I'm not sure the folks at the Park Slope Food Co-op remember the blackout of 2003, but I sure do. I remember drinking a lot of bottled water and stocking up on it as well, fearing the power outage may effect the pumping facilities at municipal water facilities. An estimated 40-million people were taken into darkness on August 13, 2003.
But, the terribly misguided and environmentally conscious food cooperative has decided to ban bottled water. It's a recycling issue, they say. The Park Slope facility is member-owned and operated. Members must contribute a total of $125 dollars to invest in the Co-op. You're also required to work there 13 times a year as payback. In return, you get to buy its organic food at lower prices.
Unfortunately, if disaster strikes, whether it be a hurricane or a power outage, members of the Co-op will find themselves shopping at the local bodegas or the big name supermarkets for their emergency water supply. But, the Park Slope facility isn't the only place to ban bottled water. It's a growing, but short sighted reaction to environmental concerns. In the Midwest, SSM Health Care is banning bottled water at it's 20 hospitals. The Toronto Public Schools and Austin city council are considering bans as well.
I'm wondering if the Northeast is ever hit by one of those big Hurricanes they've been predicting, whether the goody two-shoes environmentalists will accept bottled water from the federal government to survive.
What about the people in cyclone ravaged Myanmar or in earthquake shattered China. Should the U.S do the environmentally right thing and stop shipping bottled water to disaster areas?
If there's a problem with people recycling plastic, what about metal cans. Will the Co-op stop selling canned goods, as well? I can just imagine if this lunacy continues, ten years from now there will be no canned goods and no bottled water on supermarket shelves. Then, when that hurricane finally does hit, you'll be banging on my door to quench your thirst.
You see, I'm stocking up on bottled water and canned goods. And, guess what, if you think gas prices are over the top, wait till you see what I'm charging thirsty Park Slopers for a bottle of water.
What will Scotland do? They banned bottled water in March. It's not just the "kooky" food coop. Millions of barrels of petroleum are used to manufacture the plastic. It's not such a big deal to store some water in case of emergency. The coop still sells seltzer, and water in glass bottles
ReplyDelete"In the event of an emergency". Global warming, over-use of plastic and petroleum are emergencies that have already happened. Bottled water is bad for the environment. Last year, the manufacture of plastic water bottles generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil. Every year more than four billion pounds of plastic bottles end up in landfills or as roadside litter.
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