Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco made news last summer when he issued an executive order banning San Francisco City and County governments from purchasing bottled water. The order was effective on July 1 and extended to a ban on water coolers by Dec. 1. Newsom made the decision based on economic and environmental factors, citing the environmental impact and the amount of tax payer dollars used to transport and dispose plastic water bottles.

The city of Ann Arbor, Mich. made the next move soon after San Francisco, barring city vendors from selling commercial bottled water at city events. Most recently in late January, Madison, Wis., a city partly known for its eco-friendliness is also considering a proposal to ban both bottled water and plastic grocery bags. City governments are not the only entities jumping on the no bottled water band wagon. Restaurateur and Iron Chef Mario Batali also put an end to bottled water at his Del Posto Ristorante in New York.

Why is bottled water in such hot water? According to USA Today, the $15 billion bottled water industry produces 38 million plastic bottles made with 1.5 million barrels of oil. So while consumers are paying for the convenience of bottled water, they are also paying for it at the pump! The Natural Resources Defense Council calculated that the transportation of bottled water from France and Italy to the United States emits 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. It is an amount equivalent to emissions of 700 cars on the road, said Dr. Solomon, a senior scientist at NRDC.

For businesses and consumers wanting to take a step toward becoming more “green” or eco-friendly, the path can sometimes be obscure. But reducing the consumption of bottled water is a clear benefit for the environment and your wallet! Absorbent, Ink. offers a variety of reusable water bottles to replace those disposable ones. Imprint a brand logo or message onto these bottles to create a great corporate gift or promotional product.

Koozie Sport Bottles: Great for outdoor events such as marathons or parades. They come in a variety of styles and colors to best match your taste.

Nalgene & Polycarbonate Water Bottles: One of our best-selling water bottles! Virtually indestructible, lightweight and designed to keep out strange odors and flavors.

Travel Mugs & Tumblers: Durable, with great insulation. A great trade show giveaway or corporate gift.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.