In previous posts, I've mentioned that a great way to save money and help the environment is to invest in eco-friendly reusable drinking bottles and stop buying plastic water bottles. A few towns across the world are starting to take this message seriously.
Last year, Bundanoon, a small town in Australia, was the first town to ban stores from selling plastic water bottles. In a 355 to 1 vote, the town agreed on this measure. Now stores are selling reusable water bottles to residents and tourists to make up for any loss of revenue. Keep in mind, this ban is not legally binding; it is purely a voluntary measure.
Bundadoon provides free water throughout their town: they installed four refill stations and drinking fountains in prime locations, and many businesses set up filtered water stations in their stores. Bundanoon's success largely resulted from strong community support and the town's ability to provide public water sources for consumers.
Concord, Massachusetts just announced that, starting in January of 2011, they will be taking similar measures. If Concord follows through with this plan, it will be the first town in the U.S. to place a ban on plastic water bottles. At this point, it is unclear if Concord can legally prohibit the sale of water bottles within their town lines, so for now it may only be a symbolic measure.
Thanks for the information!