[Fern Allie]

Dunno if you guys saw anything about this.  I have mixed feelings, though I approve of a step in the right direction.  I think I'll know my true feelings about it once the research is done to see  this plays out.

Fern

--

Fern Adjoa

WaPreG

PS Est-il vraiment nécessaire d'imprimer ce courriel? ... It is really necessary to print this email?

[TAP thirst]

Hmmmm.  I mean, if anyone should be paying for this research, I think it should be RBC and other companies that support the tar sands and other industrial projects, as they are responsible for so much damage to watersheds. I don't think 2 million is enough though :p

I also don't like that they will be thought of heroically for taking on something that I see as their inherent responsibility. They deserve no praise, in my mind, for creating a mess and years later decided to throw a little money at cleaning some of it up. 

And what the heck is "Blue Water Day"? Oh google, here I come.

Thanks Fern!

-Davita 

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[LAURA BEACH]

Well said Davita! Here, here!

[Fern Allie]

I agree with Laura, thanks for that one :)

[Faisal Shennib]

Going along with the big-picture question of who should pay for righting wrongs, what if bottled water companies financed public water infrastructure? I've been exploring this idea in my head for a bit.

People buy bottled water often because they don't have faith in public water. People have poured billions of dollars each year into this industry. That money could have gone to improving public water purification systems, replacing old pipes, and installing more public fountains. 

What if we asked for some of that money back? Wouldn't it be neat if those companies had to redirect their profits until people had enough faith in public water that they didn't want to buy bottled water anymore? I like to think of it as a bottled-water industry phase-out plan.

- Faisal

[LAURA BEACH]

Ooooooohhhh I totally love it. But it would most likely get used as a PR greenwashing opportunity by the industry and end up justifying the purchase of bottled water by people who want to 'help' the cause.

Who knows though? I'd love to phase out the whole industry... haha!

[Faisal Shennib]

haha, yeah I didn't figure out a way to prevent the greenwashing side of it. Maybe it could just be a back tax for all the years they ripped people off.

[SusCon CCSA]

LOVE
----------
CCSA 2012
Sustainable Concordia
2090 Mackay 204-1

1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd W
Concordia University S-Z204-1
Montreal QC H3G1M8
(514) 848 2424 x5829
susco...@gmail.com
http://sustainable.concordia.ca/

[Fern Allie]

Ahaha I love that Faisal!  Maybe if the plan made it clear that once people trust public water again, they immediately STOP buying bottled water FOREVER!!  Think that could minimize the greenwash?

[SusCon CCSA]

Thinking about this again, my concern is that since we can already trust tap water (even if many people don't, which is more an issue of educating the public), having the bottled water companies provide the financing for rebuilding the faith in public infrastructure would a) seem like an admittance of wrong-doing on the municipality's side, who have in fact kept water potable (even if the infrastructure does need a lot of work), rather that laying some blame on the corporations who have altered the public's perception of the perfectly safe option of tap water. And b) having corporations involved in this way sends the message that bottle water is the cleanest option, so we should strive to their standard (which is actually less rigorous that public water safety standards). It also puts the corporation in the position of "we know best," letting the private dictate the public. 

Just some thoughts..

A

----------
CCSA 2012
Sustainable Concordia
2090 Mackay 204-1

1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd W
Concordia University S-Z204-1
Montreal QC H3G1M8
(514) 848 2424 x5829
susco...@gmail.com
http://sustainable.concordia.ca/

[Fern Allie]

Those were my initial concerns, however I do also feel it is only fair and logical that the companies be burdened with fixing the problem.  Maybe if the companies were to be burdened silently?  I don't know how to say it, I basically mean that they would have to NOT advertise what they are doing in any way.  Not that this should be hidden, I feel it should not be, however, this can not be another marketing scheme.  I don't know, this is kind of half an idea, maybe someone can build upon it?

[Faisal Shennib]

Hmm, Ashley those are good concerns!

I think I'm envisioning something more like with cigarettes, where there is really negative mandatory packaging alterations that explain everything bad about it. And then they get taxed (which is not quite 'silent' burdening, but more like negative publicity). That way it doesn't really come across as a good deed they are doing.

Also, I think the money doesn't so much need to go into infrastructure for water purification as infrastructure for access (more public water sources) and for education. The government could even use the money to subsidize water access projects in institutions and private venues (stadiums, arenas, theatres, etc). One of the big reasons people buy bottled water so often is not just their faith in it's quality, but it's convenience. If people could expect to find water stations more often wherever they went, they wouldn't see bottled water as so convenient any more. Water infrastructure is not cheap at all and I just think it would be a shame for the bottled water industry to get off so easily for taking advantage of a need in such an unsustainable way.

- Faisal

[Fern Allie]

I like that, Faisal!  I think part of the education could include showing people how convenient public water REALLY is!  What I mean by that is that I find a lot of people forget that fountains exist, due to such successful marketing of private.  People often don't even know there are fountains available wherever they are, yet I am sure I am not the only one who has gone on a search for public water and found a fountain right near a bathroom!

[R4 Concordia]

Hey All, 

I have contacted this company called waterfillz, and they have an internal item that is pretty big in the BC area maybe check it out and see if this would be something tapthirst would be interested in working on.  i spoke with a representative of the company, he said some campus groups have completely fund-raised to purchase the machine, it promotes bringing bottles more than the installment of those by the fountains because it can only be used with bottles, its filtered (unlike the tapwater - which is why most people dont drink tap anyways, so get a filter and more tap users), also new models include tv's so internal messages can be spread. 

Also, We have been throwing around the idea of purchasing a bunch of swing-top glass bottles to have a printed logo on them about why people should drink tap water. We could maybe sell them at the campus bookstore, co-op bookstore and frigo vert?

Do these initiatives sound like something that tapthirst would want to address?

Dan

Daniel Kielback

Waste Education Campus Coordinator

Sustainable Concordia

http://sustainable.concordia.ca/ 

2090 Mackay, Montreal

514-848-2424 ext.5139

[LAURA BEACH]

Hi,

I'm going to keep this quick cos I'm on tour right now in Manitoba and don't have a lot of time to respond!

I remember TAPthirst talking about this very thing (and this exact company) a few years ago and the main concern that the group had at that time was that installing and promoting this very expensive flashy machines gives people the impression that tap water and water fountains aren't good/clean enough. Whereas, what we were more interested in focusing on as a group was working with and improving on existing infrastructure - like the water fountains that can be found everywhere on campus. So, I personally would be more into continuing to push the admin towards upgrading water fountains and maybe FINALLY PUTTING UP SIGNS THAT SHOW WHERE THOSE WATER FOUNTAINS ARE!

And, I would love to help out with a "water fountains are hip, cool and sustainably sexy" campaign sometime this year. (I've graduated but will still be around town)

So, there's my two cents!

:)

laura

[Faisal Shennib]

Hey -

I agree that it is not ideal to promote filtered water as a default option. I only support it when people have a legitimate concern about their piping.

I am trying to make sure the university does the campus wide tap testing asap. Lina from Environmental Health and Safety said it could be done within the span of a few weeks.

Good news on the portable filler front - Laura Glover, ex CSU VP Sustainability now with Dean of Students, got money from the Dean to buy some small portable fillers (like the ones at sports events) and to give those to the Dish Project so we can lend them out at events. We thought it would be cool to also have nicer, glass and transparent plastic ones with pumps or nozzles so people will want to use them at fancier events. So that's coming soooon!

- Faisal

[Faisal Shennib]

However I'll add to this all that I still think it would be cool to have a more permanent water filling station for outdoor events at the terrace and maybe at the quad at Loyola. Dan has been working super hard to find an affordable solution that looks decent too.

[Fern Allie]

I'm going to have to agree with Laura and Faisal.  We should only bring up filters when there is truly a health concern coming out of the taps.  By doing the testing Faisal mentioned, the water quality will be known, which means that if there is a problem, it will be fixed, or at least that is what I assume.