La Conferencia Nacional de Alcaldes de Estados Unidos aprobó ayer una resolución en la que pone coto al consumo de agua embotellada por parte de los municipios a la vez que promueve y fomenta el uso del agua de las reservas públicas.
El incremento de la conciencia medioambiental sobre el consumo de agua envasada está detrás de una resolución que alerta del elevado uso de plástico y del coste energético del transporte que genera el agua embotellada.
Los alcaldes, reunidos en Miami, aprobaron la resolución propuesta por el alcalde de San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, junto a otros 17 alcaldes de grandes ciudades que aboga por redireccionar el ingreso del contribuyente destinado a comprar agua embotellada a otros servicios de las ciudades.
El alcalde Newson lo explicaba así:
"Las ciudades están enviando el mensaje equivocado sobre la calidad del agua pública cuando gastamos el dinero del contribuyente en adquirir agua en contenedores de corporaciones privadas.
"Nuestro sistema de agua está entre los mejores del mundo y exige una inversión permanente y significativa ."
Según la ONG "Paremos el abuso corporativo" (Stop Corporate Abuse, en inglés) que ha organizado la campaña "Piensa fuera de la botella" (Think outside the bottle), son más de 60 los alcaldes en Estados Unidos que han cancelado los contratos de compra de agua envasada.
Según el director nacional de la campaña, Gigi Kellet:
"Es sencillamente el más elemental sentido común detener el apoyo a la industria del agua embotellada a costa del dinero del contribuyente.
La resolución adoptada envía un fuerte mensaje sobre los beneficios de optar por el agua del grifo, que es mejor para el medioambiente, para nuestro bolsillo y en el largo plazo para el justo acceso a nuestro más esencial recurso: el agua".
Texto de la Resolución aprobada
Resolution 70
Submitted by:
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Mayor of San Francisco
The Honorable Michael Bloomberg
Mayor of New York City
The Honorable Thomas Menino
Mayor of Boston
The Honorable Laurel Lunt Prussing
Mayor of Urbana
The Honorable Martin Chavez
Mayor of Albuquerque
The Honorable Dan Coody
Mayor of Fayetteville
The Honorable Will Wynn
Mayor of Austin
The Honorable R.T. Rybak
Mayor of Minneapolis
The Honorable David Cicilline
Mayor of Providence
The Honorable Joseph A. Curtatone
Mayor of Somerville
The Honorable David Cicilline
Mayor of Providence
The Honorable Richard M. Daley
Mayor of Chicago
The Honorable Marty Blum
Mayor of Santa Barbara
The Honorable Michael Nutter
Mayor of Philadelphia
The Honorable Manuel Diaz
Mayor of Miami
SUPPORTING MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEMS
WHEREAS, the United States' municipal water systems are among the finest in the world; and
WHEREAS, high quality, safe drinking water is already available at most public locations; and
WHEREAS, mayors are responsible for delivering safe and affordable water to our citizens; and
WHEREAS, bottled water is regulated by the FDA and municipal tap water is regulated by the EPA and has more stringent requirements for testing; and
WHEREAS, local governments invest approximately $82 billion a year to provide water and sewer services; and
WHEREAS, bottled water often costs more than an equivalent volume of gasoline, equivalent to 1,000 to 10,000 times more than tap water; and
WHEREAS, up to 40% of bottled water on the market comes from municipal water systems and the bottled water industry generated $15 billion in revenues in 2006 from U.S. consumers; and
WHEREAS, bottled water often travels many miles from the source, resulting in the burning of massive amounts of fossil fuels, releasing CO2 and other pollution into the atmosphere; and
WHEREAS, plastic water bottles are one of the fastest growing sources of municipal waste; and
WHEREAS, in the U.S. the production of plastic bottles for bottled water currently requires the energy equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil per year – enough to generate fuel for over a million cars for a year – and generates more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide; and
WHEREAS, we applaud the US Conference of Mayors for its National City Water Taste Test, which recognizes all of the great work municipal water systems do for its residents on a daily basis, year after year; and
WHEREAS, the US Conference of Mayors, per Resolution #90 adopted in June 2007, has compiled much information regarding the importance of municipal water and the impact of bottled water on municipal waste.
WHEREAS, the evidence suggests that banning bottled water from government use highlights the importance of municipal water and decreases the impact of bottled water on municipal waste.
WHEREAS, the Conference of Mayors recognizes the importance of bottled water in times of emergency and times when municipal water is unavailable.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the US Conference of Mayors encourages cities to phase out, where feasible, government use of bottled water and promote the importance of municipal water.
