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With the recent success of the movement to restrict sales of “sugary” soft drinks in New York City, I have been thinking more and more about the “ban the bottle” movement of single use water bottles that I wrote about in an earlier blog
While the two initiatives may appear to be “cut from the same cloth,” they are quite different. One big difference is that the sugary drink ban seeks to reduce consumption of sugary drinks due to health concerns, while the single use water bottle ban seeks to reduce waste and litter (not reduce water consumption). Both movements, though, are trying to get consumers to buy less of certain products, and as a result, existing suppliers will sell less of what they are currently selling.
Something needs to change, both on the supply and the demand side of this free market economy. We need to find a new equilibrium. As we continue to witness, the political marketplace is freely flexing its muscle when it comes to banning certain plastic bottles.
In 2010, Gavin Newsom, then mayor of San Francisco, banned water bottles in city government offices.
And recently city officials in Concord, Massachusetts (the birthplace of liberty) got the green light from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office to jump on the “ban the bottle“ bandwagon. The city passed a bylaw outlawing the sale of single use water bottles, effective January 1, 2013.
Whether you support these efforts or not, I say “Thank you” to supporters of these initiatives for moving along conversations regarding obesity, renewables, and waste.
As my son says, “YOLO” (You Only Live Once) -- And as I say, “Make good choices."
