

The president told the Conference of US Mayors that he needed unprecedented responsibility and accountability. He said:

If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it, and put a stop to it. But I want everyone here to be on notice that if a local government does the same - I will call them out on it as well, and use the full power of my office and our administration to stop it.

More than 60 of the nation's municipal leaders are in Washington right now, meeting with national leaders and White House economic advisers. Stimulus money will soon flood into local governments, so let's hope it finds it's way out of city halls and into the communities.

To see more photos of the mayors schmoozing in Washington, read more.

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TresSugar

Thirsty For Change? US Mayors Tap Tap Water, Ban the Bottle

Obama to Mayors: Don't Mess This Up!